US beef imports and US President Barack Obama’s recent trip to China were key points in the discussion yesterday between American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the DPP said.
Briefing reporters, DPP Director of International Affairs Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said that during the 70-minute meeting, Tsai told Burghardt the DPP was concerned about the US’ stance on Taiwan as a US-China joint statement released during Obama’s trip had not mentioned the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), the backbone of the Taiwan-US relationship since the two countries severed ties 30 years ago.
The absence of the TRA has worried many Taiwanese who fear the gesture was an indication of deteriorating Taiwan-US ties, Hsiao said, urging Washington to reaffirm its commitment to Taiwan.
The DPP also said the joint statement contradicted the TRA and the “six assurances,” and that the US should make clear that it still adheres to the TRA and that its position on Taiwan’s sovereignty has not altered.
The DPP demanded that the US reaffirm its position that cross-strait differences must “be resolved peacefully with the assent of Taiwan’s people,” adding that the US should make an announcement on arms sales to show the public that its commitment to the TRA has not changed.
Former representative to the US Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), who was present at the meeting, told the Taipei Times that because the Ma administration was not fulfilling its responsibilities to the public, it was the DPP’s duty to do so.
On US beef, Tsai reiterated the DPP position that negotiations should be reopened.
Tsai said the DPP viewed US beef imports as a public health issue although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) had accused it of manipulating the matter for election purposes, Hsiao said.
Earlier in the day, Burghardt assured Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) that the US’ Taiwan policy remained unchanged.
After briefing the speaker and several members of the Foreign and National Defense Committee on Obama’s trip to China last week, Burghardt said the US had not changed its policy toward Taiwan, adding that Obama told Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) that arms sales to Taiwan would also remain unchanged. Burghardt said Obama made sure the TRA was included in a press conference after his talks with Hu.
“That was a personal desire by him to make sure it was mentioned,” Burghardt said.
Burghardt arrived in Taipei on Sunday night to brief President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the legislature and opposition leaders on Obama’s visit to China. KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said the chairman emphasized that “the US had not changed its policy toward Taiwan nor sacrificed Taiwan’s interests during Obama’s trip.”
Burghardt told reporters that the US beef controversy was a “phony issue” being manipulated ahead of local elections.
Wang said he told Burghardt that Taiwan would like to resume talks with the US on the trade and investment framework agreement as soon as possible.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
‘BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS’: The US military’s aim is to continue to make any potential Chinese invasion more difficult than it already is, US General Ronald Clark said The likelihood of China invading Taiwan without contest is “very, very small” because the Taiwan Strait is under constant surveillance by multiple countries, a US general has said. General Ronald Clark, commanding officer of US Army Pacific (USARPAC), the US Army’s largest service component command, made the remarks during a dialogue hosted on Friday by Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Asked by the event host what the Chinese military has learned from its US counterpart over the years, Clark said that the first lesson is that the skill and will of US service members are “unmatched.” The second
STANDING TOGETHER: Amid China’s increasingly aggressive activities, nations must join forces in detecting and dealing with incursions, a Taiwanese official said Two senior Philippine officials and one former official yesterday attended the Taiwan International Ocean Forum in Taipei, the first high-level visit since the Philippines in April lifted a ban on such travel to Taiwan. The Ocean Affairs Council hosted the two-day event at the National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center. Philippine Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Coast Guard spokesman Grand Commodore Jay Tarriela and former Philippine Presidential Communications Office assistant secretary Michel del Rosario participated in the forum. More than 100 officials, experts and entrepreneurs from 15 nations participated in the forum, which included discussions on countering China’s hybrid warfare
MORE DEMOCRACY: The only solution to Taiwan’s current democratic issues involves more democracy, including Constitutional Court rulings and citizens exercising their civil rights , Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is not the “motherland” of the Republic of China (ROC) and has never owned Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. The speech was the third in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to deliver across Taiwan. Taiwan is facing external threats from China, Lai said at a Lions Clubs International banquet in Hsinchu. For example, on June 21 the army detected 12 Chinese aircraft, eight of which entered Taiwanese waters, as well as six Chinese warships that remained in the waters around Taiwan, he said. Beyond military and political intimidation, Taiwan
RSS