The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign nation, not part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, after Washington said it does not support Taiwanese independence.
“We support a strong unofficial relationship with Taiwan. We do not support Taiwan’s independence. We fully recognize, understand the sensitivities involved here,” US National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday during a videoconference with the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI).
Campbell made the remarks when asked by ASPI International Security and Diplomacy vice president Daniel Russel how much love and support Washington can show to Taiwan under its “one China” policy and the US’ Taiwan Relations Act.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
Taiwan has the right to live in peace and should have a role to play in the international community, particularly in areas related to vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic, Campbell said.
He said that there is a “dangerous” balance to maintain across the Taiwan Strait and warned China about “catastrophic” results if it dares to do to Taiwan what it has done to Hong Kong.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked Washington for supporting Taiwan’s participation in international affairs and having donated it 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccines.
Since taking office, US President Joe Biden’s administration has repeatedly stressed that Washington’s support for Taiwan is “rock solid,” while it has also engaged other allies to underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said in a statement.
As a responsible and reliable partner, Taiwan sustains close cooperation with the US on many regional and global issues, and the nation is glad to continue making contributions to the international society, Ou said.
Ou also asserted the nation’s sovereignty.
“ROC Taiwan is a sovereign nation, not part of the PRC; that is a fact as well as the ‘status quo,’” she said.
The government has been cautiously handling cross-strait relations based on a steady and practical attitude, while defending its liberal democracy and striving for more opportunities to participate in international affairs, Ou said.
The ministry would continue to work closely with the US and deepen bilateral partnerships based on firm foundations, she said.
In other news, the ministry on Tuesday night welcomed the appointment of Sandra Oudkirk — US senior official for APEC and deputy assistant secretary for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands — as the next director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), making her the first female director of the US’ de facto embassy.
“The @StateDept official brings a wealth of experience to the role, it’s expected the #Taiwan-#US relationship will continue flourishing under her watch,” the ministry wrote on Twitter yesterday.
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military