American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene yesterday reiterated that the US stands with its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, adding that cooperation is more critical than ever.
Greene made the comments during his congratulatory remarks at the “Taiwan Forward: Driving Modernization Amid Shifting Global Dynamics” conference at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei.
“The United States stands strong with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific,” he said. “We’re taking decisive actions to counter threats against economic resilience and advanced shared interests.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
“Our cooperation is more critical than ever,” he said, adding that it makes “the US, Taiwan and all of our regional allies safer, stronger and more prosperous,” referring to remarks by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).
While many countries have recognized Taiwan as a beacon of universal values and support the nation’s resilience and international participation, it has also in the past decade significantly reduced its investments in China, moving them to like-minded democratic countries, Greene said.
However, Taiwan still faces challenges, such as leading in artificial intelligence (AI), but falling behind in software development, which is partially due to reasonable concerns over China’s infiltration of Chinese-language large language models, he said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Greene also addressed the nation’s security “in the face of a relentlessly aggressive China that is using the full range of military, economic and diplomatic tools against Taiwan.”
“The United States has a stake in these questions and in Taiwan’s success,” he said, adding that the US and Taiwan are leading partners in advanced technology development, while the number of Taiwanese students studying in the US is growing and Taiwan is the US’ seventh-largest trading partner.
“Maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait is critical for the United States and the entire world,” the AIT director said.
Citing comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Greene said the US has a long-standing position on Taiwan that it would not abandon, which is that “we are against any forced, compelled, coercive change in the status of Taiwan.”
“The challenges Taiwan faces are not only challenges for Taiwan, but for the United States, and the entire world,” he said. “A strong, resilient Taiwan, and a stable and peaceful Indo-Pacific are the foundations of modernization.”
The conference — organized by the Taiwan Program at Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and cosponsored by NTU’s Office of International Affairs — featured panel discussions with academics from Stanford University, NTU and other universities in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, alongside Taiwanese industry leaders, on topics ranging from AI innovation and semiconductor, entrepreneurship, biomedical and healthcare advancements, and Taiwan’s demographic transformation.
Additional reporting by CNA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS