Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/23
By Tony Liao and Lee Hsin-Yin
Washington, Jan. 23 (CNA) A petition to urge the United States government to recognize Taiwan as a country has gathered more than 5,000 signatures as of Saturday, after being put up on the White House website on Jan. 19.
The petition followed another one that asked the U.K. Government and Parliament to recognize Taiwan as a country. As of Saturday, that petition has collected over 19,000 signatures.
The U.S. petition says the United States should reaffirm its commitment to Taiwan, and should stand on the side of democracy, not coercion from mainland China, said the petitioner, whose identity is not disclosed.
“In 1928, the USA was the first government to recognize the Republic of China. Now in Taiwan, the government has become a beacon of democracy and freedom in Asia,” according to the petition. [FULL STORY]