The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed delegations and foreign dignitaries set to attend Double Ten National Day celebrations in Taipei this week, adding that the visits highlighted their support for Taiwan and cross-strait peace and stability.
The guests include a delegation of three US lawmakers, and top officials from allies in Latin America and the Caribbean, the ministry said in a news release.
The US delegation, which arrived yesterday, is led by US Representative Debbie Lesko, who is accompanied by US representatives Andy Biggs and Carol Miller. They are to stay until Friday.
Photo: CNA
“The delegation visiting Taiwan during National Day has significant meaning,” MOFA said. “Their visit demonstrates the US Congress’ firm support for Taiwan and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Lesko visited Taiwan in 2016, while the other two members are visiting for the first time, it said.
All three of them have been friendly to Taiwan, signing bills and petitions to support Taiwanese and the nation’s democracy, it said.
The delegation has taken concrete action to support Taiwan, which faces an aggressive China that uses “gray zone” tactics to provoke and harass its neighbors, threatens the “status quo” in the Strait, and frequently limits Taiwan’s international participation, it said.
“Taiwan will continue to work hand in hand with US friends across all sectors to further deepen the values-based Taiwan-US partnership, and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity,” it said.
Belizean Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Deputy Prime Minister Montgomery Daniel, Saint Lucian Senate President Alvina Reynolds, Saint Lucian House of Assembly Speaker Claudius Francis and Guatemalan first lady Lucrecia Peinado are to arrive between today and Wednesday.
The ministry said it has arranged for the dignitaries to visit ministries to exchange opinions on semiconductor development, public health and medicine, social welfare, and cultural and creative industries, and for Taiwan to share its experiences and achievements in the fields.
Taiwan would build on the solid foundation of its relationship with diplomatic allies to deepen ties and improve the well-being of each other’s people, it said.
COMBINING FORCES: The 66th Marine Brigade would support the 202nd Military Police Command in its defense of Taipei against ‘decapitation strikes,’ a source said The Marine Corps has deployed more than 100 soldiers and officers of the 66th Marine Brigade to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) as part of an effort to bolster defenses around the capital, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. Two weeks ago, a military source said that the Ministry of National Defense ordered the Marine Corps to increase soldier deployments in the Taipei area. The 66th Marine Brigade has been tasked with protecting key areas in Taipei, with the 202nd Military Police Command also continuing to defend the capital. That came after a 2017 decision by the ministry to station
‘INVESTMENT’: Rubio and Arevalo said they discussed the value of democracy, and Rubio thanked the president for Guatemala’s strong diplomatic relationship with Taiwan Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Guatemala City on Wednesday where they signed a deal for Guatemala to accept migrants deported from the US, while Rubio commended Guatemala for its support for Taiwan and said the US would do all it can to facilitate greater Taiwanese investment in Guatemala. Under the migrant agreement announced by Arevalo, the deportees would be returned to their home countries at US expense. It is the second deportation deal that Rubio has reached during a Central America trip that has been focused mainly on immigration. Arevalo said his
‘SOVEREIGN AI’: As of Nov. 19 last year, Taiwan was globally ranked No. 11 for having computing power of 103 petaflops. The governments wants to achieve 1,200 by 2029 The government would intensify efforts to bolster its “Sovereign Artificial Intelligence [AI]” program by setting a goal of elevating the nation’s collective computing power in the public and private sectors to 1,200 peta floating points per second (petaflops) by 2029, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The goal was set to fulfill President William Lai’s (賴清德) vision of turning Taiwan into an “AI island.” Sovereign AI refers to a nation’s capabilities to produce AI using its own infrastructure, data, workforce and business networks. One petaflop allows 1 trillion calculations per second. As of Nov. 19 last year, Taiwan was globally ranked No. 11 for
Israel yesterday said it has begun preparations for the departure of large numbers of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip in line with US President Donald Trump’s plan for the territory, while Egypt has launched a diplomatic blitz behind the scenes to try and head off the plan. The Trump administration has already dialed back aspects of the proposal after it was widely rejected internationally, saying the relocation of Palestinians would be temporary. US officials have provided few details about how or when the plan would be carried out. Trump yesterday said that Israel would turn Gaza over to the US after the