President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday announced that she had once again tapped Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) to represent her at the APEC leaders’ summit next month.
It is the second straight year that Chang is to go to the annual summit, which is to take place in Santiago, Chile, on Nov. 16 and 17.
Chang also represented Taiwan at the 2006 summit as then-president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) representative.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Chang, 88, is the former chairman of TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker. He retired on June 5 last year after more than three decades at the company’s helm.
Tsai told a news conference at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei that she chose Chang as her representative, because of his respected status in the international arena and in-depth knowledge of the evolution and development of the nation’s technology sector.
Tsai said she has given Chang and the APEC delegation two major tasks. The first is to share Taiwan’s views on how to strengthen international economic integration in the digital era.
The president said she wants Chang to tell the gathering of the nation’s resolve and accomplishments in promoting a digital society and smart nation policies over the past few years.
The second is to make known Taiwan’s dedication to promoting inclusive and sustainable growth, and joining other economies to boost economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region in an inclusive and sustainable way, Tsai said.
APEC is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and the emergence of the Internet has drastically changed the economy and people’s way of life over the past three decades, Chang said.
He said he would discuss how to fully utilize the digital economy to advance people’s welfare and solve problems, as the digital economy has also caused negative social effects, such as more severe unemployment and wealth inequality.
Chang met US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of last year’s APEC summit in Papua New Guinea for talks on free trade.
It was the highest-level talks between leaders from Taiwan and the US at an APEC event.
At the 2006 summit in Hanoi, Chang was greeted by then-US president George W. Bush at the summit, who said: “I know who you are.”
Taiwan joined the regional economic forum in 1991, two years after its establishment.
However, Taiwan’s president cannot attend the APEC leaders summit, due to the group’s “one China” position.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
RSS