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
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
RSS