Taiwan and the US share the same democratic values and would work together to maintain regional peace, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday.
Su made the remarks on the sideline of an event in New Taipei City in response to media queries about details involving Taiwan in former US national security adviser John Bolton’s book The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir.
The administration of US President Donald Trump abandoned the Kurdish people in Syria — who played a decisive role in helping the US defeat the Islamic State — after he left the White House, Bolton wrote, adding that there is already speculation over who Trump would ditch next, with Taiwan close to the top of the list.
Taiwan and the US have maintained good ties over the years, Su said, adding that the relationship has improved significantly under the leadership of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), from the sale of advanced weapons to the passage of Taiwan-friendly bills by the US Congress and mutual visits by high-ranking officials.
“We believe that the US and Taiwan would work together to maintain regional peace,” he said.
Su was also asked whether the government would reinforce military defenses of Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島).
Tsai has reiterated the importance of defending our territories, as it is our way of defending our sovereignty, he said, adding that any actions taken to defend our territories should be carried out cautiously and be backed by the public.
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
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
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
FATE UNKNOWN: The owner of the dog could face a fine of up to NT$150,000 and the animal could be euthanized if he cannot show that he can effectively supervise it A pit bull terrier has been confiscated by authorities after it yesterday morning bit a motorcyclist in Taipei, following footage of the same dog in a similar attack going viral online earlier this month. When the owner, surnamed Hsu (徐), stopped at a red light on Daan District’s (大安) Wolong Street at 8am, the dog, named “Lucky,” allegedly rolled down the automatic window of the pickup truck they were riding in, leapt out of the rear passenger window and attacked a motorcyclist behind them, Taipei’s Daan District Police Precinct said. The dog clamped down on the man’s leg and only let go