The Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) between Taiwan, the US and Japan is to welcome Sweden, with their meeting next week to focus on media literacy and democracy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said yesterday.
The framework was launched in June 2015, when Taiwan and the US held workshops on various issues, while Japan in March joined a workshop on combating corruption.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Friday last week announced that the institute and the ministry are to cohost an international workshop on “Defending Democracy Through Promoting Media Literacy” under the framework on Tuesday and Wednesday next week in Taipei.
With elections to be held next year in Taiwan and the US, the workshop — following the first GCTF on disinformation in October last year — aims to examine the ways that disinformation influences elections, assess the implementation of various media literacy education programs around the world, and explore how government and civil society initiatives have evolved to preserve election integrity, the AIT said.
Sweden for the first time is to help the three nations organize the workshop, Ou said.
Misinformation and disinformation are rampant in Taiwan, and the ministry aims to help members of the public sharpen their media literacy to distinguish fact from fiction, she said.
Meanwhile, the first edition of the new forum “US-Taiwan Consultations on Democratic Governance in the Indo-Pacific Region” is to be held in Taiwan on Thursday next week, Ou said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and AIT Director Brent Christensen in March announced the establishment of the forum, which aims to promote democracy, freedom, human rights and good governance.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Scott Busby is to lead the forum, following his visit to Taiwan last year, Ou added.
In related news, the AIT yesterday said that the traveling exhibition “Strong Foundation, Bright Future: AIT@40, U.S.-Taiwan Relations Since 1979,” would open tomorrow.
The show, a cooperative effort between the ministry, National Sun Yat-sen University and the New Taipei City Government, is to be held at the Tamsui Historical Museum, the institute said.
Part of a program to mark the 40th anniversary of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, the exhibition features photographs, documents and videos commemorating 40 years of the AIT’s role in supporting US-Taiwan relations, it added.
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
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
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