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.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
RSS