President Tsai Ing-wen said Jan. 30 that Taiwan-U.S. relations are going from strength to strength based on a mutual commitment to promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
The nation’s strategic significance is highlighted by the Taiwan-U.S.-Japan Trilateral Security Dialogue staged last month in Taipei City, Tsai said. This forum underscored that maintaining stability is the shared responsibility of all regional stakeholders and Taiwan will fully meet its obligations in this regard, she added.
Tsai made the remarks while receiving a delegation from Washington-headquartered think tank The Heritage Foundation led by co-founder Edwin J. Feulner at the Office of the President in Taipei City.
The president expressed her appreciation for the foundation co-organizing the dialogue as well as its in-depth research and analysis on Taiwan-U.S. and cross-strait relations, arms sales and regional security; long-term support for the nation’s development; and ongoing measures to bolster ties between the two sides.
According to Tsai, related efforts include the release of a report Jan. 25 highlighting possible impacts on the cross-strait status quo owing to mainland China’s unilateral launch of air routes in the Taiwan Strait.
On Jan. 4, Beijing unilaterally opened the M503 flight and extension routes without consulting Taipei. Under international civil aviation regulations and a March 2015 cross-strait agreement, they should not have been opened without prior communication.
In its analysis of Beijing’s actions, Heritage vigorously advocated robust U.S. support for Taiwan. A recent foundation article on M503 also called for the U.S. government to back Taiwan’s participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization. (CPY-E)
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