WASHINGTON: The United States on Saturday congratulated Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te but sustained that Washington does not endorse the island’s independence, which is claimed by Beijing.
In response to queries from reporters regarding Washington’s stance on Taiwan, where the newly elected Lai advocates for the preservation of the island’s democratic values, US President Joe Biden asserted, “We do not support independence.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a statement, acknowledged Lai’s victory in the pivotal vote on Saturday and praised Taiwan’s “robust democratic system and electoral process.”
Blinken underscored Washington’s commitment to “maintaining cross-Strait peace and stability and the peaceful resolution of differences, free from coercion and pressure.”
Communist China claims to be democratic Taiwan, located about 110 miles (180 kilometers) away across the strait, and does not rule out the “unification.”
