Dignitaries from 47 countries yesterday congratulated President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on the commencement of her second term and highlighted Taiwan’s achievements in democracy and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent his congratulations a day earlier.
As of noon yesterday, 263 high-ranking officials from 47 countries and global organizations had congratulated Tsai via statements, letters, social media posts or recorded footage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, while releasing a collection of footage sent by selected dignitaries.
The governments of Taiwan’s 15 diplomatic allies sent their congratulations, as did the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, the US, the UK, the European Parliament, the Central American Integration System and others, the ministry said.
Photo: CNA
In a prepared video, US Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger, speaking in Mandarin, said that Taiwan shows the world that free and open democracies are universal values, not just American or Western.
Commending Taiwan’s success in containing the pandemic, Pottinger said that the US would continue to press other countries and organizations, such as the WHO, to put human lives above politics and to choose freedom over repression.
“We look forward to working closely with Taiwan across the full range of economic, cultural, educational, security and other types of cooperative activities where we have so many common interests and values,” he added.
“Madam president, under your leadership, the United States and Taiwan have deepened our strong partnership. We applaud your commitment to maintaining cross-strait stability in the face of unrelenting pressure,” US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell said.
Their remarks came on the heels of Pompeo’s statement released on Tuesday.
“I would like to congratulate Dr Tsai Ing-wen on the commencement of her second term as Taiwan’s President... Her courage and vision in leading Taiwan’s vibrant democracy is an inspiration to the region and the world,” Pompeo said.
“The United States has long considered Taiwan a force for good in the world and a reliable partner. Support for Taiwan in the United States is bipartisan and unanimous,” he said, referring to the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act, US legislation promoting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
“We have a shared vision for the region — one that includes rule of law, transparency, prosperity, and security for all. The recent COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for the international community to see why Taiwan’s pandemic-response model is worthy of emulation,” he said.
This is the first time that a US secretary of state has issued a statement to congratulate Taiwan’s president on their inauguration, the ministry said.
China slammed the US for its “dangerous” decision to congratulate Tsai.
“It is extremely wrong, and it’s also very dangerous,” the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “extremely indignant” at the message and accused Washington of breaching its diplomatic commitments.
Meanwhile, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi said in a footage: “I pray for the peace, well-being and prosperity of Taiwan.”
On the association’s post on Facebook, he also praised Taiwan’s success in containing the novel coronavirus, and thanked Taiwan for donating masks and offering assistance.
“You are a beacon of democracy in Asia, and we as the German Bundestag appreciate that very much,” said Klaus-Peter Willsch, chairman of the German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group.
“Taiwan still is a country for freedom and progress and happiness. You [Tsai] have done a very good job. Keep up the good work,” Danish Parliament Deputy Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard said.
Pope Francis congratulated Tsai in a written letter, the ministry said, but added that it could not share the diplomatic document from the nation’s only diplomatic ally in Europe.
Leaders from the nation’s other 14 allies also expressed their congratulations in recorded video clips.
“Under the leadership of President Tsai, we have developed even closer relations, people-to-people bonds,” Saint Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said. “The people in this country love her in the same way that the people of Taiwan [do].”
Additional reporting AFP
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
SILENCING CRITICS: In addition to blocking Taiwan, China aimed to prevent rights activists from speaking out against authoritarian states, a Cabinet department said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned transnational repression by Beijing after RightsCon, a major digital human rights conference scheduled to be held in Zambia this week, was abruptly canceled due to Chinese pressure over Taiwanese participation. This year’s RightsCon, the world’s largest conference discussing issues “at the intersection of human rights and technology,” was scheduled to take place from tomorrow to Friday in Lusaka, and expected to draw 2,600 in-person attendees from 150 countries, along with 1,100 online participants. However, organizers were forced to cancel the event due to behind-the-scenes pressure from China, the ministry said, expressing its “strongest condemnation”
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
Taiwan’s economy grew far faster than expected in the first quarter, as booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications drove a surge in exports, spilling over into investment and consumption, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. GDP growth was 13.69 percent year-on-year during the January-to-March period, beating the DGBAS’ February forecast by 2.23 percentage points and marking the most robust growth in nearly four decades, DGBAS senior official Chiang Hsin-yi (江心怡) told a news conference in Taipei. The result was powered by exports, which remain the backbone of Taiwan’s economy, Chiang said. Outbound shipments jumped 51.12 percent year-on-year to
RSS