The most important single step that the US can take to support Taiwan’s economic prosperity and security is to ensure that the nation is part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a former senior US Department of State official said on Saturday.
“TPP is turning into a very important organization that we hope will provide greatly expanded trade and investment relations among the most dynamic economies on the globe,” said David Keegan, a former deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and former director of the US Department of State’s Taiwan Coordination Office.
Keegan said TPP could be the “bedrock” for a new era of prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
He was the keynote speaker at the annual Taiwanese Association of America, Greater Washington Chapter Thanksgiving Banquet in Washington.
“Some say that Taiwan should not be part of the TPP, but that is nonsense,” Keegan said. “Like it or not, China will do anything necessary to ensure that Taiwan is not part of the formal negotiating process for TPP.”
“That is annoying, even infuriating, but it is reality,” Keegan added.
He said Taiwan had some of the best economic minds and some of the best trade negotiators in the Asia-Pacific region.
“With US cooperation and support, they must find ways around the roadblocks and position Taiwan to be a full part of the TPP when it comes into force,” Keegan said.
“Nothing that Taiwan or the US can do is more important to Taiwan’s future prosperity and security than this,” he said. “If we try, if we work together, we can ensure that Taiwan gets what it needs.”
He said that free and fair elections in Taiwan “scare the living daylights” out of the leadership in Beijing.
China warns the US almost every month that the US will “pay a price” unless it abandons Taiwan and every month Washington rejects that warning, Keegan said.
“And we will continue to do so,” he added.
Association president Chen Jen-jen said the banquet had traditionally been an opportunity for the Taiwanese-American community to thank the US “for being such a close friend and ally.”
The keynote speakers were introduced by senior political adviser to the Formosan Association for Public Affairs Gerrit van der Wees.
Former US National Security Council director of Asian affairs Robert Suettinger said China might not be as threatening as it appeared.
He said its economic growth is slowing, it has environmental problems, social and political imbalances, massive corruption within the Chinese Communist Party and the armed forces, and unrest in many areas.
Beijing does not like change that it cannot control, Suettinger said.
As electoral politics develop in Taiwan, China’s attitude and statements “may get tougher and they may get more threatening,” he said.
“Beijing has made use of hard-edged nationalism to win support from the Chinese public,” Suettinger said. “That kind of nationalism will make itself felt in the coming year, perhaps in a shrill and angry tone directed at one or both of the political parties in Taiwan. Keep your minds clear and your hearts strong — the future looks good.”
‘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
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as