The Executive Yuan’s economic diplomacy task force has approved programs aimed at bolstering the nation’s chip diplomacy with Japan and European nations.
The task force in its first meeting had its operational mechanism and organizational structure confirmed, with Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) the convener, and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and Minister Without Portfolio Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) the deputy conveners.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) would be the convener of the task force’s strategy group in charge of policy planning for economic diplomacy.
Photo: Bloomberg
The meeting was attended by the heads of the National Development Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Science and Technology Council.
A source, who asked to remain anonymous, yesterday cited Cho as saying at the meeting that the economics ministry should give the foreign ministry data and documents about Taiwan-Japan collaborations on semiconductors, which would be managed as projects to deepen bilateral political and economic ties.
Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) last week at a news conference said that Taiwan is cooperating with Japan’s semiconductor supply chain.
In the first or second quarter this year, state-supported service companies would be set up in Fukuoka Prefecture, while agreements would be signed to protect Taiwanese firms building plants in an industrial park in Kumamoto Prefecture, he said.
The source also cited Cho as saying that the task force would take over the Central and Eastern Europe Resilience Program 2.0, with the foreign ministry assisting the economic ministry to propose projects.
In Germany, the semiconductor sector would be developed around Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (台積電) plant, and extend to Poland and the Czech Republic to form a triangular industrial cluster, they said.
In the Philippines, the government is planning to aid the local semiconductor sector by investing in infrastructure and power grid construction in Luzon as the developable land area is large, the source said.
Taiwan and Thailand’s collaboration on a Smart City Program was also mentioned in the meeting, they said.
Taiwan has made significant breakthroughs in its relationship with Thailand, such as a new agreement on investment promotion and protection signed in June last year, and Thailand’s approval of indefinite visa-free entry for Taiwanese travelers, the source said.
The task force plans to combine Taiwan’s economic and industrial competitive edges to deepen the nation’s ties with like-minded nations and those that share the same strategic benefits, with the goal of enhancing Taiwan’s participation in the Indo-Pacific region and international community, and achieving President William Lai’s (賴清德) policy of value diplomacy and his vision of Taiwan being one of the world’s economic strongholds, they said.
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday criticized the nuclear energy referendum scheduled for Saturday next week, saying that holding the plebiscite before the government can conduct safety evaluations is a denial of the public’s right to make informed decisions. Lai, who is also the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), made the comments at the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting at its headquarters in Taipei. ‘NO’ “I will go to the ballot box on Saturday next week to cast a ‘no’ vote, as we all should do,” he said as he called on the public to reject the proposition to reactivate the decommissioned
RSS