Tsai talks defense exchanges with former US Pacific Fleet commander

2018/08/28

President Tsai Ing-wen said Aug. 24 that expanding defense exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S. is key to further developing the country’s indigenous military programs.
 
 Regular defense-related interactions and arms sales allow Taiwan to continue safeguarding regional peace, stability and prosperity while assisting the U.S. in advancing its Indo-Pacific strategy, Tsai said. Such support is particularly significant for both sides given 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, she added.
 
 Tsai made the remarks while receiving retired Adm. Scott H. Swift, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, at the Office of the President in Taipei City.
 
 According to Tsai, Swift is a firm friend of Taiwan and she is grateful for his backing of Taiwan’s involvement in international humanitarian aid and rescue undertakings during the three years he spent at the helm of the world’s largest fleet command.
 
 Swift’s first visit to Taiwan underscores the robust nature of relations between the two sides, Tsai said. It is also in keeping with the support of the White House and U.S. Congress over the past two years for government efforts aimed at producing advanced homegrown weapons systems like fighter jets and submarines, she added.
 
 An outstanding example of this backing, Tsai said, includes the U.S. Fiscal Year 2019 Defense Authorization Bill signed into law earlier the month by President Donald J. Trump. Under the legislation, the two sides are expected to enhance military exchanges and reciprocal visits by officials on the road to improving the operational readiness of Taiwan’s armed forces.
 
 Tsai said this process is important as China is intensifying efforts to suppress Taiwan’s international space. This campaign includes influencing the East Asian Olympic Committee into stripping Taichung City in central Taiwan of the 2019 East Asian Youth Games, pressuring airlines to change the country’s website designation and sending military aircraft to encircle the island.
 
 Political issues between the two sides of the strait no longer unfold in isolation, Tsai said. By attempting to overthrow the international order led by traditional powers, China is threatening cross-strait peace and risking serious global instability, she added.
 
 Tsai called on like-minded countries to stand with Taiwan on the front-line in defending democracy, freedom and rules-based order from incursions by China.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=140407)