NEW YORK (US) – The United States stands by Taiwan and always will, the US ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft said on Wednesday after a call with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, following her own trip to Taipei this week got scrapped.
Craft’s planned visit had come under criticism from China which considers the island as its own territory.
But the trip was pulled down by the State Department as part of a restriction on all travel before the transition to the incoming Biden administration.
Craft, who is likely to leave the role when Joe Biden assumes the presidency next week, wrote on Twitter that it was a “great privilege” to speak with Tsai.
She said, “We discussed the many ways Taiwan is a model for the world, as demonstrated by its success in fighting COVID-19 and all that Taiwan has to offer in the fields of health, technology & cutting-edge science.”
Craft added, referring to the People’s Republic of China, “Unfortunately, Taiwan is unable to share those successes in UN venues, including the World Health Assembly, as a result of PRC obstruction.”
“I made clear to President Tsai that the US stands with Taiwan and always will, as friends and partners, standing shoulder to shoulder as pillars of democracy.”
Craft’s visit would have been highly symbolic as Taiwan has not been a UN member because of China’s objections. Beijing has asserted that only it has the right to speak for Taiwan on the world stage, something Taipei’s democratically-elected government keeps denying.
Taiwan’s presidential office said Tsai and Clark had recurrently talk about the island’s international participation, Taiwan-US ties and the “sharing of democratic ideals”.
Beijing has been expressing their ire against support put forth for Taiwan from the administration of outgoing President Donald Trump, including trips to Taipei by top US officials, further straining Sino-US ties.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday said he was easing restrictions on contacts between US officials and their Taiwanese counterparts.
Craft’s Taiwan trip appeared to be another part of the efforts by Pompeo and Trump’s Republican administration to move forward with a tough approach towards China before Democratic President-elect Biden takes office on January 20.