Details have not yet been finalized regarding a planned visit by US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA) Andrew Wheeler next month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday told reporters Wheeler would discuss international and environmental issues.
“Taiwan-US exchanges keep warming up... We are glad to see it and we believe it will make bilateral relations better,” Su said.
Photo: AP
Wheeler was invited to Taiwan in December last year by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) to discuss international cooperation on environmental issues, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said.
Ou made the remarks after a report on Thursday by the New York Times said that Wheeler is planning a three-day visit to Taiwan to start on Dec. 5, and he would also go to Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Panama in January.
The New York Times cited James Hewitt, a spokesman for Wheeler, as saying that the agency is still working through the logistics and that Wheeler was invited to Taiwan “to collaborate on issues including the Save Our Seas initiative and marine litter, air quality and children’s health.”
It also quoted two people familiar with the matter as saying that the meetings with top officials in Taiwan were “hurriedly cobbled together,” and that there were no stated policy goals for the Latin America trip.
Although representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) on Thursday confirmed Wheeler’s visit, the ministry yesterday said in a statement that it was still finalizing details with the US.
Former US EPA administrator Gina McCarthy visited Taiwan in 2014, and this year US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar visited in September and August respectively, demonstrating the close ties between Taiwan and the US, while complying with the Taiwan Travel Act, Ou said.
The act, passed in 2018 with bipartisan support in the US Congress, allows for high-level visits by Taiwanese and US officials, which Taiwan welcomes, she said.
McCarthy’s visit, under the administration of former US president Barack Obama, fostered bilateral cooperation in promoting environmental education, and improving electronic waste management and air pollution controls under the International Environmental Partnership framework, Ou said.
The nations look forward to boosting cooperation in tackling marine waste and improving regional air quality, she added.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) yesterday also welcomed high-ranking visits from the US.
Regarding the quarantine plan for Wheeler’s delegation, Central Epidemic Command Center spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said the matter should first be explained by the foreign ministry and that the center would assist with disease prevention plans.
China yesterday said it “resolutely opposes any form of official exchanges between the US and Taiwan.”
“China will make a necessary and legitimate reaction,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) told reporters.
Additional reporting by AFP
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
RSS