The increasingly fractious beef row between Washington and Taipei will not impact arms sales or other aspects of the bilateral relationship, Assistant US Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Kurt Campbell said on Thursday.
Asked if Taiwan’s decision to ban some kinds of US beef would go beyond trade and economic relations and be linked to such vital issues as security and arms sales, Campbell said that it would not.
“There have been some contentious issues associated with the beef decision,” he said. “We’re trying to work closely with our colleagues and friends in Taiwan on a resolution that allows this issue to move forward.”
‘VERY CLEAR’
Campbell said that the administration of US President Barack Obama remained “very clear” about its responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act and on “our larger commitments” to Taiwan and the maintenance of peace across the Taiwan Strait.
“We will continue to maintain a responsible and good unofficial relationship between Washington and Taipei,” he said.
Campbell was speaking at a special press briefing in Washington on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s upcoming trip to Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia.
He refused to comment on threats from China to punish the US if it sells more arms to Taiwan, as expected.
But he added: “I think you know what our long-standing position is, in terms of maintaining our responsibilities and following through on them.”
Campbell was asked whether reports of arms sales to Taiwan, Obama’s decision to meet the Dalai Lama and economic disputes meant this would be a difficult year for US-China relations.
He replied: “There was a recognition at the beginning of the Obama administration that there were going to be a number of issues that required closer and deeper consultation and cooperation between Washington and Beijing — climate change, issues on the Korean Peninsula, the necessary work to help sustain a fragile economic and financial recovery and hopefully assistance on problematic issues like Iran, Afghanistan and the like.”
COMPLICATED
“Over the course of the last several months, there has been dialogue on these issues. The truth is that this is a very complicated relationship. Much of it is cooperative, based on mutual interest. It requires intense interaction on a regular basis,” he said.
Campbell said the US was committed to a “strong, durable relationship” with China, but inevitably there would be contentious issues.
“Our goal is to put in place enough mechanisms, enough consultative procedures that the unintended crises, the mishaps and mistakes, can be dealt with in a responsible and professional way,” he said.
Campbell said: “No one is under any illusions about how challenging the US-China relationship will be over the course of the next several years. But I will say there is also a recognition on both sides that it is incumbent on us to work as closely and as well together as possible.”
Later, Philip Crawley, an assistant secretary for public affairs at the US State Department, was also asked during a press briefing about Chinese objections to US arms sales to Taiwan, particularly Patriot Missile batteries.
Crawley said: “I would reserve comment on any particular system that might be part of our foreign military sales program. But we continue to evaluate Taiwan’s defensive needs, and no decisions have been made.”
“We do make available to Taiwan defense articles and services necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability pursuant to the Taiwan Relations Act, and we will continue to do that,” he said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College