Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Naz Durakoglu on Friday said that the US would continue to express support for Taiwan as China seeks to reduce Taiwan’s international standing.
Her statement was made in response to a letter written on Wednesday last week and addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in which US representatives Scott Perry and Tom Tiffany urged the US Department of State to be wary of Chinese meddling in Haiti following the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise.
In their letter, the two representatives highlighted the importance of the Caribbean nation’s ties to Taiwan, which is one of its 16 remaining diplomatic allies.
“The United States will continue to express support for Taiwan publicly, collaborate with Taiwan on initiatives that demonstrate the value it brings to the international community, and encourage like-minded countries’ engagement with and public demonstrations of support for Taiwan,” Durakoglu said on Friday.
She also said the department was fully aware that China “seeks to abridge Taiwan’s international space and reduce its international standing.”
Durakoglu said the US has sent an interagency delegation to Haiti to assist with the investigation into Moise’s assassination.
Moise was killed on July 7 by a group of gunmen at his private residence in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
His wife, Martine Moise, was seriously wounded during the attack and was flown to Miami for treatment. She returned to Haiti last week to attend her husband’s funeral on Friday.
“The United States stands with the Haitian people at this difficult time, as they strive to build a safer, more democratic future,” Durakoglu said.
Taiwan and Haiti celebrated the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations in April. Jovenel Moise last visited Taiwan in 2018 for five days.
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