The United States should recognize Taiwan as a "
free and sovereign country
", former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech during his visit to the island.
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Mike Pompeo, one of former President Donald Trump's most belligerent advisers on China, arrived Wednesday for a visit that comes at a time of growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over self-governed island.
If Washington is to continue to engage with Beijing as a sovereign government, offering Taipei diplomatic recognition “
can no longer be ignored, avoided, or treated as secondary
,” Mike Pompeo said in a speech to a local think tank.
“Take the necessary and long-awaited measures”
"
I believe that the United States government should immediately take the necessary and long-overdue steps to do what is right and obvious, and that is to offer the Republic of China (official name of Taiwan , note) the diplomatic recognition of the United States as a free and sovereign country
”.
Washington remains Taiwan's most important ally and arms supplier, although diplomatically recognizing Beijing and no longer Taipei since 1979.
Read also Does Taiwan belong to China?
But, for Mike Pompeo, with this decision, it is “
not about the future independence of Taiwan, but about the recognition of an indubitable and already existing reality
”.
China sees Taiwan as part of its territory to be taken back one day, by force if necessary.
Beijing has already warned that a formal declaration of independence could lead to war.
Taiwan's current president Tsai Ing-wen, who won the elections twice, comes from a party historically in favor of independence, but she deliberately qualifies her own position.
She believes that there is no need to declare independence, already considering Taiwan as a sovereign country called the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Mike Pompeo echoed this argument in his speech.
“
As many of your past and present leaders have made clear, there is no need for Taiwan to declare independence as it is already an independent nation.
Its name is the Republic of China (Taiwan)
,” he said.
Read alsoAn American warship crosses the Taiwan Strait
“
The people and government of the United States should simply accept this fundamentally proper and morally right thing.
It's easy.
The people of Taiwan deserve the respect of the whole world for continuing on this free, democratic and sovereign path
.”
Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday presented a medal to Mike Pompeo and hailed him for facilitating "
many breakthroughs
" in Taiwan-US relations.