Taiwan is striving to improve its self-defense against the hybrid warfare waged by China over cross-strait issues, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said when meeting delegates of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) at the Taipei Guest House yesterday.
Taiwan is honored by the IPAC delegation’s presence at the Taipei Guest House, a place that has witnessed the nation’s history from the Japanese occupation and the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) single-party rule to today’s liberal and open democratic society, she said.
Hsiao said she expected to hear the opinions of the delegates and exchange ideas about important values shared among almost all their nations, such as democracy and peace.
Photo: screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr account
Taiwan is facing great geopolitical challenges, as Beijing has expedited its military expansion and engaged in ongoing military activities and hybrid warfare over cross-strait issues, she said.
The IPAC delegation has arrived at a crucial moment as Taiwan is striving to enhance its self-defense, as well as its democratic, social and economic resilience, she added.
On behalf of the IPAC delegation, Japaneses Diet member Yasue Funayama delivered an address at the meeting, but her remarks were not made public.
The IPAC, which consists of hundreds of lawmakers from 35 nations concerned about China’s threat to global democracy, is holding its annual summit in Taipei today and tomorrow, with 48 lawmakers from 24 nations across five continents set to participate.
“Cross-strait stability will be at the top of the agenda, with high level contributions from the Taiwanese government and world-leading experts,” the IPAC said in a statement. “It will be the largest parliamentary delegation ever to visit Taiwan in an institutional capacity.”
Legislators from the Democratic Progressive Party and Taiwan People’s Party would also be attending this year’s summit.
DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) yesterday called on her KMT counterparts to attend the Taipei summit to show that parties from across the political spectrum are willing to “make friends” with lawmakers from around the globe.
In response, KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) said the KMT would “not obstruct” its members who want to attend the summit.
The IPAC released a statement on Sunday condemning China for allegedly pressuring its members not to fly to Taiwan to attend the summit.
The members were contacted by the Chinese embassies in their respective nations as part of a “clear attempt to intimidate and dissuade” them from traveling to Taiwan.
Formed in 2020, the IPAC has more than 250 members from 35 legislatures and the European Parliament. It is an international, cross-party alliance of lawmakers from democratic nations focused on relations with China.
The Central Election Commission has amended election and recall regulations to require elected office candidates to provide proof that they have no Chinese citizenship, a Cabinet report said. The commission on Oct. 29 last year revised the Measures for the Permission of Family-based Residence, Long-term Residence and Settlement of People from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民在台灣地區依親居留長期居留或定居許可辦法), the Executive Yuan said in a report it submitted to the legislature for review. The revision requires Chinese citizens applying for permanent residency to submit notarial documents showing that they have lost their Chinese household record and have renounced — or have never
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 12:37pm today, with clear shaking felt across much of northern Taiwan. There were no immediate reports of damage. The epicenter of the quake was 16.9km east-southeast of Yilan County Hall offshore at a depth of 66.8km, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. The maximum intensity registered at a 4 in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳) on Taiwan’s seven-tier scale. Other parts of Yilan, as well as certain areas of Hualien County, Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Taichung and Miaoli County, recorded intensities of 3. Residents of Yilan County and Taipei received
Taiwan has secured another breakthrough in fruit exports, with jujubes, dragon fruit and lychees approved for shipment to the EU, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency on Thursday received formal notification of the approval from the EU, the ministry said, adding that the decision was expected to expand Taiwanese fruit producers’ access to high-end European markets. Taiwan exported 126 tonnes of lychees last year, valued at US$1.48 million, with Japan accounting for 102 tonnes. Other export destinations included New Zealand, Hong Kong, the US and Australia, ministry data showed. Jujube exports totaled 103 tonnes, valued at
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalization, just behind Amazon.com Inc. The site CompaniesMarketcap.com ranked TSMC ahead of Saudi Aramco and Meta Platforms Inc. The Taiwanese company’s ADRs on Tuesday surged to US$385.75 on the New York Stock Exchange, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications led to chip supply constraints and boost revenue growth to record-breaking levels. Each TSMC ADR represents
RSS