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
The combined effect of the monsoon, the outer rim of Typhoon Fengshen and a low-pressure system is expected to bring significant rainfall this week to various parts of the nation, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The heaviest rain is expected to occur today and tomorrow, with torrential rain expected in Keelung’s north coast, Yilan and the mountainous regions of Taipei and New Taipei City, the CWA said. Rivers could rise rapidly, and residents should stay away from riverbanks and avoid going to the mountains or engaging in water activities, it said. Scattered showers are expected today in central and
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
COOPERATION: Taiwan is aligning closely with US strategic objectives on various matters, including China’s rare earths restrictions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan could deal with China’s tightened export controls on rare earth metals by turning to “urban mining,” a researcher said yesterday. Rare earth metals, which are used in semiconductors and other electronic components, could be recovered from industrial or electronic waste to reduce reliance on imports, National Cheng Kung University Department of Resources Engineering professor Lee Cheng-han (李政翰) said. Despite their name, rare earth elements are not actually rare — their abundance in the Earth’s crust is relatively high, but they are dispersed, making extraction and refining energy-intensive and environmentally damaging, he said, adding that many countries have opted to
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
RSS