A number of US lawmakers on Tuesday expressed their support for Taiwan following the termination of diplomatic ties with El Salvador, which decided to switch recognition to China, allegedly for financial aid.
The Central American country switched its recognition from Taiwan to China after Taipei refused to invest an “astronomical sum” of money in its Port of La Union development project, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
To voice the US’ support for Taiwan and condemn El Salvador for abandoning its democratic ally of 85 years in favor of a communist regime, US senators Cory Gardner and Marco Rubio introduced an amendment to a “minibus” appropriations bill on restricting US funding to the Central American nation, a statement on Gardner’s official Web site said.
Photo: AFP
“I urge for it [the amendment] to be included in the final bill. This amendment will send a direct message to Taiwan’s allies that the US will use every tool to support Taiwan’s standing on the international stage and will stand up to China’s bullying tactics across the world,” said Gardner, who is chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy.
Gardner also warned El Salvador that the wrong decision “will negatively influence United States relations with El Salvador.”
In a similar vein, Rubio described El Salvador’s decision as “a grave mistake that harms relations with the US and will likely prove to be costly and short-sighted, given what we know about China’s ‘debt traps’ and economic exploitation globally.”
US Senator Tom Cotton on his Web site urged China to refrain from interfering in Taiwan’s diplomatic relations with other countries.
“Proud, confident nations that aspire to great power status don’t obsess about the diplomatic relations of their small neighbors,” Cotton said.
US representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart used Twitter to express disapproval of China’s attempt to isolate Taiwan diplomatically.
US Representative Albio Sires voiced concern on his Web site over the “growing Chinese influence in the region that has caused multiple countries to break with Taiwan in favor of Chinese investment.”
Chinese promises of investment “are little more than empty promises that do not create real jobs, only benefit Beijing in the long run and do not provide any real assistance to the hardworking people they claim to benefit,” Sires 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