The telephone call between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US president-elect Donald Trump has continued to spark debate in Taiwan, with some expressing optimism over the creation of a new model of interaction for Taipei and Washington, while others voiced concerns over a possible return to cross-strait diplomatic rows.
The 10-minute call between Tsai and Trump on Friday evening demonstrated that Trump’s team attaches importance to Taiwan, National Chung Hsing University Graduate Institute of International Politics professor Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said.
“The call could address the long-term absence of high-level dialogue and interactions between Taiwan and the US... If the Trump camp can withstand inevitable pressure from Beijing over the matter, a new interaction model could be created for Taipei-Washington ties,” Tsai Ming-yen said.
Photo: CNA
Expressing “cautious optimism” over Taiwan-US relations, Tsai Ming-yen said there have only been routine interactions at lower levels between the two sides.
That Trump singled out the congratulatory call from Tsai Ing-wen among many similar calls from other world leaders and mentioned it on Twitter and Facebook indicated Trump’s and his team’s emphasis on Taiwan, Tsai Ming-yen said.
He said that while China would certainly object to and pressure Washington over the call, the important thing is whether Trump’s team can withstand the pressure.
“If the answer is positive, Taiwan-
US ties would no longer be subjected to Beijing’s reactions and be solely about Taipei and Washington,” he said.
Tsai Ming-yen also called for a “new pillar” to be added to the two traditional pillars of trade and national defense in Taiwan-US ties, saying that the relationship between the two can become more sustainable if they cooperate with each other under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework.
The two sides last year signed a memorandum of understanding on the framework to expand bilateral cooperation in international public health, humanitarian assistance and other global issues.
“High-level US officials have in recent years stressed the importance of a mutually beneficial partnership, one that does not see Taiwan requiring help from the US, but one in which the two sides jointly provide opportunities and assistance to other nations through the cooperation and Taipei’s experience in certain areas,” Tsai Ming-yen said.
Turning to critics who dismissed the call as an attempt by Trump to test the water to secure more benefits from China, Tsai Ming-yen said Taiwan-US ties are not just about business, as they are institutionalized by the Three Joint Communiques and the US’ Taiwan Relations Act.
He also pointed to the first-ever inclusion of a section on senior military exchanges with Taiwan in the US’ National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 as an indicator of the two nation’s friendship.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have been debating the call’s possible effects on cross-strait relations, as some foreign commentators said China would increase its attempts to suppress Taiwan and predicted a possible return to vicious diplomatic competition across the Taiwan Strait.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said there is no need to “scare yourself,” because Taipei-Washington ties are built on significant foundations.
“Also, since there has never been a pause in Beijing’s suppression attempts, it is unnecessary to speculate,” Lo said.
As for the possibility of the DPP government adopting former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) ruthless diplomatic policy, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said Beijing would undoubtedly do everything in its power to prevent that, given its unpleasant dealings with Chen.
However, Chiang said that as the call would be seen as a disgrace by China, it would most likely cause some negative effects on cross-strait ties.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
The National Immigration Agency has banned two Chinese from returning to Taiwan, after they published social media content it described as disrespectful to national sovereignty. The agency imposed a two-month ban on a Chinese man surnamed Liang (梁) and a permanent ban on a woman surnamed Yang (楊), an influencer with 23 million followers, in October last year and last week respectively. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) yesterday said on the sidelines of a legislative meeting that Chinese visitors to Taiwan are required to comply with the rules and regulations governing their entry permits. The government has handled the ban and
RSS