International society values Taiwan highly, Vice President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after returning from a trip to Paraguay for the inauguration of President Santiago Pena, adding that the trip helped bolster ties with the South American nation and bilateral cooperation.
Appointed by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as a special envoy to deliver Taiwan’s congratulations to Pena, Lai departed on Saturday last week for a seven-day trip, including stopovers in New York and San Francisco.
Thanks to the efforts of Taiwanese, Taiwan is perceived as a force for good internationally and can “enter the international community with confidence and dignity,” Lai said.
Photo: CNA
He thanked the Paraguayan government for its hospitality, adding: “I firmly believe that this trip would be of great help to the stability of the friendship between the two countries and the strengthening of future cooperation.”
Pena “frankly and firmly” stood for the belief that the friendship between Taiwan and Paraguay is based on the common values of democracy, freedom and human rights, Lai said.
The Paraguayan president promised to fully support his country’s ties with Taiwan and expressed a sincere hope that the two sides would continue to strengthen cooperation between the government and the people in future, he said.
Pena’s goal is to fight poverty in Paraguay through education, health, medical care and employment — fields in which the South American country can further deepen its existing cooperation with Taiwan, Lai said.
The delegation also visited former Paraguayan president Mario Abdo Benitez to thank him for nurturing ties with Taiwan during the past five years, he said.
Abdo will continue to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation as a senator, Lai said, adding that former Paraguayan presidents automatically become senators for life, he said.
Kuo Ya-hui (郭雅慧), Lai’s presidential campaign office spokesperson, called the trip “a successful diplomatic visit that proves Lai is a leader who is capable of leading Taiwan to the world.”
Lai is the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate in January’s election.
Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun reported on Pena mentioning Taiwan in his inauguration speech while Kyodo News and Jiji news agency stated that US Secretary of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland talked to Lai at the ceremony, Kuo said.
The New York Times quoted Taiwan New Constitution Foundation deputy director Song Cheng-en’s (宋承恩) comment that Lai is sending a message through this trip that he is ready to become the president.
Italian news site Le Formiche said that Lai’s trip “underscores Taiwan’s proactive approach.”
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
RSS