Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their leaders have played an important role in expanding Taiwan’s international standing as Beijing stepped up its suppression on the global stage, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said at a forum in Taipei yesterday.
As China ramps up its “rhetorical and military threats against Taiwan” and “maliciously restricts Taiwan’s international space,” NGOs and other partners have been “valuable resources and key assets for Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts,” Tien said at the opening of the NGO Leaders Forum hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
China has not only sought to exclude Taiwan from participating in the UN system and other international organizations, it has also attempted to downgrade the status and rights of Taiwan’s civil society groups engaging in global affairs, Tien said.
However, “China’s bullying” has only yielded strong international support for Taiwan, he said.
“Heavy-handed ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy only serves to highlight the virtuous and positive values of Taiwan,” he added.
By hosting the forum for the second consecutive year, the ministry is looking forward to seeing more cooperation and exchanges between local and foreign NGOs in various areas, such as human rights, gender equality, freedom of the press and religious freedom, Tien said.
“We hope to continue to build partnerships with NGOs so that Taiwan’s soft power can be even more visible to the international community,” he said.
In a prerecorded video, International Federation of Women in Legal Careers vice president Denise Scotto praised female leaders in Taiwanese NGOs for their contributions to promoting gender equality in the nation.
Without specifying any groups, Scotto added that these leaders had served as “role models for so many NGO representatives around the world,” as well as “ambassadors” of Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.
US National Endowment for Democracy president and chief executive Damon Wilson described Taiwan as increasingly becoming a hub for democrats in the Asia-Pacific region, where freedom is facing great pressure from rising authoritarianism.
“Taiwan is well-positioned to play a key role in sustaining civil society movements, and human rights and democracy organizations seeking a base in an open society governed by freedom of speech and rule of law” at a time when democratic solidarity and cooperation is needed more than ever, Wilson said.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the name of the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was agreed by both sides, after Lithuania’s prime minister described a 2021 decision to let Taiwan set up a de facto embassy in Vilnius as a “mistake.” Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene, who entered office in September last year, told the Baltic News Service on Tuesday that Lithuania had begun taking “small first steps” aimed at restoring ties with Beijing. The ministry in a statement said that Taiwan and Lithuania are important partners that share the values of freedom and democracy. Since the establishment of the
Taipei Zoo welcomes the Lunar New Year this year through its efforts to protect an endangered species of horse native to central Asia that was once fully extinct outside of captivity. The festival ushering in the Year of the Horse would draw attention to the zoo’s four specimens of Przewalski’s horse, named for a Russian geographer who first encountered them in the late 19th century across the steppes of western Mongolia. “Visitors will look at the horses and think that since this is the Year of the Horse: ‘I want to get to know horses,’” said zookeeper Chen Yun-chieh, who has been
RSS