The European Parliament’s Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the EU (INGE) is to send a delegation to Taiwan next month with the aim of exchanging experiences in countering false information and Internet interference by China, sources said.
Concerned about information security, the European Parliament on Oct. 6 voted to adopt a report on the state of the EU’s cyberdefense capabilities, urging the EU and its member states to further develop their comprehensive cybersecurity measures and defense policies to improve their resilience and mutual coordination.
The report also called on EU member states to step up cooperation with Taiwan, Australia, India, Japan, South Korea and the US, as well as other like-minded democracies in the Indo-Pacific region, and to share their knowledge and experiences to respond to cyberthreats together.
Photo: Reuters
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it did not have information on the INGE’s reported plans to send a delegation to Taiwan, but added that it would work with relevant EU institutions, such as the European Parliament, to develop mutually beneficial ties.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament is scheduled on Wednesday to vote on a report on Taiwan-EU political relations and cooperation.
The report supports deepening political relations with Taiwan, as well as increasing the nation’s participation in the international arena.
If passed, it would mark an important milestone in Europe’s support of Taiwan’s democracy.
Separately on Wednesday, National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) is to lead a delegation focused on trade and investment to Slovakia, Lithuania and the Czech Republic, while Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) is expected to visit Prague later this month to attend a conference at the invitation of the Czech Senate.
Lithuanian lawmaker Matas Maldeikis, chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Relations With Taiwan, is also to lead a delegation to the nation in December at the invitation of Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉), who is head of the parliamentary friendship group between Taiwan and the Baltic states.
Maldeikis said in a recent interview that he specifically invited members of Lithuania’s parliament with different political stances, including members of the opposition, to join the trip so that they could see for themselves how Taiwan and Lithuania could benefit from cooperating with one another.
His dream is to find a niche for Lithuania’s businesses to cooperate with Taiwan, and to have the total amount of bilateral trade and investment between the nations surpass that of Lithuania and China, he said.
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
RSS