The US will stand with Taiwan in fending off attacks by authoritarians and has no intention of changing the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien said in Taipei yesterday.
O’Brien, who served under former US president Donald Trump, made the remarks at the Presidential Office in Taipei, where President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) conferred on him the Order of Brilliant Star.
Taiwan has been exemplary in its realization of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law — values that totalitarian and authoritarian regimes are trying to undermine around the world, he said.
Photo: CNA
Taipei is rightly committing to spend more resources on national defense, including reinstating one year of mandatory military service, measures that protect the country against interference, and the development of asymmetric warfare capabilities and a porcupine strategy, he said.
Washington would not want Taiwan to come under attack from an authoritarian regime and he can vouch that the US would stand in solidarity with the nation, O’Brien said.
Defending Taiwan was the policy of the Trump administration then and it is the policy of US President Joe Biden, who has affirmed four times that US forces would defend Taiwan if China were to invade the nation, he said.
The US does not make commitments to defend a country’s security lightly, as numerous American families have members who serve in the armed forces, including his two daughters, O’Brien said.
No US president, Trump and Biden included, has had the slightest intention to change the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, contrary to claims by those who spread misinformation, he said.
The goal of the US and its allies is to prevent the world from regressing to the past when a powerful state can invade its weaker neighbors for glory, territory or economic gain, he said.
Tsai said the partnership of democracies should rise to the challenge posed by authoritarian expansionism and defend peace through strength.
She also called on Washington to enhance its security and economic cooperation with Taiwan.
The Tourism Administration yesterday announced that it would reward repeat international visitors with incentives of up to NT$8,000 to boost inbound tourism. The incentives are available to all international tourists, it said, adding that repeat visitors would be rewarded with NT$5,000 and would receive an additional NT$3,000 if they bring travel companions. The nation received 2,990,657 inbound visitors during the first quarter, marking a 3.8 percent increase from the same period last year, agency data showed. Japanese nationals are among groups visiting Taiwan the most. About 1.48 million Japanese tourists arrived last year, a year-on-year increase of more than 12
66 FIGHTER JETS: The aircraft is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan — a significant step forward in the nation’s modernization program, a lawmaker said The first of Taiwan’s order of F-16V Block 70 aircraft has been sighted in Texas ahead of delivery, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said. Taiwan’s first F-16V Block 70 two-seat aircraft, tail number 6831, was seen flying from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Greenville, South Carolina, to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas, Wang wrote on Facebook yesterday. The plane is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan, marking a significant step forward in the Republic of China Air Force’s modernization program, Wang said, citing military analysts. The F-16V Block 70 is a new-build version
‘BRAZEN’: The holiday did not stop China from activities that infringe on Taiwan’s maritime jurisdiction, but the CGA is ready to defend the nation, Kuan Bi-ling said Beijing is intensifying maritime pressure on Taiwan, but the nation will never yield, Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Sung Chen-en (宋承恩) said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has adopted a “shadowing and monitoring” approach to avoid falling into a Chinese trap to escalate tensions and deepen the conflict, Sung said in an interview published yesterday in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper). China Coast Guard formations patrolling waters east of Taiwan, as well as official Chinese vessels entering areas around Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) and Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) show Beijing’s attempts to significantly step up
Taiwanese aviator Roger Lin (林睿哲) returned to Taiwan on Saturday after completing a nine-day round-the-world journey in a single-engine aircraft, becoming the first Taiwanese pilot to achieve the feat. Lin departed on June 5 from Los Angeles, California, and continued through Alaska, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Jordan, Norway, Iceland and Canada before landing at the Taipei International Airport (Songshan) via Los Angeles and Japan. Lin shared numerous photos and videos of his journey on a Facebook page titled “Pilot Roger’s Around the World Flight,” including a video showing his aircraft flying over the Danjiang Bridge and
RSS