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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS