Two members of the US Congress have called on US President Barack Obama’s administration to resume diplomatic relations with Taiwan and to end its “one China” policy.
The largely symbolic move was made to mark the 34th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) on April 10, 1979.
Representatives Michael McCaul and Robert Andrews submitted a “sense of Congress” resolution to the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, which has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The resolution says that Taiwan has established a vibrant and pluralistic democracy and that Taiwan has never been under the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China government.
It argues that the Shanghai Communique, which “acknowledges” that there is “one China and that Taiwan is part of China” was established without the consultation of Congress or the people of Taiwan.
The resolution says that the “one China” policy is “effectively obsolete” and does not reflect the obvious reality that Taiwan has been an independent and sovereign country for more than half a century.
“Taiwan has been a steadfast ally of the US and a responsible and compassionate member of the world community,” the resolution reads.
“The president should abandon the fundamentally flawed ‘One China Policy’ in favor of a more realistic ‘One China, One Taiwan Policy’ that recognizes Taiwan as a sovereign and independent country separate from the Communist regime in Beijing,” the resolution reads.
“The president should begin the process of resuming normal diplomatic relations with Taiwan,” it says.
“US officials should aggressively support Taiwan’s full participation in the United Nations and any other international organization of which the US is a member, and for which statehood is a requirement for membership,” it adds.
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we