Taiwan and the US yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding on the Global Cooperation Training Framework to enhance bilateral cooperation in responding to global challenges, a move visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin said would “take our partnership to new areas and a new level.”
Before witnessing the signing ceremony at the Taipei Guest House, Rivkin had a closed-door meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) at the Presidential Office Building to discuss what he said were “matters of importance to our economies.”
Rivkin, responsible for managing trade negotiations, investment treaties and other economic issues at the US Department of State, is the highest-ranking official to have visited Taiwan since his predecessor Jose Fernandez in 2012.
Photo: CNA
In remarks to reporters before his meeting with Ma, Rivkin said people in the US feel “a special bond” with Taiwanese for various reasons.
People in the US admire the robust, prosperous, orderly and free society Taiwan has built, and they share a belief that creating an environment conducive to expansive entrepreneurial activity and innovation is important to continuing economic prosperity, Rivkin said.
Citing statements made recently by various US officials on Taiwan-US relations, Ma said he was “positive” about Taiwan’s chances as a second-round candidate to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Photo: CNA
Ma said he hoped negotiations over a bilateral investment agreement would gain ground.
Rivkin told attendees to the signing ceremony that the framework would not only support broader Taiwan-US relations, but also serve as a platform to enhance their joint engagement in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.
Under the framework, “two like-minded partners will work to create new opportunities to demonstrate the meaning of global citizenship,” Rivkin said.
“The framework is a milestone that will bring into full focus Taiwan’s dramatic transformation from an international aid recipient to an aid provider. This framework will provide Taiwan [with] a new venue to tell its story in a way that may inspire others to follow its successful development path,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Kao (高振群) said Rivkin’s attendance of the ceremony was a testament to the strength of Taiwan-US relations.
Taiwan has much to offer to the international community in food security, global health, technical training, economic development and humanitarian assistance, Kao said.
“With this ever-expanding partnership with the US, we will work harder to create tangible and mutually beneficial outcomes for the region and the world,” Kao said.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by American Institute in Taiwan Director Christopher Marut and Coordination Council for North American Affairs Chairperson Katherine Chang (張小月).
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
Taiwan is hosting the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) for the first time, welcoming more than 400 young linguists from 43 nations to National Taiwan University (NTU). Deputy Minister of Education Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said at the opening ceremony yesterday that language passes down knowledge and culture, and influences the way humankind thinks and understands the world. Taiwan is a multicultural and multilingual nation, with Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka, 16 indigenous languages and Taiwan Sign Language all used, Chu said. In addition, Taiwan promotes multilingual education, emphasizes the cultural significance of languages and supports the international mother language movement, he said. Taiwan has long participated
Taiwan must invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to keep abreast of the next technological leap toward automation, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said at the luanch ceremony of Taiwan AI and Robots Alliance yesterday. The world is on the cusp of a new industrial revolution centered on AI and robotics, which would likely lead to a thorough transformation of human society, she told an event marking the establishment of a national AI and robotics alliance in Taipei. The arrival of the next industrial revolution could be a matter of years, she said. The pace of automation in the global economy can