The government is on the right track regarding Taiwan-US relations, and has no plans to alter policies because the US is facing a transfer of political power, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) said yesterday at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Tseng was among the officials asked to report on the post-US election prospects for Taiwan-US economic and trade relations at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Taiwan and the US have a long-term and close economic and trade relationship, Tseng said, adding that last year the US was the nation’s second-largest trade partner, its second-largest export market and its third-largest source of imports.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Total bilateral trade volume last year was more than US$81.08 billion, an increase of 11.7 percent from 2018, he said.
Several top US companies this year have announced plans to increase investment in Taiwan, and the US administration and Congress have also taken actions to enhance the Taiwan-US economic and trade relationship, he said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday last week said that US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach would lead the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue with Taiwan on Friday, which is to be held in Washington and online, with discussions touching upon issues such as global medical safety, supply chains, 5G security and energy resources, Tseng said.
Asked if the government’s decision to allow imports of US pork containing trace levels of ractopamine as of Jan. 1 would be changed following the US presidential election, Tseng said: “We are a government that is ‘on the right track,’ so the announced policy will not change based on the changes in the US administration.”
When Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗) asked if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) would welcome US President Donald Trump if he decided to visit Taiwan before stepping down, Harry Tseng replied “yes.”
When the KMT lawmaker asked if it would be possible for US Navy ships to dock in Taiwan, and if the foreign ministry would accept a Trump announcement to establish formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Harry Tseng replied that US Navy ships are “welcome to dock anytime,” and that “there is no reason to refuse” an offer of diplomatic ties.
Later in the day, the ministry issued a statement to clarify Tseng’s responses, saying that inviting high-ranking US officials for visits and security cooperation operations have always been important diplomatic tasks, but hypothetical questions such as invitations to Trump or Pompeo to visit or allowing US Navy ships to dock in Taiwan have not been planned by the ministry, nor discussed with the US.
The ministry stays in close and smooth communication with the US, it said, adding that it would continue to follow the principles of mutual trust and reciprocity to deepen the Taiwan-US partnership, the statement added.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS