The best way for the US to respect the wishes of Taiwanese is to resume formal diplomatic ties with the nation, the Taiwan New Constitution Foundation said on Wednesday in reaction to a statement by US National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell that Washington does not support Taiwanese independence.
In a news release, the foundation thanked the administration of US President Joe Biden for “historic” joint statements with Japan and the EU, saying that the stance of Washington and its allies underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The group, founded by veteran independence advocate Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏), said that the re-establishment of formal ties between the US and Taiwan would bolster the worldwide alliance of democracies, and send a strong message that Washington is determined to defend countries that grant their citizens freedom and democratic participation.
Since the nation’s democratization in the 1990s, Taiwanese society has changed significantly in terms of national identity, underscoring Taiwan’s de facto independent status, the foundation said.
Separately on Wednesday, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said it was not surprising that the Biden administration reaffirmed its policy of strategic ambiguity toward relations across the Taiwan Strait.
Regardless of Taiwan’s chances of recognition as an independent nation, it is important that the public demonstrates strong resolve to “normalize” Taiwan on the international stage, the TSU said.
However, the nation’s biggest problem is that Chinese proxies continue to sabotage attempts at unifying Taiwanese behind that goal, it added.
The majority of the public identifies as Taiwanese, but the nation’s political institutions are still based on the Republic of China Constitution and its Sino-centric doctrines imported from China by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), it said.
The Constitution is at odds with Taiwanese understanding of national and ethnic identity, as well as the territory under its jurisdiction, it said, adding that only Taiwanese can determine the future of their nation.
It is most important that Taiwanese come together and fight for the nation’s freedom and democratic way of life, it said, calling for greater efforts to promote constitutional reform.
If Taiwanese demonstrate this resolve to the world, the US public would soon also support the nation’s independence, and the US government would listen to its people and formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, it said.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
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