International Relations

United Nations helps Chinese Communist Party make American high schoolers say Taiwan part of China

Xi Jinping United Nations flag
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

A high school in Colorado changed references to Taiwan on its website after a UN committee said it was a “hiccup” in an application for students to participate in a UN teen advisory board. “Trying to give some students a taste of foreign affairs, Colorado’s Regis Jesuit High School applied for credentials to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women,” The Wall Street Journal reported September 10. However, the UN emailed the school informing them of a

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Biden reassures: if Taiwan were invaded, the US would respond

Joe Biden ABC News interview
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The United States would respond to any action against, or invasion of Taiwan, US President Joe Biden said during an interview with ABC News George Stephanopoulos, Wednesday, August 18. In his first interview since the US’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan began, Biden made reassurances that the United States can be trusted to stand by its allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. “You already see China telling Taiwan, ‘See? You can’t count on the Americans,’” Stephanopoulos prompted Biden. “Why wouldn’t

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Taiwan Diplomacy Review Act another step towards normalization of US-Taiwan relations

US congress
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment

A bilateral group of American congressmen introduced a bill calling for the renaming of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) to “Taiwan Representative Office,” the creation of a new visa category for Taiwan’s representatives serving in the USA, and for Senate confirmation of those appointed to serve as Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Friday, May 28. The bill was introduced by Brad Sherman (Dem, Sherman Oaks) and Steve Chabot (Rep, Ohio), and supported by Gerry Connolly

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European Values think tank communist-watch program to open Taipei Office

Liang-Ruey Ke and EVC sign agreement
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The Czech think tank, European Values Center for Security Policy (EVC), will open an office in Taipei later this year, as part of its Red Watch Program, according to a press release issued today, April 20. The Taipei Office of the Red Watch Program will focus on monitoring Chinese influence operations. EVC signed a partnership agreement with Taiwan’s representative Ke Liang-Ruey at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague today. The EVC press release referred to Ke as “The

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Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association raises Japanese flag in Taipei for first time: no longer concerned about China’s feelings

Japanese flag flies over JTEA office in Taipei City
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment

Japan’s representative office in Taiwan, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA) raised the national flag of Japan at its Taipei office this morning, April 17, for the first time in its 50-year history. Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council Chairman Keiji Furuya took to Twitter today to say that JTEA had finally raised the Japanese flag, and that concern about Beijing’s feelings in the past had prevented the office from doing what should be a “matter of course.” Keiji Furuya wrote that

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Japanese foodie music group releases song promoting Taiwan pineapples following China import ban

Japanese group Lunch Duty Taiwan pineapple song
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A Japanese musical group with a focus on food has released a song to support Taiwanese farmers after China banned the import of pineapples from Taiwan earlier this month. The band Kyu Shoku Tou Ban (給食当番) produced the song after seeing news reports about the plight of Taiwanese pineapple farmers facing a sudden ban on their product in China, which normally fills more than 90% of Taiwan’s pineapple export demand. China announced that it would temporarily stop imports of Taiwanese

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Taiwan representative attends Presidential Inauguration with official invitation for the first time since 1979

Taiwan representative Hsiao Bi-khim at the Presidential Inauguration ceremony, January 20, 2021
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

Taiwan’s representative to the United States Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) attended the inauguration ceremony for President Joe Biden today, and it is the first time Taiwan’s representative to the United States was officially invited by the organizing committee since diplomatic ties were broken off in 1979. Since 1979, Taiwan representatives have attended Presidential Inauguration ceremonies with admission tickets provided by individual congress members, to be issued at their own discretion, local media outlets in Taiwan reported. The Taipei Economic and Cultural

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Legislator slams WHO for acting as thugs for CCP after international radiologist group ordered to list Taiwan members under “Taiwan, China”

picture from ISRRT website
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Wang Ting-yu said that the World Health Organization (WHO) has turned into a political thug helping China oppress Taiwan, after an international radiologist society was pressured to list Taiwan members as belonging to “Taiwan, China.” The International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists (ISRRT) responded to the demand by changing “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei” on their website. A letter sent by the ISRRT to the Taiwan Society of Radiological Technologists (TWSRT), and the Taiwan Association

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78 US House of Reps members call for naming Taiwan representative office “Taiwan Representative Office”

R. Clarke Cooper Assistant Secretary of State for the Political and Military Bureau of the US State Department and Taiwan representative to the US Hsiao Bi-Khim
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment

A letter signed by 78 members of the US House of Representatives was handed to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo yesterday, calling for changing the name “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office” (TECRO) to “Taiwan Representative Office” (TRO). The move was led by Taiwan Caucus co-chairs Steve Chabot (R-OH) and Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL), calling upon the secretary to change the name of the unofficial Taiwan embassy in Washington DC. “The use of the word ‘Taipei’ fails to accurately reflect

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Taiwan legislature buys 200 bottles of Australian wine in support against China bullying

President of Legislative Yuan, Yu Shyi-kun
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Taiwan’s parliamentary body, the Legislative Yuan, has purchased 200 bottles of Australian wine in support of an international inter-parliamentary action to counter China’s bullying of the Australian wine industry. Members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), “an international cross-party group of legislators working to reform the approach of democratic countries to China,” recently called on consumers to stand up to Beijing. The call comes after the CCP slapped “anti-dumping” import tariffs on Australian wines of up to 212%. “We are

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Indian press hits back at China’s attempt to dictate what and how it reports regarding Taiwan

WION's Palki Sharma interviews Joseph Wu, Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Senior editors at India’s World is one News (WION) struck back after the Chinese Embassy sent a letter protesting an interview conducted with Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, October 21. The letter sent by the Chinese Embassy to the New Delhi based media outlet “lodges firm opposition and strong protest against WION providing [a] platform for Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority separatist activities.” Ironically, the content of the letter, which WION Executive Editor Palki Sharma posted on Twitter, actually

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