Language Settings
Select Website Language

US Voices Strong Support for Taiwan's Role in Pacific Islands Forum

3 hours ago

Taiwan welcomes Washington's backing for its place in the Pacific Islands Forum, as US official Matt Murray criticizes China's pressure and Pacific conduct.

Taiwan on Wednesday said it welcomed and affirmed the United States' backing for its role in the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Meeting, declaring that it is prepared to help strengthen security and resilience across the region. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung issued the statement soon after the US Department of State, speaking at a virtual news conference on Tuesday, said it rejected Beijing's use of diplomatic and military pressure to cut Taiwan off from the international community.

In a news release, Lin said Taipei wants to deepen its work with the US and other partners in Palau as part of a broader effort to support development throughout the Pacific. He added that Taiwan is determined to demonstrate its commitment to helping regional friends build up their capacity to withstand pressure.

Matt Murray, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, told the conference that Washington strongly supports Taiwan's involvement in the forum. He noted that Taiwan has served as a development partner of the group since 1992.

"We see Taiwan as a reliable, like-minded and democratic partner that contributes significantly to prosperity and economic development across the Pacific," Murray said. He also observed that Taiwan's foreign minister kept a busy agenda during his time in Palau.

Opposition to Beijing's Pressure Campaign

Murray said the US continues to resist Chinese attempts to push countries into breaking or scaling back their relations with Taiwan, or into blocking its participation in the Pacific Islands Forum. He described this as a specific concern in the context of Beijing's conduct toward the island.

Asked more broadly about China's role in the region, Murray said Washington shares the worries voiced by its Pacific Island partners over what he termed Beijing's malign activities. He listed illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, elite capture and corruption, economic coercion, and damage to the environment. He also cited provocations, including the firing of ballistic missiles from Chinese submarines.

Undersea Cables and Regional Partners

Murray said the US is building secure and dependable undersea internet cables together with like-minded countries in the Pacific. He said the project is being carried out in close cooperation with Taiwan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and private-sector companies.

The exchanges pointed to a coordinated push by Washington and Taipei to expand their footprint in the Pacific, where competition with Beijing over influence, connectivity and diplomatic recognition has intensified. Lin framed Taiwan's contribution as one focused on resilience and long-term development for island nations.

Separately, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday that 400 foreign high-level professionals have been naturalized as Republic of China citizens over the past ten years, after the government relaxed nationality rules to draw talent from a broader set of fields. The 400th such professional, who works in the electronics sector, received approval for citizenship on Aug. 26. The ministry quoted the new citizen as saying that Taiwan leads in areas including semiconductors, electronics manufacturing, artificial intelligence and energy technology.

On cross-strait tensions, Japan's Kyodo News reported on Wednesday, citing sources, that China has warned it could scrap a planned summit between the US and Chinese leaders if Washington signs off on new arms sales to Taiwan. The report said US President Donald Trump attaches great importance to meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping, apparently keen to point to diplomatic wins before November's midterm congressional elections. According to the report, Beijing has repeated during preparations for Xi's trip that it treats the Taiwan question as a red line in relations between the two countries.

Taiwan Pacific Islands Forum, Lin Chia-lung, Matt Murray, US Taiwan relations, China Pacific pressure, undersea internet cables, Palau, Taiwan diplomacy

Click here to Read More
Previous Article
Saudi Arabia Says It Downed Houthi Drone Near Mecca Rebels Deny It

Related World Updates:

Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

Comments (0)

    Leave a comment