Democratic partners should strengthen their alliance to defend against interference by authoritarian states, and protect regional peace and stability, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told delegations from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and the Japan-Republic of China Diet Members’ Consultative Council yesterday.
“China’s recent military exercises in areas surrounding Taiwan have posed significant threats to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the region,” Tsai said during a meeting with a research team from the Hoover Institution at the Presidential Office.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year has highlighted the continuing expansion of authoritarianism. Yet, in standing up to fight for and defend their homeland, the people of Ukraine ... have shown the necessity to safeguard one’s freedom and democracy,” she said.
Photo: CNA
As Taiwan yesterday observed the 64th anniversary of the start of an artillery battle with China that marked the beginning of the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, Tsai told the US delegation that soldiers and civilians operated in solidarity and defended Taiwan during the crisis.
Thanks to them, Taiwanese now have today’s democratic Taiwan, she said.
“The battle to protect our homeland showed the world that no threat of any kind could shake Taiwanese’s resolve to defend their nation, not in the past, not now and not in the future,” she said.
“We too will show the world that Taiwanese have both the resolve and the confidence to defend peace, security, freedom and prosperity,” Tsai said.
“With autocracy continuing to make inroads around the globe, Taiwan and the US should work together to build safer and more resilient supply chains. This is one of our key priorities,” she said.
At a separate meeting with the Japanese delegation representing more than 260 lawmakers in the council, Tsai reiterated the importance of deepening cooperation with democratic partners.
“Taiwan and Japan have over the years formed close ties through suffering and hardship. The friendship and values that the two countries share would only be reaffirmed through more and greater challenges ahead,” she said.
Retired US admiral James Ellis, who led the US delegation, said escalating threats to peace and stability for Taiwanese and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as growing challenges to the security of the semiconductor and other supply chains, are causes for concern.
“Now more than ever, we believe it is important for individuals and institutions in the US and other countries to demonstrate support for Taiwan’s right to exist as a self-governing democracy to cooperate with its vibrant private enterprises, particularly in the high-tech sector, and to maintain close connection to and solidarity with Taiwan’s creative and freedom-loving people,” Ellis said.
Taiwan’s hard-won status as one of the most liberal democracies of the post-Cold War world is a major reason it enjoys such admiration, as well as broad and deep support in the US and elsewhere, Ellis said.
The delegation’s visit aims to reaffirm the commitment of Americans to bolstering Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, which is consistent with the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, Ellis said.
“Effective self-defense involves more than purely military capabilities. It also requires a clear demonstration of both readiness and will, along with vigilance on many levels to counter intimidation, disinformation and gray-zone intrusion,” he said.
These tasks have taken on new urgency in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he said.
“It is important that all learn appropriate lessons from that conflict, including the complex requirements of deterrence, the scope for miscalculation by authoritarian actors determined to achieve political objectives and considerable potential for large numbers of small, lethal, resilient and distributed weapon systems to help repel a powerful aggressor,” he said.
Council chairman Keiji Furuya told Tsai that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait affect the security of Japan, and are the foundation of stability of the international community.
“China used US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as an excuse to launch missiles into Japan’s maritime economic zones. This is absolutely unacceptable for the people of Taiwan and Japan, who treasure values of freedom, democracy, rule of law and human rights,” Furuya said.
Furuya praised Tsai for staying calm in the face of frequent threats from China, as it is important not to fall for China’s provocative schemes or give it an excuse to threaten Taiwan.
China’s attempt to change the “status quo” must be fully deterred, he said.
Furuya raised the issue of Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp’s (THSRC) procurement of new train cars from Japan in his meeting with Tsai, a topic he mentioned in his meeting with Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Monday.
“Infrastructure is key in supporting people’s lives. Users’ safety should be the top priority in the design and manufacturing of the train system. Japan’s Shinkansen has proven itself to be a world-class train system and won the trust of Taiwanese. THSRC is a symbol of solid friendship between Taiwan and Japan, for which the two countries must cooperate,” he said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external