President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said China’s announcement of a new air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea has not helped with cross-strait development and the government would urge Beijing not to demarcate a similar zone over the South China Sea.
In an interview with Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun, Ma said China’s ADIZ over the East China Sea had sparked great concern in the region because the zone includes the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), which are the territory of the Republic of China (ROC).
The Diaoyutais, which lie about 120 nautical miles (220km) northeast of Taipei, are also claimed by China and Japan, which call them the Senkaku Islands.
“The move does not bring positive development to cross-strait relations. In the future, we will talk to mainland China and ask them not to set up a similar ADIZ over the South China Sea,” he said.
When asked to comment about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plans to push for a change in the Japanese constitution regarding its self-defense rights, Ma said the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the US and Japan has played an important role in stabilizing Asia, and the Republic of China government has been supportive of the treaty.
“As a mature democratic nation, I think Japan will take neighboring countries’ reactions into consideration and act wisely,” he said.
The government issued a statement reiterating the ROC’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutais shortly after China announced its new air defense zone on Nov. 23, while promoting Ma’s East China Sea peace initiative calling on the concerned parties to resolve disputes through negotiations.
Japan and South Korea have ignored China’s demand to be notified about any flights passing through the zone and have sent military aircraft into the area in recent days, after US military aircraft flew through it.
The issue of China’s ADIZ has also been a key issue on the agenda for US Vice President Joe Biden’s current tour of Japan, China and South Korea.
Ma yesterday reiterated the efforts by the government to promote peace across the Taiwan Strait, and said it has never avoided political issues affecting cross-strait relations.
Citing the signing of cross-strait agreements and the proposed establishment of cross-strait representative offices, Ma said these issues carried some political significance, and the government is also promoting the service trade agreement to enhance exchanges and enable Taiwanese to profit from them.
He said the government will continue to adopt an “economics first, politics later” policy for dealing with China, and will address political issues when the timing is right.
In related news, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt is to arrive in Taipei tomorrow for a five-day visit.
Burghardt is set to meet with Ma and key political and business figures during his stay.
The visit has sparked the local media’s interest because of its timing, coming in the wake of China’s air defense zone declaration and Biden’s tour.
The AIT said the visit will be Burghardt’s 15th trip to Taiwan since he became chairman in February 2006.
Additional reporting by CNA
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS