A delegation led by Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova yesterday arrived for a five-day visit, which is expected to include the signing of a joint statement of legislative cooperation.
A signing ceremony for the statement — which would be the first the legislature has inked with the legislative body of a country with which Taiwan does not have official diplomatic ties — is expected to take place on Wednesday, sources said.
They added that Adamova is to address the legislature on Tuesday, which would also be the first time a female leader of a legislature of a country with no formal ties with Taiwan has done so.
Photo: CNA
The joint statement is to include an agreement to exchange administrative staff for training and formalize representative groups from the legislatures to visit each other, the sources said.
Based on the mutual recognition of the universal values of freedom, democracy and human rights, the legislatures would also agree to foster collaborations across multiple fields to deepen Taiwan-Czech relations and to uphold the principles of democratic countries remaining united and friendly with each other, the sources said.
In addition to maintaining cordial relations, both sides would pledge to work together on the economy, science, technology, culture and education.
The legislatures are to agree to share information in fields that would be mutually beneficial, and both countries would trade know-how on national budget issues and matters such as the use of innovative communication technologies, the sources said.
In addition to providing opportunities for administrative staff from the legislatures to participate in exchange programs to learn from each other, the legislatures are to establish regular or intermittent group visits by lawmakers.
Legislative Speaker You Si-kun and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) greeted the delegation of nearly 150 members at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport).
Presidential Office spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka yesterday said the government welcomes the delegation, adding that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would meet with them tomorrow afternoon to exchange opinions on trade and industry collaboration.
Yu is to accompany Adamova on four out of the five days to highlight the importance Taiwan attaches to the visit, a source said.
The delegation includes Czech Chamber of Deputies Committee of Foreign Affairs Chairman Marek Zenisek, Committee on Safety Chairman Pavel Zacek, Czech-Taiwan Friendship Group Chairman Marek Benda and lawmaker Ivan Jac, as well as Czech senators Marek Vyborny and Ondrej Lochman.
The delegation also includes other Czech senators, government officials and representatives from government agencies.
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),
RESILIENCE: Deepening bilateral cooperation would extend the peace sustained over the 45 years since the Taiwan Relations Act, Greene said Taiwan-US relations are built on deep economic ties and shared values, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday, adding that strengthening supply chain security in critical industries, enhancing societal resilience through cooperation and deepening partnerships are key to ensuring peace and stability for Taiwan in the years ahead. Greene made the remarks at the National Security Youth Forum, organized by National Taiwan University’s National Security and Strategy Studies Institution in Taipei. In his address in Mandarin Chinese, Greene said the Taiwan-US relationship is built on deep economic ties and shared interests, and grows stronger through the enduring friendship between
CAUTION URGED: Xiaohongshu and Douyin — the Chinese version of TikTok — are tools the Chinese government uses for its ‘united front’ propaganda, the MAC said Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) yesterday urged people who use Chinese social media platforms to be cautious of being influenced by Beijing’s “united front” propaganda and undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty. Chiu made the remarks in response to queries about Chinese academic Zhang Weiwei (張維為) saying that as young Taiwanese are fond of interacting on Chinese app Xiaohongshu (小紅書, known as RedNote in English), “after unification with China, it would be easier to govern Taiwan than Hong Kong.” Zhang is professor of international relations at Shanghai’s Fudan University and director of its China Institute. When giving a speech at China’s Wuhan
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said that it would redesign the written portion of the driver’s license exam to make it more rigorous. “We hope that the exam can assess drivers’ understanding of traffic rules, particularly those who take the driver’s license test for the first time. In the past, drivers only needed to cram a book of test questions to pass the written exam,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told a news conference at the Taoyuan Motor Vehicle Office. “In the future, they would not be able to pass the test unless they study traffic regulations