Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokeswoman Angel Hung (洪于茜) yesterday hit back at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) over accusations that it is “anti-US” and reiterated the KMT’s call for more concrete improvements in Taiwan-US ties.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday announced an end to decades of “self-imposed restrictions” introduced by the US Department of State to regulate interactions between US diplomats and other officials, and their counterparts in Taiwan.
Hung wrote on Facebook that shortly after Pompeo’s announcement, the KMT said that it views the progress in official bilateral relations positively and it would strive to help promote exchanges with the US, as long as they are in line with the Constitution and the expectations of Taiwanese.
Photo: CNA
However, experts in the US have raised doubts over whether the change in the policy would achieve much, as US president-elect Joe Biden is to take over the White House from US President Donald Trump on Wednesday next week, she said.
In addition to symbolic actions, people hope for more concrete, substantive and persistent enhancement of bilateral relations, she said.
The DPP has “absurdly interpreted” the KMT’s comments in favor of improved diplomatic ties with Washington as being “anti-US,” Hung said.
She accused the DPP of habitually using the topic of Taiwan-US affairs to exploit other parties.
What the KMT has proposed is what most Taiwanese look forward to, Hung said, adding that the KMT urges the government to pursue independent foreign relations, insist on equal, friendly and mutually beneficial principles, and respond pragmatically to changes in relations between the US and China.
The KMT hopes that the government can maintain a cautious attitude and prevent Taiwan becoming a bargaining chip for either side, she said.
As the ruling party, the DPP should consider how to further improve relations between Taipei and Washington, and focus on providing real benefit to Taiwanese, she said.
Taiwan does not exclude the possibility of having formal diplomatic relations with countries that also have formal ties with China, regardless of Beijing’s stance, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Sunday. There was speculation in 2012 that Honduras was attempting to have simultaneous diplomatic relations with Taiwan and China, an idea that then-minister of foreign affairs David Lin (林永樂) rejected. Honduras severed formal ties with Taiwan on Sunday morning after establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing. President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has taken a more practical approach to relations with like-minded countries since assuming government in 2016. Previous administrations took the
Seven senior faculty members, including the principal, of a high school in Taichung were temporarily suspended from their jobs on Friday, pending an investigation by the Taichung Education Bureau into alleged bullying and abuse that led to the suicide of a student last month. The city’s education officials were too slow to suspend those involved, the student’s father told a news conference on Wednesday, at which Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chang Liao Wan-chien (張廖萬堅) and members of the Humanistic Education Foundation were also present. The boy had been a good student and a high achiever during elementary and junior-high, and had
ORIGIN UNKNOWN: The Leofoo Village Theme Park and Taipei Zoo have accounted for their baboons, as authorities continue a 12-day capture attempt Authorities in Taoyuan are searching for a non-native baboon, possibly of the chacma species, that has been spotted several times in the city’s Pingjhen District (平鎮) over the past 12 days, and was most recently seen in coastal Sinwu District (新屋). The baboon was first spotted near a local factory on March 10 in central Taoyuan, Jhensing Borough Warden Huang Chih-chieh (黃志杰) said. Huang said he requested the Leofoo Village Theme Park’s help after a second sighting on Saturday. In other sightings, the baboon raided fruit and vegetable gardens on private property, and has evaded one capture attempt via a tranquilizer dart. Media reported
Taiwan would have established formal relations with Argentina long ago if not for China’s interference, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui told US-based Spanish-language online news outlet Infobae in an interview published on Tuesday. Beijing has left behind a string of unfulfilled promises in Latin America, including pledges to build the Grand Nicaragua Canal and airports, docks, ports and industrial zones in El Salvador, he said. Meanwhile, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and other countries enjoy pragmatic and improving relations with Taiwan based on cooperation on the economy, culture, technology and science, he said. While Taiwan is “happy to live and let live,”
RSS