The telephone call between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US president-elect Donald Trump has continued to spark debate in Taiwan, with some expressing optimism over the creation of a new model of interaction for Taipei and Washington, while others voiced concerns over a possible return to cross-strait diplomatic rows.
The 10-minute call between Tsai and Trump on Friday evening demonstrated that Trump’s team attaches importance to Taiwan, National Chung Hsing University Graduate Institute of International Politics professor Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said.
“The call could address the long-term absence of high-level dialogue and interactions between Taiwan and the US... If the Trump camp can withstand inevitable pressure from Beijing over the matter, a new interaction model could be created for Taipei-Washington ties,” Tsai Ming-yen said.
Photo: CNA
Expressing “cautious optimism” over Taiwan-US relations, Tsai Ming-yen said there have only been routine interactions at lower levels between the two sides.
That Trump singled out the congratulatory call from Tsai Ing-wen among many similar calls from other world leaders and mentioned it on Twitter and Facebook indicated Trump’s and his team’s emphasis on Taiwan, Tsai Ming-yen said.
He said that while China would certainly object to and pressure Washington over the call, the important thing is whether Trump’s team can withstand the pressure.
“If the answer is positive, Taiwan-
US ties would no longer be subjected to Beijing’s reactions and be solely about Taipei and Washington,” he said.
Tsai Ming-yen also called for a “new pillar” to be added to the two traditional pillars of trade and national defense in Taiwan-US ties, saying that the relationship between the two can become more sustainable if they cooperate with each other under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework.
The two sides last year signed a memorandum of understanding on the framework to expand bilateral cooperation in international public health, humanitarian assistance and other global issues.
“High-level US officials have in recent years stressed the importance of a mutually beneficial partnership, one that does not see Taiwan requiring help from the US, but one in which the two sides jointly provide opportunities and assistance to other nations through the cooperation and Taipei’s experience in certain areas,” Tsai Ming-yen said.
Turning to critics who dismissed the call as an attempt by Trump to test the water to secure more benefits from China, Tsai Ming-yen said Taiwan-US ties are not just about business, as they are institutionalized by the Three Joint Communiques and the US’ Taiwan Relations Act.
He also pointed to the first-ever inclusion of a section on senior military exchanges with Taiwan in the US’ National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 as an indicator of the two nation’s friendship.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have been debating the call’s possible effects on cross-strait relations, as some foreign commentators said China would increase its attempts to suppress Taiwan and predicted a possible return to vicious diplomatic competition across the Taiwan Strait.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said there is no need to “scare yourself,” because Taipei-Washington ties are built on significant foundations.
“Also, since there has never been a pause in Beijing’s suppression attempts, it is unnecessary to speculate,” Lo said.
As for the possibility of the DPP government adopting former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) ruthless diplomatic policy, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said Beijing would undoubtedly do everything in its power to prevent that, given its unpleasant dealings with Chen.
However, Chiang said that as the call would be seen as a disgrace by China, it would most likely cause some negative effects on cross-strait ties.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
The Shanlan Express (山嵐號), or “Mountain Mist Express,” is scheduled to launch on April 19 as part of the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the Taitung Line. The tourism express train was renovated from the Taiwan Railway Corp’s EMU500 commuter trains. It has four carriages and a seating capacity of 60 passengers. Lion Travel is arranging railway tours for the express service. Several news outlets were invited to experience the pilot tour on the new express train service, which is to operate between Hualien Railway Station and Chihshang (池上) Railway Station in Taitung County. It would also be the first tourism service
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
RSS