Two Parallel Lines with No Crossing, Both Sides Exchange Empty Words over the Strait
China Times, March 5, 2022
In his public remarks on March 4, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called upon the United States to change its five-decade policy of strategic ambiguity and diplomatically recognize the “Republic of China (Taiwan)” as a free and sovereign country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) would not comment on this. Ambassador Dale Jieh, a former diplomat, believes that Mr. Pompeo’s appeal is quite ironic. He did not do it when he had the power, but is asking others to do it when he has no power, which is really self-contradictory.
Mr. Pompeo said that on the one hand, the United States should continue to engage with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a sovereign government, and on the other hand, America’s diplomatic recognition of Taiwan's 23 million free people and their legitimately elected government should no longer be ignored, shunned, or viewed as secondary.
Countering China: U.S.-Taiwan Relations Crucial
Mr. Pompeo emphasized that he is just a civilian but believes that the United States should immediately take necessary and long overdue measures to do the right and obvious thing and should diplomatically recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan), as a free, sovereign country.
Mr. Pompeo pointed out that this has nothing to do with Taiwan's future independence, but an acknowledgment of a clear and already existing fact. When it comes to U.S.-Taiwan relations, Mr. Pompeo believes that this is crucial in countering China and promoting regional prosperity, and U.S.-Taiwan relations must also be an essential element of American foreign policy.
Mr. Pompeo also pointed out that the inability to take Taiwan has always been a stain on the domestic reputation of the Chinese leaders. Under the leadership of Jinping Xi, Communist China’s arrogance has reached new heights, so occupying Taiwan has become a necessary task to consolidate Xi Jinping’s personal arrogance.
Regarding Mr. Pompeo's call for the United States to recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan), Spokeswoman Joanne Ou of the MOFA stated that Mr. Pompeo has stated that it is a personal opinion. The MOFA respects the statement and has no comment to make.
When Speaker You Shyi-kun of the Legislative Yuan hosted Mr. Pompeo last night, he affirmed that Mr. Pompeo accurately pointed out the facts and status quo that has always existed in Taiwan. He hoped that Mr. Pompeo would continue to exert his influence and give Taiwan the opportunity to maintain Indo-Pacific security and world democracy.
All Talk But No Action When in Power
Jieh said that, when Mr. Pompeo was the Secretary of State, he did not do it when he had the power and is asking others to do it when he has no power, which was extremely ironic. He believes that Pompeo's use of his visit to Taiwan to make such an appeal is an indirect attack on the incumbent administration of President Joe Biden, causing Taiwan to be inexplicably involved in the political struggle between the Republican and Democratic parties. "To be honest, Pompeo should feel a bit apologetic to us as the host.”
Associate Professor Alex Huang of the School of Strategic Studies, Tamkang University, who is also the director of the Kuomintang’s (KMT) Department of International Affairs, took the lead in asking questions after Mr. Pompeo delivered his speech. He pointed out that in the future political liberalization of mainland China, will Taiwan be a role in the front line against mainland China, or be a catalyst in promoting the political evolution of the mainland.
Mr. Pompeo responded without hesitation, "Both." He believes that many people in mainland China also want to live a free and democratic life, and mainlanders in the United States and the world (Chinese) agree that freedom and democracy is a universal value, and Taiwan can serve as a model. According to Huang, Pompeo does not think that Taiwanese are not Chinese.
However, in response to Mr. Pompeo's call for the Biden administration in the United States to immediately grant Taiwan "diplomatic recognition", Spokesman Wang Wenbin of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted him on March 4: "Pompeo is a former politician with a ruined reputation, and such a person's blasphemy is not accepted. Spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, issued a written "answer to a reporter's question", criticizing Pompeo, saying it is complete nonsense, saying such words only further exposed his nature and sinister intentions.
From: https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20220305000906-260118?chdtv