US President Barack Obama’s mention of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) during a joint news conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Friday reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Taiwan’s security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
Obama reiterated his “strong commitment” to Washington’s “one China” policy based on the three joint communiques and the TRA during his summit with Xi at the White House.
At the Rose Garden news conference, Obama said that he mentioned the TRA while discussing with security in the Asia-Pacific region, one of the main topics the two leaders discussed.
Photo: AFP
“I reiterated my strong commitment, as well, to our ‘one China’ policy based on the three joint communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act,” Obama said, with Xi standing beside him.
The ministry said it welcomed Obama’s remarks.
Obama’s statement “reasserts the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act as the basis of Taiwan-US relations,” the ministry said in a statement.
It demonstrated the US commitment to Taiwan’s security, following on his mention of the TRA on Nov. 12 last year in Beijing, when he also encouraged the two sides of the [Taiwan] Strait to establish mutual trust based on dignity and respect,” the ministry said.
Taipei and Washington have restored mutual trust in recent years and both sides have continued to maintain communication through various channels, the ministry said.
Before Xi’s trip to the US, Taiwan had made several contacts with the US to ensure that its interests would not be affected, the ministry said.
Senior US administration officials, including National Security Advisor Susan Rice and National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink had reiterated that the longstanding US position has not changed and that Washington will continue to abide by the TRA, the ministry said.
“Their statements indicate that the US fully understands Taiwan’s position and show active support of Taiwan,” it said.
The government would continue to promote cooperative relations with the US, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, it added.
The TRA was enacted in 1979 to maintain commercial, cultural and other unofficial relations between the US and Taiwan and requires the US “to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character.”
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