The US should intensify its opposition to China's proposed anti-secession law aimed at Taiwan because "quiet diplomacy" will not resolve the volatile issue, according to a senior Taiwanese official.
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said in an interview late on Monday that there may be no way to stop Beijing from enacting the law, which Taiwan and US officials say will inflame cross-strait tensions.
The proposed anti-secession law is seen by analysts as a Chinese effort to justify a military invasion of democratic Taiwan, thus preventing what Beijing views as moves toward formal Taiwanese independence.
Senior US officials privately describe the proposed law as a threat to regional peace, but have said little in public.
US officials have argued that they could exert more influence on Beijing through "quiet diplomacy" and that they want to see the text of the law before speaking out, Wu said.
In Taiwan, "we are quite afraid that if they [Americans] don't make public opposition to the law by the time the [the specific text of the law is published], it may be too late already," Wu said.
"If you look at the concept of the law it's really very provocative. So we tried to relay our position and our worries to the American side," he added.
Wu was in Washington to attend US President George W. Bush's inauguration and hold talks -- mainly on the anti-secession law -- with administration officials and US China experts.
Wu described the law as Beijing's attempt to unilaterally change the status quo between the two cross-strait rivals and to taunt Taiwan into taking countermeasures, which he insisted "are not on the agenda at this moment."
But, he added: "I think the US administration, or the United States in general, including friends in Congress and think tanks, need to express in a clear way their opposition to the anti-secession law."
Chinese authorities are expected to take up the law at the National People's Congress in March and seem increasingly determined to enact it, Wu said.
Still, he said, "we are trying to see if we can reverse the Chinese decision to enact the law [by having the proposal sent first to committee for an extended period] so we have sufficient time to turn things around."
Wu departed Los Angeles Tuesday for Taiwan after concluding a week-long visit in the US.
Wu told reporters before his departure that the government has a consistent policy towards China and that the MAC will continue to work to promote cooperation across the Taiwan Strait after the new Cabinet is inaugurated Feb. 1.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS