The US is a reliable partner of Taiwan and committed to providing resolute support to the nation, visiting US lawmakers said yesterday, adding that China’s recent military drills sent a strong signal for the US to accelerate the delivery of weapons to Taiwan.
US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul is leading a cross-party congressional delegation to Taiwan that arrived on Sunday.
On behalf of US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, the visit is to congratulate President William Lai (賴清德) on taking office and “celebrate a victory for democracy,” US Representative and cochair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus Andy Barr told a news conference yesterday.
Photo: Shu Fu, EPA-EFE
The US is “fully and completely committed to deterrence by supporting Taiwan militarily, diplomatically and economically,” he said, adding that its resolve to maintain the “status quo” and peace in the Taiwan Strait should not be doubted.
“The resoluteness which the United States Congress has behind Taiwan is extremely strong,” McCaul said.
Taiwan’s importance lies in its people, democracy, freedom, prosperity, science and technology, and innovation, he said.
Photo: Ben Blanchard, Reuters
“And it’s because the people of Taiwan are just like the people of the United States,” he added.
McCaul highlighted repeatedly that “deterrence is key,” pledging to “get the weapons you purchase to you as soon as possible.”
Asked about the delays in the delivery of weapons by Washington, McCaul said: “We are moving forward on those weapons systems.”
It is crucial to let Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) understand that “the risk outweighs the reward” when considering taking military action against Taiwan, he said.
McCaul said he hoped the deterrence provided by the US and the support the delegation has shown through its presence in Taiwan would help prevent military conflicts in the region and make Xi realize that “it’s simply not worth it.”
Bejing’s military exercises around Taiwan last week sent “a very strong message” to the US, which the delegation would convey to the US Congress and US President Joe Biden, he said.
As the US is holding its presidential election in November, McCaul assured Taiwan that “regardless of ... which candidate wins the presidential [election], I do not see that support [for Taiwan] wavering whatsoever.”
“We are stronger when we stand together,” he told Lai when the delegation met with the president earlier yesterday.
“America is and always will be a reliable partner and no amount of coercion or intimidation will slow down or stop the routine visits by the [US] Congress to Taiwan,” he said.
Congratulating Lai on winning the election and taking office, McCaul said that he looked forward to working with the new administration.
“I think Taiwan has the right man at the right time in the right place,” he said.
Lai thanked the delegation for showing its firm support for Taiwan through the visit and vowed to continue to deepen cooperation with the US and other like-minded countries to safeguard regional peace, stability and prosperity.
While Taiwan is bolstering its national defense capabilities, Lai said he hoped the US Congress would continue to assist Taiwan in the effort through legislative actions.
“I’m confident that Taiwan-US relations will steadily deepen, leading to ever more fruitful exchanges,” Lai said.
The other members of the visiting delegation are Republicans Young Kim and Joe Wilson, and Democrats Jimmy Panetta and Chrissy Houlahan.
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
RSS