Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃), who has invited Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil to address the Legislative Yuan during his visit to Taiwan, yesterday said he would convene cross-caucus negotiations to encourage lawmakers of all parties to attend.
You said on the sidelines of an event in Changhua County that he has invited Vystrcil to give a speech before lawmakers in the legislative chamber, and expects him to visit the Legislative Yuan on Sept. 1.
At You’s invitation, a Czech delegation is to visit Taiwan from Aug. 30 to Sept. 4, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday, while Vystrcil on Tuesday said that the delegation would comprise nearly 90 members, most of them business representatives.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
To encourage lawmakers of different parties to attend the speech, You added that he would soon convene a meeting of opposition caucuses.
You said that he admired the Czech delegation for visiting Taiwan despite pressure from Beijing.
While there is a tug-of-war between pursuing democratic ideals and economic benefits, the visit planned by the delegation shows that they place more emphasis on ideals, he said.
Photo: Huang Hsin-po, Taipei Times
Taiwan should demonstrate its hospitality and make the visitors feel at home, he said, adding that the Legislative Yuan would enforce disease prevention measures and practice proper international etiquette when receiving the delegation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was on Friday interviewed by Czech Television, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Taiwan and the Czech Republic maintain close trade ties and the European nation is the fourth-largest destination in the eurozone for Taiwanese investment, Wu said in the interview.
Taiwanese machine tools as well as information and communications technology are potential areas of collaboration, he said, adding that he expects bilateral trade to expand after the delegation’s visit.
Asked about the significance of US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar’s visit last week, Wu said that Azar was the highest-level US official to visit Taiwan in 41 years and that his visit shows closer Taiwan-US ties.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave a speech at the Czech Senate, he said, adding that Taiwan, the Czech Republic and the US share the core values of democracy and freedom.
Taiwan is glad to see like-minded countries continue to deepen relations, he said.
Asked about cross-strait relations, Wu said that Taiwan is a sovereign nation with its own presidential elections, legislature, diplomatic relations and defense systems, as well as freedom of the press, but China continues to use its military to threaten Taiwan.
Taiwan, on the front line of Chinese authoritarianism, would continue to defend itself and curb the spread of authoritarianism, Wu said, adding that he believes the international community would continue to lend support to Taiwan.
At the end of the interview, Wu showed a mask made for the Czech visitors that bears the national flags of Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
It represents how COVID-19 has not affected the friendship between the two nations and that Taiwan takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard the delegation members from the virus during their visit, the ministry said.
AIR DEFENSE: The Norwegian missile system has proved highly effective in Ukraine in its war against Russia, and the US has recommended it for Taiwan, an expert said The Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) Taiwan ordered from the US would be installed in strategically important positions in Taipei and New Taipei City to guard the region, the Ministry of National Defense said in statement yesterday. The air defense system would be deployed in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the ministry said, adding that the systems could be delivered as soon as the end of this year. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has previously said that three NASAMS would be sold to Taiwan. The weapons are part of the 17th US arms sale to
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
BREAKTHROUGH: The US is making chips on par in yield and quality with Taiwan, despite people saying that it could not happen, the official said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has begun producing advanced 4-nanometer (nm) chips for US customers in Arizona, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, a milestone in the semiconductor efforts of the administration of US President Joe Biden. In November last year, the commerce department finalized a US$6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s US unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. “For the first time ever in our country’s history, we are making leading edge 4-nanometer chips on American soil, American workers — on par in yield and quality with Taiwan,” Raimondo said, adding that production had begun in recent
RSS