New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, who is on an eight-day trip in the US, on Friday said that he would not take Washington’s support of Taiwan for granted.
Speaking to reporters in New York while visiting two US think tanks — the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) — Hou said he would not take US support of Taiwan for granted and that Taipei would continue to boost its national defense capabilities to deter Beijing’s aggression.
Hou, who arrived in New York on Thursday, said that Taiwan needed to increase its military strength not only to ensure cross-strait stability and Taiwan’s security, but also to mitigate concerns held by the rest of the world regarding the situation in the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: CNA
Hou said that Taiwan should maintain a dialogue with China to lower the risk of conflict and increase mutual understanding, but added that Taipei did not hold unrealistic expectations of Beijing.
In a statement released by Hou’s campaign office after he attended a forum held by the NCAFP, he said Taiwan was one of the most important Indo-Pacific countries and that it would do its bit to maintain peace in the region.
“Taiwan will not be a trouble-maker, but instead will play a role in facilitating peace and reducing risks in the region,” Hou said, adding that his goal was to “maintain cross-strait stability, ensure Taiwan’s security and allow the world to rest assured.”
Photo courtesy of Hou You-yi’s office
The NCAFP forum was also attended by former US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Daniel Russel, former US acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Susan Thornton, who is the project director of the Forum on Asia-Pacific Security at the NCAFP, and former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) chairman Raymond Burghardt, as well as other Asia-Pacific affairs specialists.
Hou’s office said that when the KMT presidential nominee visited the CFR, he also emphasized both sides of the Taiwan Strait should maintain dialogue and increase their interactions to lower the risk of military conflict, and pave the way toward prosperity and stability in the region and the world.
During his stay in New York, Hou also met with a group of overseas Taiwanese and told them he was determined to protect the Republic of China (ROC) and pass on Chinese culture to future generations.
Hou said next year’s presidential election would decide whether Taiwan will go to war or enjoy peace, adding that “as long as we keep the ROC, we will be able to keep the peace, and our future generations will be able to stand firm,” implying that the stance of the Democratic Progressive Party is provocative.
After his trip to New York, Hou is to visit Washington from tomorrow to Tuesday to meet with AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger as well as academics from the Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation, and US lawmakers.
The trip to the US has been described by Hou’s office as a “journey of dialogue and deepening friendship.”
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as