The New Southbound Policy launched by her administration after her inauguration two years ago is bearing fruit with closer ties in terms of trade, and economic and cultural exchanges between Taiwan and nations targeted by the policy, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
In an address at the opening of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, Tsai said there have been some significant results since the policy’s launch.
For instance, in the first half of this year, Taiwan welcomed more than 41,000 students from New Southbound nations, she said, adding that the number would rise again next year as the government has set a goal of 48,000 students.
Photo: CNA
“Our young people are also choosing New Southbound countries as their study destination. Last year, the number of Taiwanese students studying in those countries increased by nearly 20 percent [compared with the previous year],” she said.
In addition, more than 4 million tourists have visited Taiwan over the past two years from New Southbound Policy nations, which is helping to forge closer people-to-people ties, she added.
Bilateral trade between Taiwan and those nations has also increased significantly, Tsai said.
“Last year alone, bilateral trade between Taiwan and New Southbound countries grew by around 15 percent year-on-year. Taiwan’s investment in those countries rose by 54 percent and approved investment from those countries in Taiwan also increased by about 15 percent,” she said.
The president said the two-day Yushan Forum, which was launched last year to promote Taiwan’s regional status and support the government’s efforts to forge a broader relationship with nations targeted by the New Southbound Policy, is a “unique platform celebrating diversity, innovation and progressive values.”
Tsai said she hopes the forum will become one of Asia’s premier events on regional affairs and cooperation.
To conclude her remarks, she borrowed a quote from former Philippine vice president Teofisto Guingona Jr, who said at last year’s inaugural Yushan Forum: “We help each other. The Philippines to help Taiwan, and Taiwan to help the Philippines.”
Tsai said the quote exemplified the spirit of the forum and the New Southbound Policy as a whole, which is “Taiwan can help Asia, and Asia can help Taiwan.”
Forty-eight speakers from 18 nations are attending the forum.
HONG KONG SECURITY: The president blasted regulations requiring Taiwanese agents or political organizations to provide information on their Hong Kong-related activities President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday warned of countermeasures should controversial Chinese national security legislation imposed on Hong Kong undermine or harm Taiwanese interests. Article 43 of the legislation empowers the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to serve written notices to Taiwanese political organizations or individual agents to furnish information on their Hong Kong-related activities, including their personal particulars, finances, assets, expenditure and capital in the territory. Failure to comply or providing false or incomplete information can result in a fine of HK$100,000 (US$12,903) or imprisonment of six months or two years respectively. Tsai said that Taiwan would keep a close watch on how
JUST QUESTIONS: Expelled reporter Ai Kezhu said that every member of Southeast Television had complied with the law and had not appeared on any talk shows Two Chinese reporters yesterday left Taiwan after the government revoked their accreditation and ordered them to leave amid a probe into allegations that several Chinese media outlets have set up studios and produced political talk shows in Taiwan. The two reporters — Ai Kezhu (艾珂竹) and Lu Qiang (盧薔) — worked for Fujian Province-based Southeast Television and arrived in Taiwan in December last year. The Mainland Affairs Council has launched an investigation after local media reported that Chinese broadcasters — including China Central Television, Southeast Television and FJTV — had set up studios in Taipei and produced political talk shows. Council Deputy Minister
PROBE LAUNCHED: An officer who served as a supervisor in the drill died in an apparent suicide after the accident, which was caused by unexpected waves Two marines who were on Friday injured in a military exercise in the waters off Kaohsiung passed away yesterday, Navy Command said. The marines — surnamed Tsai (蔡), 26, and a sergeant surnamed Chen (陳), 36 — were in a seven-member Marine Corps team that encountered rough seas during a simulated response to enemy forces landing on Taiwan. Their rubber craft overturned in waters off Taoziyuan (桃子園) beach in Zuoying District (左營), injuring four of the marines. They were rushed to hospital, where three of them — Tsai, Chen and a 34-year-old sergeant — were taken to an intensive care unit
‘SIGNAL TO ALLIES’: The US Navy’s exercises are not in response to those carried out by China, the commander of the strike group led by the USS ‘Ronald Reagan’ said Two US aircraft carriers were yesterday conducting exercises in the disputed South China Sea, the US Navy said as China also carried out military drills that have been criticized by the US Department of Defense and neighboring states. China and the US have accused each other of stoking tension in the waterway at a time of strained relations over everything from COVID-19 to trade to Hong Kong. The USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan were carrying out operations and exercises in the South China Sea “to support a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the navy said in a statement. It did not say exactly
RSS