Taipei Times
Date: Oct 14, 2019
By: Lu Yi-hsuan and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A petition calling on the US government to recognize Taiwan as an independent nation is

displayed on the “We the People” petition section of the White House Web site yesterday.

Screen grab from the White House Web site

An online petition launched by a US citizen calling on the US to formally recognize “Taiwan as [an] independently governed nation” yesterday passed the 100,000 signature threshold.

The petition, submitted to the White House Web site “We the People” on Monday last week by a person identified only as “K.W.,” argues that Taiwan could only join the UN if the US recognized its sovereignty and set an example for other nations.

The White House generally responds to petitions within 60 days of the threshold being reached, the Web site says.

“However, depending on the topic and the overall volume of petitions from We the People, responses may be delayed,” it says.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday acknowledged the petition and said it would continue to deepen its “friendly partnership” with the US.

The ministry respects the action by the petitioner, but reminds the public that launching White House petitions is a personal undertaking by US citizens, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said.

The ministry would continue to monitor developments related to the petition and would continue to develop relations with the US through existing channels, she said.    [FULL  STORY]