March 15, 2024
Speaking at a hearing on US Strategy in the Pacific held by the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on March 14, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said that the United States was disappointed at Nauru’s switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, noting that China used economic enticements and wrongfully cited and misrepresented United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758. He suggested that Taiwan’s three Pacific allies be careful when engaging with China, pointing out that China was often unable to honor its commitments, leading to negative outcomes. Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink also stated that the United States would cooperate closely with Taiwan’s three Pacific allies to prevent China from making inroads.
US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner also delivered an opening statement at the Senate hearing, in which he expressed concern over China’s relentless use of economic coercion and other tactics to exert pressure on Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomes and appreciates the concern that high-level US national security and diplomatic officials have expressed regarding China’s wrongful citation and misrepresentation of UNGA Resolution 2758 and employment of economic coercion and enticements to poach Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. MOFA also encourages all countries to jointly express concern over China’s actions. As a trustworthy and like-minded democratic partner, Taiwan will continue to support allies’ development endeavors to create win-win situations. It will work further with the United States and other like-minded countries to actively contribute to the international community and serve as a solid partner in responding to global challenges.