Taiwan-US ties would not change significantly after the US presidential election next month, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday.
The news that US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, on Friday tested positive for COVID-19 has sparked worldwide concern, especially as Donald Trump is running for re-election against former US vice president Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate.
Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) yesterday said that the government is working to advance dialogue with the US in various areas, including preparations for the US-Taiwan Economic and Commercial Dialogue.
The dialogue, which is intended to be an annual event, was announced by the US Department of State on Aug. 31, after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Aug. 28 announced that Taiwan would ease restrictions on US pork and beef imports.
The dialogue might not be held prior to the US election, although Taiwanese and US officials agree that it should happen soon, a source said on condition of anonymity.
Sources within the government said that it has made preparations for bilateral trade agreement talks with the US, which would fall under the jurisdiction of US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Fifty US senators on Thursday issued a joint letter urging Lighthizer to start formal bilateral trade agreement negotiations with Taiwan.
US representatives across party lines have shown support for improved relations with Taiwan at a time when the US and China are at odds over trade and technology, and when Taiwan has won global acclaim for containing its COVID-19 outbreak, sources said.
As such, the US is likely to continue competing with China while cooperating with Taiwan, even if Washington undergoes a transfer of power after next month’s election, they said.
A government official said on condition of anonymity that while Biden appeared to be more friendly to China than Donald Trump, the US Congress has continued to demonstrate its robust support for Taiwan, so Taipei need not worry too much about the impact of the US election on Taiwan-US relations.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Burns, Biden’s foreign policy adviser, on Friday warned about China’s mounting pressure against Taiwan.
“With the President’s illness amid a divisive campaign, we should not discount the possibility that China will step up pressure on Taiwan or Russia seek to take advantage in Eastern Europe. Important the U.S. signal to both that we are watching and remain fully capable,” Burns wrote on Twitter.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
RSS