The US takes no position on the issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty, the US Department of State said on Saturday, after Beijing accused US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of “meddling in China’s internal affairs” over his comment that “Taiwan has not been a part of China.”
“The US has long had a ‘one China’ policy,” a department spokesperson said. “This is distinct from Beijing’s ‘one China’ principle, under which the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] asserts sovereignty over Taiwan. The United States takes no position on sovereignty over Taiwan.”
The spokesperson said the US’ “one China” policy remains guided by the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques between the US and China, and the “six assurances” to Taiwan, as it has been in the past fours decades.
“The fundamental US interest is that the Taiwan question be resolved peacefully, without coercion, and in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the [Taiwan] Strait — as Beijing promised,” the spokesperson said.
During a telephone interview with the Hugh Hewitt Show radio program aired on Thursday, Pompeo was asked if Washington’s commitments to Taiwan were bipartisan and if Beijing should realize that the commitments are bipartisan, while there is “crazy talk among most elements of the CCP that Taiwan ought to be retaken by force if necessary.”
Pompeo said “Taiwan has not been a part of China, and that was recognized with the work that the [former US president Ronald] Reagan administration did to lay out the policy that the United States has adhered to now for three-and-a-half decades and has done so under both administrations.”
“I actually think this is, in fact, bipartisan,” he added.
Asked for comments on Friday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said Pompeo was “meddling in China’s internal affairs,” while China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Pompeo’s statement has betrayed Beijing’s “one China” principle and the Three Joint Communiques.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park this weekend, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a theme food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances. Pokemon Go Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as photo attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs. Pokemon trainers could also experience the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area. Three PokeStops are to be set up in the park. Trainers are invited to take