The US on Thursday reiterated its obligations stipulated in the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and its commitment to ensure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and be free from coercion or intimidation.
US Department of State spokesman John Kirby made the remarks in a daily press briefing after being asked about the status of the US security commitment to Taiwan.
A meeting between China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel in the US that same day drew media attention, as Taiwan is set to hold a presidential election in January next year and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is scheduled to visit the US next month.
Kirby declined to comment on whether the Taiwanese election was among the topics being discussed.
However, he gave a straight “no” when asked if it is time for the US to review its policy on Taiwan and if there have been any discussions at the Department of State regarding that.
Kirby was also asked if he shared the observation espoused in a recent article published in The Diplomat magazine that says: “US defense planners cannot help but wonder if the DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] will seek to entrap the United States in a cross-Taiwan Strait crisis in an effort to achieve its dreams of independence from China.”
DPP presidential candidate and Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is leading Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) in opinion polls.
The Diplomat said that Tsai “has done little to assuage such fears.”
On the cross-strait issue, Kirby said: “We remain committed to fulfilling our responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act.”
“Key priorities with Taiwan include ensuring it has the ability to defend itself, and remains free from coercion or intimidation. When free from coercion, Taiwan has increasingly engaged China with confidence. That’s our position on it,” Kirby said.
EVA Airways was ranked the eighth-best airline in the world for this year, the only Taiwanese carrier to make it into the top 25 Airline Excellence Awards this year, aviation reviews Web site AirlineRatings.com said on Wednesday. AirlineRatings.com has a seven-star rating system to evaluate more than 360 airlines around the world every year, EVA Airways said in a statement on Thursday. “We are delighted that efforts by the entire EVA staff have been recognized by Airline Ratings,” EVA Airways president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) said in the release. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company identified and adopted services and procedures that enhance and
A promotional event for the launch of a drinks store led to police questioning a 26-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), the Taichung Police Department said yesterday. Police said that they questioned Chang and forwarded the case to prosecutors, accusing her of producing, distributing, broadcasting or selling pornography. Police said she faces charges related to the alleged distribution of indecent photographs on Twitter and using overtly sexual innuendos to promote the store on Monday night. Officers stumbled upon the content during a routine Internet “patrol.” Chang faces a prison sentence of up to two years and up to a NT$90,000 fine if found guilty
Exiled Chinese democracy advocate Wang Dan (王丹) yesterday denied an accusation by former Taiwanese political worker Lee Yuan-chun (李援軍) that Wang had sexually harassed him in a hotel room in New York nine years ago. There was a huge gap between Lee’s accusation and his own understanding and memory, Wang wrote on Facebook, adding it was hard for him to respond further regarding a “unilateral description” made by someone else. Wang made the remarks after his initial response on Facebook was met with criticism, with people saying he did not directly address the allegation. Lee on Friday wrote on Facebook that he
MORE WARNINGS: If the US company does not clarify and solve issues with its frozen berries, the FDA might extend an import suspension implemented last month, it said The Kaohsiung Department of Health yesterday said it fined Costco NT$4.5 million (US$146,265) over contaminated frozen strawberries, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that although the US company had filed an improvement plan, an import suspension on frozen berries could remain. Three types of frozen berry products imported and sold by Costco have tested positive for the hepatitis A virus since April. The Kaohsiung health department previously fined Costco NT$300,000 for not providing the sales list of a contaminated batch of Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend imported from Chile, in contravention of the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法). It later