The Presidential Office yesterday welcomed a joint statement by the US and Japan that underscores their commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The statement, issued by the White House after a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, highlighted the countries’ deepening partnership on defense — including of cyber and space defense — as well as on key technologies, healthcare and the climate.
“We oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea. We reiterated our objections to China’s unlawful maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea,” it said.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
“We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. We share serious concerns regarding the human rights situations in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” it added.
The government is glad to see that the US and Japan continue to emphasize the importance of peace and stability in the region, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement yesterday.
Cross-strait relations have become a concern for the Indo-Pacific region and even the world, he said.
Photo: CNA
“We hope that Beijing will fulfill its responsibility ... [and] make positive contributions to regional security and welfare,” he said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has repeatedly said that Taiwan would not succumb to pressure, nor would it make reckless moves, even if it garners more support, Chang added.
Taiwan, the US and Japan share common values in defending freedom, democracy and human rights, as well as common interests in promoting regional security and prosperity, Chang said, pledging to deepen relations with like-minded partners.
Meanwhile, Japanese Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi yesterday on Twitter posted photographs of a meeting with soldiers on Japan’s westernmost populated island of Yonaguni.
The photos show him looking toward Taiwan, although he wrote that he could not see it due to the cloudy weather.
Yonaguni is about 110km from Taiwan, and boosting Japan’s southwestern defense system is very important for Japan, Kishi wrote.
During his visit, he has met with Japanese army, navy and air force members on the island, he added.
Separately, Japan-Republic of China Diet Members’ Consultative Council chairman Keiji Furuya yesterday posted a photo on Twitter of Japan’s national flag hoisted in front of a building.
Japanese Representative to Taiwan Hiroyasu Izumi has defied Beijing’s pressure and raised the flag at the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association in Taipei, Furuya said.
The photograph shows Izumi’s official residence in Taipei’s Yangmingshan area (陽明山), where the envoy started flying the flag in January, the association said.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
‘FALLACY’: Xi’s assertions that Taiwan was given to the PRC after WWII confused right and wrong, and were contrary to the facts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday called Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) claim that China historically has sovereignty over Taiwan “deceptive” and “contrary to the facts.” In an article published on Wednesday in the Russian state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Xi said that this year not only marks 80 years since the end of World War II and the founding of the UN, but also “Taiwan’s restoration to China.” “A series of instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration have affirmed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan,” Xi wrote. “The historical and legal fact” of these documents, as well
RSS