The US' de facto ambassador yesterday again urged the legislature to pass the long-delayed arms procurement package, saying the US is increasingly frustrated over excessive partisanship becoming an obstacle to Taiwan's security.
"The time has come for all political parties to realize that security is too important to be treated in this fashion," American Institute in Taiwan Director Stephen Young said.
The US wants to see cross-strait differences resolved peacefully and for that to happen Taiwan must be in a position to defend itself, Young said.
Young said that the US government has been loyal in providing the tools for Taiwan's defense and honest in its suggestion about Taiwan's needs.
"We have been very patient. Let me now be straightforward," he said.
Young made the remarks last night while speaking to members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei at an annual dinner, attended by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and other top officials.
Chen reiterated his pledge to the US government, saying Taiwan is well aware of where the US interest lies and Taiwan's advantages and constraints.
"For peace in the Taiwan Strait and regional prosperity, Taiwan will not only keep its promise to enhance its self-defense capabilities but also uphold its pledges to maintain the peaceful status quo in the Taiwan Strait," he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday made public its schedule of military exercises for the year.
The ministry said that the nation's largest annual drill, the "Han Kuang" (Han Glory) series of exercises, would be held next month and would last four weeks. Also next month, joint operations exercises invloving the air force, navy and army will be held. Similar exercises will be held in May, August, October and December.
An air-raid drill will likely be held in May. A material preparedness exercise will be held sometime during the next two months.
Also in May, the military will hold a joint air force-navy exercise, conducting a similar operation again in December. The air force's missile units will have an annual exercise in May.
Army and marine missile units will conduct exercises in May and November, while the navy will have missile exercises in May and September. The army will also conduct its annual airborne training exercises in May.
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
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US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
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