U.S. states Taiwan as a soverign state through its defense strategy report
- 5 years ago
미국, 대만을 국가로 공식지칭… ‘하나의 중국’ 원칙 폐기
For the first time America has officially recognized Taiwan as a sovereign country.
While its agreement with China forbids them to do so,... Washington's move is seen as a deliberate one.
Lee Ji-won provides a deeper analysis.
In the Defense Department's first Indo-Pacific strategy report, the U.S. has called Taiwan a sovereign state.
Released earlier this month, the report says the Defense Department has taken steps to expand its partnerships with 4 countries, including Taiwan.
It then said that the democracies in these **countries** are reliable and that they help actively to uphold a free and open international order.
It's the first time the U.S. has called Taiwan a country in such an official document.
The report also gives Taiwan a separate section, where it says it will continue pursuing strong ties with Taiwan so that it remains secure, confident, and free from what the report calls "coercion,"... or China's pressure to unify.
According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, the defense department did not respond to questions about its use of language, or any intended purpose or message.
The U.S., however, had not previously recognized Taiwan as a soverign state... because it had agreed not to when it formally recognized the People's Republic of China in 1979.
The same year, Congress had passed a "Taiwan Relations Act" granting Taiwan the same privileges as a sovereign nation and obligating Washington to help Taiwan defend itself.
Washington's move, thus, prompts speculation that it will no longer abide by the so-called "One China Policy" under which it had acknowledged Beijing's position that there is only one Chinese government.
Some experts say such a move will only get more upfront.
"We cannot be certain that the report means Washington is totally scrapping the One China Policy. But we can see that the U.S. will work in all fronts to stop the growth of China's power. And I've heard from experts in Washington that Taiwan will be a major card in doing so."
This comes as Taiwan has confirmed that it plans to purchase over 2 billion U.S. dollars worth of air defense and anti-tank missile systems, further irritating Beijing.
With the two great powers fighting for hegemony, Kim says South Korea may be hit harder than it had been before when it deployed the American missile defense system THAAD on its soil, for which China retaliated economically.
Kim called for wise diplomacy from Seoul to overcome the situation.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
For the first time America has officially recognized Taiwan as a sovereign country.
While its agreement with China forbids them to do so,... Washington's move is seen as a deliberate one.
Lee Ji-won provides a deeper analysis.
In the Defense Department's first Indo-Pacific strategy report, the U.S. has called Taiwan a sovereign state.
Released earlier this month, the report says the Defense Department has taken steps to expand its partnerships with 4 countries, including Taiwan.
It then said that the democracies in these **countries** are reliable and that they help actively to uphold a free and open international order.
It's the first time the U.S. has called Taiwan a country in such an official document.
The report also gives Taiwan a separate section, where it says it will continue pursuing strong ties with Taiwan so that it remains secure, confident, and free from what the report calls "coercion,"... or China's pressure to unify.
According to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, the defense department did not respond to questions about its use of language, or any intended purpose or message.
The U.S., however, had not previously recognized Taiwan as a soverign state... because it had agreed not to when it formally recognized the People's Republic of China in 1979.
The same year, Congress had passed a "Taiwan Relations Act" granting Taiwan the same privileges as a sovereign nation and obligating Washington to help Taiwan defend itself.
Washington's move, thus, prompts speculation that it will no longer abide by the so-called "One China Policy" under which it had acknowledged Beijing's position that there is only one Chinese government.
Some experts say such a move will only get more upfront.
"We cannot be certain that the report means Washington is totally scrapping the One China Policy. But we can see that the U.S. will work in all fronts to stop the growth of China's power. And I've heard from experts in Washington that Taiwan will be a major card in doing so."
This comes as Taiwan has confirmed that it plans to purchase over 2 billion U.S. dollars worth of air defense and anti-tank missile systems, further irritating Beijing.
With the two great powers fighting for hegemony, Kim says South Korea may be hit harder than it had been before when it deployed the American missile defense system THAAD on its soil, for which China retaliated economically.
Kim called for wise diplomacy from Seoul to overcome the situation.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.