Former US undersecretary of state Keith Krach has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, in part for his work protecting freedoms for Taiwan and Uighurs.
“Mr Krach has ... spoken out — loudly and consistently — in support of Taiwan and its drive for independence,” the New Architecture Foundation said in its letter submitting the nomination.
In Washington, Krach served as the top official for economic growth, energy and the environment under former US president Donald Trump, and still serves as a senior adviser for the administration of US President Joe Biden.
Photo: Presidential Office via AP
He made headlines in 2020 when he became the highest-ranking US Department of State official to visit Taiwan since the nations severed diplomatic ties in 1979.
During the September visit, he attended a memorial service for former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), and spoke with officials and representatives from various sectors on bolstering economic and other partnerships.
Krach in May 2020 also brokered a US$12 billion plan for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) to build a 5-nanometer fab in Arizona, setting the stage for other chip producers to build their own “trusted” facilities in the US.
Photo: Reuters
Krach also played an instrumental role in leading the US to formally recognize Uighur internment camps as “state-sponsored genocide.”
The nominators highlighted Krach’s efforts to build the Clean Network, an alliance aiming to help democracies build secure network infrastructure in response to China’s ambitions to control 5G communications.
The alliance, launched in 2020, now boasts 60 nations comprising two-thirds of global GDP, as well as more than 200 telecoms.
It was formed on the basis of the “trust principle,” a “democratic and peaceful alternative to China’s power principle” that uses transparency, positive reinforcement and economic solidarity to achieve success, the nominators said.
“Peaceful partnership, not fear mongering. That is the stark choice that Keith Krach has enabled through his years-long campaign and mission to unify the world around a common, peaceful technology accord, formally recognized today as the Clean Network alliance,” the letter said.
Taiwan counts itself among the network’s ranks, creating the opportunity to recognize its sovereignty, it added.
“Keith Krach’s attendant efforts regarding human rights abuses by China and Taiwan’s quest for independence are, in many ways, just different colors in the same noble cause that Mr Krach pursues as a life purpose,” the nominators said. “The world truly is a better and safer place because of his courage and efforts.”
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS