The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed deep regret yesterday over Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's (
In his talks with Rice Thursday, Li urged the US government to stop selling advanced arms, to halt official engagements and to stop helping Taiwan to participate in international organizations where statehood is required for membership.
However, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
"The US will stick to the Taiwan Relations Act [TRA]," he said.
Li "strongly" urged the US to understand the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and the "gravity" of the current situation.
Anna Kao (
By making the remarks, Li not only interfered in the development of US-Taiwan relations, he also attempted to undermine the 2001 agreement in which the US agreed to continue selling defensive weapons to Taiwan, Kao noted.
Kao said Li's remarks are not conducive to positive growth in the development of cross-Strait relations.
Saying that Taiwan has purchased arms only for self-defense -- rather than for military assault -- Kao said China's demand that the US stop selling weaponry to Taiwan reflects Beijing's mentality that it will not renounce using force against Taiwan to solve differences.
Kao said the MOFA believes that Washington will continue to observe its commitment to the TRA and the Six Assurances, under which the US has pledged to provide Taiwan with sufficient defense capabilities to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The MOFA also firmly believes that US support for Taiwan, including support for Taiwan's bid to participate in various international organizations, will not change because of Beijing's demands, Kao said.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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