China should refrain from taking any actions that could “escalate tensions, and undermine peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait in the buildup to the inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德) on May 20, a senior US Department of State official said on Wednesday.
No such actions should be taken after the inauguration either, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said during a hearing in the US House of Representatives on the future of Taiwan-US relations.
“We’ve been very clear, including through [US] Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken’s recent visit to Beijing, about our expectation that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead,” Kritenbrink said in response to a question from US Representative Ami Bera on China’s posturing in the two weeks leading up to Lai’s inauguration.
Photo: AP
Kritenbrink said the state department has been communicating with Beijing, advising that China avoid taking actions during this period that could escalate tensions, and undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
He also said that Lai’s comments on the issue after his election in January were “very responsible,” and indicative of a shared commitment to peace and stability across the Strait.
During the hearing, US representatives Andy Barr and Gerry Connolly also asked Kritenbrink about whether the state department’s “strategic ambiguity” on the Taiwan issue was contradictory to US President Joe Biden’s stated commitment to defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China.
“We don’t normally use that term,” Kritenbrink said, referring to “strategic ambiguity.”
The Biden administration is opposed to any unilateral changes to the “status quo” by either Taiwan or China, he said, adding that the US’ “one China” policy remained unchanged.
The state department is committed to maintaining the “status quo,” and promoting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which has been retained for the past 45 years, Kritenbrink said.
On the question of the delay in arms sales to Taiwan, Kritenbrink said the primary challenge was related to issues in the US defense industrial base.
“We’ve worked very hard internally at state and DOD [US Department of Defense] to expedite our processes, remove red tape,” he said, adding that 95 percent of foreign military sales are now being processed within two days.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS