Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members yesterday condemned China’s live-fire exercises near Taiwan, saying it undermines regional peace and would only push Taiwanese sentiment further from China.
Officials from democratic nations regularly visit each other’s countries, DPP spokeswoman Hsieh Pei-fen (謝佩芬) said in a statement, referring to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week.
The international community has condemned China’s military intimidation, she added.
Photo: Hsu Cho-hsun, Taipei Times
“They have chosen among the world’s busiest civilian airspaces and sea lanes for their live-fire exercises. This unilateral action disregards its international obligations,” Hsieh said.
She said that Pelosi’s trip had the support of 26 US opposition senators, including US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Many of the world’s democratic nations also endorsed Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, while opposing China’s response of military intimidation, Hsieh said.
“It shows that China’s actions run counter to democratic values cherished by the international world,” she said.
The DPP thanked Pelosi and her delegation, and voiced appreciation for the support from European, US and G7 dignitaries.
“Although engagement among democracies might be met by intimidation, these cannot stop us from developing closer ties based on shared democratic values,” she said.
At various public events yesterday, well-known DPP figures suggested that Taiwan should continue forging stronger links with the US and other countries, as China’s belligerent response is undermining worldwide peace and security.
Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said that China’s actions are unwise.
“It only pulls the hearts and minds of Taiwanese further from China,” he said.
Taiwan is significantly different from China in its rule of law and democratic framework, he said.
“Taiwanese enthusiastically welcomed Pelosi, because we have freedom in our vibrant democratic society,” former Hsinchu mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) said.
“We very much welcome more foreign friends to visit Taiwan and see Taiwanese living in a free, democratic country,” he said.
“People here expect continuing economic growth and prosperity, and no one wants Chinese military intimidation, which has been going on for many years,” he added.
“The international community cannot accept China’s hostile action, as Taiwan is seeking to engage and enhance ties with other countries,” Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tseng (鄭文燦) said.
“We heard top G7 officials condemn China for threatening regional stability,” he added.
Thirty-five earthquakes have exceeded 5.5 on the Richter scale so far this year, the most in 14 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said on Facebook on Thursday. A large earthquake in Hualien County on April 3 released five times as much the energy as the 921 Earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, the agency said in its latest earthquake report for this year. Hualien County has had the most national earthquake alerts so far this year at 64, with Yilan County second with 23 and Changhua County third with nine, the agency said. The April 3 earthquake was what caused the increase in
INTIMIDATION: In addition to the likely military drills near Taiwan, China has also been waging a disinformation campaign to sow division between Taiwan and the US Beijing is poised to encircle Taiwan proper in military exercise “Joint Sword-2024C,” starting today or tomorrow, as President William Lai (賴清德) returns from his visit to diplomatic allies in the Pacific, a national security official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said that multiple intelligence sources showed that China is “highly likely” to launch new drills around Taiwan. Although the drills’ scale is unknown, there is little doubt that they are part of the military activities China initiated before Lai’s departure, they said. Beijing at the same time is conducting information warfare by fanning skepticism of the US and
DEFENSE: This month’s shipment of 38 modern M1A2T tanks would begin to replace the US-made M60A3 and indigenous CM11 tanks, whose designs date to the 1980s The M1A2T tanks that Taiwan expects to take delivery of later this month are to spark a “qualitative leap” in the operational capabilities of the nation’s armored forces, a retired general told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview published yesterday. On Tuesday, the army in a statement said it anticipates receiving the first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks from the US, out of 108 tanks ordered, in the coming weeks. The M1 Abrams main battle tank is a generation ahead of the Taiwanese army’s US-made M60A3 and indigenously developed CM11 tanks, which have
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is unlikely to attempt an invasion of Taiwan during US president-elect Donald Trump’s time in office, Taiwanese and foreign academics said on Friday. Trump is set to begin his second term early next year. Xi’s ambition to establish China as a “true world power” has intensified over the years, but he would not initiate an invasion of Taiwan “in the near future,” as his top priority is to maintain the regime and his power, not unification, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University distinguished visiting professor and contemporary Chinese politics expert Akio Takahara said. Takahara made the comment at a
RSS