Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/06/30
By: Elaine Hou, Matt Yu and Y.F. Low
Taipei, June 30 (CNA) The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Saturday would not
CNA file photo
confirm a report that the U.S. State Department has requested that U.S. Marines be posted at the AIT’s new complex in Taipei’s Neihu District.
“As is the practice at our current location, a small number of American personnel detailed to AIT along with a larger number of locally-hired employees will provide security for the new office building in cooperation with the local authorities,” an unnamed AIT official said in a text message to CNA.
According to a CNN report on Friday, which cited two unnamed U.S. officials, the request for a Marine security guard was received several weeks ago, but it has not been formally approved and coordination about its deployment is ongoing between the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and the Marines.
When asked about the matter at a news conference that same day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang (陸慷) reiterated that the “one China principle” is the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and that Washington should abide by its “one China” pledge and refrain from developing any official ties or having military exchanges with Taiwan. [FULL STORY]
