Former US representative Will Hurd yesterday said visiting Taiwan has made him realize that China’s “one country, two systems” framework is not a feasible solution for Taiwan.
Hurd, who is visiting Taiwan with an international delegation, made the remarks when meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
There is bipartisan support for Taiwan in Washington, with Republicans and Democrats agreeing that only the 23.5 million Taiwanese can decide the nation’s future, said Hurd, a trustee at the Washington-based German Marshall Fund think tank.
Photo: CNA
Former German lawmaker Marieluise Beck said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed mindsets in Europe, and has underscored the difficult challenge of maintaining freedom.
All democracies must make daily efforts to address that challenge, she said.
The purpose of the delegation’s visit is to respond to the threat of a similar invasion of Taiwan before it could occur, Beck said, adding that she hoped to hear Taiwan’s views on the future, as well as to learn how the international community can help the nation.
Tsai said the expansion of authoritarianism poses serious challenges to democracy globally, adding that democracies must bolster their alliances to jointly defend their shared values.
Taiwan would continue to bolster its self-defense capabilities, Tsai said, adding that she hopes the nation can cooperate with more democratic countries on ensuring peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Taiwan, the US and Europe should also bolster economic cooperation to create safer and more resilient supply chains, she added.
In related news, US lawmakers are poised to back as much as US$10 billion to bolster Taiwan’s defenses against growing threats from China as part of a compromise annual defense authorization bill, Bloomberg reporter Roxana Tiron wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
Voice of America and US-based Web site Politico have in the past few months reported that the US Senate, the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee and other committees have been negotiating the contents of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
A version of the bill that reflects cross-party compromises might be announced as soon as this week, and be voted on in the House and then the Senate next week.
Additional reporting by Reuters
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting