Taiwan expressed its thanks to US President Joe Biden after he raised concerns with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) about China’s increased pressuring of Taiwan, Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said yesterday.
Biden and Xi held their first phone call as national leaders yesterday, during which Biden brought up concerns related to Taiwan, Hong Kong and human rights.
The White House said in a statement: “President Biden underscored his fundamental concerns about Beijing’s coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan.”
Photo: AFP
Chang said that Taiwan, as a member of the international community, would continue to foster close relations and cooperation with like-minded nations, such as the US, and contribute to prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Separately, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) thanked the Biden administration for its continued support of Taiwan, and its emphasis on peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The ministry is committed to maintaining close communication with the US, and would continue efforts to deepen Taiwan-US collaboration on economic, political and security issues, she said.
The Biden administration has stressed that the US is committed to upholding the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,” Ou said, adding that Taiwan would continue to work with the administration to foster prosperity and peace in the region.
The “six assurances” were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan in 1982, and include pledges not to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan, not to hold prior consultations with China regarding arms sales to Taiwan, and not to play the role of mediator between Taiwan and China.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Xi told Biden that confrontation between the US and China would be “disastrous” for both countries and the world, and said that the two countries should “re-establish various dialogue mechanisms, read each other’s policy intentions accurately, and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation.”
Xi told Biden that Taiwan and Hong Kong are issues that “concern China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and that the US should respect China’s core interests and “act prudently,” China’s foreign ministry said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said that he found it significant that the White House readout of the call did not mention pursuing interests common to the US and China, adding that it stressed that Biden is committed to pursuing “practical, results-oriented engagements when it advances the interests of the American people and those of our allies.”
This means that US-China ties would move toward conditional and results-oriented engagements, said Lo, who also serves as the DPP’s international affairs director.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Charles Chen (陳以信), a member of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, said that the call showed that the US’ China policy would move from an antagonistic approach to “coopetition” — a combination of “competition” and “cooperation.”
That should result in calmer US-China ties, Chen said, adding that Biden laid down markers regarding Taiwan and other issues, and that the US criticized China for becoming increasingly assertive.
Additional reporting by AFP
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
RSS