SHARED VALUES: The basis of the US-Taiwan relationship is a commitment to democracy and making positive contributions to the international system, Alex Wong said
Taipei Times
Date: Jun 23, 2018
By: Staff writer, with CNA, WASHINGTON
A US official on Thursday expressed concern over attempts by China to change the
US Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Alex Wong delivers a speech at the 50th annual Hsieh Nien Fan banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei on March 21. Photo: CNA
“status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, as seen in Beijing’s escalating efforts to suppress Taiwan internationally.
US Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Alex Wong (黃之瀚) pointed to recent actions taken by China to squeeze Taiwan’s international space to make contributions that benefit the international community, such as offering humanitarian assistance and taking part in the World Health Assembly.
“Stability in the region is dependent on the status quo across the Strait. So the US government is very concerned about any attempts to disturb that status quo,” Wong said during a discussion on US strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region held as part of the annual conference of the Center for a New American Security.
Beyond the Taiwan Relations Act, the three US-China communiques and Washington’s “one China” policy, the basis of the US-Taiwan relationship is shared values, a commitment to democracy, a commitment to market economics and a commitment to making positive contributions to the international system, Wong said.
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