President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Tuesday arrived in Paraguay, where she and Paraguayan president-elect Mario Abdo Benitez agreed to further expand cooperation.
Tsai and Abdo Benitez agreed to focus on investment, infrastructure and trade as the focus of future relations, Hugo Saguier, a foreign affairs advisor to Abdo Benitez, said following the one-hour meeting.
Saguier, who attended the meeting, said that details of ventures between the two nations would be made public when Abdo Benitez visits Taiwan in October.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
“After the meeting, we reconfirmed relations between the two nations,” Saguier said. “We will continue to maintain relations with Taiwan as the two nations share the same diplomatic values, which is irreplaceable to Paraguay.”
Under the framework, Taiwanese firms would be encouraged to invest in education, medical care and technology infrastructure projects in Paraguay to boost economic development and residents’ livelihoods, Ambassador to Paraguay Diego Chou (周麟) said.
Three government-funded investment firms would be started by Taiwan to offer Paraguay assistance on agriculture, technology and development projects through the provision of low-interest loans, said National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥), who also attended the meeting.
Abdo Benitez promised to advance ties between the two nations in the hope that Paraguay might serve as a hub for Taiwanese manufacturers considering moving into the South American market, Tsai Ming-yen said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Tsai Ing-wen met Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes and gave a keynote speech at the opening of a course for students likely to study at a technology university jointly founded by the two nations, which has yet to officially open.
Tsai encouraged the students to apply to vocational training scholarship programs in Taiwan.
“Taiwan is Paraguay’s best friend,” she said. “We are glad to share our experience with you and contribute to a better future for Paraguay.”
Taiwan and Paraguay in December last year agreed to found the university to train engineers. Paraguay funded the construction, while Taiwan has provided teachers, curriculum plans and lab equipment.
Tsai Ing-wen invited Abdo Benitez to visit Taiwan in October and attend the Double Ten National Day celebrations, Tsai Ming-yen said, adding that the two sides would further discuss cooperative ventures in Taipei.
Later on Tuesday, Tsai Ing-wen attended a banquet with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, where they exchanged views on possible cooperative projects between the two nations.
Yesterday, she was to attend the inauguration of Abdo Benitez before heading to Belize for a three-day visit, during which she is to be decorated by Governor-General Colville Young and meet with Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow.
Asked about Tsai Ing-wen’s public address during her Monday stopover in Los Angeles, US Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Tuesday said: “Our policy on Taiwan has not changed. The United States remains committed to our US ‘one China’ policy based on the Three Joint Communiques under the Taiwan Relations Act.”
“The United States, in regard to this trip, facilitates from time to time representatives of the Taiwan authorities to transit the United States. Those are largely undertaken out of consideration for the safety and comfort of those travelers and that is in keeping with our ‘one China’ policy,” she said
Nauert declined to say whether the US government would be happy for Tsai Ing-wen to speak in Washington during a stopover.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS