The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region.
The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday.
Photo: AP
Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the one issued on Wednesday and another in April 2022.
In 2021, both sides reaffirmed cooperation with Taiwan while adhering to their respective “one China” policies.
After the policy was omitted in a statement released in April 2022, it was mentioned in December of that year, affirming unchanged positions.
In the latest statement, the US and EU emphasized the need for peace in the Taiwan Strait, rejecting unilateral changes to the “status quo,” particularly through force.
The US and EU stressed the importance of maintaining open communication with China while engaging in fair competition and pursuing diplomacy on common interests and disagreements.
They expressed concern over China’s support for Russia in its war in Ukraine and urged Beijing to uphold international law, stressing that any peace plan must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The two sides also addressed China’s human rights abuses, particularly in Tibet and Xinjiang, and called for cooperation with the UN human rights office.
They pledged to counter China’s transnational repression and raised concerns over the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy.
Condemning China’s actions in the East and South China seas, the US and the EU cited the importance of freedom of navigation and the peaceful resolution of disputes, especially regarding the Philippines.
They reaffirmed the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling at The Hague in favor of the Philippines and against China as binding.
The statement highlighted continued US-EU cooperation on Indo-Pacific security, including joint maritime operations and a roundtable to be held at the US Indo-Pacific Command.
Both sides also reaffirmed the importance of having balanced and fair economic relations with China, and vowed to continue addressing challenges brought by China’s non-market policies and practices.
The US and EU intend to continue derisking by reducing dependencies and vulnerabilities in strategic sectors, the statement said.
Foreign information manipulation is also a continued threat that requires further work with Indo-Pacific partners to build free and resilient information ecosystems, it added.
The next dialogue is to be hosted in Washington next year.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RSS