The US Department of State has called on Beijing to act with restraint and not use Taiwan’s transition of government as a pretext for provocative or coercive actions following the inauguration of President William Lai (賴清德).
In an e-mailed statement, a department spokesperson welcomed the comments by Lai in his inaugural address in Taipei on Monday, noting his commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and to maintaining the “status quo.”
The inauguration was part of a normal, routine democratic process and if Beijing escalates tensions or pressures Taiwan as a result, it should be seen as the provocateur, the statement said.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters
US policy toward Taiwan has not changed, opposing unilateral changes to the “status quo” by either side in line with its long-standing commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, it said.
The US also does not support Taiwanese independence, but encourages cross-strait dialogue and expects that differences would be resolved peacefully and in a manner acceptable to people on both sides of, it said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said that the speech delivered by “the leader of the Taiwan region,” had “stubbornly insisted on the position of Taiwanese independence,” Xinhua news agency reported.
Chen, who did not mention Lai by name, said that the speech contained “separatist fallacies” and attempted to “incite division” among people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
China also criticized US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for extending his congratulations to Lai and separately sanctioned former US representative Mike Gallagher for his support of Taipei.
Blinken on Monday congratulated Lai shortly after the inauguration ceremony.
The US looks forward to working with Lai and others in Taiwan “to advance our shared interests and values,” Blinken said.
“It’s a serious violation of the political commitment made by the US to maintain only cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the Taiwan region,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said yesterday.
The remarks by the US’ top diplomat sent “a seriously wrong signal to the Taiwan separatist forces,” Wang said, adding that Beijing had filed a diplomatic complaint with Washington, and called on “the US to immediately correct their mistakes.”
In Taipei, the Mainland Affairs Council called on Beijing to be receptive to an overture expressed by Lai on Monday.
In a news release on Monday, the council said that Lai had extended “the greatest goodwill gesture” in the address by calling for engagements between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait for mutual benefit and joint prosperity.
The council urged China to respond to that overture positively and hence meet the expectations of the people on both sides of the Strait and the international community.
It would closely monitor the situation across the Taiwan Strait and promote, with prudence, cross-strait exchanges in accordance with the Constitution, the council said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
RSS