The time has come for the US to “recognize Taiwan as a sovereign and independent country,” former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech at an event held by the Formosa Republican Association in Taipei yesterday.
Pompeo made the remarks at a launch ceremony for the Chinese-language version of his autobiography Never Give an Inch.
“Recognizing this place, Taiwan, as a sovereign and free nation is true. It reflects the reality,” he said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
He said that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) promulgation of the Anti-Succession Law and rhetoric about “reunification” of Taiwan are “propaganda.”
“This is an effort to shape the mind of your children and ... the people around the world who do not know the history,” he added.
The passion of Taiwanese he saw on his previous visit to Taiwan amid the COVID-19 pandemic moved him, Pompeo said, adding that the nation showed itself to be a resilient democracy led by a competent government.
Taiwan is at another important moment in conducting a peaceful transfer of power following the conclusion of a democratic election, he added.
The US’ supply of self-defense capabilities to Taiwan is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which stipulates a legal and moral duty to help protect democracy, Pompeo said.
Taiwan is strategically situated to command the gateway between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, and its fall into Chinese hands would lead to tremendous change in the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
As such a development could lead to greater tensions and possibly conflict, defending Taiwan is not a matter of protecting land, but safeguarding the leading edge of global security, peace and prosperity, Pompeo said.
Taiwan has a progressive and free government, while its traditional values and institutions played an important role in its maturation into a modern nation, he said, adding that a democracy’s success depends on striking a balance between modernity and tradition.
Asked to comment on last week’s altercations at the legislature, Pompeo said the free and vigorous contest between opposing values in a democracy should be waged in the realm of intellect and reason, and not descend into fighting or mockery.
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