A project to devise publicity to counter China’s isolation of Taiwan in the international community is under way, with preliminary plans including light-box advertising at international airports and the submission of opinion pieces to international media to convey the government’s stance, a source familiar with the matter said.
Light-box advertising is part of the government’s strategy to promote Taiwan, which is being devised by the National Security Council, while Premier William Lai (賴清德) has instructed the Executive Yuan’s Department of Information Services to mobilize writers to submit opinion pieces to international media to express the government’s stance on China’s bullying of the nation in the international community, the source said.
The project forms part of a stage-one strategy, the specifics of which are being worked out, the source added.
China this year has flown warplanes around Taiwan, poached two of the nation’s diplomatic allies, pressured 44 international airlines into changing the way they refer to Taiwan on their Web sites and revoked Taichung’s right to host the first East Asian Youth Games, which were scheduled for August next year.
Many of Taiwan’s friends in the US, EU and Japanese governments, as well as at think tanks, have said that China’s bullying of Taiwan does not have a high enough profile internationally and that channels to learn about such incidents are lacking, the source said.
On visits to Taiwan, these friends have suggested to the government that it improve the nation’s international promotion channels to underscore the values it embraces, such as democracy and diversity, the source said, adding that the government has acted on the suggestion.
Establishing effective promotion channels are part of bolstering national security, so it is reasonable for the council to undertake the task, the source said.
Last week at an internal Cabinet meeting, Lai ordered personnel to oversee the writing of opinion pieces and have them submitted to international media, such as the Washington Post, whenever the nation faces bullying by China to solicit international support for Taiwan, the source said.
The Executive Yuan would discuss details regarding such submissions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the source added.
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS