U.S. Encourages International Engagement with Taiwan After China’s Palau Coercion
A U.S. State Department official said on August 24 that the United States encourages “all countries to expand engagement with Taiwan,” after Palau’s president recently warned that the Micronesian nation has faced economic coercion from China over its ties to Taiwan.
“Taiwan is a reliable, like-minded, and democratic partner, and its partnerships — official and unofficial — around the world provide significant and sustainable benefits to the citizens of those countries,” a State Department spokesperson said.
“We encourage all countries to expand engagement with Taiwan,” the spokesperson added.
Earlier this month, the U.S. had condemned China’s “predatory economic activities.”
On August 14, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. said that “China has openly told us [Palau’s relationship with Taiwan] is illegal and we should not recognize Taiwan.”
President Whipps cited reduced visitor numbers from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as evidence of economic coercion aimed at encouraging Palau to sever its formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
He also recalled that a Chinese ambassador stationed in a neighboring country had promised in 2020 to send a million Chinese visitors to Palau if the tourism-dependent country severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established ties with China.
Despite this Chinese “weaponization” of tourism, the Palau president reaffirmed his country’s commitment to Taiwan, telling reporters that “our relationship with Taiwan should not be questioned by anyone.”
In response to President Whipps’ comments, the U.S. Department of State said on August 16 that Washington is “aware of reported previous attempts to economically pressure Palau, likely due to its diplomatic ties with Taiwan.”
“These reports align with a range of alleged increasingly problematic behavior from the PRC, including predatory economic activities,” the State Department said.
Since establishing formal relations with Taiwan in 1999, Palau — a small nation in Micronesia with a population of less than 20,000 — has resisted China’s diplomatic overtures.
Reference:
[1] Focus Taiwan
Taiwan Thanks U.S. Support and Condemns China’s “False” Statement After Sullivan-Wang Talks
On August 29, Taiwan thanked “staunch” U.S. support for maintaining Taiwan Strait peace, while criticizing China for “false” comments about Taiwan, noting that China’s military expansion has posed a significant risk to regional security.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrived in Beijing on August 27, the first U.S. national security adviser to visit China since 2016, for three days of talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other high-ranking officials.
A White House readout issued on August 28 pointed out that Sullivan had “underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” during the talks with Wang.
Sullivan also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defending its Indo-Pacific allies and expressed concern about China’s “destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea.
In a press release on August 29, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said it welcomes “staunch U.S. support” for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and appreciates high-level U.S. officials’ again expressing this position during interactions with their Chinese counterparts.
In addition, MOFA noted that “China again made spurious claims about Taiwan that do not accord with reality” in a readout of the Sullivan-Wang meeting issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
MOFA strongly condemned China for making “false narratives” about Taiwan, and reiterated that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other.
MOFA was referring to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi being cited as saying that efforts to push for Taiwanese independence posed “the greatest risk to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
Wang also urged the U.S. to “stop arming Taiwan” and support China’s “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan.
MOFA, in response, criticized China’s repeated intimidation against Taiwan and its ambitions to expand militarily were the “greatest sources of risk to regional peace and stability.”