Foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will be invited this year to establish branches in Taiwan in a bid to turn the nation into a hub for NGOs in the Asia-Pacific region, the Ministry of Culture said in a report that it is to present to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today.
Active participation in international organizations can help Taiwan become an important hub for international cultural exchanges, the ministry said.
The ministry is to cohost international exchanges with foreign cultural institutions and organizations, develop platforms for arts and cultural performances, and strive to host international conferences in Taiwan, the report said.
The ministry plans to bolster the government’s role as a resource platform, support and assist domestic arts and cultural agencies, NGOs, think tanks and others in establishing connections with the international community and facilitate the promotion of Taiwanese culture to the world, it said.
The ministry said it has been working with the French Office in Taipei on the matter.
Last year, it sponsored the start-up PAIX Inc’s (明日逸品) attendance at the Living Lab event hosted by French start-up accelerator The Bridge in Avignon, France, the ministry said.
It has also helped students from Taiwanese-French cultural workshops pursue internships at French art festivals and arts and cultural institutions, it added.
To promote cultural exchanges with nations targeted by the government’s New Southbound Policy, the ministry in July last year established a cultural division under the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Thailand, it said.
The ministry’s efforts are in contrast to Beijing’s tightening of regulations on foreign NGOs with branches in that country.
On Jan. 1 last year, a regulation governing the activities of foreign NGOs in China went into effect.
It requires foreign NGOs to establish a representative office and register with public security agencies.
The regulation states that the agencies would conduct annual inspections and would be responsible for “investigating and punishing illegal behavior by foreign NGOs and their representative offices.”
If a foreign NGO were found to have violated the regulations, China’s Ministry of Public Security can place it on an “unwelcome list” and prohibit it from establishing a representative office or carrying out activities in China, the regulation states.
The regulation has caused some NGOs to leave the country, foreign media have reported.
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session yesterday while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival- threatening
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land