The time has come for the US to “recognize Taiwan as a sovereign and independent country,” former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech at an event held by the Formosa Republican Association in Taipei yesterday.
Pompeo made the remarks at a launch ceremony for the Chinese-language version of his autobiography Never Give an Inch.
“Recognizing this place, Taiwan, as a sovereign and free nation is true. It reflects the reality,” he said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
He said that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) promulgation of the Anti-Succession Law and rhetoric about “reunification” of Taiwan are “propaganda.”
“This is an effort to shape the mind of your children and ... the people around the world who do not know the history,” he added.
The passion of Taiwanese he saw on his previous visit to Taiwan amid the COVID-19 pandemic moved him, Pompeo said, adding that the nation showed itself to be a resilient democracy led by a competent government.
Taiwan is at another important moment in conducting a peaceful transfer of power following the conclusion of a democratic election, he added.
The US’ supply of self-defense capabilities to Taiwan is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which stipulates a legal and moral duty to help protect democracy, Pompeo said.
Taiwan is strategically situated to command the gateway between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, and its fall into Chinese hands would lead to tremendous change in the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
As such a development could lead to greater tensions and possibly conflict, defending Taiwan is not a matter of protecting land, but safeguarding the leading edge of global security, peace and prosperity, Pompeo said.
Taiwan has a progressive and free government, while its traditional values and institutions played an important role in its maturation into a modern nation, he said, adding that a democracy’s success depends on striking a balance between modernity and tradition.
Asked to comment on last week’s altercations at the legislature, Pompeo said the free and vigorous contest between opposing values in a democracy should be waged in the realm of intellect and reason, and not descend into fighting or mockery.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS