The US Department of State on Thursday said it appreciates Taiwan’s commitment to providing humanitarian assistance as part of the US-led coalition to counter the Islamic State (IS) group.
“We certainly appreciate those contributions as we appreciate the contributions of all coalition members,” US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said at a news briefing when asked to comment on Taiwan’s attendance at the coalition meeting on Wednesday, and its pledge to continue providing humanitarian assistance in Iraq and Syria.
“I think an important thing to emphasize is that big or small, whatever role any coalition member can play and partner can play, we appreciate it,” Toner said. “I think what the message yesterday was we all need to see how we can do more to finish this.”
Representative to the US Stanley Kao (高碩泰) and officials representing 67 other coalition members attended the meeting in Washington which was presided over by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the first such gathering since US President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.
Kao was also invited to pose for a photograph with Tillerson and other officials. It is rare for a Taiwanese official to attend a public event in a US government building due to the two nations’ lack of official diplomatic ties.
At the news conference, Toner said Tillerson also noted the more than US$2 billion identified by coalition partners for humanitarian, stabilization and demining needs, and “called on all partners to rapidly fulfill their commitments.”
Members have pledged more than US$2 billion in assistance for Iraq and Syria this year, although the amount of Taiwan’s contribution is unknown.
The coalition, which was established in 2014 under the administration of then-US president Barack Obama, has 68 members. In addition to Taiwan, other partners from the Asia-Pacific region include Afghanistan, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.
Taiwan’s participation has consisted of humanitarian assistance, including the donation of 350 temporary housing units and US$100,000 in 2014 for refugees in Iraq displaced by the Islamic State.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that Taiwan donated funds in January to help set up mobile hospitals in Iraq and would continue offering humanitarian assistance in the region, as well as help clear mines once fighting ceases.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
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