The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked the Dutch House of Representatives for passing motions in support of maintaining the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait and closer Taiwan-Lithuania ties.
The Dutch house set a record when it overwhelmingly passed two motions friendly to Taiwan in one day, the ministry said in a news release.
The move again demonstrates the house’s strong support for Taiwan, after it on Tuesday last week passed a motion backing Taiwan’s bid to participate in the International Criminal Police Organization, it said.
Photo: Reuters
Of the two motions passed on Tuesday, one urged the Dutch government to object to any unilateral changes of the cross-strait “status quo” by China, it said.
It was initiated by Dutch lawmaker Raymond de Roon, chairman of the house’s Committee on Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and was passed by a vote of 120 to 30, the ministry said.
In the proposal, De Roon raised concerns about China’s increasing military activities in the Taiwan Strait and urged other European countries to support Taiwan, the ministry said.
The other motion urged the Dutch government to push the EU to support Lithuania, which is facing retaliation from China over its decision to host the Taiwanese Representative Office in Vilnius and its plans to open a representative office in Taiwan, the ministry said.
The motion was proposed by Dutch lawmakers Ruben Brekelmans and Agnes Mulder, and passed by a vote of 117 to 33, it said.
According to the house’s Web site, De Roon, Brekelmans and Mulder belong to the Party for Freedom, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, and the Christian Democratic Appeal party respectively.
Taiwan and the Netherlands are good partners that share the values of democracy, rule of law, freedom and human rights, the ministry said.
Bilateral relations have been close and friendly, and the two sides would continue to bolster cooperation in trade, environmental protection, disease prevention, technology, energy and innovation, among other areas, it added.
Taiwan and the Netherlands would also join efforts to tackle challenges posed by transnational crime, aviation safety and climate change, the ministry said, pledging to make more contributions to global peace, stability and prosperity.
Over the past few years, the Netherlands has become Taiwan’s biggest source of foreign direct investment, as well as Taiwan’s biggest investment destination and second-largest trading partner in Europe, the ministry said in a news release in July last year.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
The New Taipei City Social Welfare Department on Thursday celebrated Paralympic competitor Chen Tzu-wei (張孜維), who received last year’s national Golden Eagle award for exemplary achievement by Taiwanese with disabilities. Chen, who suffers from childhood-onset muscular dystrophy, did not attend the first award ceremony held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in November due to illness. Chen was formally presented with the award at the department, where he gave thanks to government workers for supporting his education and livelihood, the department said in a statement. Chen was raised by the Ai-hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities in the city’s Bali District (八里)
RSS