The presence of the US research vessel Thomas G. Thompson in Kaohsiung is unrelated to Taiwan-US military cooperation, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning.
Asked by reporters if he is afraid that increased cooperation between the US and Taiwan would anger China, Wu said he is not worried about China’s reaction because the Thomas G. Thompson is a research vessel, and this is not the first time it has visited Taiwan.
The ship conducts research on the Earth’s atmosphere, he added.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The presence of the US ship, which the Taiwan International Ports Corp (TIPC) said dropped anchor in the Port of Kaohsiung on Monday morning, fueled speculation about increased Taiwan-US military partnership after the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2018 opened up the possibility of mutual visits between Taiwanese and US vessels, and rumors of a US naval exercise in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea next month emerged.
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday also denied speculation that the US vessel is in Kaohsiung for military reasons.
“Public speculation [over the matter] is misplaced,” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said.
“This is a pure and simple scientific research mission,” he added.
While the Thomas G. Thompson is owned by the US Office of Naval Research, it is operated by the University of Washington for academic research, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said at a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan later that day.
The vessel, which has visited Taiwan four times since its maiden voyage in April, is expected to depart for Australia at 6am today, TIPC said.
While questioning Wu, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) cited issues raised at a forum on Tuesday and, along with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), voiced concerns that the government is “taking sides” and “sucking up to the US” when it comes to foreign policy.
Hosted by the National Policy Foundation, the forum discussed the evolution of US-China relations and the foreign policy of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, with former minister of foreign affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) urging the government not to “cross China’s red line through the US.”
The government is neither “sucking up to the US” nor “taking sides,” Wu said.
The government makes foreign policy decisions based on Taiwan’s interests, he said.
Wu also addressed Beijing’s alleged attempt to prevent Taiwan from donating US$1 million to the WHO.
“[The Ministry of Foreign Affairs] is indeed concerned about this matter,” he said.
Taiwan wants to contribute to the world, but its attempts to do so are often blocked by China, he said, adding that he hoped Taiwan could overcome Chinese obstruction and contribute more to the world.
At a routine news conference in Beijing yesterday, Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) said that China strongly opposes any form of official interaction and military contact between the US and Taiwan,
In response to reports about a US military exercise next month, Ma said the “Taiwan problem” concerns Chinese sovereignty and the completeness of Chinese territory.
It involves China’s core interests, he said, adding that Beijing’s determination to preserve the integrity of China’s sovereignty and territory is unwavering.
He advised “relevant parties” to act carefully to prevent damaging the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Additional reporting by CNA
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
A BETRAYAL? It is none of the ministry’s business if those entertainers love China, but ‘you cannot agree to wipe out your own country,’ the MAC minister said Taiwanese entertainers in China would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked if they are holding Chinese citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan would be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.” The MAC would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have Chinese IDs and added that it would revoke their Taiwanese citizenship if they did, Chiu told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper
A Taiwanese woman on Sunday was injured by a small piece of masonry that fell from the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican during a visit to the church. The tourist, identified as Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was struck on the forehead while she and her tour group were near Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Hsu was rushed to a hospital, the group’s guide to the church, Fu Jing, said yesterday. Hsu was found not to have serious injuries and was able to continue her tour as scheduled, Fu added. Mathew Lee (李世明), Taiwan’s recently retired ambassador to the Holy See, said he met
The Chinese wife of a Taiwanese, surnamed Liu (劉), who openly advocated for China’s use of force against Taiwan, would be forcibly deported according to the law if she has not left Taiwan by Friday, National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials said yesterday. Liu, an influencer better known by her online channel name Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣), obtained permanent residency via marriage to a Taiwanese. She has been reported for allegedly repeatedly espousing pro-unification comments on her YouTube and TikTok channels, including comments supporting China’s unification with Taiwan by force and the Chinese government’s stance that “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.” Liu
RSS