The Presidential Office on Wednesday said that it respects the views of a US think tank which recommended that the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump devise new strategies to maintain the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
In a report published on Tuesday, the National Committee on American Foreign Policy said that a reduction of cross-strait tensions were in the interests of both the US and Taiwan.
The report urged the incoming administration in Washington to come up with a new modus vivendi to maintain the cross-strait “status quo,” saying that such measures would serve to reassure the US’ allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
A new modus vivendi would “allow Taiwan to continue to develop its democracy and its economy,” the think tank said in the report.
It also recommended that the US continue to show support for Taiwan’s democracy, and said Taiwan’s desire for more international space can and should be part of the new policy of the incoming Trump administration.
The report was issued after the committee conducted an annual fact-finding mission to Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo last month, during which it held discussions with high-level officials, academics and think tanks on the troubled security environment in East Asia.
Commenting on the report, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) respected the recommendations and would work toward maintaining the “status quo” of peace and stability across the Strait in the best interests of Taiwanese.
“The government will also work to promote positive interaction between the two sides and seek ways to gradually resolve our differences,” Huang said.
Separately, the president on Wednesday said that her government’s plan to create an “Asian Silicon Valley” in Taiwan does not mean copying Silicon Valley in the US, but is aimed at fostering greater cooperation between industries in the two countries.
The plan is to promote the Internet of Things and innovative industries, boost Taiwan’s economic development by integrating local and international sectors, and push for industrial transformation, Tsai said.
“The goal is to bring together local industries and open Taiwan to the world for a brighter, more sustainable future,” Tsai said at a meeting in which National Development Council Deputy Director Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) presented a report on the plan.
On Dec. 25, an executive center for the Asian Silicon Valley Plan was established in Taoyuan to implement the seven-year project.
A budget of NT$11.3 billion (US$353.5 million) has been allocated for this year for Internet infrastructure, mobile broadband services, e-commerce, smart applications, test beds, industry-university collaboration, digital talent and regulatory adjustment, the council said.
Tsai said the government is aiming to create a robust start-up and entrepreneurship ecosystem by cultivating innovative talent, providing capital for business expansion and revising laws.
She urged all parties to work together toward the common goal to facilitate the nation’s industrial transformation.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
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