Recognizing Taiwan as an independent country would be the most punitive measure the US could take against Beijing’s aggressiveness, US representative Michael McCaul, the ranking member of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during an interview with Voice of America (VOA).
In a video published by VOA yesterday, McCaul, who is also chairman of the House’s China Task Force, discussed US foreign policy related to Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, as well as the accountability of Beijing and the WHO in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pointing out that some experts have said that Beijing’s national security legislation in Hong Kong might serve as a blueprint for how it deals with Taiwan, VOA’s Lee Yi-hua (李逸華) asked if the US Congress, known to be supportive of Taiwan, would take additional steps on Taiwan and cross-strait security.
Photo: AP
The US Congress has approved arms sales, including F-16 jets, to assist with Taiwan’s self-defense, McCaul said.
“In a 100-year marathon, [China’s] long-term goal is to take back Taiwan in the similar way they have just taken back Hong Kong,” he said, adding that China is also encroaching on the territory of island nations in the South Pacific.
“We can make it clear that we stand by Taiwan. We will not allow this to happen in Taiwan,” he said.
“I think the most punitive measure would be to recognize the legitimacy of Taiwan as an independent country. That would be a fundamental step in the right direction,” he said.
“That would be a very grave foreign policy decision to make,” he added.
McCaul did not directly answer a question about whether it is the right time for the US to review its “one China” policy, but said it is time to look at Taiwan’s exclusion from the WHO.
Taiwan should at least be an observer in the organization, and it had issued a warning that COVID-19 could be transmitted among humans, but WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus disregarded warnings from Taiwan and other experts, he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has a silver lining and it is a wake-up call for the world, he said.
Many countries want to pull their supply chains out of the control of the Chinese Community Party (CCP), as they know even if there is short-term gain, there is long-term pain, as China could steal their technology, he said.
The US has to be more competitive with China on issues related to technology, such as 5G and Huawei Technologies Co, he said.
It should also deal with Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, while working with developing countries to deal with China’s debt traps, he added.
The US does not want to go to war with China, but it has to compete with it, he said.
The US should stand up for human rights, as well as freedom-loving democracies, while its long-term goal is to prevent a Chinese dictatorship from dominating the world for the century to come, McCaul said.
McCaul urged Chinese to see that the CCP government’s suppressive nature does not serve their best interests and is destroying their historical culture.
Communism in China would ultimately fail, just as in the Soviet Union and other countries, he said, adding that the CCP’s demise should be accelerated so that Chinese could embrace democracy.
Starbucks Taiwan’s decision to charge for drink customization, which had been free, has sparked consumer backlash, highlighting the challenge of raising prices without making customers feel they are losing value, experts said. Since Oct. 12, customers who order drinks with less or no ice and ask to have the volume topped up with milk or other liquid have been charged an additional NT$15. Topping off drinks without ice was previously free, and disgruntled customers posted photos on social media showing that iced drinks ordered without ice were only half full if the extra NT$15 was not paid. The posts drew tens of thousands
EXPLANATION: Tsai said he attended events featuring various interviewees to observe them firsthand as part of his interview research Television host Kevin Tsai (蔡康永) last night broke his silence over a controversy surrounding his appearance at a campaign event for Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋), saying he had never supported Taiwan independence. “I have always hoped for friendly cross-strait relations. I have never supported Taiwan independence,” Tsai wrote in a post on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo. Tsai, who has hosted television shows in China, attended the opening of Shen’s campaign headquarters on Oct. 4, drawing criticism from Chinese social media users and prompting some Chinese companies to distance themselves from him. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
Major department stores across Taiwan, including Taipei 101, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Far Eastern SOGO, Breeze and Honhui Plaza, are closed today due to Typhoon Champi, while major supermarkets remain open. Taipei 101 said its shopping mall, observatory and restaurants on higher floors are closed for the day, with future hours to be adjusted based on the storm's status. Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has closed all 16 of its branches nationwide, as well as its Taipei Railway Station mall and SKM Park Outlets in Kaohsiung. Far Eastern SOGO said it has closed all of its branches nationwide, including Garden City in Taipei, citing the safety
DOUBLE-CHECK: Mandarin Airlines said that it would adjust its schedule according to weather conditions, while high-speed rail services are to remain undisrupted Airlines, ferry services, railways and national parks announced cancelations and closures yesterday, as Typhoon Champi bore down on Taiwan. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued land warnings for most of Taiwan proper, as Champi is forecast to come closest to the nation today. Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) has canceled all express trains on its western and eastern trunk lines today, while the high-speed rail system would continue to operate normally. For non-reserved TRC services, trains on the Coast Line, Chengzhui Line, Yilan Line and North Link Line are fully suspended. Services between Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as other unsuspended routes, would operate
RSS