TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The closed-door security talks between Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and National Security Council Secretary General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and Biden administration officials on Tuesday (Feb. 21) is an important step to deepening Taiwan-U.S. relations, former Senior U.S. Department of State officer for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Robert Wang said.
It also sends a clear message to Beijing that America’s support for Taiwan is “rock solid,” CNA quoted him as saying.
Wu and Koo arrived at the American Institute in Taiwan's headquarters in Virginia Tuesday morning and were accompanied by Taiwan’s envoy to the U.S. Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and held talks with U.S. officials.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia Rick Waters, Assistant Secretary for Defense Ely Ratner, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Michael Chase, who visited Taiwan last week, were all in attendance. U.S. NSC Indo-Pacific coordinator, Kurt Campbell, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman joined the meeting later in the day.
The talks lasted approximately seven hours and concluded at 5 p.m. Neither party commented on the details of the meeting.
Wang said the talks underscored President Joe Biden’s message that the U.S. will not waver in its support for democracies, whether in Europe or Asia. Biden has repeatedly emphasized America's commitment to Taiwan and its democracy over the past year, he added.
Wang said he believes the U.S. and Taiwan will strengthen military cooperation in the next few years. This will help Washington’s ability to resist any action that would endanger Taiwan and its socio-economic system, as required by the Taiwan Relations Act.