A former NATO deputy chief yesterday praised Taiwan for being a “responsible stakeholder” that is open to dialogue and working toward de-escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Speaking during a luncheon address at the Yushan forum in Taipei, Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo, president of the NATO Defense College Foundation who served as NATO deputy secretary-general from 2001 to 2007, said that the EU and Taiwan have already developed good relations despite the lack of official diplomatic relations.
Both sides have held yearly commercial discussions and have regular dialogue regarding industrial policy and the digital economy, leading to Taiwan becoming the EU’s fourth-largest commercial partner in Asia.
Photo: CNA
The European Parliament has formally addressed the EU’s relations with Taiwan “in a positive spirit” by “recognizing it as a functioning democracy and a potential partner for further cooperation,” Minuto-Rizzo said.
There is a consensus in Euro-Atlantic institutions that Taiwan is a “vibrant civil society, a cutting-edge economy and adopts a proactive pragmatism as a general line of action,” he added.
“It also acts as a responsible stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific region, charting a course between extremes, open to dialogue and de-escalation of tensions, willing to work in an Asian multilevel concrete environment,” he said.
The ex-NATO deputy also hinted that Taiwan could have the opportunity to work “at UN level.”
“There is surely the possibility to cooperate toward the common good at the global level by avoiding dangerous escalations and working together at UN-level and more limited formats to tackle evident global challenges that outpace the capabilities of single nations or groups of countries. The EU and NATO will surely contribute also at this wider level,” he said.
Minuto-Rizzo was invited to speak at the two-day Yushan Forum held on Wednesday and yesterday, which first took place in 2017 as part of the government’s New Southbound Policy.
Launched by the Democratic Progressive Party government in 2017, the policy aims to increase exchanges between Taiwan and neighboring ASEAN member states, six countries in South Asia, plus Australia and New Zealand.
Separately on Wednesday, former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison voiced support for including Taiwan as a non-state member in international organizations and suggested that Taiwan could participate as an adjunct non-member in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), which includes Australia, India, Japan and the US.
During a speech in Taipei after his address at the Yushan Forum, Morrison, who now serves as a lawmaker, advocated the enlargement of the scope and nature of Australia’s unofficial relations with Taiwan — both bilaterally and multilaterally — “within a modernized ‘one China’ framework.”
Admission of Taiwan as a non-state member into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the WHO and other UN forums would be a great start and is long overdue, he said.
Other options include adjunct non-member engagement in economic, environmental, technological and humanitarian dialogues with multilateral fora, including the QUAD, he said.
Under such “one China” policy settings, Taiwan’s practical autonomy could be enhanced, while at the same time not crossing the threshold of national statehood, he added.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
RSS