The Presidential Office on Wednesday said that it respects the views of a US think tank which recommended that the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump devise new strategies to maintain the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
In a report published on Tuesday, the National Committee on American Foreign Policy said that a reduction of cross-strait tensions were in the interests of both the US and Taiwan.
The report urged the incoming administration in Washington to come up with a new modus vivendi to maintain the cross-strait “status quo,” saying that such measures would serve to reassure the US’ allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
A new modus vivendi would “allow Taiwan to continue to develop its democracy and its economy,” the think tank said in the report.
It also recommended that the US continue to show support for Taiwan’s democracy, and said Taiwan’s desire for more international space can and should be part of the new policy of the incoming Trump administration.
The report was issued after the committee conducted an annual fact-finding mission to Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo last month, during which it held discussions with high-level officials, academics and think tanks on the troubled security environment in East Asia.
Commenting on the report, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) respected the recommendations and would work toward maintaining the “status quo” of peace and stability across the Strait in the best interests of Taiwanese.
“The government will also work to promote positive interaction between the two sides and seek ways to gradually resolve our differences,” Huang said.
Separately, the president on Wednesday said that her government’s plan to create an “Asian Silicon Valley” in Taiwan does not mean copying Silicon Valley in the US, but is aimed at fostering greater cooperation between industries in the two countries.
The plan is to promote the Internet of Things and innovative industries, boost Taiwan’s economic development by integrating local and international sectors, and push for industrial transformation, Tsai said.
“The goal is to bring together local industries and open Taiwan to the world for a brighter, more sustainable future,” Tsai said at a meeting in which National Development Council Deputy Director Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) presented a report on the plan.
On Dec. 25, an executive center for the Asian Silicon Valley Plan was established in Taoyuan to implement the seven-year project.
A budget of NT$11.3 billion (US$353.5 million) has been allocated for this year for Internet infrastructure, mobile broadband services, e-commerce, smart applications, test beds, industry-university collaboration, digital talent and regulatory adjustment, the council said.
Tsai said the government is aiming to create a robust start-up and entrepreneurship ecosystem by cultivating innovative talent, providing capital for business expansion and revising laws.
She urged all parties to work together toward the common goal to facilitate the nation’s industrial transformation.
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