American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Deputy Director Jeremy Cornforth yesterday affirmed the US’ support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, as he praised the nation’s technological contributions.
Cornforth made the remarks at an awards ceremony for the annual Presidential Hackathon organized by the Executive Yuan.
This year’s theme, “Sustainability 2.0 Resilient Islands,” was inspired by lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the need to create systems that are not just efficient, but also resilient.
Photo: CNA
Cornforth in his address lauded Taiwan’s commitment to fulfilling the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, despite being excluded from international organizations.
“Taiwan is a reliable partner, a vibrant democracy and a force for good in the world,” he said. “The United States will continue to support Taiwan as it seeks to engage internationally and meaningfully participate in international organizations.”
He also praised the hackathon as a means of envisioning technological solutions to social problems, rather than just seeing technology as a means to benefit businesses.
“Through events such as these, Taiwan not only reaffirms its status as a technological powerhouse, but also showcases that it is a good global citizen,” he said.
Taiwan has taken the concept of a hackathon and brought it to a whole new level, he said, while recognizing a Taiwanese team that earned the Best Use of Science award in this year’s NASA Space Apps Challenge.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in her address touted the participants’ use of innovative technology to “demonstrate Taiwan’s resilience.”
The five winning teams were among 164 who made proposals to address “pressing policy priorities for Taiwan,” including energy transformation, decarbonization, marine and river conservation, and healthcare, she said.
Climate action was the focus for teams in the international track, many of whom included Taiwanese, Tsai added, recognizing two winners who created systems to help farmers adapt to climate change and drivers switch to cycling.
In closing, she thanked all participants for working with the government to seek solutions to global challenges.
“We will continue to cooperate with the private sector to address these issues using innovative technology to help Taiwan become a sustainable island of resilience,” Tsai said.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS