Palau’s President Huizhuren visited Taiwan today, accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador to Palau, which is also the first U.S. Ambassador to visit Taiwan in the 43 years since the breakup of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the U.S.; scholars analyze that this move shows that the U.S. is no longer shy about contacting Taiwan through official official relations, and it is no longer a nightmare to establish formal channels between the two sides.
Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. arrived in Taiwan with a delegation in the afternoon, and noted that the U.S. Ambassador to Palau, John Hennessey-Niland, was accompanying him. Without Hennessy, Palau would not have received the first batch of vaccines in January and participated in the U.S. rapid vaccination program; today’s trip was made possible by the joint efforts of Taiwan, Palau and the United States.
Su Ziyun, a scholar at the Defense Security Research Institute, a think tank of the Ministry of National Defense, pointed out that U.S. Ambassador to Palau Hennessy Nyland’s visit to Taiwan is the first U.S. ambassador to come to Taiwan since the break in diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the United States, according to publicly available information.
Lin Ting-hui, deputy secretary-general of the International Law Institute of Taiwan, pointed out that the visit of the U.S. ambassador to Taiwan is not trivial, and the U.S. is not shy about sending the Palau ambassador to Taiwan, which is another kind of cooperative relationship between Taiwan, the U.S. and a third country, thereby building a triangular government relationship model, which is the first since the break in diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the U.S.
He pointed out that Taiwan, Palau and the United States have been working together to combat the Chinese Communist virus, such as Taiwan providing masks and the United States providing vaccines and medical resources to Palau, opening a successful case of joint cooperation between the three parties.
Lin said that although Palau is a small country, the U.S. ambassador to Palau is still an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and can represent the United States and the President of the United States, which shows that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan has shifted to a more positive direction; not only is this a concrete demonstration of the Taipei Act, but it also shows that the U.S. side no longer sticks to the framework of the Taiwan Relations Act and is moving in a positive and active direction.
Lin Ting-hui pointed out that this move shows that the United States is not shy about official relations with Taiwan through the ambassador, no longer as hidden as in the past, but choose to openly, and even through the President of Palau personally confirmed; he stressed that in the future, if the United States and Taiwan to build an official channel, basically is no longer a pipe dream, but may be a concrete realization of the results.
Lin Tinghui speculated that Taiwan and the three friendly countries in the Pacific Ocean, Palau, Noru and Marshall, have signed a maritime patrol agreement, and Palau and the United States also have a defense cooperation program, plus Taiwan and the United States signed a “memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a maritime patrol working group” on the 26th, and Palau is located in an important strategic location in the second island chain, it is not ruled out that Taiwan will work with friendly countries and the United States in the future. The United States in the Pacific Ocean, the construction of a tripartite joint sea patrol exercises.
Lin Ting-hui pointed out that the U.S. Coast Guard will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific military exercises (RIMPAC), perhaps Taiwan is expected to participate in the exercises in the mode of sea patrol, “which is foreseeable”.
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