A US plan to send 10 officials to study and intern in Taiwan every two years is crucial for the two sides to build trust, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said.
The US Senate last month passed the Fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which approved US$2 billion in annual military grants to Taiwan.
One noteworthy part of the NDAA is that it includes the Taiwan Fellowship Act, Wang, who chairs the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, said on Sunday.
Photo: Reuters
Under the fellowship act, the US would send 10 federal government employees to live in Taiwan on a two-year fellowship, during which they would spend one year learning Mandarin and about local issues, and the other interning in the public sector, he said.
Such programs enable grassroots civil servants to interact with each other, so that when they become senior officials, they can communicate directly with counterparts in the other country whom they are familiar with, he said.
The fellowship act was inspired by past exchanges between the US and Japan, and such programs have helped build a stable relationship between the US and Japan, he said.
Asked whether the US might intervene in Taiwan’s domestic affairs through such programs, Wang said that they were “thinking too much.”
Taiwan can provide internship opportunities in the public sector for US officials, he said, adding that the Industrial Technology Research Institute might be a good option as its employees are not limited to civil servants.
The main purpose of the act is to create channels for the two countries to exchange not in national defense or security, but in the economy and healthcare, he said.
Asked whether internship opportunities could become available in the US for Taiwanese civil servants, Wang said that more interactions with other countries would be beneficial to Taiwan.
Engaging in international exchanges without compromising Taiwan’s dignity, interests and laws would provide good opportunities for young Taiwanese civil servants, he said.
DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said that the details of the fellowship, including the officials the US would send to Taiwan and the agencies that would provide the internships, are still being deliberated.
The program “is undoubtedly going to cement the relationship between Taiwan and the US,” he said.
If a situation demands the two sides to work together, whether in a time of calm or in an emergency, the exchange would demonstrate its effectiveness, he said.
Lo said he thinks that people who are concerned about the US intervening in Taiwan’s domestic affairs “worry too much,” as exchanges between civil servants and military personnel from different countries are normal.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
RSS