The presence of the US research vessel Thomas G. Thompson in Kaohsiung is unrelated to Taiwan-US military cooperation, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning.
Asked by reporters if he is afraid that increased cooperation between the US and Taiwan would anger China, Wu said he is not worried about China’s reaction because the Thomas G. Thompson is a research vessel, and this is not the first time it has visited Taiwan.
The ship conducts research on the Earth’s atmosphere, he added.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The presence of the US ship, which the Taiwan International Ports Corp (TIPC) said dropped anchor in the Port of Kaohsiung on Monday morning, fueled speculation about increased Taiwan-US military partnership after the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2018 opened up the possibility of mutual visits between Taiwanese and US vessels, and rumors of a US naval exercise in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea next month emerged.
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday also denied speculation that the US vessel is in Kaohsiung for military reasons.
“Public speculation [over the matter] is misplaced,” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said.
“This is a pure and simple scientific research mission,” he added.
While the Thomas G. Thompson is owned by the US Office of Naval Research, it is operated by the University of Washington for academic research, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said at a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan later that day.
The vessel, which has visited Taiwan four times since its maiden voyage in April, is expected to depart for Australia at 6am today, TIPC said.
While questioning Wu, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) cited issues raised at a forum on Tuesday and, along with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), voiced concerns that the government is “taking sides” and “sucking up to the US” when it comes to foreign policy.
Hosted by the National Policy Foundation, the forum discussed the evolution of US-China relations and the foreign policy of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, with former minister of foreign affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) urging the government not to “cross China’s red line through the US.”
The government is neither “sucking up to the US” nor “taking sides,” Wu said.
The government makes foreign policy decisions based on Taiwan’s interests, he said.
Wu also addressed Beijing’s alleged attempt to prevent Taiwan from donating US$1 million to the WHO.
“[The Ministry of Foreign Affairs] is indeed concerned about this matter,” he said.
Taiwan wants to contribute to the world, but its attempts to do so are often blocked by China, he said, adding that he hoped Taiwan could overcome Chinese obstruction and contribute more to the world.
At a routine news conference in Beijing yesterday, Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) said that China strongly opposes any form of official interaction and military contact between the US and Taiwan,
In response to reports about a US military exercise next month, Ma said the “Taiwan problem” concerns Chinese sovereignty and the completeness of Chinese territory.
It involves China’s core interests, he said, adding that Beijing’s determination to preserve the integrity of China’s sovereignty and territory is unwavering.
He advised “relevant parties” to act carefully to prevent damaging the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Additional reporting by CNA
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry
RSS