The US should honor its commitment in providing Taiwan the necessary capability to defend itself, Representative Shelley Berkley, co-chairperson of the US House of Representatives’ Taiwan Caucus, said yesterday in Taipei.
“I believe the US must honor its commitment to Taiwan, a very reliable ally and democracy. The commitment regarding arms sales must be honored both by the former and the new administration,” she said.
Recent reports from Washington speculated that Beijing could try to strong arm US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit China, which begins on Friday, to negotiate for a freer hand with Tibet and Taiwan in exchange for a pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Berkley said Clinton would never be bullied into anything.
Berkley was named as co-chairperson of the 147-member Taiwan Caucus, an informal congressional organization comprised of lawmakers with an interest in boosting Taiwan-US relations, in January 2007.
The Nevada Democrat is in Taiwan at the invitation of Fu Jen Catholic University to participate in events marking the 30th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), a US law that is the backbone of US-Taiwan relations.
Berkley plans to propose a House resolution to commemorate the TRA’s anniversary.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) met Berkley yesterday morning and urged the US government to follow the British government’s recent move to include Taiwan in its visa-waiver program.
Extending such privileges to Taiwan would boost tourism to the US, the persident said, noting that Japan saw an increase of Taiwanese tourists after it granted Taiwanese a 90-day visa free privilege two years ago.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
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