Ahead of former US President Ronald Reagan's state funeral in Washington today, government officials, diplomats and the people of Taiwan paid respects to the Taiwan-friendly US leader by signing a book of condolences provided by the American Cultural Center in Taipei yesterday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement praising Reagan's long-time support for Taiwan's democracy.
"Mr. Reagan was a firm friend of all democracies. Our government and people deeply regret the passing away of the former US president," the statement said. "President Chen Shui-bian (
The ministry has decided to send Control Yuan President Frederick Chien (
"Chien has a close relationship with the US and had opportunities to meet Reagan on many occasions. He is the right person to represent Taiwan to join Reagan's funeral," Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau said after signing the book of condolences.
Chien and his wife departed for Washington yesterday afternoon.
Chen Chien-jen (
Kau described the "Six Assurances," which the Reagan administration gave Taipei in July 1982, as one of the most important milestones in Taiwan-US relations.
In the Six Assurances, the Reagan administration promised Taiwan that it would not set a date for the ending of arms sales to Taiwan; not consult with China on arms sales; not play a mediation role between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan; not revise the Taiwan Relations Act; change its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan; nor exert pressure on Taipei to enter into negotiations with Beijing.
The Six Assurances came as the Reagan administration's efforts to soften the blow to Taiwan after the US and China signed the 817 Communique, which called for a reduction of US arms sales to Taiwan.
Judith Mudd-Krijgelmans, spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan, thanked Kau for the ministry's condolence.
"We will always remember the `Great Communicator,' especially for his support for US public diplomacy," Judith wrote in the book of condolences of her memory of the victor of the Cold War, one of whose most famous quotes is "the march of freedom and democracy will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history."
Reagan visited Taiwan twice during the 1970s. On Oct. 9, 1971, Reagan, then the governor of California, arrived at Taipei as former US President Richard Nixon's special representative to attend the Republic of China's (ROC) National Day celebrations on Oct. 10.
Reagan, accompanied by his wife. Nancy Reagan, said upon arrival in Taipei that he carried a message of good will from Nixon to Chiang Kai-shek (
In 1978, one year before the US switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing, Reagan again visited Taipei by invitation of Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), now chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, to deliver a speech at a conference hosted by the Sino-American Cultural and Economic Association.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
The Shanlan Express (山嵐號), or “Mountain Mist Express,” is scheduled to launch on April 19 as part of the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the Taitung Line. The tourism express train was renovated from the Taiwan Railway Corp’s EMU500 commuter trains. It has four carriages and a seating capacity of 60 passengers. Lion Travel is arranging railway tours for the express service. Several news outlets were invited to experience the pilot tour on the new express train service, which is to operate between Hualien Railway Station and Chihshang (池上) Railway Station in Taitung County. It would also be the first tourism service
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
RSS