Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang said May 2 that President Ma Ying-jeou’s comment that “We will never ask the Americans to fight for Taiwan” was meant to emphasize Taiwan’s determination to defend itself.
Ma made the statement when asked by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour during an April 30 interview why the U.S. should take so much risk for Taiwan.
Lo criticized the Democratic Progressive Party for interpreting Ma’s statement out of context, and said they should comment only after watching the entire interview.
Lo said Amanpour raised the same question three times, using paraphrases such as “Is it worth the risk of going to war on behalf of Taiwan?” and “Why should Americans risk so much on behalf of Taiwan?”
Lo said President Ma had to show his determination to defend Taiwan’s security and dignity, and that we cannot depend on the U.S military to protect the island. Washington has been very concerned about this conviction, he noted.
“What the president said does not rule out the possibility that the U.S. will provide us with defensive weapons and that we will continue to cooperate with the U.S. on military security,” Lo added.
Lo reiterated that Taiwan must continue to reduce tensions across the Strait, because it is “the most direct and fundamental way” to prevent war.
In fact, the risk for both Taiwan and the U.S. in the past two years has been the lowest in 60 years, thanks to the administration’s efforts to improve cross-strait relations, Lo said. Washington has repeatedly emphasized that the cross-strait rapprochement is in accord with its expectations and interests, he added.
In response to criticism over the statement, Premier Wu Den-yih also said May 2 that the president was simply highlighting Taiwan’s resolve and its confidence in defending itself, just as the head of a family must be resolved to defend the safety and wellbeing of the family. (KL-THN)