
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen poses for a group photograph with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, Bob Menendez, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and other U.S. delegation members, at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan, in this handout picture released April 15, 2022.
14:50 JST, April 16, 2022
TAIPEI, April 16 (Reuters) – China’s military threats against Taiwan will only increase support for the island from the United States and other democracies, the foreign ministry said after China conducted drills nearby as U.S. lawmakers visited Taipei.
Beijing blamed the lawmakers, who included chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez, for raising tensions with their “provocative” trip. China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory.
In a statement late on Friday, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry condemned China’s “recalcitrant and ridiculous” reaction to the two-visit, the first by a group of U.S. lawmakers this year.
“The threat of force by the Chinese Communist Party’s totalitarian government against Taiwan will only strengthen the Taiwanese people’s will to defend freedom and democracy, and will also attract support for democratic Taiwan from the United States and even more democratic partners,” it said.
Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with the United States and other like-minded countries to defend the free and open Indo-Pacific region, and prevent China’s “continuous expansion,” the ministry said.
Senator Ben Sasse, one of the six bipartisan lawmakers who visited Taiwan and met President Tsai Ing-wen, said in a statement that China could not bully the United States or its elected representatives.
“The American people have no love of tyrants and instead instinctively support the freedom-loving people of Taiwan,” he said.
Taiwan has been heartened by the U.S. support offered by the Biden administration, which has repeatedly talked of its “rock-solid” commitment to the democratically governed island.
While the United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is the island’s most important international supporter and arms supplier. That has added to strains in Sino-U.S. relations.
Taiwan’s government says only the island’s 23 million people can decide their future.
In a pre-recorded video message to a forum organized by Taiwan independence groups on Saturday, Tsai said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine showed the threat democracies face from authoritarianism.
“Taiwan’s position is to uphold sovereignty, uphold democracy, stand with like-minded countries, assist each other, and contribute our strength,” she said.
"News Services" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Ends at over 11-Month High as US Stocks Rally Boosts Risk Appetite (UPDATE 1)
-
North Korea Fired Multiple-launch Rockets from Near Pyongyang, South Korea Says
-
Trump to Put 25% Tariffs on Japan and South Korea, New Import Taxes on 12 Other Nations
-
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Hits 4-Month High on Wall Street’s Lead; BOJ Lifts Banks(UPDATE 1)
-
The Suspension of Thailand’s Prime Minister over a Leaked Phone Call Stirs Familiar Turmoil
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Japan’s Agriculture Ministry Starts Survey of Rice Farmers Across Japan on Production Outlook
-
Japan Eyes Hosting Major International Standards Conference in 2029; Govt Making Plans to Host IEC Event in Yokohama
-
Agriculture Minister Considers Review of Japan’s Rice Harvest Statistics (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan’s Core Inflation Hits 2-year High, Keeps Rate-Hike Bets Alive
-
Carmakers’ Anxiety Grows as U.S. Tariff Talks Stall;Japan Exporters May Have No Choice But to Raise Prices