Taiwan’s robust democracy, free-market economy and vibrant civil society make it a model for the Asia-Pacific region, a US Department of State official said on Saturday.
“It is a beacon of truly representative government and a counterpoint to any who say democracy and human rights are inconsistent with Asian values,” said Jeffrey Horwitz, a senior adviser to the department’s Office of Taiwan Coordination.
The US respects and admires Taiwan’s democracy and will not get involved in the nation’s elections, he told the annual Thanksgiving banquet held by the Taiwanese Association of America’s Greater Washington Chapter.
“We are all committed to a positive relationship with whomever the people of Taiwan elect to be their next president,” he said.
Horwitz, who is to move to Taipei next summer to take up a senior position with the American Institute in Taiwan, said the two countries had a relationship based on a historic foundation of shared values.
“I want to continue to develop this relationship,” he said.
In his keynote speech to the banquet, Horwitz, who was introduced by association president Charles Kuo, said Taiwan and the US cooperate on a wide range of major issues.
The issues include space exploration, weather forecasting, fighting infectious diseases, researching cures for cancer and combating global warming, he said.
“The US-Taiwan relationship is more complex and far-reaching than most people realize,” he said.
Expanding Taiwan’s role on the international stage could be difficult, he said, but added that significant progress had been made in recent years and that Taiwan has shown it has a lot to offer in experience, capacity and resources “to assist in all kinds of global challenges.”
“Taiwan’s participation makes the world a richer, safer and more healthy place,” he said, adding that the US wants new opportunities for Taiwan in the international arena.
“I have characterized Taiwan as a success story today, but I don’t mean to minimize Taiwan’s challenges,” Horwitz said. “We all care about Taiwan’s future and the many uncertainties it faces.”
He said there was real concern about Taiwan’s economic future, opportunities for its young people, the pace of globalization and the preservation of its societal values.
“We recognize these tensions and understand that for Taiwan, they have meaning beyond the economic realm,” he said.
He said the essential elements that had enabled Taiwan’s success in the past were still present today — ingenuity, a strong moral foundation and the capacity for hard work and sacrifice.
Horwitz said the two words that best describe Taiwanese are “innovative” and “resilient.”
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RSS