The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign nation, not part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, after Washington said it does not support Taiwanese independence.
“We support a strong unofficial relationship with Taiwan. We do not support Taiwan’s independence. We fully recognize, understand the sensitivities involved here,” US National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday during a videoconference with the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI).
Campbell made the remarks when asked by ASPI International Security and Diplomacy vice president Daniel Russel how much love and support Washington can show to Taiwan under its “one China” policy and the US’ Taiwan Relations Act.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
Taiwan has the right to live in peace and should have a role to play in the international community, particularly in areas related to vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic, Campbell said.
He said that there is a “dangerous” balance to maintain across the Taiwan Strait and warned China about “catastrophic” results if it dares to do to Taiwan what it has done to Hong Kong.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked Washington for supporting Taiwan’s participation in international affairs and having donated it 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccines.
Since taking office, US President Joe Biden’s administration has repeatedly stressed that Washington’s support for Taiwan is “rock solid,” while it has also engaged other allies to underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.
As a responsible and reliable partner, Taiwan sustains close cooperation with the US on many regional and global issues, and the nation is glad to continue making contributions to the international society, Ou said.
Ou also asserted the nation’s sovereignty.
“ROC Taiwan is a sovereign nation, not part of the PRC; that is a fact as well as the ‘status quo,’” she said.
The government has been cautiously handling cross-strait relations based on a steady and practical attitude, while defending its liberal democracy and striving for more opportunities to participate in international affairs, Ou said.
The ministry would continue to work closely with the US and deepen bilateral partnerships based on firm foundations, she said.
In other news, the ministry on Tuesday night welcomed the appointment of Sandra Oudkirk — US senior official for APEC and deputy assistant secretary for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands — as the next director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), making her the first female director of the US’ de facto embassy.
“The @StateDept official brings a wealth of experience to the role, it’s expected the #Taiwan-#US relationship will continue flourishing under her watch,” the ministry wrote on Twitter yesterday.
CLOSURES: Several forest recreation areas have been closed as a precaution, while some ferry and flight services have been suspended or rescheduled A land warning for Tropical Storm Danas was issued last night at 8:30pm, as the storm’s outer bands began bringing heavy rain to southeastern regions, including Hualien and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). As of 9:15pm, the storm was approximately 330km west-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, moving north-northeast at 10-20kph, the CWA reported. A sea warning had already been issued at 8:30am yesterday. The storm had maximum sustained winds near its center of 83kph, with gusts of up to 108kph, according to the CWA. As of 9:30pm last night, Kaohsiung, Tainan,
POWERFUL DETERRENT: Precision fire and dispersed deployment of units would allow Taiwanese artillery to inflict heavy casualties in an invasion, a researcher said The nation’s military has boosted its self-defense capability with the establishment of a new company equipped with the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The company, part of the army’s 58th Artillery Command, is Taiwan’s first HIMARS unit. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄), who presided over the formation ceremony in Taichung on Friday, called the unit a significant addition to the nation’s defensive strength, saying it would help deter adversaries from starting a war. The unit is made up of top-performing soldiers who received training in the US, according to the Ministry of National Defense. The HIMARS can be equipped with
STRONG WINDS: Without the Central Mountain Range as a shield, people should be ready for high-speed winds, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi said Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today. Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s
UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
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