Taiwan’s representative to Switzerland on Thursday met with his US counterpart, the latest Taiwanese diplomat to meet a US official after Washington ended its restrictions on official contacts with Taiwan on Jan. 9.
The meeting was revealed on Friday when US Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Edward McMullen wrote on Twitter that he was delighted to have officially met with Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Switzerland Director David Huang (黃偉峰).
The US and Taiwan share common values of freedom, rule of law and respect for human dignity, McMullen wrote.
Huang on Saturday said that McMullen invited him to meet at the US embassy in Switzerland shortly after the US lifted its ban on official contacts with Taiwan.
During the meeting, Huang said he extended Taiwan’s appreciation to the US for the support it has shown to Taiwan’s government and people.
McMullen said he had brought up issues regarding the decades-old restrictions with the US Department of State and later with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, when he visited Switzerland in 2019.
Huang was not the only Taiwanese representative who met with a US diplomat after the self-imposed ban ended.
On Monday last week, US Ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra met Representative to the Netherlands Chen Hsing-hsing (陳欣新) at the US embassy in The Hague.
Pompeo had declared the restrictions on contacts that have been in place since Washington cut ties with Taipei “null and void.”
The guidelines had forbidden Taiwanese diplomats and members of the military from displaying the national flag at US government venues, as well as all symbols of Taiwanese sovereignty from being displayed on US premises, a source familiar with the policy said.
As part of the guidelines, Taiwanese representatives overseas were also not allowed to meet US counterparts at US embassies.
While Taiwan welcomed the lifting of the ban, others have seen the move as a publicity stunt in the waning days of US President Donald Trump’s term to infuriate China and constrict US president-elect Joe Biden’s room to maneuver on China and Taiwan policies.
There is no indication yet whether the Biden administration, which takes over the White House on Wednesday, would uphold the decision.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS