Taiwan should seek closer cooperation with Indonesia to gain an advantage in regional development in Asia and to “re-engage” Asian countries with comprehensive economic and cultural exchanges, former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
The former presidential candidate returned from a week-long trip to Indonesia on Saturday after meeting with lawmakers, academics and businesspeople to discuss democratic, economic and security developments in the ASEAN region.
With its rich human and natural resources, Indonesia would be able to play an influential role similar to that of the US in Asia, Hung Yao-fu (洪耀福), spokesperson for Tsai’s office, quoted her as saying.
As Jakarta is seeking to play a leading role in the negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which is composed of the 10 ASEAN member states and six other countries — China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand — it is important for Taiwan to be in close touch with Indonesia, Hung quoted Tsai as saying.
In meetings with officials, including Indonesian Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Muhaimin Iskandar, both sides agreed that the two countries should promote closer collaboration between Taiwan’s competitive agriculture and manufacturing sector and Indonesia’s rich resources, Hung said.
While Jakarta plans to cease exporting workers by 2017, Iskandar reassured Tsai that Jakarta would not unilaterally freeze Indonesian worker placements to Taiwan, Hung said.
Tsai exchanged opinions with Indonesian think tanks and former security officials on economic integration in East Asia, regional security and cross-strait affairs, as well as the development of the nation’s “third sector,” Hung said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS