LIKE-MINDED PARTNERS: The two nations value democracy and freedom, and have enjoyed years of technical cooperation, the German minister said
Taiwan and Germany yesterday morning inked an agreement on scientific and technological cooperation, with the first German federal Cabinet minister to visit Taiwan in 26 years presiding over the ceremony. Representative to Germany Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) and German Institute Taipei Director-General Jorg Polster signed the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement (STA) at the National Science and Technology Council in Taipei. The signing was overseen by German Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger, who arrived yesterday morning for a two-day visit. The STA focuses on artificial intelligence, semiconductors, lithium batteries and hydrogen for use in green energy, council Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said. It also seeks to cultivate talent, in particular Chinese-language education for German students, he said, adding that it would enable more exchange opportunities for young people. Wu also hailed the “historic” visit by the German minister, saying that it shows Taiwan is a realiable partner. When he invited Stark-Watzinger to visit Taiwan during his trip to Germany in November last year, Wu said he never thought she would make it happen within a mere four months. This shows that Europe — especially Germany — now views Taiwan in a new light, as a free democracy that respects human rights, he said. Given their strengths in science and technology, Taiwan and Germany complement each other, Wu said. The STA would set the stage for success, he said, crediting it to the hard work of Taiwan’s 23 million people. Taiwan is a respected partner in technological research, Stark-Watzinger said, adding that global challenges must be faced together with like-minded countries. Taiwan and Germany share the values of democracy, transparency, openness and freedom, and have already enjoyed many years of cooperation in various technical fields, she said. Their complementary technological advantages provide plenty of space for further cooperation, she said. The new STA would pave the way for more extensive cooperation in economic
The US will stand with Taiwan in fending off attacks by authoritarians and has no intention of changing the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien said in Taipei yesterday. O’Brien, who served under former US president Donald Trump, made the remarks at the Presidential Office in Taipei, where President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) conferred on him the Order of Brilliant Star. Taiwan has been exemplary in its realization of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law — values that totalitarian and authoritarian regimes are trying to undermine around the world, he said. Taipei is rightly committing to spend more resources on national defense, including reinstating one year of mandatory military service, measures that protect the country against interference, and the development of asymmetric warfare capabilities and a porcupine strategy, he said. Washington would not want Taiwan to come under attack from an authoritarian regime and he can vouch that the US would stand in solidarity with the nation, O’Brien said. Defending Taiwan was the policy of the Trump administration then and it is the policy of US President Joe Biden, who has affirmed four times that US forces would defend Taiwan if China were to invade the nation, he said. The US does not make commitments to defend a country’s security lightly, as numerous American families have members who serve in the armed forces, including his two daughters, O’Brien said. No US president, Trump and Biden included, has had the slightest intention to change the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, contrary to claims by those who spread misinformation, he said. The goal of the US and its allies is to prevent the world from regressing to the past when a powerful state can invade its weaker neighbors for glory, territory or economic gain, he said. Tsai said the partnership of
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida yesterday made a surprise visit to Kyiv, stealing some of the global attention from Asian rival Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who is in Moscow to show support for Russia against the West over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. The two visits, about 800km apart, highlighted the nearly 13-month-old war’s repercussions for international diplomacy, as countries line up behind Moscow or Kyiv. They follow a week in which China and Japan both enjoyed diplomatic successes that have emboldened their foreign policy. Kishida, who is to chair the G7 summit in May, is to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, coinciding with Xi’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kishida will “show respect to the courage and patience of the Ukrainian people who are standing up to defend their homeland under President Zelenskiy’s leadership, and show solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine as head of Japan and chairman of G7,” during his visit to Ukraine, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in announcing his trip to Kyiv. Kishida told Ukrainian officials that he plans to “provide maximum support in order to restore peace in Ukraine.” Kyodo News said he visited a church in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv that became a symbol of Russian atrocities against civilians, laid flowers at a church there and paid his respects to the victims. “I’m outraged by the cruelty. I represent the Japanese citizens to express my condolences to those who lost their lives,” he was quoted as saying. US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel wrote on Twitter about the “two very different European-Pacific partnerships” that unfolded yesterday. “Kishida stands with freedom, and Xi stands with a war criminal,” Emanuel said, referring to last week’s action by the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant for Putin, saying it wanted to put him on trial
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday touted close ties with Russia on the second day of his state visit to Moscow, inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to make a return visit later this year. “It fits the historical logic that Chinese leaders take Russia as a primary choice for their overseas visits,” Xi said, adding that China and Russia are each other’s biggest neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner, Xinhua news agency reported. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a major topic for the leaders in more than four hours of talks on Monday, according to both sides, with Putin saying before the meeting that he was ready to discuss China’s initiative for ending the war. Putin welcomed Xi to the Kremlin yesterday afternoon for more discussions. Russian state television showed the two men walking the long red carpets of the Kremlin to shake hands before joining their delegations. The US and its allies have rejected China’s proposals as biased toward Russia, and Ukraine has been cool, as well. After his Russia visit, Xi was expected to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since the Russian invasion in February last year. Xi’s three-day visit, his first trip abroad since claiming a third term earlier this month, sends a strong signal of support for Putin amid efforts by the US and its allies to isolate the Russian president over his invasion. Russia has become increasingly dependent on China for trade with other markets cut off, but there were few indications that this visit would bring new deals. Putin and Xi “had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine issue,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday. “Most countries support easing tensions,” it said, without elaborating. China would continue to strengthen strategic coordination with Russia, Xi also said, according to the statement. Xi
‘COINCIDENCE’: The former president should keep in mind local and global response to his actions and abide by the law to safeguard national interests, the MAC said
The Presidential Office yesterday confirmed that it has received an application from former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to visit China next week and would be discussing his security detail. “As the travel restrictions on former president Ma have expired, we respect his plan to pay respect to his ancestors in China,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said. “We will review his travel plan and consult concerned agencies to assist him in arranging his security detail.” “We also hope that Ma, as a former commander in chief of Taiwan, acts in a manner that aligns with national interests and does not hurt the feelings of Taiwanese,” Lin said. “He should seek to convey the values of Taiwan’s liberal democracy and reiterate that cross-strait exchanges should proceed in an equal and dignified manner, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s continuous expansion of military operations in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.” The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that high-ranking officials still carry certain responsibilities and obligations after leaving office. Even after the removal of travel restrictions, Ma should still keep in mind local and international reaction to his words and actions when he visits China, and abide by cross-strait laws and regulations to safeguard the nation’s interests, the council said. Ma’s trip to China would make him the first former Taiwanese president to visit China since 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party took over China after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government lost the Civil War. Based on the itinerary released yesterday by the Ma Ying-Jeou Foundation, the former president is to leave for China on Monday next week and return on April 7. Aside from his sisters, Ma would be accompanied by about 30 Taiwanese students, former Presidential Office secretary-general Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Wang Kuang-tzu (王光慈), and National
Visiting British lawmaker Bob Stewart yesterday praised the progress of democracy in Taiwan during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office in Taipei. A cross-party parliamentary delegation led by Stewart, who cochairs the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a six-day visit. The six MPs in the delegation, three from the Conservative Party and three from the Labour Party, are “really big friends of Taiwan,” Stewart said. He praised Taiwan as a nation that is “more democratic than the UK,” citing the Democracy Index 2022 report released by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit earlier this year, which ranked Taiwan 10th and the UK 18th. The index showed “how far democracy has come over the last 30 years in this country,” he said, adding that Taiwan is “a beacon of how democracy can work in the world.” The UK and Taiwan are both island states, share similar attitudes and have close economic connections, he said. Many Taiwanese live, work and study in the UK, and he hopes to see a similar trend among Britons in the future, he said. He thanked Tsai for meeting the group, saying that he was unable to meet with the president during his previous trip to Taiwan in 2016 as she was busy inspecting areas struck by a typhoon at the time. Tsai thanked the delegation for their support for Taiwan, saying that the delegation’s visit could help the two forge closer ties. The UK has since 2021 used the G7 and other bilateral or multilateral platforms to underline the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, she said. The British parliament has been a vocal supporter of Taiwan in recent years, she added, citing discussions about Taiwanese-British friendship and cooperation in February last year and a visit by a British House of Commons Foreign
Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) yesterday said his ministry is drafting an amendment to stop scalpers who use online purchasing algorithms to buy tickets in bulk and resell them at exorbitant prices. In a radio interview, Shih said the Ministry of Culture is working on revising the Cultural and Creative Industry Development Act (文化創意產業發展法) and expects to complete it this or early next month. His comments came after local fans of K-pop girl group Blackpink complained about difficulties finding tickets to the group’s concerts in Kaohsiung due to scalpers. The ministry would impose heavy penalties on people who use online purchasing algorithms to buy large numbers of tickets and resell them at inflated prices, Shih said. While scalping and the use of algorithms to buy tickets in bulk are not covered by the cultural and creative act, they are mentioned in the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulates a fine of up to NT$18,000 for buying transportation or entertainment tickets with no intention of using them and reselling them for profit. On Wednesday last week, several Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers called for revising the Cultural and Creative Industry Development Act to include punishments for scalping to protect the rights and interests of the public. The current fine is too low and is not enough to curb scalping, they added, after a person was recently caught by police selling an NT$8,800 ticket to a Blackpink concert for NT$36,000. The two concerts held at the Kaohsiung National Stadium performed by Blackpink on Saturday and Sunday drew more than 90,000 spectators.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida yesterday announced a plan to promote an open and free Indo-Pacific, promising billions of US dollars in investment to help economies across the region in everything from industry to disaster prevention. The plan, announced in New Delhi, is seen as Tokyo’s bid to forge stronger ties with countries in South and Southeast Asia to counter China’s growing assertiveness there. Kishida also said Japan wanted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to end as soon as possible and called on the “Global South,” a broad term referring to countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania and Latin America, to “show solidarity” after his talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kishida said there were four “pillars” to Japan’s new Indo-Pacific plan: maintaining peace, dealing with new global issues in cooperation with Indo-Pacific countries, achieving global connectivity through various platforms, and ensuring the safety of the open seas and skies. Japan pledged US$75 billion to the region by 2030 via private investment and yen loans, and by ramping up aid through official government assistance and grants. “We plan to expand the cooperation of the free and open Indo-Pacific framework,” Kishida told the Indian Council of World Affairs. He emphasized the increasing connectivity among countries and promoting freedom of navigation, with an eye on increasing maritime defense and security among like-minded countries. China has ramped up its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region and rapidly modernized its navy while promoting its Belt and Road Initiative. “The kind of connectivity where you only rely on one country breeds political vulnerability,” Kishida said. “We aim to increase the number of options each country has so that they can overcome these vulnerabilities and achieve further economic growth through connectivity,” he added. “We will conduct joint maritime exercises with India and the United States, as well as goodwill exercises with ASEAN and the Pacific islands,” Kishida
‘NO-LIMITS FRIENDSHIP’: The Russian president is likely to offer a ‘detailed explanation’ of his view of the current situation in Ukraine, a spokesman said
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit that shows off Beijing’s new swagger in world diplomatic affairs and offers a welcome political lift for Russian President Vladimir Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for him on war crimes charges related to the war in Ukraine. China and Russia have described Xi’s trip as an opportunity to further deepen their “no-limits friendship.” China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as US domination of global affairs. The two countries also have held joint military drills. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that over dinner yesterday, Putin and Xi would touch on issues related to Ukraine, adding that the Russian president would likely offer a “detailed explanation” of Moscow’s view on the current situation. Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for today, Peskov added. For Putin, Xi’s presence at the Kremlin is a prestige visit and a diplomatic triumph, allowing him to tell Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate him have fallen short. In an article published in China’s People’s Daily newspaper, Putin described Xi’s visit as a “landmark event” that “reaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership.” Putin also specifically mentioned that the meeting sent a message to Washington that the two countries are not prepared to accept attempts to weaken them. “The US policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive,” Putin wrote. Xi’s trip came after the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Friday announced it wants to put Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands
NUMBERS MATTER: The defense ministry is increasing the number of reserve brigades nationwide, and each brigade must have nearly 200 personnel, up from 24 previously
Pilots of F-16V, Mirage 2000 and other jets have been participating in joint training at Hualien County’s Chiashan Air Force Base to bolster the military’s ability to engage in asymmetric warfare, military officials said yesterday. Lieutenant General Sun Lien-sheng (孫連勝), deputy commander of the Air Force Command, said at the launch of the joint training earlier this month that such exercises would be held more frequently to gain an understanding of the limitations and capabilities of different military branches, and to determine what support they need to closely work with one another during wartime. The goal is to enable Taiwan’s relatively smaller military to deter China from invading, Sun added. Military officials yesterday said that the lesson from Russia’s war in Ukraine is to build an asymmetric military force to stall, destroy or paralyze the enemy. The air force is mostly asked to support other military branches’ missions, so joint training must first start with combat precision training for the air force, and then expand to include the other two branches of the military, they said. To improve training for second-generation aircraft, the air force in 2001 commissioned the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology to develop the Tactic Analysis System (TAS), which was merged with the existing telemetry system. TAS was modified and refined based on actual air force operations. It includes a mission display and control system, an airborne targeting pod and relay stations. The TAS system has been upgraded to be used with the Air Combat Training Instrumentation System (ACTIS) targeting pod for military exercises, the officials said. Aside from F-16Vs, Mirage 2000s and Indigenous Defense Fighters, Taiwan’s AIDC T-5 Brave Eagle trainer jet has also been equipped with the ACTIS targeting pod, they said. The Brave Eagle’s test missions now include air-to-surface bombing, the officials added. In other developments, the Ministry of National
MODERATE TO SEVERE: Local researchers involved in the global study found that five coral reefs near the Pratas Islands and Itu Aba Island all had low levels of oxygen
Increasing occurrences of hypoxia, or low levels of oxygen in a body of water, are threatening coral in tropical environments, a research paper that a Taiwanese research team contributed to said. The paper, titled “Increasing hypoxia on global coral reefs under ocean warming,” was published on Thursday on the online journal Nature Climate Change, detailing the results of a study led by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Chou Wen-chen (周文臣), a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University’ Institute of Marine Environment and Ecology who contributed to the paper, on Saturday said that in the past, hypoxia mostly occurred in temperate seas, but the phenomenon is now being observed in tropical waters. Chou’s team found that five coral reef ecosystems near Taiwan’s Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) and Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) are all in a state of moderate to severe hypoxia. Teams from Taiwan, Japan, Panama, Puerto Rico and the US studied 32 coral reefs in 12 locations worldwide, observing day-night changes in oxygen levels in the seawater. “The study clearly reveals that global warming not only aggravates the bleaching of corals and the acidification of oceans due to the increase in dissolved carbon dioxide, but also worsens hypoxia,” Chou said. The teams used the four climate change scenario models proposed by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to predict how dissolved oxygen levels change due to climate change, he said. The study showed that by the year 2100, the temperature rise would cause oxygen solubility to decrease, and the oxygen consumption rate of coral’s biological metabolism to increase, which would greatly worsen hypoxia in coral reef ecosystems, Chou said. However, Huang Wei-jen (黃蔚人), an associate professor at National Sun Yat-sen University’s College of Marine Sciences, said that hypoxia cannot be explained by
Lawmakers across party lines have reached a consensus on some articles of a draft amendment that would loosen requirements for permanent residency. The legislature’s Internal Administration Committee is to meet today to continue its review of draft amendments to the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法). Committee members have so far reached a consensus on some parts of the amendment, including the required length of stay in Taiwan for people to be eligible for permanent residence. Under the amendment, holders of an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate would no longer be required to have lived in Taiwan for 183 days of every year, as long as they have been in Taiwan for that length of time on average over five years, the committee said. This would add a degree of flexibility for foreign residents who stay in the country for longer periods in some years, but in other years go abroad for work or family matters, it said. Committee members also reached an agreement on a stipulation that would change the rules for Taiwanese who do not have household registration in Taiwan (for example, those born abroad to Taiwanese parents). Currently, they need to be in Taiwan for one year prior to applying for permanent residency, but the amendment would reduce the required length of stay to 335 days. This would allow them to spend one month outside the country, in case there is a family emergency or other issue, the committee said. Lawmakers also agreed to change a rule that affects foreigners who have divorced a Taiwanese if they have children in Taiwan from the marriage. The current regulations stipulate that foreign divorcees can continue to reside in Taiwan only if they obtain custody of their dependent children after divorce. This would be annulled under the amendment. Foreign divorcees who divorced due to domestic
Australia has “absolutely not” given the US any commitment as part of the AUKUS negotiations that it would join its top security ally in a potential war over the status of Taiwan, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said yesterday. Marles, who is also Australian minister for defence, made the comment while defending Australia’s multi-decade plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, with help from the US and the UK, at a total cost of up to US$368 billion between now and the mid-2050s. Marles told the Australian Broadcasting Corp’s (ABC) Insiders program that China’s rapid military buildup “shapes the strategic landscape in which we live.” The AUKUS submarines would back up Australia’s interest in protecting trade and freedom of navigation and flight in the South China Sea, he said. Marles said he would not speculate about a future conflict over Taiwan, saying that it was “a completely separate question.” The US is planning to sell Australia at least three, and as many as five, Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s. Canberra is attempting to fill the “capability gap” between the retirement of its diesel-electric Collins-class submarines and the entry into service of British-designed, Australian-built nuclear-powered submarines from the 2040s. ABC’s David Speers asked Marles whether Australia had explicitly or implicitly given the US a commitment that it would join the ally in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, in return for access to the Virginia-class submarines. “The answer to that is of course not,” Marles said. “Of course not — and nor was one sought. I’ve listened to that conjecture from a number of commentators. It is plain wrong.” Marles said that “the moment that there is a flag on the first of those Virginia-class submarines in the early 2030s is the moment that that submarine will be under the complete control of the Australian government of the day.” He
North Korea yesterday fired a short-range ballistic missile, Seoul’s military said, its fourth show of force in a week as South Korea and the US stage major military drills. Seoul and Washington have ramped up defense cooperation in the face of growing military and nuclear threats from the North, which has conducted a series of increasingly provocative banned weapons tests in the past few months. South Korea and the US are in the middle of 11 days of joint drills known as Freedom Shield, their largest in five years. North Korea views all such exercises as rehearsals for an invasion, and has repeatedly said it would take “overwhelming” action in response. “Our military detected one short-range ballistic missile fired from around the Tongchang-ri area in North Pyongan province at 11:05am towards the East Sea,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. The missile appeared to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Kyodo News reported, citing unnamed government sources. The missile flew 800km and was under analysis by US and South Korean intelligence, the JCS said in a statement, calling the launch “a serious provocation” that contravened UN sanctions. “Our military will maintain a solid readiness posture based on its ability to overwhelmingly respond to any provocation by North Korea, while carrying out intensive and thorough combined exercises and drills,” it said. Tokyo also confirmed the launch, with Japanese Vice Minister of Defense Toshiro Ino telling reporters that Japan had “lodged a vehement protest to and strongly condemned [North Korea] through our embassy in Beijing.” In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement yesterday condemned the North for undermining regional peace and stability. Since last year, North Korea’s frequent missile launches and preparations for nuclear tests have heightened tensions in the Korean
ANTI-SHIP CONFIGURATION: The Tuo Chiang-class vessels are to be built for NT$9.7 billion by Lung Teh, a shipyard that previously built four similar corvettes for the navy
The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday awarded Lung Teh Shipbuilding (龍德造船) a NT$9.7 billion Co (US$317.57 million) contract to build five Tuo Chiang-class corvettes with anti-ship capabilities, a defense official familiar with the matter said yesterday. The corvettes would carry vertical launchers for four Hsiung Feng II (HF-2) missiles, as well as eight Hsiung Feng III (HF-3) anti-ship missiles, in contrast to ships configured for anti-air warfare, which carry eight HF-2 and four HF-3 missiles, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The anti-ship corvettes would be armed for improved standoff range against surface combatants and carry the latest HF-2 variant, which has an enhanced range, larger maneuverability and updated electronic warfare technology, he said. Lung Teh was chosen in large part because the shipbuilder had more experience than its competitors, he said. It previously built the prototype for the Tuo Chiang-class and three anti-air corvettes, and has been tasked with building three more ships of that configuration, he said. An anti-ship Tu Chiang-class corvette costs NT$7.56 billion when the platform, munitions, combat systems and logistics costs are included, while the program’s overall costs are projected at NT$37.8 billion, government reports showed. A fleet of 12 Tou-Chiang class corvettes is planned, including the prototype, six anti-aircraft corvettes and five anti-ship corvettes, with the delivery of the last ship scheduled before the end of 2026. Separately, a copy of the defense ministry’s latest budget proposal to the legislature confirmed that the navy’s submarine rescue ship program would receive NT$10.1 billion under a five-year force restructuring plan. The move came a year after Democratic Progressive Party legislators Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) and Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) joined independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) in calling for the nation’s indigenous defense submarine program to have dedicated rescue capabilites. A separate defense official familiar with the matter yesterday said that the
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Beijing might double down on its efforts, National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo said, calling for unity against the CCP
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cognitive warfare efforts against Taiwan have increased over the past few years, and Beijing is expected to attempt to intervene in next year’s presidential and legislative elections, National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday. Koo made the remarks at an annual seminar held by the Lei Chen Foundation for Democracy and Human Rights. Democracy is facing challenges worldwide, Koo said, citing a report published on March 2 by the University of Gothenburg’s Department of Political Science. The report by the Swedish university highlighted that 72 percent of the global population, or about 5.7 billion people, live under authoritarian rule, Koo said. “The level of democracy enjoyed by the average world citizen in 2022 is back to 1986 levels,” Koo cited the report as saying. In terms of democratic freedoms, Taiwan ranks 30th globally and third in Asia, but as the nation is in the first island chain and at the center of a geopolitical confrontation between the US and China, its democratic way of life is greatly challenged, Koo said. Escalating tensions in and near the Taiwan Strait should be a warning for the world, he said, adding that China not only attempts to compete with the US, but also seeks to challenge the world order. Koo said Washington’s plan to establish military bases in the Philippines is a response to the Chinese threat, as the US seeks to deter Beijing from spreading its autocratic system in the Indo-Pacific region. Countries that have long hoped that China would maintain a “peaceful rise” have increasingly become aware of the threat and issued clear warnings regarding Chinese aggressions against Taiwan, Koo said. Taipei’s primary goal is to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, safeguard Taiwan’s hard-won democratic way of life and ensure that Taiwanese determine
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is abolishing a controversial central election strategy committee, KMT Secretary-General Justin Huang (黃健庭) said yesterday. Huang, who was tapped to head the committee, said the KMT would continue its established method to nominate candidates for elections. The KMT’s candidates in next year’s legislative and presidential elections would be ratified by the party’s Central Nomination Committee, whose members would be selected by KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), Huang said, adding that the nomination committee would include city and county government heads. The new election body, which was announced at a KMT Central Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday, had been controversial even among party members. The committee was to include several controversial figures, such as former Tainan City Council speaker Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教) and former Hualien County commissioner Fu Kun-chi, who have both served time in prison. Party members such as former Tainan City councilor Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介), Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) criticized the plan. Taipei City Councilor Chung Pei-chun (鍾沛君) resigned as KMT Cultural and Communications Committee deputy director-general to protest the move. Fu on Friday challenged Hou to seek the party’s presidential nomination and “take over” the new committee. Jaw said Fu is commonly seen as Chu’s right-hand man, and his comments were signs of a rift between Chu and Hou. Huang said the new committee was meant to help the party secretary-general negotiate with potential candidates and suggest members who could run for office in areas where the party is expected to face difficulties. However, the new committee would be unnecessary, Huang said, adding that the plan had created trouble. Even though the new committee would not start to operate, KMT members who seek to run in next year’s elections could
US President Joe Biden on Friday said it was justified that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had announced an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. The court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, said that it had also issued a warrant for Russian Presidential Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on similar charges. Moscow dismissed the orders as “void.” Russia is not a party to the ICC so it was unclear if or how Putin could ever end up in the dock. War-battered Ukraine welcomed the ICC announcement, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailing the “historic decision.” The court’s shock notice came hours after other news with the potential to significantly impact Russia’s war on Ukraine, including a planned Moscow visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and more fighter jets for Kyiv’s forces. More than 16,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia since the invasion began on Feb. 24 last year, with many allegedly placed in institutions and foster homes, the Ukrainian government said. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that Putin was now liable for arrest if he sets foot in any of the court’s more than 120 member states. He said the arrest warrants were “based upon forensic evidence, scrutiny and what’s been said by those two individuals.” “The evidence we presented focused on crimes against children. Children are the most vulnerable part of our society,” Khan said. The ICC said that its judges found there were “reasonable grounds” to suspect Putin’s criminal responsibility and grant Khan’s application for the warrants, which were filed on Feb. 22. ICC President Piotr Hofmanski said the execution of the warrants “depends on international cooperation.” Biden said the warrant against Putin was justified, because he “clearly committed war crimes.” While the US does not recognize the court, Biden told reporters at his Delaware home
South Korea is planning to fully implement a key military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, a South Korean Ministry of National Defense official said yesterday, amid the two countries’ efforts to thaw long-frozen relations and renew diplomacy to counter Pyongyang. At a fence-mending summit on Thursday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to turn the page on a bitter dispute over Japan’s use of forced labor during World War II. Yoon, who has been keen to end the spat and present a united front against nuclear-armed North Korea, traveled to Japan to meet Kishida at the first such summit in 12 years. Yoon told Kishida he wanted a “complete normalization” of a 2016 military agreement called the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), which enables the two US allies to share military secrets, particularly over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile capacity. Following the summit, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked “to proceed with the needed measures to normalize the agreement,” said a defense ministry official, who declined to be named. The foreign ministry is expected to send a formal letter to its Japanese counterpart soon, the official added. Seoul had threatened to scrap GSOMIA in 2019 as relations with Tokyo soured over trade disputes and a historical row stemming from Japan’s 35-year colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula. The US at the time said that calling off the pact would only benefit North Korea and China. Hours before it was set to expire, South Korea agreed to extend GSOMIA “conditionally,” but warned it could be “terminated” at any moment. Confronted with Pyongyang’s growing aggression and flurry of missile tests, the neighbors have increasingly sought to bury the hatchet. The increasing security challenge was thrown into sharp relief just before Yoon’s arrival in Tokyo on Thursday as North Korea test-fired
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