A German parliamentary delegation would visit Taiwan in the first week of October, German lawmaker Holger Becker on Monday told visiting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) at the Bundestag in Berlin.
Asked by Fan whether he is worried about possible reprisals from Beijing, such as banning him and his family from entering China, Becker said he is more interested in visiting Taiwan, as “now is the time for democracies to stand together.”
Fan and Lin also met with German officials to exchange views on digital education and governance.
Photo courtesy of Fan Yun
Investing in digital infrastructure and protecting equal rights to education are key parts of Becker’s political platform, Fan said, adding that he is concerned about the harm caused by online hate speech to democracy and individuals.
German news agency DPA separately reported that the Bundestag’s Committee on Human Rights would also send a delegation of eight lawmakers from six political parties to Taiwan at the end of October.
The Formosa Club, a group of Taiwan-friendly lawmakers in Europe, issued a statement on Monday urging China to cease its military intimidation of Taiwan.
The group condemned China for undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, adding that China must not “unilaterally change the status quo by force against the will of the Taiwanese people.”
Lawmakers have the duty and right to travel internationally to support freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, which should not be used as an excuse for provocation, the statement said.
Seventy-nine lawmakers from 28 legislative bodies, including those in Europe and Canada, as well as the European Parliament, vowed to “stand by and support Taiwan” through “regular visits, joint dialogues or cooperation,” it said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the group for speaking out for Taiwan so quickly and encouraged democratic partners to visit the nation to show their support.
The ministry reiterated that like-minded nations around the globe should stand together against China’s irresponsible actions, as “being overlenient would send a wrong message to Beijing and endanger peace across the Taiwan Strait and around the world.”
Separately, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis in an opinion piece published by the UK’s Telegraph newspaper on Monday voiced his support for Taiwan and condemned Chinese aggression.
He called on the world to safeguard global security instead of considering smaller democratic countries “expendable” to appease authoritarian countries in an attempt to avoid conflict.
“Appeasement does not lead to peace,” he said, adding that “the free world cannot and will not allow Taiwan to become a second Ukraine.”
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
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