The US would seek to ensure that its competition with China does not escalate into conflict and affect stability in Taiwan as the US and Chinese presidents meet virtually today, Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said on Saturday.
The White House said that US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) would discuss ways to “responsibly manage the competition” between the two countries and how to work together where their interests align.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Taiwan could be one of the topics covered.
Photo: Reuters
Hsiao said that Taiwan has trust in the US and there is close communication between the two sides.
Taiwan’s understanding is that the meeting is about managing competition, she said, adding that as there are multiple layers of competition between the US and China, the US would aim to ensure that it does not escalate into conflict, and affect peace and stability in Taiwan.
The safety and security of Taiwan is an important and critical issue to the US and to other stakeholders in the region, she added.
In Taipei, Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesman Tsuei Ching-lin (崔靜麟) yesterday said that since Biden took office, his administration had on numerous occasions reiterated that its support for Taiwan was “rock solid,” which it has also demonstrated through numerous actions.
Tsuei thanked Washington for its support, and said that Taiwan would continue to strengthen its defensive capabilities to safeguard its freedoms and democracy.
It would also continue to cooperate with the US and other countries to promote peace in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
In other news, Hsiao was on Saturday asked whether a referendum next month aimed at overturning a decision by the government to allow the importation of pork containing traces of the feed additive ractopamine would affect Taiwan-US relations if it passes.
She said that whether Taiwan’s trade policy was consistent with international standards and based on scientific evidence was an issue that “the US has been concerned about for many years.”
Additional reporting by Lu Yi-hsuan
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique