The US is seeking dialogue with China and encourages Taiwan’s presidential candidates to do the same, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk said.
“Dialogue is good. Dialogue is useful,” Oudkirk said during the TV program Da Win Dining (大雲時堂) on Friday.
She said she hopes that US officials can engage more with their Chinese counterparts.
Photo: Screen grab from Da Win Dining’s YouTube channel
The US “would certainly not stand in the way of anyone else wanting to do that,” Oudkirk said, adding that hopefully communications can ease cross-strait tensions.
Regarding Taiwan’s presidential election in January next year, Oudkirk said the election outcome would not affect US President Joe Biden’s promise to Taiwan.
The US’ support for Taiwan is bipartisan and comes from the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, she said, adding that it “has not wavered as our administrations change or as leadership changes here in Taiwan.”
The AIT is familiar with the presidential candidates — Vice President William Lai (賴清德), former Taipei mayor and Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) — and their accomplishments, as it has been working closely with the local governments of Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the vice president’s office, she said.
Having met all three candidates, Oudkirk said: “I like them all.”
The candidates all expressed a willingness to communicate with China from different angles, which is “certainly one that we [the US] would support,” she said.
Regarding US-Taiwan relations, Oudkirk said she thinks that the relationship between Taiwan and the US “is the best that it’s ever been,” and praised Taiwan’s successful democratic transition and robust democratic institutions.
The US supports the “status quo,” which is peaceful and stable, not coercive, and has enabled peace and prosperity in Taiwan, China and other countries in the region, she said.
“Being the director is my favorite part” about Taiwan, Oudkirk said, adding that “it is an honor and a pleasure to work with people. And then Taiwan itself is just amazing.”
The priorities of the AIT include ensuring that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and promoting the already strong trade relations by encouraging Taiwanese investment in the US and vice versa, she said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS