Dignitaries from 47 countries yesterday congratulated President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on the commencement of her second term and highlighted Taiwan’s achievements in democracy and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent his congratulations a day earlier.
As of noon yesterday, 263 high-ranking officials from 47 countries and global organizations had congratulated Tsai via statements, letters, social media posts or recorded footage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, while releasing a collection of footage sent by selected dignitaries.
The governments of Taiwan’s 15 diplomatic allies sent their congratulations, as did the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, the US, the UK, the European Parliament, the Central American Integration System and others, the ministry said.
Photo: CNA
In a prepared video, US Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger, speaking in Mandarin, said that Taiwan shows the world that free and open democracies are universal values, not just American or Western.
Commending Taiwan’s success in containing the pandemic, Pottinger said that the US would continue to press other countries and organizations, such as the WHO, to put human lives above politics and to choose freedom over repression.
“We look forward to working closely with Taiwan across the full range of economic, cultural, educational, security and other types of cooperative activities where we have so many common interests and values,” he added.
“Madam president, under your leadership, the United States and Taiwan have deepened our strong partnership. We applaud your commitment to maintaining cross-strait stability in the face of unrelenting pressure,” US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell said.
Their remarks came on the heels of Pompeo’s statement released on Tuesday.
“I would like to congratulate Dr Tsai Ing-wen on the commencement of her second term as Taiwan’s President... Her courage and vision in leading Taiwan’s vibrant democracy is an inspiration to the region and the world,” Pompeo said.
“The United States has long considered Taiwan a force for good in the world and a reliable partner. Support for Taiwan in the United States is bipartisan and unanimous,” he said, referring to the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act, US legislation promoting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
“We have a shared vision for the region — one that includes rule of law, transparency, prosperity, and security for all. The recent COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for the international community to see why Taiwan’s pandemic-response model is worthy of emulation,” he said.
This is the first time that a US secretary of state has issued a statement to congratulate Taiwan’s president on their inauguration, the ministry said.
China slammed the US for its “dangerous” decision to congratulate Tsai.
“It is extremely wrong, and it’s also very dangerous,” the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “extremely indignant” at the message and accused Washington of breaching its diplomatic commitments.
Meanwhile, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi said in a footage: “I pray for the peace, well-being and prosperity of Taiwan.”
On the association’s post on Facebook, he also praised Taiwan’s success in containing the novel coronavirus, and thanked Taiwan for donating masks and offering assistance.
“You are a beacon of democracy in Asia, and we as the German Bundestag appreciate that very much,” said Klaus-Peter Willsch, chairman of the German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group.
“Taiwan still is a country for freedom and progress and happiness. You [Tsai] have done a very good job. Keep up the good work,” Danish Parliament Deputy Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard said.
Pope Francis congratulated Tsai in a written letter, the ministry said, but added that it could not share the diplomatic document from the nation’s only diplomatic ally in Europe.
Leaders from the nation’s other 14 allies also expressed their congratulations in recorded video clips.
“Under the leadership of President Tsai, we have developed even closer relations, people-to-people bonds,” Saint Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said. “The people in this country love her in the same way that the people of Taiwan [do].”
Additional reporting AFP
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
DETERMINATION: Beijing’s actions toward Tokyo have drawn international attention, but would likely bolster regional coordination and defense networks, the report said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is likely to prioritize security reforms and deterrence in the face of recent “hybrid” threats from China, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said. The bureau made the assessment in a written report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of an oral report and questions-and-answers session at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The key points of Japan’s security reforms would be to reinforce security cooperation with the US, including enhancing defense deployment in the first island chain, pushing forward the integrated command and operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, as
IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST: Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu said the strengthening of military facilities would help to maintain security in the Taiwan Strait Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi, visiting a military base close to Taiwan, said plans to deploy missiles to the post would move forward as tensions smolder between Tokyo and Beijing. “The deployment can help lower the chance of an armed attack on our country,” Koizumi told reporters on Sunday as he wrapped up his first trip to the base on the southern Japanese island of Yonaguni. “The view that it will heighten regional tensions is not accurate.” Former Japanese minister of defense Gen Nakatani in January said that Tokyo wanted to base Type 03 Chu-SAM missiles on Yonaguni, but little progress
NO CHANGES: A Japanese spokesperson said that Tokyo remains consistent and open for dialogue, while Beijing has canceled diplomatic engagements A Japanese official blasted China’s claims that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has altered Japan’s position on a Taiwan crisis as “entirely baseless,” calling for more dialogue to stop ties between Asia’s top economies from spiraling. China vowed to take resolute self-defense against Japan if it “dared to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait” in a letter delivered Friday to the UN. “I’m aware of this letter,” said Maki Kobayashi, a senior Japanese government spokeswoman. “The claim our country has altered its position is entirely baseless,” she said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg on Saturday. The Chinese Ministry
RSS