The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin for disparaging Taiwan’s sovereignty by saying that Taiwan issues are “China’s internal affairs.”
The ministry strongly condemned Putin’s “false” remarks that “undermined the sovereignty of the Republic of China,” ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) told a news briefing.
Xinhua news agency cited Putin as telling Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a telephone call on Wednesday that Russia opposed any interference from external forces in China’s internal affairs, such as in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Screengrab from the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s virtual news conference
Ou said that Taiwanese elect their government in free and fair elections, adding that only the government in Taipei can represent Taiwan.
Beijing’s irredentist claims only cause resentment among Taiwanese, she said.
In the face of Beijing’s long-term threats to Taiwan, the government and the public are determined to fight Chinese intimidation, Ou said, adding that their determination is based on the belief that “God helps those who help themselves.”
The government will continue to strengthen Taiwan’s ties with like-minded democratic nations to solicit their support, she added.
By safeguarding freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, Taiwan makes significant contributions to the development and stability of the global economy, she said, calling it a powerful tool to counter China’s authoritarian expansion.
The government will keep boosting Taiwan’s self-defense and asymmetric warfare capabilities, deepening its ties with the US to safeguard a rules-based international order, and promoting peace, stability and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region, she said.
The ministry also thanked the US for reiterating that it would ensure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and deter aggression.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the remarks in an interview with the US’ Public Broadcasting Service on Tuesday.
He said that China has over the past decade been “acting more repressively at home and more aggressively abroad,” including through actions against Taiwan, which are “potentially dangerous and destabilizing.”
He urged China to take into consideration the response that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provoked from countries around the world.
Moreover, the US has promised Taiwan’s safety under its Taiwan Relations Act, Blinken said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Nvidia Corp yesterday unveiled its new high-speed interconnect technology, NVLink Fusion, with Taiwanese application-specific IC (ASIC) designers Alchip Technologies Ltd (世芯) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) among the first to adopt the technology to help build semi-custom artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for hyperscalers. Nvidia has opened its technology to outside users, as hyperscalers and cloud service providers are building their own cost-effective AI chips, or accelerators, used in AI servers by leveraging ASIC firms’ designing capabilities to reduce their dependence on Nvidia. Previously, NVLink technology was only available for Nvidia’s own AI platform. “NVLink Fusion opens Nvidia’s AI platform and rich ecosystem for
‘WORLD’S LOSS’: Taiwan’s exclusion robs the world of the benefits it could get from one of the foremost practitioners of disease prevention and public health, Minister Chiu said Taiwan should be allowed to join the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an irreplaceable contributor to global health and disease prevention efforts, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. He made the comment at a news conference in Taipei, hours before a Taiwanese delegation was to depart for Geneva, Switzerland, seeking to meet with foreign representatives for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the WHA, the WHO’s annual decisionmaking meeting, which would be held from Monday next week to May 27. As of yesterday, Taiwan had yet to receive an invitation. Taiwan has much to offer to the international community’s
CAUSE AND EFFECT: China’s policies prompted the US to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific, and Beijing should consider if this outcome is in its best interests, Lai said China has been escalating its military and political pressure on Taiwan for many years, but should reflect on this strategy and think about what is really in its best interest, President William Lai (賴清德) said. Lai made the remark in a YouTube interview with Mindi World News that was broadcast on Saturday, ahead of the first anniversary of his presidential inauguration tomorrow. The US has clearly stated that China is its biggest challenge and threat, with US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth repeatedly saying that the US should increase its forces in the Indo-Pacific region
ALL TOGETHER: Only by including Taiwan can the WHA fully exemplify its commitment to ‘One World for Health,’ the representative offices of eight nations in Taiwan said The representative offices in Taiwan of eight nations yesterday issued a joint statement reiterating their support for Taiwan’s meaningful engagement with the WHO and for Taipei’s participation as an observer at the World Health Assembly (WHA). The joint statement came as Taiwan has not received an invitation to this year’s WHA, which started yesterday and runs until Tuesday next week. This year’s meeting of the decisionmaking body of the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, would be the ninth consecutive year Taiwan has been excluded. The eight offices, which reaffirmed their support for Taiwan, are the British Office Taipei, the Australian Office Taipei, the
RSS