People should beware of false information designed to erode confidence in US commitments to defend Taiwan and damage Taiwan-US ties, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
US radio talk show host Garland Nixon last week wrote on Twitter that sources said US President Joe Biden had warned about the “destruction of Taiwan.”
“BREAKING NEWS: White House insiders leak that, when asked if there could be any greater disaster than the neocon Ukraine project, President Biden responded, wait until you see our plan for the destruction of Taiwan,” Nixon wrote.
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) shared Nixon’s post on Facebook with a Chinese-language translation.
“It has come to our attention that a certain Taiwanese politician quoted from a reportedly famous radio talk show host in Washington, who said that the White House has a plan to destroy Taiwan,” the ministry said in a statement. “Such information is unverified and false, as Taiwan-US relations continue to grow in a positive direction, and US officials repeatedly pledge to support Taiwan and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
“We want to remind people to beware of messages from certain individuals expressing anti-US sentiments or those questioning the US’ commitment to defend Taiwan, as they will take advantage of every opportunity to spread false information using sensational content,” it said. “They often echo the rhetoric that China uses for cognitive warfare to erode Taiwanese confidence in the US and damage the Taiwan-US partnerships.”
Bolstering Taiwan-US ties has been a bipartisan consensus, the ministry said, adding that the US government has fulfilled the commitments of the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances.”
The Biden administration has approved arms sales to Taiwan eight times since 2020, while White House officials have on multiple occasions voiced support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the ministry said.
Taiwan and the US have expanded partnerships, including through the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue and the US-Taiwan Education Initiative, it said.
In November last year, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Washington and the American Institute in Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding on development and humanitarian assistance operations, the ministry said.
Taiwan has deepened cooperation with Australia, Japan and the US through the framework of Global Cooperation and Training Framework, it added.
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