President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday emphasized Taiwan’s determination to defend itself and cooperate with other democracies to handle global challenges, in a meeting with former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) chairman James Moriarty.
The nation is to continue strengthening its defensive capabilities and show its resolve to defend itself and democracy, he was cited as saying by the Presidential Office in a statement.
Taiwan would also maintain its cooperation with the US and other like-minded nations in dealing with global challenges posed by pandemics and climate change, he said.
Photo: CNA
Lai thanked Moriarty for his support of the nation and contributions to its ties with the US, adding that he hoped the bilateral relationship would be strengthened to defend peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The president welcomed Moriarty’s visit to Taiwan and said that the two have met multiple occasions during his tenures as Tainan mayor, premier and vice president.
Moriarty is counted as a personal friend and a good friend of Taiwan, who expanded the scope of bilateral relations and deepened their development, Lai said.
After departing from the AIT, Morarity continued his contributions to Taiwan by urging Washington to strengthen military cooperation between the two nations, he said.
Lai also thanked the US Congress for implementing the Taiwan Relations Act, the “six assurances” and other promises to Taiwan, which bolstered its defenses against authoritarian expansionism.
Moriarty said his personal feelings for Taiwan and commitment to keeping promises reflect the shared views of the US public.
Taiwan-US relations are based not only on common interests, but also on the two nations’ common values and principles, he said.
Peace and stability are the most important of Taipei and Washington’s mutual interests, Moriarty said, adding that the two must insulate their economies and societies from foreign interference.
Taiwan and the US face numerous internal and external challenges, but Moriarty said he was confident that cooperation and solidarity would continue to strengthen the alliance of democracies.
Moriarty thanked Lai and Taiwanese for his reception, their friendship with the US, and their support of democracy and other common values.
Separately, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said the long-standing and constant view of the government is that war is best prevented by credible deterrence through strength.
He made the comments on the sidelines of a question-and-answer session at the legislature in Taipei, saying that Taiwan would continue working toward being part of the US Indo-Pacific strategy of systematic deterrence against Beijing’s adventurism.
The goal is to improve defensive capabilities to compel Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to continually push back the timeline for taking over Taiwan, Koo said.
The US has done much to buttress security cooperation with allies including Japan and the Philippines, he said, adding that Taiwan’s strategically valuable location on the first island chain yields no alternative but to join the US-led security alliance.
Additional reporting by Lin Che-yuan
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
RSS