The US government fully supports the President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) administration’s New Southbound Policy, describing it as in line with the US’ own policy direction in the region, a US Department of State source said.
The source said that the US is happy to see Taiwan treating the policy as a long-term project, adding that it anticipates the two nations working together on such regional issues as the digital divide, medical training and fostering of a community mindset in the Asia-Pacific region.
The US is interested in learning more about Taiwan’s specific plans for the region, the source said, adding that it has so far been unable to obtain adequate information related to the policy.
The US has also been concerned that so many negative opinions and so much misunderstanding about the policy exist among Taiwanese, the source said.
Premier Lin Chuan (林全) has reviewed the policy’s key projects and the Executive Yuan has said it would produce a list of policy items later this month.
The source said the US expects the New Southbound Policy to complement the aims laid out in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework signed between the two nations in 2015.
The framework lays out plans for cooperation in such areas as international humanitarian assistance, public health, environmental protection, energy, technology, education and regional development.
The policy would allow Taiwan to improve its ties with Southeast Asian nations through its contributions to those nations, the source said, adding that the US acknowledges that the policy is not intended to engage China in competition.
“Taiwan should continue to promote positive cooperation. It must avoid drawing lines in the sand,” the source said.
“The policies are intended to further the aims of regional peace, stability and safe development in the Asia-Pacific region,” the source said.
The US-Taiwan Business Council has also expressed support for the New Southbound Policy.
The council said that it hoped for large-scale trade in the region that involves cooperation between the two nations and integrates the business interests of both.
LIABILITIES MULLED: New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi said Taipei would find out if the firm was legally registered, the guide was licensed and the weather was assessed The assets of Tian Da Local Nature Co are to be frozen after at least four people died after falling into the Beishi River (北勢溪) on an outing the company had organized on Saturday, the Taipei City Government said yesterday. Six people — two adults and four children — were washed away by a flash flood on the river in New Taipei City’s Hubaotan (虎豹潭) area. They were participating in a Nature Joy Camp outdoor activity with a group of 16 adults and 15 children led by a guide surnamed Su (蘇). As of 4:30pm yesterday, four of the missing had been
Taiwanese worked more hours than people in all but three other countries in the world last year, Ministry of Labor data showed. Singapore placed first in average hours worked among the 40 economies surveyed, with an average of 2,288 hours per worker last year, the data showed. The city-state was followed by Colombia with 2,172 hours — based on 2019 data — and Mexico with 2,124 hours, it showed. Taiwan came in fourth, with 2,021 hours, it showed. South Korean workers clocked the third-most hours in Asia, with 1,908 hours, followed by Japan with 1,598 hours, it showed. However, compared with 2019, the survey found
The US 7th Fleet yesterday confirmed that a US Navy ship transited the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and Friday. “The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey [DDG 105] conducted a Taiwan Strait transit in cooperation with Royal Canadian Navy [RCN] Halifax-class frigate, HMCS Winnipeg, October 14-15, 2021,” the US 7th Fleet said in a statement. “Dewey’s and Winnipeg’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the commitment of the United States and our allies and partners to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Cooperation like this represents the centerpiece of our approach to a secure and prosperous region,” it added. The transit marked the
‘COUNTERPRODUCTIVE’: The German, French and Singaporean missions said that Taiwan’s COVID-19 restrictions are hindering local projects and business operations Several foreign missions in Taiwan have urged the government to ease its strict COVID-19 border controls, which they say are hurting in-person exchanges and business operations. The missions made the appeal in response to media inquiries on how the border controls have affected their respective countries’ exchanges with Taiwan, amid growing concerns voiced privately by Taiwan-based foreign offices and businesses regarding the restrictions. Taiwan has maintained strict entry requirements since March last year, generally prohibiting most arrivals except for citizens and foreign residents, while it has required those who enter the country to undergo a stringent 14-day quarantine. Although the rules have been
RSS