A delegation of Taiwanese legislators was on Tuesday welcomed at the Dutch House of Representatives for the first time in history, where they exchanged views with members.
The meeting was “historic,” said Dutch lawmaker Rudmer Heerema, who hosted the delegation, comprising Democratic Progressive Party legislators Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉), Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) and Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應).
The Taipei Representative Office in the Netherlands said that the Dutch parliament made an exception in arranging the meeting, as it does not usually host foreign visitors during a voting session.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Representative Office in the Netherlands via CNA
Heerema, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and seven other Dutch lawmakers from across party lines showed interest in a wide range of issues related to Taiwan’s political and economic situation during the meeting, a video of the meeting showed.
They asked about the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war for Taiwan, relations across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan’s ties with other nations in the Indo-Pacific region, and opportunities for cooperation between Taiwan and the Netherlands in the technology and semiconductor sectors, the video showed.
On the Taiwan-China issue, the Taiwanese legislators said it was important for the two sides to negotiate on an equal footing, and it was also necessary for Taiwan to build up its defensive capabilities to help avoid war.
If a democratic alliance can effectively resist Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, China would see it and not dare start a war in the Asia-Pacific region, Tsai said.
Chiu thanked the Dutch parliament for adopting six motions since 2019 that expressed support for Taiwan.
The motions included backing Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, Interpol and the International Civil Aviation Organization — organizations that do not include Taiwan because of Beijing’s objections.
Another motion urged the Dutch government to openly express its opposition to China unilaterally changing the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or
RSS