Visiting U.S. delegation reiterates firm commitment to Taiwan
ROC Central News Agency
03/02/2022 12:41 PM
Taipei, March 2 (CNA) Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that the visit of his delegation that was sent to Taiwan by President Joe Biden was a clear testament to the U.S.' commitment to Taiwan.
Mullen, who arrived in Taipei on Tuesday with four former American defense and security officials, was speaking at the Presidential Office on Wednesday morning before his delegation began closed-door discussions with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
The American delegation visited Taiwan to voice support for "the continued and growing strength of the vital partnership" between the U.S. and Taiwan, Mullen said.
"I do hope by being here with you, we can reassure you and your people, as well as our allies and partners in the region that the United States stands firm behind its commitments," he said.
"Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is not just a U.S. interest, but also a global one," he said, adding that the U.S. would continue to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo and support a peaceful resolution of cross-Taiwan Strait issues.
Democratic partners around the world are facing "sustained and alarming challenges," Mullen said, mentioning in particular the unfolding crisis in Ukraine.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24 has wreaked destruction on some major Ukrainian cities and led to the displacement of more than half of a million people, mostly women and children, according to United Nations figures.
At the same time, Taiwan is also tackling challenges such as corrosive disinformation and malign influence campaigns, Mullen said, without mentioning which countries or parties might be engaged in these activities.
President Tsai, meanwhile, accused China of ramping up its military threat to the region, working to limit Taiwan's international participation, and using cognitive warfare tactics and disinformation to "divide Taiwanese society and erode our democracy."
"We in Taiwan want the world to know that we have the determination to defend ourselves and uphold our free and democratic way of life," she said.
The government is dedicated to developing domestic defense systems, strengthening the military's asymmetric warfare capabilities and defending against divisions from cognitive warfare, Tsai said.
She added that Taiwan wished to work with the U.S. and other countries to contribute to the stability and security of the Indo-Pacific region.
"The crisis in Ukraine has shown the world that cooperation and coordinated action among democratic countries is crucial," Tsai said.
China has criticized the U.S. for sending a delegation to Taiwan, warning it could further damage China-U.S. relations and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing urged Washington to stop any form of official contact with Taipei and to carefully handle the Taiwan issue, Wang Wenbin (汪文斌), a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press briefing Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported that a total of seven Chinese military aircraft entered the southern part of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), a tactic Beijing has used to signal discontent with U.S. maneuvers in the region.
ADIZs are areas declared by a country to allow it to identify, locate and control approaching foreign aircraft, but such zones are not considered territorial airspace.
The American delegation is scheduled to meet with Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) in the afternoon and attend a dinner hosted by Tsai, before concluding their visit in Taiwan.
(By Teng Pei-ju)
Enditem/ls
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
