Washington has confirmed to Taipei that its policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged, the Presidential Office said yesterday.
The US is to maintain its commitments to Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,” Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement.
The Presidential Office issued the remarks after US President Joe Biden — who for the first time since taking office was responding to Chinese military sorties near Taiwan — told Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) that the two nations should stick to the “Taiwan agreement.”
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
“I’ve spoken with Xi about Taiwan. We agree ... we will abide by the Taiwan agreement,” Biden told reporters at the White House after returning from a trip to Michigan when asked about China’s military maneuvers in the South China Sea.
“That’s where we are and we made it clear that I don’t think he should be doing anything other than abiding by the agreement,” he said, without specifying what agreement he was referring to.
NO CHANGE
Following Biden’s remarks about the “Taiwan agreement,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately checked with US officials in Taipei and Washington, who reassured ministry officials that US has not changed its policy toward Taiwan, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.
As the US Department of State’s statement on Sunday shows, the US’ policy toward Taiwan is predicated on its Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,” Ou said.
The US has reiterated that its commitment to Taiwan is rock solid, and that it would continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining adequate self-defense capabilities, she added.
COMMITTED
Asked to clarify the “Taiwan agreement,” the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) also referred to the US state department’s statement, without commenting further.
The ministry thanked the Biden administration for reiterating its commitment to Taiwan, Ou said.
In the face of Chinese military, diplomatic and economic pressure, Taiwan and the US have been maintaining close and smooth communication, she said.
The government would continue to bolster its self-defense capabilities, in a bid to defend Taiwan’s freedoms and democratic institutions, while continuing to work with the US and other like-minded partners in defending a rules-based international order, Ou added.
This month, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has deployed a record number of aircraft in military exercises near Taiwan, a move criticized by Taipei as a provocation and an attempt to intimidate.
Over the past five days, 150 PLA warplanes have entered the southwestern part of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, according to the Ministry of National Defense, which has made the data available on its Web site since September last year.
BACKUP
The dispute over Taiwan was expected to be on the agenda when US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪) met in Zurich, Switzerland, later yesterday.
The talks are the highest-level meeting between the two nations since an acrimonious exchange in Anchorage, Alaska, in March and are the latest sign of a potential diplomatic thaw between them.
Additional reporting by Lin Chia-nan and Bloomberg
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS