Two top British government officials have expressed their support for Taiwan’s bid to participate as an observer in an upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference.
The 24th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, or COP24, is scheduled to start today in Katowice, Poland, and end on Dec. 14. The UNFCCC is an international treaty aimed at stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations and preventing their interference with the global climate system.
Taiwan has since 2009 lobbied to be included in the UNFCCC. Although it is not a member of the UN, Taiwan was allowed to attend one previous climate change meeting.
In response to a written question from British MP George Howarth, British Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Claire Perry on Thursday said in a written answer that the UK’s cooperation on renewable energy with Taiwan has been part of bilateral commercial and economic ties.
The British government last year agreed to start an official dialogue on energy as a component of annual trade talks, with the first meeting taking place in June this year in London between officials of the British Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the British Department for International Trade, and a Taiwanese delegation led by the Bureau of Energy, she said.
“Broader energy and climate change cooperation between the UK and Taiwan is part of our economic and commercial relationship,” Perry said. “We expect this engagement to continue in the margins of the 24th Conference of the Parties under the UNFCCC next month [this month], though no formal plans have yet been made.”
“Broad cooperation is vital for tackling this global issue,” she added.
In response to a written question by MP Scott Mann, British Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field on Tuesday said that the British government has consistently stated its support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations where the UK believes Taiwan has a valuable contribution to make on issues of global concern.
“This includes the issue of climate change, which does not recognize the concept of territorial boundaries,” Field said in a written answer. “The British government welcomes the contribution Taiwan voluntarily makes in combating climate change, despite not being a signatory to the Framework Convention on Climate Change, and we continue to work closely with Taiwan on this matter.”
Representative to the UK David Lin (林永樂) expressed gratitude to the British government for its support of Taiwan’s bid to participate in international organizations, as well as its friendship with Taiwan.
Earlier this month, the British government said it would discuss with its international partners about Taiwan’s bid to participate in the International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as Interpol, as an observer.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
RSS