The government looks forward to negotiating with Beijing on certain issues, but it cannot ignore the threats presented by China, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told lawmakers yesterday.
Wu was speaking at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) asked him to explain Taiwan’s position amid the evolving competition between the US and China.
Photo: CNA
Chiang described President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) diplomatic policy as “aligning with the US and countering China,” but Wu said that it is more than that.
The government hopes to have an opportunity to negotiate with China, Wu said, without specifying what issues would be discussed.
Asked if Taiwan should side with China or the US, or act as a bridge between the two, Wu said that the government has some flexibility, but it would not change its position of prioritizing national interests.
Since US President Joe Biden took office in January, Tsai’s administration has more often conveyed the intent to communicate with Beijing, although she said in February that the Chinese government “holds the key.”
Chiang asked if Taiwan and the US would resume the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement meeting that has been suspended since October 2016.
While many US lawmakers continue to voice support for starting talks on a bilateral trade agreement, the problem is whether trade talks with Taiwan are a priority for the US administration, especially after Taiwan lifted restrictions on US pork products containing traces of ractopamine, Chiang said.
The government is working to resume the meeting, quite likely this year, Wu said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) asked Wu whether Biden’s administration during its first year would send high-ranking officials to visit Taiwan, as encouraged in the US’ Taiwan Travel Act.
The ministry does not rule out the possibility, but there are presently no such plans, Wu said, adding that good precedents were set last year when US officials visited.
Wang also asked if the ministry has received more requests from European lawmakers to visit, after Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye’s (盧沙野) threat to French Senator Alain Richard backfired.
Wu said that high-ranking lawmakers from many countries have expressed their intention to visit Taiwan, but added that the government would need to plan carefully due to COVID-19 prevention concerns.
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