The Republic of China is already an independent nation, and as such has no need to declare independence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release yesterday, after an EU official stated on Friday that Taiwan should not make any unilateral declaration of independence.
The ministry said it noticed European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell published a piece on the European External Action Service Web site on Friday, stating that the EU’s “one China” policy remains unchanged and that “Taiwan should not embark on any unilateral declaration of independence.”
Borrell said that while the EU is aware of how important Taiwan is for China, as a major security issue in EU-China relations, the “status quo” should be maintained, and that China should not erode it, whether by coercion or force.
Photo: AFP
Meanwhile, in his remarks, Borrell stated that the EU’s bilateral ties with Taiwan would continue, but without diplomatic recognition.
He added that the EU would keep calling for all tensions to be resolved through dialogue, and added it has consistently asked interlocutors on all sides to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation.
MOFA said it affirmed Borrell’s comments on maintaining Taiwan-EU relations, as well as calling for the resolution of cross-strait issues through dialogue.
The ministry added that Taiwan and the EU cooperating would be beneficial to sustaining international peace, stability and prosperity.
However, concerning the “one China” policy mentioned in Borrell’s article, the ministry said that Taiwan is already an independent country, and as a free and democratic nation, the state’s future can only be determined by its people, a fact it hopes the EU and all democratic countries can respect and understand.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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