Government officials yesterday welcomed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s announcement lifting restrictions governing official US contacts with Taiwan, with many calling it the latest example of bipartisan commitment to deepening Taiwan-US ties.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Pompeo instructed executive agencies to consider “all ‘contact guidelines’ regarding relations with Taiwan ... to be null and void.”
“The United States government took these actions unilaterally, in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing. No more,” the statement reads. “The US-Taiwan relationship need not, and should not, be shackled by self-imposed restrictions of our permanent bureaucracy.”
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
In Washington, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US said that the decision reflects the “strength and depth” of the Taiwan-US relationship.
“Decades of discrimination, removed. A huge day in our bilateral relationship. I will cherish every opportunity,” Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) wrote on Twitter.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) also took to Twitter to express gratitude toward Pompeo and the US Department of State for their continued efforts to lift restrictions on bilateral engagement.
He also thanked the US Congress for its “strong bipartisan support” in passing the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2019, which instructed the executive branch to review its restrictions on high-level exchanges.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said that the decision reflects the two nations’ robust partnership.
The government is grateful not only for Saturday’s decision, but also for the many Americans who have continually helped to strengthen political, economic, security and other ties between the two nations, Chang said.
“Building on this solid foundation, we will continue striving for bipartisan US support and to deepen the cooperative partnership between Taiwan and the US,” he added.
Opposition parties were cautiously optimistic about the decision, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) saying that the next US administration’s reaction “will be key.”
The KMT views the progress of official relations positively and would work hard to assist the nation in promoting exchanges with the US, as long as they are in line with the Constitution and people’s expectations, it said in a statement.
In addition to symbolic actions, there should also be more specific, substantive and continuous enhancement of bilateral relations, it added.
“Most Taiwanese are pro-US. The KMT is the same,” it said. “Whether Pompeo’s announcement can continue into the [US president-elect Joe] Biden administration will be a key indicator.”
While it would be good to further improve the level of mutual visits, such advancement should continue alongside substantial and reciprocal policy, it added.
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) also tempered expectations, while urging President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration to take a more active role in pushing for national interests and international participation.
Although happy about the advancement in US ties, the TPP asked whether the Biden administration would maintain the momentum.
For example, the Tsai administration must keep striving to ensure the gains acquired from permitting the importation of US pork containing ractopamine, it said.
Former representative to the US Chen Chien-jen (程建人) was also circumspect, saying that while the change is certainly good for Taiwan, the level at which the Biden administration would be able to enact these policy changes remains to be seen.
Additional reporting by Sherry Hsiao,
Hsieh Chun-lin and Huang Hsin-po
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS