Taiwan vice president, senior official comment on Charlie Kirk's death

Taipei, Sept. 14 (CNA) Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), one of Taiwan's top national security officials, have both made public comments on social media about the death of American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last week during a public event in the United States.

"Shocked to see the news of Charlie Kirk's assassination," Hsiao, who served as Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the U.S. from 2020 to 2023, said in a post made on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.

Hsiao said Taiwanese, like Americans, see "university campuses as safe places for learning, free speech, and debate," referring to the fact that Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist, was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

"Different views can be argued, but violence must not be tolerated, on campus or anywhere," she added.

Meanwhile, Wu, Taiwan's former top diplomat who since May 2024 has served as secretary-general of the National Security Council, called Kirk's killing a "terrible tragedy."

"My sincere condolences to his family and millions of Americans, and people worldwide, who loved him dearly," he wrote on X.

Kirk was one of the prominent voices of the MAGA movement within the Republican Party and a strong supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump. His death has attracted worldwide attention.