The US Department of State urged Beijing to refrain from exerting pressure on Taiwan and expressed opposition to interference in Saturday’s elections, Voice of America (VOA) reported on Monday.
“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan, which is fundamentally at odds with the goal of peace and stability,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told VOA.
The US opposes “outside interference or malign influence” in Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections on Saturday, VOA reported.
Photo: Reuters
Taiwanese voters should be able to choose their new leader without outside interference, the spokesperson said.
“We have deep confidence in Taiwan’s democratic process,” the spokesperson said.
China’s “unilateral attempts to change the status quo” are evident in its continued provocation in the Taiwan Strait, the spokesperson said, adding that the “status quo” has “preserved global peace and stability for decades.”
Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that Beijing’s escalating military threats are “meant to intimidate” Taiwan, but he deemed an actual attack unlikely.
Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia at the center, said that a cross-strait crisis is “the last thing countries in the Indo-Pacific region want,” adding that the US has signaled its credibility and reliability “as the security guarantor in the region” through its commitment to defend Taiwan.
The US government should call on China to respect Taiwan’s elections, said Andrew Scobell, a distinguished China fellow at the Washington-based think tank United States Institute of Peace.
The US should “continue to demand that China not interfere in the election [in Taiwan] and respect the will of the people of Taiwan as expressed through the democratic process,” Scobell said.
The US should stand firm in its commitment to “maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait” and opposition to the use of coercion or force, he said.
The message would be “hard for Beijing to swallow” as it believes that it is Washington that has been attempting to change the “status quo,” he said.
He also called on US President Joe Biden’s administration to reiterate that “Washington favors no particular candidate or party” in the elections and “stands ready to work with whomever wins.”
It is necessary to make it clear to China that the US would not engage in “any negotiations with China concerning the status of Taiwan” as governed by the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,” he said.
In related news, former American Institute in Taiwan director Douglas Paal said the US’ Taiwan policy is unlikely to change regardless of the results of the elections, the Japan Times said on Monday.
“Overall, support for Taiwan runs deep in both major US parties, and I doubt that will change very much,” Paal told the newspaper.
Beijing has made itself so “unattractive” that Taiwanese parties would only have “limited bandwidth” to change the China policies pursued by Tsai, he added.
No matter which candidate wins the presidential race, any differences in Washington’s reaction would be “nuanced,” with “adjustments in degree than in type,” Paal said.
However, a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led government would present challenges to the US, as it might want to be seen less as a US card in opposing China, he said.
Paal also doubted that Beijing would change its approach toward Taiwan “even under a KMT government,” as the party would be held back by the fear of losing public support in dealing with China.
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
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
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
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
RSS