The Russia-Ukraine war is a warning to democracies that they should not have unrealistic expectations about authoritarian nations, a visiting German parliament member said in Taipei on Tuesday.
German Bundestag’s Parliamentary Oversight Panel deputy head and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee Roderich Kiesewetter on Tuesday met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), where they discussed issues such as countering the global expansion of authoritarian rule, ties between Taiwan and Europe, and technical collaboration between Germany and Taiwan on semiconductors.
Kiesewetter stressed the importance of building coalitions and cooperation among democratic partners and emphasized mutual trust as being the key to such cooperation.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Lin expressed his gratitude to Kiesewetter for his support for Taiwan, saying that Germany and other like-minded nations should work together to address the major challenges faced by the world.
While China has engaged in hybrid warfare in the Indo-Pacific region as well as in the rest of the world, the international community must understand that cross-strait peace and stability are the key to regional security and the stability of the global supply chain, he said.
Taiwan and Germany have close academic and business collaborations, and these are set to strengthen as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is to invest in new plants in Dresden, Lin said.
Kiesewetter endorsed the significance of Taiwan’s investment in Germany’s semiconductor industry in facilitating the bilateral exchange of talent and technology, as well as enhancing the global democratic supply chain.
Meanwhile, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Remus Chen (陳立國) in a luncheon with Kiesewetter on Monday thanked the German Bundestag for approving a friendly resolution on the cross-strait issue, which called on the German government to highlight the importance of cross-strait peace and stability.
Chen said he expects Kiesewetter to exert his influence and continue to build up the community of Taiwan supporters in Germany and strengthen bilateral ties.
Kiesewetter also appealed to democratic partners to collectively deter China from invading Taiwan by force, saying that bilateral official visits would be welcomed to deepen cooperation between Taiwan and Germany in different fields.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday in a news release said it expects Taiwan and Germany to deepen their bilateral relationship based on existing collaboration and collectively defend peace in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world.
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
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
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,
RSS