Taiwan and Europe should forge closer ties to jointly tackle critical security issues, including strengthening societal resilience against disinformation and hybrid threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said during a meeting with members of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS) at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.
While Taiwan and the EU have close trade and economic relations, and share the values of freedom and democracy, both have been subjected to information manipulation and infiltration by foreign forces that seek to interfere in democratic elections, foment societal divisions and shake people’s faith in democracy, Lai said.
Lai said those challenges prompted him to establish the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, with the goal of defending the nation against new forms of threat, pinpointing external and internal vulnerabilities, and bolstering overall resilience and security.
Photo: CNA
“The efforts that democracies make are not for opposing anyone else; they are for safeguarding the way of life that we cherish — just as Europe has endeavored to promote diversity and human rights,” Lai said.
“Taiwan stands at the very front line of the democratic world. We are determined to protect democracy, peace and prosperity worldwide. We also hope to share our experiences with Europe, and deepen cooperation in such fields as cybersecurity, media literacy and societal resilience,” he said.
That the EUDS committee, which was established at the beginning of this year, has chosen to visit Taiwan for its first trip to Asia demonstrates the close ties between Taiwan and Europe, and the unlimited possibilities for deepening cooperation on issues of concern, he added.
EUDS Special Committee Chair Nathalie Loiseau said the delegation she is leading consists of European parliament members from France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and Belgium, all of whom advocate strengthening Taiwan-EU relations.
Having many things in common, the EU and Taiwan should work together more, Loiseau said.
Members of the delegation are interested in learning about Taiwan’s whole-of-society approach to bolster societal resilience, while they can share their experiences of regulating social media that combines freedom of expression and responsibility, she said.
China on Monday confirmed that it is to hold a summit with the EU in Beijing on Thursday marking 50 years of diplomatic ties, as both sides seek to navigate trade disputes amid broader global trade uncertainties.
Taiwan has repeatedly accused China of interfering in its democracy, spreading fake news and undermining public trust in the government.
China denies the accusations, but says Taiwan’s government is seeking foreign support to push its “separatist” agenda.
Many European nations say that Russia has similarly been seeking to discredit European governments and destabilize the EU. Moscow rejects the allegations.
Additional reporting by Reuters
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
A bipartisan group of US representatives have introduced a draft US-Taiwan Defense Innovation Partnership bill, aimed at accelerating defense technology collaboration between Taiwan and the US in response to ongoing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The bill was introduced by US representatives Zach Nunn and Jill Tokuda, with US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar and US Representative Ashley Hinson joining as original cosponsors, a news release issued by Tokuda’s office on Thursday said. The draft bill “directs the US Department of Defense to work directly with Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense through their respective
Tsunami waves were possible in three areas of Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East, the Russian Ministry for Emergency Services said yesterday after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the nearby Kuril Islands. “The expected wave heights are low, but you must still move away from the shore,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, after the latest seismic activity in the area. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning System in Hawaii said there was no tsunami warning after the quake. The Russian tsunami alert was later canceled. Overnight, the Krasheninnikov volcano in Kamchatka erupted for the first time in 600 years, Russia’s RIA
RSS