President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday welcomed a delegation of US lawmakers and said he hoped that Taiwan-US military cooperation can expand to include joint research and development.
Speaking at the Presidential Office, Lai thanked US Representative Ami Bera, cochair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, for leading the all-Democratic delegation.
Lai said that Bera last visited in January last year, shortly after Taiwan’s presidential election, to demonstrate “support for Taiwan’s democracy.”
Photo: CNA
“This time, as head of the delegation of new members of the House armed services committee and the foreign affairs committee, he [Bera] is continuing to foster US Congressional support for Taiwan,” the president said.
He thanked the delegates for their initiatives in support of Taiwan, bolstering bilateral relations and continuing to focus on stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The government is prioritizing a special budget to increase defense spending to 3 percent of GDP this year, Lai said, reaffirming his administration’s efforts to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities and maintain peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
He also emphasized the importance of enhancing economic ties with the US, and expressed hope that the US-Taiwan expedited double-tax relief act would be passed and signed into law later this year.
The bill, which was passed by the US House of Representatives on Jan. 15, is now under consideration in the US Senate.
Taiwan has said it would eliminate tax barriers, resolve double taxation issues, and encourage greater economic and investment activity between the two sides.
During the meeting, Bera recalled his previous his trip and said he believed they were the first congressional delegation to visit then-president-elect Lai following his election victory.
It is crucial for democracies to work together to maintain peace in Asia, he said.
“When we look at conflict in Europe, conflict in the Middle East, it is important for democracies to hold the peace in Asia. That’s why it was important for us to bring a delegation of members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Armed Services Committee,” Bera said.
In addition to Bera, the delegation includes US representatives Gabe Amo, Wesley Bell, Julie Johnson, Sarah McBride and Johnny Olszewski — all of whom are visiting Taiwan for the first time.
Discussions during the visit, which runs through tomorow, would cover Taiwan-US relations, regional security, economic cooperation and supply chain resilience, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity
RSS