- Retired US officials met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and praised Taiwan's democratic process for selecting a new president and legislature.
- Former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said Taiwan's democratic success story is based on transparency, rule of law and respect for human rights.
- The visit reaffirmed the United States' commitment to Taiwan as Nauru switches its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.
Retired U.S. officials met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday to renew the island's democratic process, which elected a new president and parliament over the weekend in defiance of China's sovereignty claims and threats of military annexation. praised.
Former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said, “Taiwan's democracy sets a shining example for the world and is a success story of a democracy based on transparency, the rule of law, and respect for human rights and freedoms.” Ta.
He said the U.S. commitment to Taiwan is “rock solid.”
As world leaders react to election victory, Biden insists US 'does not support' Taiwan's independence
The visit comes as the Pacific island nation of Nauru announced it would switch its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, reducing Taiwan's diplomatic allies to just 12 countries.
Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg watches as former U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley speaks during a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, on January 15, 2024. left). January 15, 2024. (Pool photo via Aden Hsu/AP)
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said it was withdrawing its diplomats from the small country “in the name of national dignity.”
Taiwanese voters on Saturday elected current Vice President Lai Ching-de as the country's new president, a move likely to encourage China to maintain its military, diplomatic and economic threat to the island.
Taiwan election: Ruling party candidate wins in close presidential election, crushing China's ambitions
Mr. Hadley was joined by former Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg, who spoke of the warm, albeit informal relationship, the insistence on exclusively peaceful means to address issues across the Taiwan Strait, the importance of dialogue, and the current situation. avoid unilateral efforts to change the
The group then met with Mr. Lai and the incoming vice president, Mr. Bikim Hsiao (former de facto Taiwanese ambassador to the United States).
“Democracy and freedom are the most precious assets of the Taiwanese people,” Lai said. “This is a core value of Taiwan and the United States, and also the basis of our long-term partnership.”
“Although China continues to infiltrate Taiwan with its military and other gray zone activities, Taiwan continues to remain calm and cooperate with the United States and other international partners who share the same philosophy to improve the status quo of Taiwan's stability. “We have been able to maintain the Taiwan Strait,” Lai said. Gray zone activities refer to the application of military and socio-economic pressure that does not result in full-blown armed conflict.
Tsai said Taiwan's “need to continue moving forward remains the same.”
“We hope that the relationship between Taiwan and the United States will continue to grow and become an important driver of regional and global prosperity and development,” she said.
Despite severing formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, the United States remains Taiwan's main diplomatic ally and source of military equipment and intelligence.
Taiwan's presidential and parliamentary elections have always been a source of contention between the two parties, which were split during the 1949 civil war, and contrast between Taiwan's free-wheeling democratic process and the Chinese Communist Party's authoritarian rule. The differences widened further.
This rift is a major flashpoint in U.S.-China relations and risks potentially leading to actual war in the future, with China's claims to virtually the entire South China Sea and market and diplomatic It is accentuated by competition for influence.
Lai's victory was a setback for China's efforts to bring Taiwan under its control. His Democratic Progressive Party insists on maintaining the status quo of de facto independence, with the island's 23 million people holding Taiwanese passports, maintaining its own government and defense, and issuing its own currency. It has been refused recognition by the United Nations out of respect for China.
China has refused to recognize the election results, and its parliament has been sharply divided between the Democratic Progressive Party and the Kuomintang (also known as Kuomintang) Kuomintang. In a statement about the election, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “the Taiwan issue is China's internal affairs” and that “the basic fact that Taiwan is part of China remains unchanged.”
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Taiwan said the Chinese government's position is “completely inconsistent with international understanding and the current situation on both sides of the Strait. It goes against the expectations of democratic societies around the world and goes against the will of the Taiwanese people to uphold democratic values.” “Such clichés are worthless to refute.'' ”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Lai on his victory. China's Foreign Ministry said the message “sends a serious wrong signal to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces” and goes against the US' commitment to maintain only informal relations with Taiwan.
With Lai's victory, the Democratic Progressive Party will be in power for a fourth and third term as president, following the eight years of the Tsai administration. Lai won the three-way presidential election with 40% of the vote, falling short of the clear majority won by Tsai in 2020. He will take up his post in May.
