The nation's representative to the US Joseph Wu (
Wu made the remarks during an interview with a Washington-based journalist of al-Jazeera English, a 24-hour English-language news TV channel headquartered in Doha, Qatar.
The interview aired on Friday.
Despite the absence of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the US, Wu said that he has open communication channels with US government officials and lawmakers.
Although he is not allowed to enter the US Department of State, the White House or other federal institutions, he can still meet US officials in other places, Wu said.
During the six months since he took up the post, Wu admitted that Taiwan and the US had "occasionally differed on certain political issues."
Describing both countries as "free and democratic," Wu said he believed that sincere communication would eventually smooth the differences between the two sides.
Wu also expressed his appreciation to US President George W. Bush for talking of Taiwan's democratic achievements in his speeches in Sydney, Kyoto and Prague, adding that the government realizes the great contribution the US has made to the nation's democracy and prosperity.
Wu also said he hoped Taiwan-US relations could expand in the future.
He called on the US to sign a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the nation as soon as possible, saying that Taiwan is the US' ninth-largest trading partner and the fifth-largest importer of US agricultural products.
A Taiwan-US FTA would increase bilateral trade and help US companies expand their markets in Taiwan, Wu said.
Noting that some of his professional challenges come from China's oppression, Wu said Beijing has often interfered with Taiwan's invitations to US lawmakers, governors and other officials to visit the country.
While China claims Taiwan as part of China on the one hand, it treats Taiwan as an enemy on the other, Wu said.
Wu also urged the US to lift a ban on high-ranking Taiwanese officials visiting Washington.
‘NEVER!’ Taiwan FactCheck Center said it had only received donations from the Open Society Foundations, which supports nonprofits that promote democratic values Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC) has never received any donation from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a cofounder of the organization wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. The Taipei-based organization was established in 2018 by Taiwan Media Watch Foundation and the Association of Quality Journalism to monitor and verify news and information accuracy. It was officially registered as a foundation in 2021. National Chung Cheng University communications professor Lo Shih-hung (羅世宏), a cofounder and chairman of TFC, was responding to online rumors that the TFC receives funding from the US government’s humanitarian assistance agency via the Open Society Foundations (OSF),
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
ANNUAL LIGHT SHOW: The lanterns are exhibited near Taoyuan’s high-speed rail station and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the airport MRT line More than 400 lanterns are to be on display at the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which officially starts in Taoyuan today. The city is hosting the festival for the second time — the first time was in 2016. The Tourism Administration held a rehearsal of the festival last night. Chunghwa Telecom donated the main lantern of the festival to the Taoyuan City Government. The lanterns are exhibited in two main areas: near the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which is at the A18 station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the MRT
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights