The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday played down the absence of an endorsement of the Taiwan Relations Act in the US Democratic Party's campaign book for the presidential election, saying that the law would be followed no matter which party was in power.
US Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry and his vice presidential running mate, Senator John Edwards, have pledged to continue supplying Taiwan with defensive weapons if they are elected in November.
However, in their 252-page campaign book, Our Plan for America: Stronger at Home, Respected in the World, which was released on Monday, the Democratic hopefuls did not specifically endorse the Act, on which the arms-sales pledge is based.
Ministry spokesman Richard Shih (
"The book gives only general comments on other foreign-affairs matters. On the China-Taiwan problem, it says that the cross-strait issue should be resolved through peaceful means," Shih said.
He said the book's reference to cross-strait affairs "displays the Democratic Party's friendliness toward Taiwan."
"The Democratic Party tried to be concise when stating its policies in the campaign book. That is why this year's campaign book is much shorter than in 2000," he added.
Shih said that the Act is a US law, and that although the campaign book did not mention the document, the Democratic Party still had to abide by the law if it wins the presidential election.
The US Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act in 1979. It states that the US should be able to "resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion" should Taiwan be attacked and that it should provide arms "of a defensive nature" to Taipei so that the latter can "maintain a self-sufficient defense capacity."
Reiterating the Democratic Party's commitment to a "one China" policy and a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, the campaign book goes further to say the candidates "support Taiwan's vibrant democracy and robust economy and will maintain America's commitment to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons."
Meanwhile, Shih declined to comment on a US Senate delegation's rebuff of China's demand in Beijing on Tuesday that Washington stop arms sales to Taiwan.
Senate leader Ted Stevens, whose delegation met a number of Chinese leaders, including Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Speaking to reporters, he pointedly said that the arms sales were a result of China's military build-up.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
RSS