President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday met separately with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen and Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi, expressing the hope to improve bilateral ties with the two countries.
Christensen congratulated Tsai on behalf of the US government on her re-election, saying that the US and Taiwan are close partners bound by shared democratic values, and would continue to improve bilateral exchanges.
Saturday’s “election serves as a reminder that the United States and Taiwan are not just partners; we are members of the same community of democracies, bonded by our shared values,” he added.
Photo: CNA
Tsai said that “democracy and freedom are indeed Taiwan’s most precious assets, as well as the foundation for the long-standing, firm Taiwan-US partnership.”
“We are both irreplaceable partners in the international community, as well as key players in regional democratic development,” she added.
Tsai later met with Ohashi, who heads the association that represents Japanese interests in Taiwan in the absence of official ties.
Congratulating Tsai on her victory, Ohashi said that Tsai meeting with him despite her busy schedule “is the best testament to the importance that Taiwan attaches to its relationship with Japan.”
Ohashi’s visit was an indication of the good relations between Taiwan and Japan, Tsai said.
Japan is a vital ally in terms of diplomatic cooperation and tourism exchanges, she said, adding that “in the new year, we hope to see even more exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in business, trade, culture and sports.”
Taiwan would continue to work with like-minded countries to deepen its democracy, Tsai said.
As a responsible member of the international community and to maintain stability across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan over the past three years has been adhering to the principles of not succumbing to pressure from China, not provoking Beijing and not precipitately advancing relations with China, she added.
Taiwan would keep adhering to the principles and would improve its partnerships with other Asian nations to promote prosperous development in the region, Tsai said.
Sankei Shimbun yesterday reported that the Japanese government would continue to collaborate with Taiwan, which it deems an important partner with shared core values.
MILITARY BOOST: The procurement was planned after Washington recommended that Taiwan increase its stock of air defense missiles, a defense official said yesterday Taiwan is planning to order an additional four PAC-3 MSE systems and up to 500 missiles in response to an increasing number of missile sites on China’s east coast, a defense official said yesterday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the proposed order would be placed using the defense procurement special budget, adding that about NT$1 trillion (US$32,88 billion) has been allocated for the budget. The proposed acquisition would include launchers, missiles, and a lower tier air and missile defense radar system, they said The procurement was planned after the US military recommended that Taiwan increase
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS