It is important for democracies to support Taiwan as it works to preserve its independence and freedom, US Senator Marsha Blackburn said at a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday.
“It is important ... that freedom-loving nations support Taiwan as they seek to preserve their independence,” said Blackburn, who is a member of the US Senate Armed Services Committee.
Blackburn, a Republican representing Tennessee, said she looks forward to continuing to help support the people of Taiwan as “they push forward as an independent nation.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
The senator has been critical of Beijing, which she described as an “adversary” of the US.
“I will continue to stand with [Taiwanese] and their right to freedom and democracy,” Blackburn wrote on Twitter after arriving in Taipei on Thursday, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) “doesn’t scare me.”
Tsai praised Blackburn for sponsoring a bill in the US Congress that aims to “bolster US backing for Taiwan to enhance our self-defense capabilities.”
The president was likely referring to the draft Taiwan democracy defense lend-lease act, introduced in the US Senate last month.
The bill would support “the United States’ partnership with Taiwan by authorizing a defense lend or lease program with the government of Taiwan,” Blackburn said.
Tsai said the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s military exercises in the Taiwan Strait showed that authoritarian countries are disrupting and threatening the world order.
She urged democracies to “further unite and cooperate in jointly holding a firm line of defense of our values, freedom and democracy.”
Tsai also expressed hope that Taiwan could join the US-initiated Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, saying that like-minded countries should deepen economic and trade cooperation to create secure and resilient supply chains.
Blackburn met with National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) yesterday to discuss security and trade issues, and is to depart today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
She also gave a keynote speech at the ministry’s Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs in Taipei yesterday afternoon.
US Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel said in Washington that US lawmakers “have gone to Taiwan for decades and will continue to do so.”
“We’re going to continue to take calm and resolute steps to uphold peace and stability in the region and to support Taiwan in line with our long-standing policy,” Patel told a news conference on Thursday.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected