Taiwan is prepared to step up collaborations with the US to build a supply chain decoupled from Chinese sources, bolstering bilateral economic resilience and ushering in global technological development, Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Alaska this week.
Pan gave his speech at the summit, which was held from Monday to Thursday and was attended by Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lai Chien-hsin (賴建信) and CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) chairman Fang Jeng-zen (方振仁).
The Taiwan-US relationship, along with a peaceful and stable Taiwan Strait form the foundation for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world, Pan said.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
Taiwan is willing to work with the US as a reliable partner to develop high technology, renewable energy and supply chain security in the joint pursuit of progress in artificial intelligence (AI) and energy transition, he said.
Alaska is home to bountiful natural resources and plays a critical role in providing power-generation resilience for end-users in the Indo-Pacific region, he added.
President William Lai (賴清德) has stated the importance of securing Taiwan’s energy supply through purchases from the US, a directive that has led to the signing of a letter of intent between Taipei and Washington in March on investing in the extraction of natural gas.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
A source familiar with the issue, commenting on condition of anonymity, said on Friday that Lai tapped Pan to head the delegation to visit Alaska and asked that Pan establish efficient channels of negotiations while upholding Taiwanese national interests.
Before attending the conference, Pan visited the North Slope Borough with Representative to the US Alexander Yui, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska.
The Presidential Office said the relatively high-profile reception of the Taiwan delegation was a demonstration of the US’ emphasis on collaborating with international partners on energy security.
Japanese Vice Minister for International Affairs Matsuo Takehiko and South Korean Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Ho-hyeon were also present at the North Slope visit, the source said.
Additional reporting by CNA
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
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
RSS