Taiwan is looking to play a “crucial” role in the development of the Indo-Pacific region in the post-COVID-19 era, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at the opening of the two-day Yushan Forum in Taipei.
Taiwan can be “a crucial actor” by assisting in regional and global economic recovery, and contributing to efforts to restructure supply chains, Tsai said.
“While Taiwan stands on the front line of authoritarian expansion, our resilient economy and industrial supply chain remain a vital part of the regional ecosystem,” she said.
Photo: Ann Wang, REUTERS
Tsai pledged to place more emphasis on the government’s New Southbound Policy, an initiative her administration launched in 2016 aimed at expanding economic, cultural and political ties with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
The policy is to be Taiwan’s “pivotal regional policy for Asia” as it works to “bolster our security and economic ties with partners across the region,” Tsai said.
The government would integrate Taiwan’s capacity in high-tech industries with the policy to promote “a digital New Southbound initiative,” she said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Taiwan’s enterprises have significantly increased their investment in the 18 countries included in the policy over the past six years, with investment from Taiwan in those countries reaching US$2.2 billion from January to July, Tsai said.
In the first quarter of this year, profits from investments in those 18 countries by listed Taiwanese companies surpassed profits from investment in China by the same companies for the first time, she said.
Former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso said in pre-recorded remarks that he felt a sense of responsibility to further strengthen the relationship between Taiwan and Japan after the passing of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Aso also condemned Russia for “military aggression” against Ukraine, saying that attempts to unilaterally change the “status quo” by force are “not permitted anywhere in the world.”
Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya said that like-minded countries should work together to prevent a crisis in the Taiwan Strait, while expressing concern over China’s growing military pressure on Taiwan.
“A contingency in Taiwan means a contingency for Japan and a contingency for countries that share common values of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and basic human rights,” said Furuya, who is chairman of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council, a 270-member group dedicated to promoting ties between Japan and Taiwan.
Furuya also announced that the second Taiwan-US-Japan strategic forum for lawmakers would be held next month, following the first edition in July last year.
Speaking virtually during a forum luncheon, former Australian minister for foreign affairs Julie Bishop called on all countries to forge closer ties with Taiwan, describing the nation as a force for good and stability in a rapidly changing world.
Bishop, who was her country’s top diplomat from 2013 to 2018, lauded Taiwan for playing an important role in supporting many Pacific nations that have deep ties with Australia, referring to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the region: the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu.
“I know there remains great affection and appreciation for the people of Taiwan among those Pacific island nations,” said Bishop, who has been the chancellor of Australian National University since January 2020.
However, with the rise of Chinese influence in many Pacific nations through Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, Bishop said there has been a “contest of ideas.”
Bishop said that multilateralism “fails the world,” with Russia and China being permanent members of the UN Security Council, giving them veto rights.
She called on like-minded partners to work in “smaller groupings” to protect common interests.
She proposed that smaller members of the global community such as Taiwan and Australia develop policies to influence other nations and institutions through a supportive multilateral system.
The sixth edition of the Yushan Forum features speeches and panel discussions by former government officials, lawmakers, academics, business leaders and representatives of civic groups from 12 countries, said the event’s organizer, the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation.
Also attending the forum are Rose Gottemoeller, a former NATO deputy secretary-general and US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, and Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, among others.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique