The US would continue to help Taiwan bolster its ability to defend itself, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said in a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.
Greene assumed his new role as AIT director on Monday, serving as Washington’s top envoy to Taiwan.
“First of all, and the most important thing, the US will strongly support Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities,” Greene said.
Photo: Presidential Office via AP
“We both have common and long-term interests in peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait,” he added.
This support was in line with Washington’s long-standing policy guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques and the “six assurances,” he said.
Greene, who delivered his remarks in Mandarin, stressed the need to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, describing it as a common and long-term interest of Taipei and Washington, and as extremely important for global security and prosperity.
He also said he was “confident that with the support of the global democratic community, we can safeguard Taiwan’s democracy.”
Calling Taiwan “a key partner” in promoting trade and the global supply chain resilience, Greene said he was looking forward to working with the Lai administration to advance bilateral economic, cultural and technological cooperation.
In his remarks, Lai thanked the US for showing its commitment to supporting Taiwan’s efforts to improve its security, mentioning in particular the 15 announcements of arms sales to Taiwan under the administration of US President Joe Biden.
Lai reiterated his pledge to maintain the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, despite increasing challenges posed by China, and expressed the hope of working closely with the US and other like-minded countries in support of the prosperity and development of the Indo-Pacific region.
As a career diplomat, Greene has previously been posted to Taiwan twice, including serving as deputy AIT director from 2018 to 2021.
Before arriving in Taiwan to take charge of the AIT, which represents US interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, Greene was deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Japan.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s