KINMEN, Taiwan (Reuters) – Amid growing tensions with Beijing, the de facto US ambassador to Sino-Taiwanese Taiwan took part for the first time on Sunday in commemorating a major military clash and the last time Taiwanese armies fought went with China on a large scale.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen leaves to pay tribute to the deceased during an event to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Second District of Taiwan Street in Kinmen, Taiwan, August 23, 2020. REUTERS / Ann Wang
China has condemned military activity around the democratic island, condemned by the Taiwanese government as an attempt at intimidation to force it to accept Chinese rule.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen laid a wreath and bowed her head in respect at a memorial park on the island of Kinmen, located a few kilometers (miles) from the Chinese metropolis of Xiamen, to mark the 62nd anniversary of the beginning of the second Taiwan Street crisis.
In August 1958, Chinese forces began bombing Kinmen for more than a month, along with the Taiwan-controlled Matsu archipelago further along the coast, including naval and air forces, to subdue them.
Brent Christensen, head of the American Institute in Taiwan and the de facto representative of Washington, also expressed his respect, standing behind Tsai, in a symbolic show of US support for the island.
Christensen also laid wreaths at a monument in honor of two U.S. military officers who died in a 1954 Chinese attack on Kinmen, the institute said.
“Considerations like these remind us that today’s security cooperation between the United States and Taiwan is based on a long and proud history that explicitly states the phrase ‘True Friends, True Progress,'” the statement said. .
Taiwan’s presidential office thanks Christensen for participating in a day it said serves the people of Taiwan on the importance of defending freedom and democracy.
China’s Taiwan Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Washington has no formal ties with Taipei, but is its largest arms supplier. President Donald Trump’s administration has made making relations a priority, ahead of Beijing’s anger.
Like Tsai, Christensen has not made any public comments.
Taiwan fought back at the time with the support of the United States, which sent military equipment such as advanced anti-aircraft aircraft from Sidewinder, giving Taiwan a technological advantage. The crisis ended in a disturbance.
Major General Liu Qiang-hua, spokesman for the Kinmen Defense Command, said it was important to commemorate an event that was vital to ensuring Taiwan’s security.
‘Of course we hope there is no war, but it is dangerous to forget war. This is the spirit we need to protect, “he told Reuters.
Formerly called Quemoy in English, Kinmen is today a popular tourist destination, although remnants of fighting in the past such as underground bunkers have been scattered across the island, and Taiwan retains a significant military presence.
Report by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Ryan Woo in Beijing; Edited by William Mallard
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