Taiwan-US relations are closer and more vibrant than ever, and sowing skepticism over the US commitment to Taiwan is “a typical practice of Chinese cognitive warfare,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The remarks came after Vice President William Lai (賴清德) ahead of the Democratic Progressive Party chairperson election said that the nation should never allow distrust of the US commitment to Taiwan to become a consensus in society, adding that attempts to sow skepticism are mostly made by people with malicious intent.
If they succeed, it would place Taiwan in an unfavorable position, he added.
Photo: screen grab from a Ministry of Foreign Affairs livestream
The ministry also weighed in on claims that Washington’s plan to sell Volcano Vehicle-Launched Scatterable Mine Systems to Taiwan would lead to the nation being contaminated with landmines.
“This is a typical practice of Chinese cognitive warfare, which is amplified through the work of certain local individuals,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) told a news briefing. “They intend to erode the faith of Taiwanese and destroy Taiwan-US relations by seeking every opportunity to distort facts and take things out of context.”
Taiwan has formed partnerships with the US at the federal and local levels to address issues involving security, trade, education and culture, Hsiao said.
“Not only do senior government officials in the US show solid commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the US Congress has also demonstrated support for Taiwan by proposing a historically high number of Taiwan-friendly bills and through continuous visits of congressional delegations,” he said.
“Taiwan-US relations are in the closest and most vibrant period, as witnessed by all,” he added.
The US has kept its pledges to Taiwan in accordance with its Taiwan Relations Act, he said, adding bolstering Taiwan-US ties has become a bipartisan consensus in Washington.
Last year, the administration of US President Joe Biden announced the sales of eight arms packages to Taiwan, Hsiao said, adding that Biden has on multiple occasions expressed support of Taiwan.
The US supports Taiwan’s efforts to form partnerships with Japan and Australia under the Global Cooperation and Training Network, Hsiao said.
Taipei and Washington have been expanding their ties through the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogues, the Taiwan-US Education Initiative and a memorandum of understanding on humanitarian aid, he said.
The latest round of negotiations under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade showed determination from both sides to deepen trade ties, he said.
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