Taiwan will continue to counter sabotage targeting undersea Internet cables, as well as China-directed transnational repression in collaboration with the democratic world, President William Lai (賴清德) told European lawmakers at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.
The nation is a trustworthy partner to the world’s alliance of democracies and will stand steadfast in the global fight against transnational repression, Lai told a meeting with a Formosa Club delegation headed by Latvian member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols.
The Formosa Club is an inter-parliamentary group of pro-Taiwan European legislators.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan thanks the Formosa Club’s members for their support in words and action that have aided the nation and improved solidarity among liberal democracies, Lai said.
The club has repeatedly issued statements urging greater cooperation between the Legislative Yuan and the European Parliament, and support for Taiwan’s quest to participate in international frameworks, Lai said.
The European lawmakers have also expressed concern over China’s hegemonic expansion, as well as emphasized the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait to the Indo-Pacific region and Europe, he said.
Peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region are crucial to the European economy, Lai said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and tensions in the Taiwan Strait are reminders that democracies must build partnerships with like-minded countries to safeguard peace, he said.
Taiwan remains committed to bolstering its defense industrial base and self-defense capabilities, and cooperating with Europe to forge secure supply chains for artificial intelligence, semiconductors and drones, he said.
The Formosa Club’s members, who represent a diverse political spectrum, are united in their support of Taiwan, said Kols, who handed Lai the club’s joint annual resolution.
The statement was signed by more than 30 lawmakers from across Europe and issued at the annual meeting of the Formosa Club in Taipei on Saturday last week.
Europe’s support for Taiwan is a consensus that transcends party divides and will endure changes in government, Kols said.
While Taiwan and other democratic societies might have different histories and responsibilities, they nonetheless “share an interest in a world where threats do not decide whom we meet, how we trade or how our people choose their future,” he said.
The resolution was offered in this spirit, reflecting a “friendship built over time” and a “clear understanding that Europe and Taiwan have much to contribute to each other’s security,” he said.
The Baltic countries and Taiwan share a determination to control their destinies and be free of interference from hegemonic powers on their doorsteps, he said.
The resolution this year emphasizes cooperation between Taiwan and Europe to establish trustworthy supply chains in strategic industries, secure undersea cables from malicious attacks and oppose unilateral changes to the cross-strait “status quo,” he said.
The club reaffirms its support for Taipei’s bid to meaningfully participate in the proceedings of international organizations and furthering the mutually beneficial friendship between Taiwan and Europe, he said.
STAY CAUTIOUS: Rain is expected to begin easing this afternoon, but a CWA forecaster said that if the storm stalls or loops on its approach, heavy winds are likely Typhoon Champi, which caused widespread damage and injuries, and prompted road closures and evacuations across Taiwan yesterday, is expected to continue to bring heavy rain this morning, with up to 900mm of rain forecast for mountainous areas of New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Yilan County, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi was packing gusts of about 191kph near its center as of 8:30pm, the CWA said. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Hsinchu city and county, Taichung; and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday urged China not to exploit typhoons to assert jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait. The CGA issued the remarks after it found that China was shadowing eight Japan Coast Guard ships that sheltered in Taiwan proper’s western waters due to Typhoon Champi. Eight Japan Coast Guard (JCG) vessels sailed southward along the Taiwan Strait median line from 6am on Thursday, reaching waters southwest of Penghu County’s Cimei Island (七美島), outside Taiwan’s contiguous zone, which extends 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the territorial sea baseline, it said. As the Japanese ships prepared for the typhoon, they were followed by
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung (唐嘉鴻) on Sunday won gold in the men’s horizontal bar final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Tang scored 14.966 in the final. He had advanced to the final in second place with a score of 14.566 points in qualifying, with a difficulty score of 6.000 and an execution score of 8.566. In the final, he raised his difficulty score to 6.600, the highest among the eight finalists. Although he did not fully steady himself on landing, his score was still enough to claim the gold medal. Taiwan had previously won two silver medals and
TOTAL COVERAGE: Champi’s outer band is expected to blanket the entire nation, with the center coming closest tonight or tomorrow before leaving tomorrow evening School and work across most of the nation has been canceled today, as Typhoon Champi is expected to skirt the northeast edge of Taiwan proper. As of 9pm, all municipalities except for Kinmen County had announced cancelations. Taitung County last night announced closures on Green Island (綠島) and Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), but did not announce for the rest of the county until 6am today. Stock market settlements scheduled for today would be postponed to the next business day, the Taiwan Stock Exchange said. The announcements came after the Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday expanded its land warning for Champi to 19 regions
RSS