Taiwan's new envoy to US offers assurances to Washington & Beijing

Taiwans top diplomat in Washington has a message for both the islands Chinese adversaries and its American friends Dont worry that Taiwans new presidentelect will worsen relations with Beijing and possibly draw the US into a conflict Presidentelect Lai Chingte plans to keep the status quo in the Taiwan Strait Alexander TahRay Yui told The Associated Press on Thursday in his first interview with an international news organization since he arrived in the US in DecemberThe Chinese government has called Lai a troublemaker who will push Taiwan toward independence But Yui said Lai is willing to engage with Beijing even as the island seeks to strengthen its unofficial ties with Washington for stability in the region We want the status quo We want the way it is neither unification neither independence The way it is is the way we want to live right now said Yui Taiwans defacto ambassador to the US noting the stance is largely supported at home and will guide the new administrationYui spoke to the AP five days after Lai won the presidential election with more than 4037 of the vote in a threeway race Lai will succeed Tsai Ingwen when he is inaugurated in May His victory which gives the independenceleaning Democratic Progressive Party an unprecedented third presidential term was not welcomed by Beijing which claims Taiwan as its own to be taken by force if necessaryMilitary action in the Taiwan Strait could draw in the United States which has a security pact with Taiwan to deter any armed invasion from the mainland Beijing refused to have any dialogue with Tsai because her party rejects Chinas claim of sovereignty over the island and before the election had suggested to voters that they could be choosing between war and peace It remains unclear if Beijing will be willing to engage with Lai who in the past described himself as a pragmatic worker of Taiwans independenceTwo days after Lai was elected China wooed away Nauru a small Pacific island nation which has left Taiwan with only 12 countries around the world that recognize its statehood However China has not launched massive military exercises around the island as it has in past times of increased tensions Yui said Lai intends to follow the same line as his predecessor but also to offer an olive branch to mainland China by saying that hes also willing to engage with mainland ChinaAt the same time Taiwan will work with the US to boost its defense and deepen economic and cultural ties Yui said calling relations with Washington one of the most important aspects in our foreign affairs The United States does not have a formal relationship with Taiwan but it has stepped up its support in the past several years angering China which has urged the US to exercise extreme prudence in handling Taiwanrelated issues President Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden that Taiwan is the most sensitive issue in USChina relationsShortly after Taiwans election Biden told reporters that his administration does not support Taiwans independence Scott Kennedy senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese business and economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies a Washingtonbased think tank said he expected tensions to remain largely the same under LaiBeijing will continue to develop its military capabilities and push the boundaries of military threats and economic coercion he said The US will continue to assist Taiwan with its defensive preparedness and push Taiwan to move more assertively on the various elements needed for effective selfdefense But Kennedy said Beijing may also open up some channels for the two sides to convey messages and reduce misunderstanding Yui said it is incumbent upon both Beijing and Taipei to keep the Taiwan Strait peacefulI have to stress were not the aggressors Were not the ones you know making waves in the Taiwan Strait making things nervous and tense he said alluding to Beijings increased military activities near the island in the past several years Yui said Taiwan is determined to safeguard its homeland noting that the island is increasing its defense budget and has extended the mandatory military service from four months to one yearHe said Beijings luring away of Nauru was an attempt to punish the Taiwanese people for choosing the leader they wanted and will only backfire They were just trying to find an appropriate time and excuse to slowly pluck all of our allies Yui said But as a technological powerhouse and a democracy Taiwan has become a common word in the international community and countries around the world have become more willing to engage with it he saidYui who met with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson shortly before Taiwans election said hes been encouraged by the support from both the Republicans and Democrats If you go to the US Congress your heart warms up because everywhere you go you meet friends he said Sen Ben Cardin the Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called Taiwan a key US partner in the IndoPacific and beyond and said he would be working closely with the newly elected leadership of Taiwan to deepen our economic security and peopletopeople tiesYui who was born to a diplomats family attended high school in Panama and received both his bachelors and masters degrees from Texas AampM University He previously served as Taiwans ambassador to Paraguay and as its vice foreign minister Before he came to Washington Yui briefly served as Taiwans representative to the European Union and Belgium Yui succeeded Hsiao BiKhim who left the post in November to be Lais running mate Hsiao who is credited with deepening TaiwanUS ties when heading the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States between 2020 and 2023 will be the next vice presidentThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom 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