The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked Washington for promising to involve Taiwan in a planned democracy summit.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that he is committed to having US President Joe Biden’s administration begin talks on a free-trade agreement between the two nations, and invite Taiwan to the Summit for Democracy, which the US plans to host later this year.
During a US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on Wednesday, US Representative Young Kim said that for decades, Taiwan has been an invaluable security and global health partner of the US, and that Taiwan deserves to be included in the WHO.
Photo: Reuters
Kim also urged the Biden administration to include Taiwan in the Summit for Democracy and to begin bilateral negotiations for a free-trade agreement.
Blinken told the hearing that he is “absolutely committed to working on it.”
“Taiwan is a strong democracy, a very strong technological power and a country that can contribute to the world” in areas such as combating the COVID-19 pandemic, Blinken added.
At a news briefing in Taipei, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) thanked Blinken for reiterating the US’ steadfast support for Taiwan.
The government would continue to work closely with the Biden administration to defend democracy, address global health challenges and tackle trade issues, Ou added.
Meanwhile, the ministry said that Taiwan and the US would stay in contact regarding a meeting of top US and China diplomats in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday next week.
The White House on Wednesday announced that Blinken and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan would meet with Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Commission Director Yang Jiechi (楊潔篪) and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅).
The ministry has had discussions with Washington and hopes the US administration would brief Taipei after the meeting with China, Ou said.
Yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and American Institute in Taiwan Director Brent Christensen issued a joint statement on advancing a bilateral partnership on high availability disaster recovery (HADR).
The statement followed a workshop on building resilience to disasters under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, which was opened by Wu, Christensen, Japanese Representative to Taiwan Hiroyasu Izumi and British Representative to Taiwan John Dennis.
The US and Taiwan are embarking on a six-month series of activities, from yesterday — the 10th anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that resulted in the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan — to Sept. 21 — the 22nd anniversary of the 921 Earthquake in Taiwan, the statement said.
“These activities will expand our already robust cooperation in the HADR space, raise public and international awareness about Taiwan’s outsized role in HADR efforts and support activities that foster personal resilience within Taiwan’s communities,” the statement read, adding that Japan and the UK would also be collaborating.
Additional reporting by CNA
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session yesterday while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival- threatening
RSS