The Virginia General Assembly has voted in support of a proposal to open a trade office in Taiwan.
“Touched and thankful to learn of the bipartisan Virginia General Assembly House vote today, 99-0, supporting an analysis to open a Trade Office in Taiwan,” Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “I believe such an office will add momentum to deepening trade and economic ties.”
The general assembly’s upper house, the Senate of Virginia, earlier this month supported opening an office in Taiwan to promote economic and trade developments.
Photo: AFP
During a visit to Richmond, Virginia, on Friday, Hsiao also expressed gratitude to the lawmakers for supporting Taiwan’s democracy and forming the Virginia Taiwan Friendship Caucus.
“Grateful that state legislators are organizing a Virginia Taiwan friendship caucus as a platform for continuing friendship and support,” Hsiao wrote on Twitter on Friday.
The friendship caucus, which is cochaired by Virginia senators Bryce Reeves and Scott Surovell, and state delagates A.C. Cordoza and Suhas Subramanyam, is the second of its kind in the US following one previously established by the Delaware General Assembly.
Photo: CNA
In other developments, a bipartisan US congressional delegation arrived in Taiwan yesterday for five days.
While visiting, they are to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and senior government officials to discuss ways to enhance security cooperation and economic and trade ties, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The delegation of US representatives comprises Democrats Ro Khanna, Jake Auchincloss and Jonathan Jackson, and Republican Tony Gonzales, the ministry said in a news release.
Upon their arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the four were welcomed by Douglas Hsu (徐佑典), head of the ministry’s North American Affairs Department, it said.
The delegation is also to meet with local business representatives to discuss cooperation in the fields of business and technology, the ministry said.
The US congressional delegation is the second to visit Taiwan during the US Congress’ current session, following Republican US Senator Todd Young’s visit last month.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
CHIP WAR: The new restrictions are expected to cut off China’s access to Taiwan’s technologies, materials and equipment essential to building AI semiconductors Taiwan has blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co (華為) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯), dealing another major blow to the two companies spearheading China’s efforts to develop cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) chip technologies. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ International Trade Administration has included Huawei, SMIC and several of their subsidiaries in an update of its so-called strategic high-tech commodities entity list, the latest version on its Web site showed on Saturday. It did not publicly announce the change. Other entities on the list include organizations such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as well as companies in China, Iran and elsewhere. Local companies need
CRITICISM: It is generally accepted that the Straits Forum is a CCP ‘united front’ platform, and anyone attending should maintain Taiwan’s dignity, the council said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it deeply regrets that former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) echoed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “one China” principle and “united front” tactics by telling the Straits Forum that Taiwanese yearn for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to move toward “peace” and “integration.” The 17th annual Straits Forum yesterday opened in Xiamen, China, and while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local government heads were absent for the first time in 17 years, Ma attended the forum as “former KMT chairperson” and met with Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧). Wang
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors