Taiwan has donated US$5 million to Lithuanian-led reconstruction projects in Ukraine, a Lithuanian government investment agency said on Wednesday.
The funds would be spent rebuilding a school in Borodianka and a kindergarden in Irpin, the Central Project Management Agency said in a statement.
The Lithuanian government has spent 9.8 million euros (US$10.6 million) on the projects and the Taiwanese contribution would be used to purchase educational equipment, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Representative Office in Bratislava via CNA
“Taiwan sees Ukraine as our own image on a different continent. We both face authoritarian regimes which do not shy from using force to impose their world view,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roy Lee (李淳) said when announcing the donation in Vilnius.
“If one day Taiwan is facing an increased level of military intimidation from China, we will be looking for your assistance as well, just as we are helping Ukraine,” he said.
China last year downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania, and told multinationals to sever ties with Lithuania or face being shut out of the Chinese market, after the opening of a representative office by Taiwan in Vilnius.
In response, the EU launched a challenge at the WTO, accusing China of discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania that it says threaten the integrity of the EU single market.
The challenge was joined by the US, the UK and Australia.
Meanwhile, the National Institute for Cyber Security and the Lithuanian Innovation Agency on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that seeks to mutually boost the digital resilience of both nations.
The MOU was signed by Lithuanian Innovation Agency Director Romualda Stragiene and National Institute for Cyber Security head Ho Chuan-te (何全德) using an external communication adapter during a videoconference.
Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳), who was also present at the ceremony, said the use of the adapter marked a bilateral milestone as it was issued by the Ministry of Digital Affairs and recognized by Lithuania.
In addition to strengthening mutual digital resilience, the memorandum also aims to boost bilateral cooperation and talent exchanges, Tang said.
Tang said she hopes the MOU would advance tangible partnerships between the two nations, which are both on the frontline of opposing authoritarian regimes.
Tang met with Lithuanian Minister of the Economy and Innovation Ausrine Armonaite in January, when they exchanged ideas on topics such as satellite technology, cybersecurity and financial technology, which led to the MOU.
While Tang served as Taiwan’s observer at the ceremony, her counterpart was Lithuanian Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation Karolis Zemaitis.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS