The US State Department on Monday issued a mild rebuke to Premier Yu Shyi-kun for talking about a "balance of terror" with China in the face of military intimidation by Beijing. But the Pentagon reiterated its intention to sell more weapons to Taiwan.
Answering a question about Yu's statement, which he made over the weekend, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said, "We would prefer to see comments that focus on dialogue as opposed to references to the use of force or other unilateral moves."
Yu, in remarks on Saturday in response to a mass rally against the government's US$18 billion arms-purchase plan, said Taiwan should be able to launch a missile counterattack against Shanghai if China fires its missiles at Taiwan.
Such a scenario would "see a `balance of terror' being maintained across the Taiwan Strait so that national security is safeguarded," Yu said. Asked about that at his regular daily press briefing, Ereli repeated his oft-stated comment that the US "opposes moves by either side that would increase tension across the Taiwan Strait."
"And it is our view that the issues relating to the Taiwan Strait should be solved through dialogue and not by unilateral actions by either side," he added.
However, Ereli refused to say whether he thought Yu's remarks increase tensions across the Strait.
The Pentagon, however, reaffirmed its arms-sales commitment to Taiwan.
"The Department of Defense remains fully committed to fulfilling the security and arms sales provision of the Taiwan Relations Act," a department spokesman told the Taipei Times.
"We'll continue to assist Taiwan in meeting its legitimate self defense needs in accordance with our obligations" under the act, he said.
The spokesman had no comment on the arms sales package being sought by President Chen Shui-bian's (
Defense Department officials, including deputy secretary Paul Wolfowitz, reaffirmed the commitment in meetings with a Legislative Yuan delegation to Washington headed by Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
The meetings accelerated the pace of the negotiations with the US to reach agreement on the terms of the arms package sale, eliciting criticism from Beijing, intensifying efforts by the Chen government to secure funding for the purchase, and sparking opposition to the package that culminated in the opposition rally last weekend.
In response to Ereli's remarks, Cabinet spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said yesterday that Taiwan would absolutely not provoke China, nor would it launch a first strike.
"Our ultimate defense policy is to prevent war. We have consistently adopted a defensive posture. `Effective deterrence and firm defense' is still our top military buildup goal. Our defensive strategy has not changed," Chen said, adding that Taiwan has spared no effort to defuse cross-strait tension and maintain regional peace.
CLASH OF WORDS: While China’s foreign minister insisted the US play a constructive role with China, Rubio stressed Washington’s commitment to its allies in the region The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday affirmed and welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements expressing the US’ “serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan” and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart. The ministry in a news release yesterday also said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated many fallacies about Taiwan in the call. “We solemnly emphasize again that our country and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and it has been an objective fact for a long time, as well as
‘CHARM OFFENSIVE’: Beijing has been sending senior Chinese officials to Okinawa as part of efforts to influence public opinion against the US, the ‘Telegraph’ reported Beijing is believed to be sowing divisions in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture to better facilitate an invasion of Taiwan, British newspaper the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Less than 750km from Taiwan, Okinawa hosts nearly 30,000 US troops who would likely “play a pivotal role should Beijing order the invasion of Taiwan,” it wrote. To prevent US intervention in an invasion, China is carrying out a “silent invasion” of Okinawa by stoking the flames of discontent among locals toward the US presence in the prefecture, it said. Beijing is also allegedly funding separatists in the region, including Chosuke Yara, the head of the Ryukyu Independence
‘ARMED GROUP’: Two defendants used Chinese funds to form the ‘Republic of China Taiwan Military Government,’ posing a threat to national security, prosecutors said A retired lieutenant general has been charged after using funds from China to recruit military personnel for an “armed” group that would assist invading Chinese forces, prosecutors said yesterday. The retired officer, Kao An-kuo (高安國), was among six people indicted for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), the High Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. The group visited China multiple times, separately and together, from 2018 to last year, where they met Chinese military intelligence personnel for instructions and funding “to initiate and develop organizations for China,” prosecutors said. Their actions posed a “serious threat” to “national security and social stability,” the statement
‘INDISCRIMINATE’: The drastic changes would delay many national projects as well as undermine global confidence in Taiwan’s resolve to defend itself, the premier said The Legislative Yuan yesterday on third reading passed the central government budget for this year, cutting 6.6 percent from the Executive Yuan’s proposed expenditure — the largest in history. The budget proposal, which the Cabinet approved in August last year, set government spending at NT$3.1325 trillion (US$95.6 billion), with projected revenues of NT$3.1534 trillion — both record highs — working out to a surplus of NT$20.9 billion. On Friday last week, the opposition-led legislature voted to cut NT$93.98 billion from the budget’s general provisions. During a 20-hour continuous session from Monday until yesterday morning, they continued to slash the budgets of government agencies,
RSS