American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman James Moriarty on Thursday called on Taipei to invest more in self-defense, as the US’ commitment to Taiwan’s security alone will not protect the nation in an increasingly complex regional environment.
While Moriarty reiterated the US’ commitment to providing defense services to Taiwan, he asked that Taipei increase its defense spending, which he said falls short of what is needed to address the changing environment.
“While we commend Taiwan for the considerable strides it has made, it can and must do more as the security threat against it continues to evolve,” Moriarty told a forum on Taiwan-US relations held by the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
Photo: CNA
He compared Taiwan’s military spending as a percentage of GDP with that of other nations facing outside threats, such as Israel, South Korea and Ukraine, and found it lacking.
“Taiwan must do better,” Moriarty said. “We believe that a Taiwan that is secure, confident and free from both isolation and coercion is better able to engage Beijing constructively.”
Moriarty in his speech championed not just Taiwan-US security cooperation, but also an expanded economic partnership.
“Taiwan faces both security and economic challenges, and thus, Taiwan’s continued economic security and vitality are equally important to the United States,” he said.
Just as Taiwan-US political relations will continue to function under the guidelines of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, Taiwan-US economic relations will continue to work under the framework of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, Moriarty said.
On cross-strait relations, Moriarty said that the US would continue to urge both sides of the Taiwan Strait to engage in constructive dialogue and “to demonstrate patience, flexibility and creativity in finding ways to engage with each other in order to avoid miscalculation and resolve their differences.”
He said there should be no unilateral attempt by either side to change the “status quo,” but rather urged a peaceful resolution of differences that is acceptable to the people of both sides.
Stable cross-strait relations are of interest not just to Taiwan and China, but also the US and countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Moriarty said.
Throughout his speech, Moriarty commended Taiwan’s willingness and ability to play a positive role in addressing global problems and asked that Taiwan take comfort in knowing that the discussion in Washington is not “whether to deepen our relationship with Taiwan,” but “how best to.”
The US would therefore continue to support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations in which statehood is not a requirement and its meaningful participation in organizations where statehood is required, Moriarty said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS