The US on Thursday last week reiterated the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait during a second round of China-US maritime affairs consultations, the US Department of State said on Monday.
US Department of State China Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary for China and Taiwan Mark Lambert met virtually with Chinese Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs Director-General Hong Liang (洪亮), the department said in a statement.
“The United States reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and shared deep concerns regarding People’s Liberation Army joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan,” it said.
Photo: Reuters
“The two sides discussed the current situation in the South China Sea and East China Sea, as well as other maritime issues,” the department said. “The United States raised concerns with the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] dangerous and destabilizing actions interfering with other states’ exercise of high-seas freedoms of navigation and reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad alliance commitments and steadfast support for upholding the international law of the sea.”
Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that both countries agreed to maintain dialogue and manage risks.
Both sides exchanged views on the maritime situation, and agreed to maintain communication, and avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations, the ministry said.
Beijing expressed serious concern about the US’ infringement of and provocations in nearby waters, and urged Washington to refrain from intervening in disputes between China and its neighbors, or “use the sea to control China,” it said.
The US should immediately stop supporting and condoning “Taiwan independence” forces, the ministry added.
The US maintains direct interactions with Taiwan, including arms sales, which Beijing opposes.
China has also urged the US to not take sides in the South China Sea.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS