President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday praised the “six assurances” then-US president Ronald Reagan made to Taiwan in 1982, saying that the framework has become a “key foundation” for the development of Taiwan-US ties.
Tsai told a visiting delegation from the Washington-based Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute that she has visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library twice since taking office in May 2016.
In April, Tsai met with then-US House of Representatives speaker Kevin McCarthy at the library in Simi Valley, California, during a transit stop after a state visit to Belize and Guatemala. She also visited the library in 2018 during another stopover en route to Belize and Paraguay.
Photo: CNA
Those trips had given her a “deeper understanding of president Reagan’s life and ideals,” she told the delegation.
“President Reagan’s six assurances are still a key foundation for the development of Taiwan-US relations,” she said. “They are also a cornerstone for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Reagan’s “peace through strength approach” had profoundly influenced Taiwan, Tsai said.
Taiwan is continuing its upgrade of defense capabilities and promoting defense autonomy, she added.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute president and CEO David Trulio quoted Reagan as once saying there are “cultural differences making nations each unique in its own way, but at the same time, I think all are bound together with a common heritage of a love of freedom.”
“We are honored to be here today, representing Ronald Reagan and his timeless values and principles,” Trulio said. “Our delegation trip continues his commitment to the people of Taiwan and continued interest in the ROC [Republic of China].”
The “six assurances” are key foreign policy principles of the US regarding ties with Taipei. They were passed as unilateral US clarifications to the Third Communique between the US and China in 1982.
They are: the US has not agreed to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan; has not agreed to consult with China on arms sales to Taiwan; and will not play a mediation role between Taipei and Beijing; the US has not agreed to revise the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA); has not altered its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan; and will not exert pressure on Taiwan to enter into negotiations with China.
The TRA, the three US-China joint communiques and the “six assurances” are guidelines for Washington in dealing with its unofficial relationship with Taipei under its “one China” policy after it ended official diplomatic relations with the ROC in 1979.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
RSS