The US “strongly encourages and applauds” the efforts made by President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense through reforms and investments, said Ingrid Larson, managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) Washington Office.
Larson made the remarks on Monday when introducing Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) as the keynote speaker at this year’s US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Philadelphia.
In her speech, Larson said that throughout the past year, Beijing has continued to employ a whole-of-government approach using a range of diplomatic, informational, military, financial, intelligence, law enforcement and economic measures to pressure and coerce Taiwan.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
One example she raised is how the Scottish city of Edinburgh ended plans for a sister city relationship with Kaohsiung due to Chinese pressure.
“Such actions are not conducive to promoting people-to-people ties, or the peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences,” she added.
The US “strongly encourages and applauds the Lai administration’s early efforts to continue to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense through reforms and resource investments,” such as the proposal to increase Taiwan’s defense budget for next year by nearly 6 percent to about US$20 billion, she said.
The US also welcomes Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo’s (顧立雄) support for significant defense reforms, including the establishment of a new entity within the defense ministry modeled after the US’ Defense Innovation Unit, she said.
On the topic of the Lai administration’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee — which brings together government officials, representatives from the private sector and civil society groups to promote society-wide involvement in national defense — Larson said: “We support his approach.”
While the US remains committed to enabling Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capability, she said that maintaining peace and stability goes beyond conventional defense, and should also include the enhancement of Taiwan’s whole-of-society resilience to ensure it is resilient, secure and interconnected within the global community and the global economy.
“This means strengthening the US-Taiwan unofficial relationship, raising global awareness of the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, expanding Taiwan’s international space and bolstering Taiwan’s economic diplomacy,” she added.
A major focus of the US government has been to bolster Taiwan’s whole-of-society resilience, an effort that spans critical infrastructure protection, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities, cyberdefense, food security, economic interdependence, energy resilience and financial connectivity, she said.
Deepening ties with the private sector can also help maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, she added.
Speaking to US business representatives, she said: “When US businesses like you pursue opportunities with Taiwan, you are helping to realize a Taiwan that is more integrated and not isolated, more resilient and less vulnerable to coercion.”
The US’ commercial interest is to deepen economic ties with Taiwan — its eighth-largest trade partner, she added.
With initiatives such as the CHIPS and Science Act, the US welcomes cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturers from Taiwan to come to the US and build chip ecosystems, she said.
US President Joe Biden’s administration is working with the US Congress to reduce the tax burden on US firms in Taiwan and Taiwanese companies in the US, she added.
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
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