Taiwan is working to strengthen “substantive” relations with the US, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday when asked about the future of the relationship following comments from prominent US politicians calling for closer ties between the two nations.
Formal diplomatic recognition “admittedly cannot be achieved overnight,” but “we take strengthening the substantive relationship between the two sides as our greatest effort at present,” Su told a hearing at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
He was responding to a question from Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) over whether the government intends to maintain “pragmatic” relations with Washington, or is looking to establish more formal diplomatic ties.
Photo: CNA
Chiu cited increasingly vocal appeals from US politicians to deepen ties with Taiwan in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including from former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who during a visit to the nation earlier this month called for formal diplomatic recognition.
Pompeo repeated his call in an interview with the Washington-based Hudson Institute published on Monday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday responded by saying that Taiwan cherishes the former state secretary’s steadfast friendship, but added that his comments are those of a private citizen and it would decline to comment further.
Former American Institute in Taiwan director William Stanton at a forum on Saturday said that he does not foresee any major changes in US engagement any time soon, adding that practical measures are more important than diplomatic recognition.
Su told legislators that the nation is happy to see these and other expressions of “rock-solid” support for the Taiwan-US relationship, but establishing diplomatic or other formal ties would “come naturally when the conditions are ripe.”
Meanwhile, National Endowment for Democracy president and chief executive Damon Wilson yesterday said he intentionally chose Taiwan as his first stop in Asia since assuming office in July last year to demonstrate that “we stand with Taiwan.”
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received Wilson at the Presidential Office, where the two discussed the importance of democracies coming together to counter rising authoritarianism.
“We are committed to safeguarding Taiwan’s democracy and to working with Taiwan to safeguard democracies around the world,” Wilson said.
He also touted the choice of Taiwan as host of the World Movement for Democracy’s 11th Global Assembly later this year, a decision he announced at a news conference on Monday.
“Taiwan will be at the center of a global agenda for freedom, as part of integrating Taiwanese perspective into the world, ensuring Taiwan is a hub of democrats,” Wilson said.
“The assembly will gather democratic leaders and activists from around the world in what is a consequential moment for freedom,” he said, referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The war once again exposes the need for democratic nations to join together to oppose authoritarianism, Tsai said, adding that she looks forward to sharing Taiwan’s experiences of bolstering the resilience of democracy.
Calling the Ukrainians’ defense of their homeland “through a whole-of-society approach” inspiring, she expressed the wish for Taiwan to participate in defense exchanges to learn from other nations’ experiences.
Taiwan is also excited to share its experiences in countering misinformation at the Oct. 24 to 27 assembly, which is to advance cooperation and solidarity among democracies, she added.
Additional reporting by Lu Yi-hsuan and Lin Liang-sheng
Indonesia has sent hundreds of riot police to a tiny island after protests broke out against a China-backed project that would displace thousands of residents. About 1,000 people protested in Batam City on Monday over a plan to develop Rempang island into a Chinese-funded economic zone, including the construction of a multibillion-dollar glass factory, that would displace about 7,500 people. Some protesters clashed with security forces outside a government agency, wielding machetes, Molotov cocktails and stones, police said, adding that dozens were arrested. Beijing has poured money into infrastructure and resource projects in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and its investments have previously caused
‘HARASSMENT’: A record 103 Chinese warplanes were detected in 24 hours, posing severe challenges to security in the Taiwan Strait and the region, the ministry said Taiwan yesterday told China to stop its “destructive unilateral actions” after more than 100 Chinese warplanes and nine navy ships were detected in areas around the nation. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) described the number of warplanes detected in 24 hours as a “recent high,” while Beijing has so far refrained from issuing any official comment on the sorties. “Between the morning of September 17th to 18th, the Ministry of National Defense had detected a total of 103 Chinese aircraft, which was a recent high and has posed severe challenges to the security across the Taiwan Strait and in the region,”
China would be making “a grave strategic mistake” if it tried to attack Taiwan, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said in an interview with CNN that aired on Sunday. Asked by host Fareed Zakaria whether the US could repel a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, Milley said: “It is entirely possible.” Milley reiterated that the US still maintains the Taiwan Relations Act, and that it wants “a peaceful outcome between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, and whatever that is between those two peoples.” “Militarily, I think China would make a grave strategic mistake if they attempted to
‘CRITICAL TRADE PARTNER’: The proposal had momentum due to a bipartisan consensus on boosting the economic partnership with Taiwan, a US senator said The US Senate Committee on Finance on Thursday passed the US-Taiwan Expedited Double Tax Relief Act, with US officials saying that it would ease pressure on investors and boost the partnership between Taipei and Washington, although Taiwan needs to enact reciprocal legislation for it to take effect. The bill — which was developed by US senators Ron Wyden, the committee’s chairman, and ranking member Mike Crapo, along with US representatives Jason Smith, chairman of the US House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, and ranking member Richard Neal — was passed in a 27-0 vote. The proposal had momentum because of
RSS