Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), referring to a recent Pentagon report, told the US' top representative to Taiwan yesterday that China has returned the goodwill of Taipei and Washington by increasing its military buildup.
"If Taiwan's goodwill can be exchanged for a commitment to peace from China, it is worth it," Lu told Douglas Paal, the director of the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
"But if Taiwan's genuine efforts are met with nothing but military threats from China, we must think it over," Lu said.
Lu highlighted the latest Pentagon report on China during her first official meeting with Paal, who reached Taipei on July 1 to assume his new post.
Lu said the evaluation of the Chinese military capabilities in the report reflects Beijing's continued threat to Taipei.
The report said Beijing is honing "credible options" to attack Taiwan and could move with scant warning against the nation. The report also said China is exploring coercive strategies designed to bring Taiwan to heel quickly, such as possible air and missile strikes or a naval blockade.
Despite the political stalemate across the Strait, Taiwanese businessmen have jumped on the bandwagon to invest in China and have, in a way, assisted the development of China's information-technology industry, Lu was quoted as saying in a Presidential Office press release.
Lu went on to question the legitimacy of Taiwanese investment in China should Beijing refuse to relinquish the possibility of seizing Taiwan by force, according to the press release.
Paal expressed his gratitude for the hearty welcome he has received since arriving in Taiwan earlier this month, the press release said.
Paal told the vice president that the welcome demonstrated the longstanding friendship between the people of the two countries, adding that he will do his best to overcome the challenges ahead of him, the press release said.
Paal is slated to meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS