A US military officer on Thursday appeared on a Ministry of National Defense TV program for the first time since the countries severed diplomatic ties more than four decades ago.
US Army Colonel Brady Crosier, who heads the security cooperation office at the American Institute in Taiwan, was interviewed on Lu-Kang Garden (莒光園地) in a segment marking the 80th anniversary of the First American Volunteer Group of the Republic of China, also known as the Flying Tigers.
The Flying Tigers was a Republic of China Air Force unit comprised of US pilots that fought Japan in China and Southeast Asia in 1941 and 1942.
Screen grab by Wu Shu-wei, Taipei Times
Crosier, who spoke in Mandarin throughout the segment, said the storied fighter unit is a testament to the long history of US-Taiwan security cooperation, based on the shared values of democracy and friendship.
Taiwan and the US continue to work closely on security matters, humanitarian aid and disaster relief, he said, adding that the US conducted search-and-rescue missions in Taiwan during Typhoon Morakot in 2009.
Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁), a professor at National Sun Yat-sen University’s Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies, said that Crozier’s appearance was intended to reassure rank-and-file members of Taiwan’s military that the US is a friend.
The US began normalizing military exchanges with Taiwan under former US president Donald Trump, and trends suggest that US President Joe Biden would continue this policy, he added.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese