Lawmakers from Taiwan, the US and the EU meeting in Washington on Tuesday to kick off a new "Taiwan Transatlantic Dialogue"pledged to cooperate in fostering Taiwan's participation in the UN, the WHO and other organizations
The meeting, made possible by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), a lobbying organization, sought to find areas of mutual concern regarding Taiwan's future on which the participants could press their governments to agree.
"The dialogue seeks to help ensure that a full expression of the opinions of the people of Taiwan is clearly heard and that an ongoing discussion of issues of mutual concern will work to the benefit of the national interests of the United States, Europe and Taiwan," said a joint statement issued after the three-hour inaugural session in a US House of Representatives office building.
ATTENDEES
Joining the discussion were Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator George Liu (劉寬平) and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Min-jen (陳明真), representative to Washington Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and representative-designate to Ireland Parris Chang (張旭成).
Bastiaan Belder of the Netherlands and Graham Watson of the UK, both members of the European Parliament, also attended.
Seven members of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus also joined the discussion, including two co-chairmen, representatives Steve Chabot and Dana Rohrabacher.
"Participants concluded that further cooperation in US and European trade with Taiwan and in the overall US-Taiwan economic relationship, including a possible free trade agreement, should be fostered. Joint efforts working toward Taiwan's participation in international organizations such as the UN and the WHO should be promoted, as well as joint efforts to promote democracy in Asia," the statement said.
"Participants also noted that the US and Europe's policy regarding cross-strait relations calls for a peaceful resolution of the dispute between the two sides, and, because Taiwan is a democracy, [call for] a resolution that has the full consent of the people of Taiwan," the statement said.
The statement also called on China to establish direct dialogue with the Taiwanese government as soon as possible.
Chabot told reporters after the meeting that the dialogue was "particularly timely as Taiwan continues to push for membership in the United Nations. The dialogue helps further Taiwan's strategy for entry. Support for membership will come not only with the help of the United States but also with the help of our European allies."
Belder called on the Europeans to help "put an end to the Chinese obsession with Taiwan."
The European governing bodies, including the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council, "should listen to their democratic principles and not help the Chinese authorities to negate" Taiwan and its population, which "especially in Asia is an example of democracy, of development, of shared values," he said.
CRITICISM
He criticized members of the European Parliament who "speak about shared values with regimes that have no shared values with us, and who speak of strategic partnerships with China and Russia, and to silence the rightful, legitimate case of Taiwan's place in the sun in the international community."
Turning to the UN, Belder said "it is up to the Taiwan people to have a referendum on membership in the United Nations."
He said that if the resolution passes next March, "then it is the obligation of the United States as the most responsible power in the region, and also of the members of the European Union, to give a strong signal that in this Olympics year of Beijing, not to escalate, not to intimidate again the Taiwanese authorities and people."
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described Taiwan as "a beacon of democracy shining its light directly across the Taiwan Strait and in [to] the very heart of Tiananmen Square."
Recalling the Tiananmen massacre of 1989 that prompted Europe to impose a ban on arms sales to China, Ros-Lehtinen said, "The recent, brutal crackdown in Burma reminds us once again that we should never turn our backs on martyrs for liberty."
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS