NATO leaders yesterday formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance, paving the way for reshaping European defense by lengthening the alliance’s border with Russia. “The accession of Finland and Sweden will make them safer, NATO stronger and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure,” according to summit conclusions agreed by NATO leaders in Madrid after weeks of stalling by Turkey. “The security of Finland and Sweden is of direct importance to the alliance, including during the accession process.” NATO membership for the two previously neutral countries would mark a significant shift in the European security landscape after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and offer more protection to the exposed Baltic countries on the alliance’s eastern frontier. The path to membership includes the need for ratification from NATO members’ parliaments. The leaders welcomed a memorandum agreed by Turkey, Sweden and Finland late on Tuesday that led to Ankara lifting its block on the countries’ bids to join. Turkey had stalled the process with concerns the two Nordic nations did not do enough to tackle Kurdish groups it views as terrorists. NATO leaders warned they face “systemic competition” from China, which challenges the alliance’s “interests, security and values and seek to undermine the rules-based international order.” They also said Russia was “the most significant and direct threat” to allies’ security, and accused it of intentionally worsening a food and energy crisis. They reiterated calls for Russia to immediately stop its war in Ukraine. In a new Strategic Concept document setting out long-term strategic guidelines, the leaders highlighted ties between China and Russia. “The deepening strategic partnership between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut the rules-based international order run counter to our values and interests,” the document said. The leaders are planning to overhaul and boost the alliance’s defenses in
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asserted Taiwan’s right to conduct live-fire drills on Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), following protests from the Philippines, which claims the South China Sea territory as its own. As Itu Aba is part of the Republic of China, the country has the “right to conduct routine exercises at Taiping and its surrounding waters,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the government had issued notices beforehand to warn nearby vessels about the drills. Disputes in the region should be settled peacefully by all parties concerned, and in accordance with international law, the ministry said, citing the government’s basic principle pertaining to issues in the South China Sea. The ministry’s statement was issued one day after the Philippine government expressed its “strong objection” to what it described as Taiwan’s “unlawful live-fire drills” off the coast of Itu Aba, known in the Philippines as Ligaw Island. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs called the drills on Tuesday and yesterday an “illegal activity” that “raises tensions and complicates the situation in the South China Sea.” It said Ligaw Island is an “integral part of the Kalayaan Island Group” — or the Spratly Islands (南沙群島) — over which the Philippines claims sovereignty. Taipei and Manila did not divulge what kind of weapons were used during the two days of live-fire drills. Itu Aba, the largest among the Spratly Islands, lies 1,600km southwest of Kaohsiung and is administered as part of Kaohsiung’s Cijin District (旗津). Itu Aba is also claimed by China and Vietnam. It is one of the two territories controlled by Taiwan in the South China Sea, the other being Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), which lies 450km southwest of Kaohsiung. The Pratas and Itu Aba islands are occupied by Taiwanese Coast Guard personnel trained by the Marine Corps, and quarterly drills are
STRATEGIC SHIFT: Britain’s foreign secretary said such a move would be a ‘catastrophic miscalculation,’ and called for more trade with nations that can be trusted
China would be making “a catastrophic miscalculation” if it invaded Taiwan, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Liz Truss said yesterday, telling a NATO summit that the UK and other countries should reconsider trading relationships with countries that use economic power in “coercive” ways. In a sign of how far UK government attitudes toward China have shifted since the self-declared “golden decade” under former British prime minister David Cameron, Truss said trade should be directed at countries that could be trusted. Speaking at the Madrid summit, Truss said that with China expanding its strategic ambitions, NATO’s new strategic concept should reference China specifically. The alliance’s core mission was last updated in 2010 and is due to be revised. Truss’ comments came a day after she called for more rapid action to help Taiwan with defensive weapons in case Beijing invaded, saying that was a key lesson from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “I do think that with China extending its influence through economic coercion and building a capable military, there is a real risk that they draw the wrong idea that results in a catastrophic miscalculation such as invading Taiwan,” Truss said, speaking alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. One of the areas addressed by the G7 summit in southern Germany, which ended earlier this week, was efforts to offer more Western infrastructure money for developing nations, a response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative that seeks to bring influence through similar investment. Given the threat from both China and Russia, there is a “need to reach outward and create that network of liberty of fellow like-minded countries,” Truss said. G7 countries such as Australia should use their “economic weight” to challenge China, she said, adding that countries such as the UK could even rethink their
Hong Kong authorities, citing “security reasons,” have barred more than 10 journalists from covering events and ceremonies this week marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, the Hong Kong Journalists Association said. The journalists represent at least seven media outlets, including international news agencies Reuters and Agence France-Presse, and others from Hong Kong, the association said in a statement posted online late on Tuesday. “The authorities have made ad hoc and narrow interview arrangements at this important juncture and have put forth vague grounds for refusal, seriously undermining the freedom of the press in Hong Kong,” the statement read. The Hong Kong media outlets affected include the English-language South China Morning Post and Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao, as well as online news outlet HK01, the association said. The South China Morning Post said in a news report that one of its photographers had been rejected, with no reason given. The rejections come amid strict requirements for those attending the handover events. Journalists covering them must have daily COVID-19 nucleic acid tests starting on Sunday and stay in a quarantine hotel from yesterday. A news report by Hong Kong Economic Journal said at least three other journalists from local news outlets were yesterday informed that their applications to cover the events had been rejected. Despite receiving approvals that had instructions for checking in to the quarantine hotel, some received rejection notices yesterday while on their way to the hotel, while others were informed that they were barred from the events upon arrival. Authorities had invited media outlets to submit up to 20 applications to cover the events — which include a flag-raising ceremony and the inauguration for the new Hong Kong government — but later specified that only one journalist from each outlet could be sent to cover each of the two events. Reuters said in
TIMING: 'The CHIPS Act funding is crucial for us. In other words, if the act’s passage is delayed for too long, we will certainly need to adjust,’ chairwoman Doris Hsu said
GlobalWafers Co (環球晶圓) plans to start construction on a US$5 billion wafer fabrication facility in Texas in November, after passage of the US$52 billion Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act. The fab would be the largest of its kind in the US and one of the largest in the world, with a monthly capacity of 1.2 million wafers, GlobalWafers said, adding that the investment would be the first new fab in the US in more than 20 years and critical to closing a semiconductor supply chain gap. The world’s No. 3 silicon wafer supplier said the project, which would have multiple stages, is to begin with an investment of about NT$55 billion (US$1.85 billion) to build a monthly capacity of 15,000 wafers. The production is expected to begin in 2025, if everything goes smoothly, GlobalWafers said. “This [the passage of the CHIPS Act] is the only factor we have no control over... The CHIPS Act funding is crucial for us. In other words, if the act’s passage is delayed for too long, we will certainly need to adjust for that. We have some contingency plans ready,” GlobalWafers chairwoman Doris Hsu (徐秀蘭) told a news briefing yesterday. “We cannot wait for a long time. We have secured a lot of long-term supply agreements from our customers.” About 80 percent of the new manufacturing facility’s capacity has been booked, the company said. To start construction in November, the act would need to pass before the US Congress’ August recess. GlobalWafers said the government subsidies were one of the main reasons it opted to build the fab in Texas. Funding from the US government would help to offset the high cost of construction in the US and alleviate some of the financial pressure in the initial operating stages, Hsu said. The company was also drawn to the US
‘PROTECTING OTHERS’: US Representative Michelle Steel said John Cheng’s bravery ‘saved dozens of other lives and prevented an even bigger tragedy’
Two US lawmakers have introduced a bill to award a medal to John Cheng (鄭達志), a Taiwanese-American doctor who was killed last month in a confrontation with a shooter at a church in California. US representatives Katie Porter and Michelle Steel, whose districts are in the Orange County area where the incident occurred, earlier this month introduced legislation to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal on Cheng. They called Cheng “a hero who died protecting others.” On May 15, Cheng, 52, and his mother met members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church at a gathering in Laguna Woods, California, when they were attacked by a man reportedly angered by Taiwan’s independence movement. Witnesses said Cheng was shot after charging the shooter and trying to disarm him, which enabled other congregants to restrain the man and likely saved the lives of the other 40 people in the building. Five other people were injured in the attack, while Taiwanese-American David Wenwei Chou (周文偉), 68, has been charged with crimes, including premeditated murder. In a June 22 statement, Porter praised Cheng as a “hero” who “undoubtedly saved lives when he charged the gunman attacking his mother’s church.” Steel said that “with his bravery, [Cheng] saved dozens of other lives and prevented an even bigger tragedy from occurring.” “I’m proud to support this effort to award him with a Congressional Gold Medal so that his courage will never be forgotten,” she said. The Congressional Gold Medal is the US Congress’ highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished acts by individuals or institutions. Along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, it is the US’ highest civilian award. While the US House of Representatives does not have specific rules for awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, it typically requires two-thirds of its members to approve a resolution before a committee would review it.
Three to four tropical storms or typhoons are expected to hit Taiwan this year due to a weak La Nina effect in the northwest Pacific Ocean, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday, as typhoon season begins next month. Taiwan’s typhoon season generally lasts from July to September, with most typhoons occurring in August. Weather Forecast Center Director Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) told a news conference that a weakening La Nina is expected to have less of an effect on Taiwan. “The climate simulation we conducted, and those conducted by other meteorological agencies around the world, showed that the number of typhoons that form in the northwest Pacific Ocean this year and the number of typhoons that would directly affect Taiwan are likely to fall within a normal range,” Lu said. The average temperature over the next three months is expected to be normal to slightly warmer than usual, while rainfall is likely to be about the same as the average for this climate, he said. On average, 20 to 25 tropical storms or typhoons are expected to occur in the northwest Pacific between now and December, three to four of which are forecast to affect Taiwan directly. Only two tropical storms have so far formed in the northwest Pacific, fewer than the average of 4.3 for this climate, Lu said. In a La Nina year, tropical storms or typhoons are likely to form close to Taiwan, Lu said. “Once typhoons form off the east coast of the Philippines, they move toward Taiwan, or turn north toward Japan or Korea,” he said. “Because the typhoons travel a shorter distance before reaching shore, their intensity is likely to be normal.” Two tropical systems are developing south of Taiwan, CWB senior weather forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. A low pressure system is lingering east of the Philippines, where tropical systems
Australia is to set up a defense school to train Pacific island militaries, Canberra’s new Pacific minister said yesterday, amid competition for security ties in the region and as China lays plans for a rival meeting to next month’s Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). Australia is to double its funding for aerial surveillance of the Pacific islands’ vast fishing zone, and provide financing for Pacific islands to build more resilient infrastructure as Pacific sea level rises are forecast to be four times the global average, Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy told a Pacific conference. “The Australian government knows that the issue of security is inseparable from the issue of climate change,” he said via video link to the conference in Fiji’s capital, Suva. During the PIF meeting taking place in Suva next month, regional leaders are expected to discuss China’s push to strike a trade and security deal with 10 Pacific island nations that hold diplomatic ties with China. The 18-member forum includes Australia and New Zealand — which have expressed concern at China’s security deal struck with the Solomon Islands — as well as several nations that recognize Taiwan and not China. On July 14 — to coincide with the final day of the PIF leaders meeting — China, which is not a PIF member, is seeking to host a video meeting with the 10 nations that it wants to sign to a multilateral pact, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. It is unknown if the meeting with China is to go ahead, after some nations were reported to be upset by the timing. Conroy said the Pacific Islands Forum has brought the region together for 50 years, and is the “heart of Pacific regionalism.” Ahead of the meeting, he outlined the new Australian government’s commitments to support the region,
The bodies of 50 dead migrants were on Monday discovered inside a tractor trailer in San Antonio, Texas, city officials said, in one of the most deadly recent incidents of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border. A San Antonio Fire Department official said they found “stacks of bodies” and no signs of water in the truck, which was found next to railroad tracks in a remote area on the city’s southern outskirts. Sixteen other people found inside the trailer were transported to hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors, but no children were among the dead, the department said. “The patients that we saw were hot to the touch. They were suffering from heat stroke, exhaustion,” San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told a news conference. “It was a refrigerated tractor trailer, but there was no visible working air-conditioning unit on that rig.” Temperatures in San Antonio, which is about 250km from the Mexican border, swelled to a high of 39.4°C on Monday, with high humidity. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said a person who works in a nearby building heard a cry for help and came out to investigate. The worker found the trailer doors partially opened, looked inside and found a number of dead bodies. This was the largest incident of its kind in the city, McManus said, adding that three people were in custody following the incident, although their involvement is not yet clear. A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson said that Homeland Security Investigations was investigating “an alleged human smuggling event” in coordination with local police. Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the migrants in the truck the “tragedy in Texas” on Twitter and said consular officials would go to the hospitals where victims had been taken to help “however possible.” A Honduran Ministry of Foreign
COUNTERING CHINA: ‘When democracies demonstrate what we can do ... I have no doubt that we’ll win that competition every time,’ US President Joe Biden said
US President Joe Biden rebooted his effort to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) after an earlier campaign faltered, enlisting the support of G7 leaders at their summit in Germany. The Build Back Better World initiative, named after Biden’s domestic spending and climate agenda, struggled to get off the ground because not enough G7 partners contributed financially when it was unveiled a year ago, people familiar with its lack of progress said. “When democracies demonstrate what we can do — all that we have to offer — I have no doubt that we’ll win that competition every time,” Biden said during an event on the sidelines of the summit. The plan has been rebranded the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, and the US is calling on leaders to agree to fund the launch of projects in middle and low-income countries to the tune of US$600 billion over the next five years. It would consist mostly of private sector investments, with some funding from the US International Development Finance Corp and the US Export-Import Bank, as well as commitments from foreign governments. The US would contribute US$200 billion in total, although it is unclear what the split would be between private and public sector funding, and how the government plans to convince companies to take part. There is the potential for the same challenges to crop up under the initiative’s latest incarnation, in part as the G7 prioritizes other issues such as taming inflation and dealing with the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said his country welcomed any initiative that promoted global infrastructure at a regular news briefing in Beijing yesterday. “We believe there’s no such thing as relevant initiatives countering or replacing each other,” he added. “What we oppose are moves to advance geopolitical calculations and
STABLE SUPPLY: Rates are to stay unchanged for households, small-scale retailers, restaurants and schools that consume less than 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month
State-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) plans to raise electricity rates for heavy users by an average of 8.4 percent from next month, as rising global energy prices have significantly eaten into its bottom line, snapping four consecutive years of price freezes. Industrial users such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) would bear the brunt of the hikes, facing an increase of 15 percent. About 22,000 heavy users would be affected, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement after a meeting of the electricity price review committee yesterday. The rate for heavy users of electricity would climb to NT$3.1039 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), from NT$2.699 per kWh, while the price for extra-heavy users would rise to NT$2.5707 per kWh, from NT$2.2354, it said. Households with monthly consumption of more than 1,000kWh would see their rate rise 9 percent, it said. “As persistent fuel price hikes have put Taipower’s operations under heavy pressure, it should [raise electricity tariffs to] reflect costs to keep power supply stable,” Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng (林全能) told a news briefing in Taipei after the meeting. “Compared with price hikes of between 13 and 45 percent in some countries, Taiwan’s price increase ... falls on the low end of the global price hike range,” Lin said. “We have considered Taiwan’s global competitiveness in the pricing adjustments.” Global crude oil prices are expected to rise to US$107 per barrel this year, which would push natural gas prices up to US$19.63 per cubic meter, the ministry said, adding that global coal prices are expected to rise to US$307 per tonne. Taipower would see an increase in costs of about NT$300 billion (US$10.13 billion) this year due to surges in global fuel prices, it said. To help small businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry is freezing rates for major users in six
The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) yesterday approved COVID-19 vaccines for children aged six months to five years old, and booster shots for those aged five to 11. The committee also approved the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for adults and expanded the eligibility criteria for second booster shots at its meeting yesterday, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the Central Epidemic Command Center’s (CECC) spokesman. “As COVID-19 is spreading in local communities, the committee recommended that children aged six months to five years be inoculated against COVID-19 to reduce the risk of severe illness or death,” Chuang said. The CECC said 450,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine — which can supply up to 900,000 shots for the youngest age group — are to arrive early next month and be administered later in the month. Only the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has received emergency use authorization in Taiwan for children aged six months to five years, he said, adding that the ACIP recommended an interval between doses of four to eight weeks. For the five-to-11 age group, the committee recommended an additional dose of vaccine for the immunosuppressed or immunocompromised at least 28 days after their second dose, he said. For the same age group, those who have had two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine — their primary series — are advised to get their booster shot at least five months, or 150 days, following their last dose, he added. Airline crew members and people working at airports, harbors, quarantine facilities and social welfare facilities are recommended to get a second booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least five months following their first booster shot, Chuang said. The committee approved the Novavax vaccine for people aged 18 or older as their primary series or a
Tuvalu’s foreign minister pulled out of the UN Ocean Conference opening in Portugal yesterday after China blocked the participation of three Taiwanese included in the Pacific island nation’s delegation, Radio New Zealand reported. Taiwan is not a member of the UN and its citizens are unable to attend UN events as representatives of Taiwan. Tuvaluan Minister for Justice, Communication and Foreign Affairs Simon Kofe withdrew from the conference after China challenged the accreditation of three Taiwanese delegates included in Tuvalu’s delegation, Radio New Zealand reported yesterday. The nation of 12,000 people has had diplomatic ties with Taiwan since 1979, and is one of just 14 UN member states around the world that continue to have diplomatic ties with Taiwan rather than China. Asked for comment, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) reiterated Beijing’s stance that Taiwan is part of China. “The Taiwan authorities’ attempts to squeeze into the United Nations Conference on the Oceans and the Law of the Sea by engaging in petty maneuvers in the international arena or acting as followers of other countries will only demean themselves,” he told a daily news briefing in Beijing. In Taipei, Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesman Tsuei Ching-lin (崔靜麟) yesterday said that the ministry strongly condemns China for its abuse of power in the UN’s Credentials Committee. The composition of delegations of UN member states at UN events has always been decided by the member states themselves, and the committee members have nothing to say about the delegation members, he said. China’s pressuring of Tuvalu over its delegation demonstrated Beijing’s malicious intent, he said, adding that Taiwan would continue to work with like-minded nations, despite China’s increasingly malicious behavior in the UN and elsewhere. Tsuei also expressed gratitude to Tuvalu for its efforts to assist Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. Additional reporting by Lu Yi-hsuan
Efforts to draft an ambitious global agreement on halting nature loss ended on Sunday with little progress made in the Nairobi negotiations, leaving limited time for brokering a biodiversity pact this year. About 1,000 negotiators from 150 countries were supposed to finalize a new draft agreement on protecting nature and wildlife, which would then be considered for adoption at the COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal, Canada, in December. However, by Sunday’s closing, the delegations had agreed on the wording of only two of more than 20 goals, with much of the draft document still riddled with brackets — signaling a lack of consensus. “There is a significant amount of work in front of us … a lot more than what we thought,” said meeting cochair Basile van Havre of the Canadian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Some environmental groups said they thought some delegations were becoming less ambitious from meeting to meeting. “Previous proposals have [since] been weakened; commitments are being made more vague and pushed down the road to 2050 instead of 2030,” said Guido Broekhoven, head of policy at World Wildlife Fund International. For example, parties were still debating whether the agreement should address pesticide use. Meanwhile, delegates had removed all mention of infrastructure, such as roads, threatening wildlife, Broekhoven said. Observers worried that the lack of progress in Nairobi would spell failure in Montreal. “We cannot afford to fail,” said Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Organizers said they would seek to schedule yet another round of talks before the Montreal summit. The Nairobi talks had been organized quickly, after March talks in Geneva, Switzerland, failed to make much progress on the draft. The decision to hold COP15 in Montreal was announced last week, after the Chinese hosts postponed the summit four times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While China will continue to
‘WE WILL REMAIN’: Alejandro Giammattei, whose term is to expire in 2024, made the pledge during an interview with a UK-based magazine focused on Latin America
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has said that his country would keep its diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The pledge came after Beijing has in the past few years increased its attempt to poach Taiwan’s allies amid heightened cross-strait tensions. Guatemala is the biggest country that recognizes Taiwan instead of China, Giammattei said during an interview with LatAm Investor, a UK-based Latin America-focused investment magazine. “We are the biggest country they [Taiwan] still have left, and we will remain with Taiwan,” Giammattei said during the interview, which was published on Thursday. “So while I am president, I recognize one China and it is called Taiwan.” Giammattei assumed office in January 2020. He cannot seek re-election, as the Guatemalan constitution does not allow a president to serve multiple four-year terms. Giammattei’s reaffirmation came only days after Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Bucano expressed the same stance in an interview published on Wednesday in Japan’s Nikkei daily. “For us, relationships with the United States and with Taiwan are our keys,” Bucano said. “We will continue to have them at all levels.” “We want peace in the [Asia-Pacific] region, sovereignty of the people of Taiwan and territorial integrity. And we will continue to support Taiwan in its endeavor,” he said. Guatemala is one of 14 countries that recognizes Taipei instead of Beijing. It established formal ties with the Republic of China in 1935, making it one of Taipei’s oldest allies. In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared Giammattei’s interview with LatAm Investor on Twitter and thanked him for his support. “We sincerely thank the president of Guatemala for spotlighting the strength of our bilateral ties & contributions of Taiwan to the Central American country’s national development & the international community,” the ministry wrote. Since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed office in May 2016, Taiwan has lost eight diplomatic allies to China — Burkina Faso,
The domestically designed Teng Yun 2 drone passed development milestones over the weekend, flying for more than 10 hours straight and circling Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), in the longest flight of an indigenous uncrewed combat aerial vehicle. Developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the Teng Yun 2, or “Cloud Rider” (騰雲二型), recorded its longest flight yet over the weekend, after a three-hour test flight last month, followed by five and seven-hour stretches in the air. The Teng Yun 2 No. 1812 departed from Chiashan Air Base in Hualien County at 6:46pm on Saturday and flew on a counter-clockwise route along the edge of the ADIZ, circling Taiwan proper, the institute said. At 5:02am the following morning, the drone landed safely at the base, after a flight time of 10 hours and 16 minutes, it said. The Teng Yun 2 was designed to complement the military’s four US-made strategic drones, and has capabilities including day and night aerial image surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic parameter reconnaissance, electronic interference, meteorological observation and signal relay, it said. The institute would complete testing of the drone by the end of the year, a source said yesterday, adding that it would start mass production if tests go smoothly. Defence International Magazine editor Chen Kuo-ming (陳國銘) praised the test results, but expressed concerns over lengthy procurement times for the drone’s engine, which is manufactured by the US. Chen said that the military should seek backup suppliers in the EU to prevent a potential production bottleneck. The issue might have been discussed at the Monterey Talks, which focused on Taiwan’s asymmetric combat capabilities, he said. Meanwhile, Taiwan is expected to accept delivery of US-made MQ-9 Reaper drones later this year that the US in 2020 agreed to sell. Lee Shih-chiang (李世強), head of the Ministry of National Defense’s Department of Strategic Planning, said
A slew of new measures are to take effect on Friday, including nationwide bring-your-own-cup discounts. The new rule requires chain beverage shops to offer discounts of at least NT$5 (US$0.17) to customers who bring their own cups, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said. The policy would apply to more than 50,000 chain retail locations, including beverage shops, convenience stores, fast-food restaurants and supermarkets. It aims to cut down on waste from single-use plastic cups, more than 2.2 billion of which were used in Taiwan in 2020, the agency said. For convenience, the EPA said it has asked retailers to display signs stating how much discount they offer to customers who bring their own cups or use a reusable one provided by the store. Ahead of the policy’s implementation, McDonald’s and KFC branches in Taiwan this month began offering NT$5 discounts for customers who order beverages using their own cups, the agency said. Also starting on Friday, the Directorate-General of Highways is to issue a new edition of the international driving permit that highlights the word “Taiwan” on the cover. The new cover features the word “Taiwan” directly above the title “International Driving Permit” to better distinguish Taiwanese driving permits from those issued by China, the agency said. The international community service hotline, 0800-024-111, is to stop operating and be replaced by the number 1990. The government-run hotline provides Chinese, English or Japanese-language assistance for foreigners on issues such as visas, employment, taxation, health insurance and transportation. Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) is to raise the highest premium band to NT$219,500. It had remained at NT$182,000 for 12 years. The NHIA has estimated that the change would affect 137,000 people who would pay about NT$116 to NT$1,939 more monthly than they previously did. Also starting on Friday, tenants can apply to access a NT$30 billion relief program set up by
Russian strikes hit a residential building in Kyiv yesterday, the first attack on the capital in almost three weeks, sparking calls by Ukraine for more support from G7 leaders meeting in Germany. Four people, including a seven-year-old girl, were taken to hospital following the early morning strikes on a neighborhood that includes a weapons factory, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Moscow said its forces had carried out strikes against three military centers in northern and western Ukraine, including one near the border with Poland. The high-profile attacks, just over four months since Russia invaded its neighbor, came ahead of a week of Western diplomacy focused around the G7 and NATO summits. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is to address both gatherings, where allies including US President Joe Biden are to take stock of their support for Kyiv and of sanctions imposed on Moscow. Biden yesterday condemned the attack on Kyiv as “more of their barbarism,” referring to Russia. The G7 talks yesterday opened with the announcement of a ban on imports of Russian gold, but Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba called for more. He posted on Twitter a photograph of an injured child being carried on a stretcher, who he said was “sleeping peacefully in Kyiv until a Russian cruise missile blasted her home.” The “G7 summit must respond with more sanctions on Russia and more heavy arms for Ukraine. Russia’s sick imperialism must be defeated,” he said. The EU this past week offered a strong show of support when it granted Ukraine candidate status, although the path to membership is long. Russian forces sought to encircle Kyiv in the first few weeks after the Feb. 24 invasion, but yesterday’s attack was the first strike on the capital since early this month. Klitschko said the attack was a Russian missile strike intended to “intimidate Ukrainians” ahead of the NATO summit. It
CLOSE RELATIONS: The Netherlands was the EU’s biggest importer of Chinese goods and ASML Holding plays a crucial role in bilateral trade ties
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he opposes reconsidering trade relations with China over its policies toward Hong Kong and its Uighur minority. Rutte, whose country is among the EU countries most closely intertwined with Chinese production chains, said the EU should address those topics, but should not isolate countries that do not live up to European standards. His comments in an interview feed into Europe’s reassessment of individual and collective relations with China triggered most immediately by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Cutting ties with China would not “help anyone in Hong Kong or the Uighurs,” Rutte said in Brussels after an EU summit. “This is one of the reasons I believe the EU should be more of a geopolitical powerhouse, that we have to develop our own policies toward China, in close connection with the US,” he said. The Netherlands was the biggest importer of goods from China last year, according to EU data. China is the country’s third-biggest trade partner after neighbors Germany and Belgium. Dutch-based chip machine builder ASML Holding NV plays a sensitive role in trade relations due to China’s reliance on ASML technology to build up its chipmaking industry. The company has not been granted an export license to ship its most advanced machines to China. A trade dispute with China would have high costs for the Netherlands, a government economic analysis agency, the Central Planning Bureau, said last week. Recent EU-Chinese contacts have reflected tensions in the relationship. After a summit in April, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said the talks were “a dialogue of the deaf,” with China refusing to discuss the war in Ukraine, human rights or other issues between the two sides. China has been accused of running a state-sponsored forced-labor program in Xinjiang under the guise of poverty alleviation efforts, sending as
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