President William Lai (賴清德) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday mourned the passing of former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage.
Armitage, who served under then-US secretary of state Colin Powell from 2001 to 2004 and was known for being friendly toward Taiwan, died on Sunday at age 79 of a pulmonary embolism.
His death was announced by his consulting firm Armitage International in a statement issued on Monday.
Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
Armitage had long-held ties to Taiwan, visiting the country many times, most recently for the inauguration of Lai in May last year.
In a social media post, Lai wrote that he was “deeply saddened by the passing of Ambassador Richard Armitage, a true friend to Taiwan.”
“We will fondly remember his contributions to Taiwan-US relations and support for our democracy, just as we will miss his genuine kindness and sincerity,” Lai added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also mourned Armitage’s death, describing him as a “steadfast friend of Taiwan,” in a social media post.
“His lifelong commitment to democracy and regional stability strengthened our ties. His legacy will endure and inspire future generations,” it wrote.
In 2019 and 2021, Armitage met with then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office as part of unofficial US delegations.
During the 2021 meeting, he described Taiwan as a “great democracy,” as he reiterated to Tsai then-US president Joe Biden’s commitment to continue supporting Taiwan.
Armitage remained concerned about China’s military threats and coercive actions toward Taiwan right up until the end of his life, the ministry said in a news release.
Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) on Threads expressed her condolences to the “good friend of Taiwan” who she met during the administration of former US president George W. Bush.
Armitage was not only a respected figure in the industry, but a kindhearted man who adopted children from Vietnam and showed genuine care to his colleagues and friends, she added.
He also worked as a senior US Department of Defense official during the administration of former US president Ronald Reagan and as a special envoy under Reagan’s successor, George H.W. Bush.
After leaving government service, Armitage worked as a private consultant for defense contractors involved in the sale of weapons to Taiwan, a 2008 Salon report said.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
RSS