A visiting Finnish delegation yesterday condemned Chinese aggression and said the European nation hoped to improve economic ties with Taiwan.
Finnish Parliamentary Taiwan Friendship Group Chair Mikko Karna and Finnish lawmaker Tom Packalen met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office yesterday morning.
Karna said it was an honor to be invited to Taiwan, adding that their trip so far has been “interesting and productive,” as they learned more about Taiwan’s economic strengths and the security situation across the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: CNA
The pair arrived on Sunday and are scheduled to leave tomorrow.
Finland should build more ties with Taiwan, especially economic ones, as “Taiwan is a significant economic actor here in East Asia,” Karna said.
“Taiwan’s expertise, especially in semiconductors, is highly appreciated,” he said, adding that Finland welcomes cooperation in the fields of science, technology, education and culture.
He underlined Finland’s support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, as it is crucial to issues regarding health, security, and the well-being of Taiwanese and the region.
Karna also thanked Taiwan for delivering masks to Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bonds of friendship become stronger as the security environment becomes more dangerous, he said, citing the example of the US voicing support for Taiwan.
“Where there was strategic ambiguity before, there is now strategic clarity,” he said.
Finland and Taiwan share the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law and equality, which are “not always respected by big neighbors,” Karna said.
The two countries are “small, but smart partners” that can contribute greatly to international development, he said.
“We must together condemn China’s aggression toward Taiwan. Taiwan has the right to decide its own future,” he added.
Tsai said the delegation’s visit is “highly meaningful for the deepening of bilateral relations between Taiwan and Finland.”
The international community has been paying greater attention to Taiwan-related issues over the past few years, she said.
The 27-member Finnish friendship group is one of the most robust groups in the Finnish parliament, she said, thanking the group for improving bilateral relations and supporting Taiwan’s international participation.
Karna has voiced support for Taiwan numerous times on social media, showing a friendship “we truly value,” she added.
There has been significant progress in exchanges between the two countries in all domains, with bilateral trade growing 30 percent in 2021 from the previous year, she said.
Taiwan and Finland held their seventh bilateral trade talks in Taipei in December, discussing green energy transition, energy resources and digitalization.
The two sides will continue to boost industrial cooperation and deepen exchanges to strengthen democratic resilience, Tsai said.
In the face of the continuing expansion of authoritarianism, international democratic partners should work together to “safeguard regional prosperity, supply chain security, and the values of freedom and democracy,” she added.
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
WARNING: From Jan. 1 last year to the end of last month, 89 Taiwanese have gone missing or been detained in China, the MAC said, urging people to carefully consider travel to China Lax enforcement had made virtually moot regulations banning civil servants from making unauthorized visits to China, the Control Yuan said yesterday. Several agencies allowed personnel to travel to China after they submitted explanations for the trip written using artificial intelligence or provided no reason at all, the Control Yuan said in a statement, following an investigation headed by Control Yuan member Lin Wen-cheng (林文程). The probe identified 318 civil servants who traveled to China without permission in the past 10 years, but the true number could be close to 1,000, the Control Yuan said. The public employees investigated were not engaged in national
The zero emissions ship Porrima P111 was launched yesterday in Kaohsiung, showcasing the nation’s advancement in green technology, city Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. The nation last year acquired the Swiss-owned vessel, formerly known as Turanor PlanetSolar, in a bid to boost Taiwan’s technology sector, as well as ecotourism in Palau, Chen said at the ship’s launch ceremony at Singda Harbor. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also attended the event. The original vessel was the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe in a voyage from 2010 to 2012. Taiwan-based Porrima Inc (保利馬) installed upgrades with
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese