US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday touted US President Donald Trump’s arms sales to Taiwan as he underscored how the administration has supported allies and friends worldwide.
“We’ve stood by our friends in Taiwan. Over the past 3 years the Trump Administration authorized more than $15 billion in arms sales to Taiwan. The Obama Administration? $14 billion dollars in sales over 8 years. #DoTheMath,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter in a post that included a photograph of Taiwanese soldiers.
In other tweets, he enumerated the US’ support for religious minorities in Iraq, and partners in Singapore, India and other countries, as well as the administration’s efforts to protect people from the security risk posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Photo taken from Twitter
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) thanked Pompeo for his “precious friendship” and the Trump administration for its strong support.
The Trump administration has announced 11 arms sales to Taiwan over the past four years, offering weapons and equipment Taiwan needs for self-defense, which not only ensures national security, but the Indo-Pacific region’s peace and stability, Ou said in a statement.
The sales include F-16V jets, drones, missiles, military communications systems and related equipment.
Building on the steadfast and friendly foundations, the ministry looks forward to working hand-in-hand with the next US administration to continue deepening bilateral ties in defense and other areas, Ou said.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) yesterday expressed Beijing’s unhappiness over Pompeo’s moves.
“A handful of anti-China politicians in the #US have been staging a final show of madness. They’ll stop at nothing to sabotage China-US relations for selfish gains,” Hua wrote on Twitter on Thursday after Pompeo announced that US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft is to visit Taiwan.
Hua yesterday called on Pompeo to look at the situation at home and “mind your own business.”
“It is a tragedy & failure today you still cannot see who & what is the real big threat to your country. You will be remembered as the byword of lies and madness in history,” Hua wrote.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
RSS