The US Department of State on Tuesday announced that a department official would join a political and military dialogue with Taiwan today.
Taipei did not provide details about the dialogue except to say that both sides maintain close cooperation.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Clarke Cooper is to deliver opening remarks at the virtual dialogue at 7:30am Taipei time, a schedule on the department’s Web site showed.
Photo: CNA
Cooper, who assumed his post in May 2019, in August posted on Twitter a photograph showing a meeting with then-representative to the US Stanley Kao (高碩泰).
The meeting was to “recommit to an #US and #Taiwan Political-Military Dialogue to promote peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and region,” he wrote on Twitter.
While the department’s schedule did not reveal the agenda of the meeting, the Central News Agency (CNA) reported that regional issues, bilateral cooperation in military affairs and arms sales would be the focal points.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense would take part in the meeting, CNA reported.
Asked about the level of its representation, the defense ministry yesterday only said that the matter should be commented on by the foreign ministry.
Taiwan and the US maintain diverse communications channels that cover different levels and issues of common interest, to continue deepening bilateral cooperation in political, economic and security matters, foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.
Considering mutual trust and understanding, the foreign ministry would not provide more details about the dialogue, Ou said.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
RSS