Taiwan is to deepen its cooperation with the US and expand this partnership to regional allies to create peace and stability, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday in a banquet meeting with a delegation of US senators.
Lin thanked the US Congress for its bipartisan support of Taiwan and efforts to promote regional security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
US Senator Pete Ricketts, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, led a cross-party delegation to Taiwan this week as part of a visit to the Indo-Pacific region.
All three US senators in the delegation, which includes US senators Chris Coons and Ted Budd in addition to Ricketts, are steadfast supporters of Taiwan, Lin said.
Lin pointed out that Ricketts last year promoted the BOLSTER Act, encouraging European countries to work with the US to strengthen Taiwan’s security and oppose China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758.
This is the most comprehensive bill that the US Congress has put forward in recent years to promote joint support of Taiwan from the US and Europe, Lin said.
Coons introduced the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act this year, requesting the US Department of State to regularly review the guidelines for relations with Taiwan and submit relevant reports to Congress at least once every five years, he said.
Budd has cosigned numerous pro-Taiwan bills, including ones on resolving double taxation between the US and Taiwan, he added.
At the banquet last night, Lin thanked all three senators for promoting bipartisan support of Taiwan and strengthening the US-Taiwan relationship.
In recent years, China has unilaterally undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait through large-scale military exercises, legal warfare and various “gray zone” tactics, Lin said.
Facing these threats from China, Taiwan would continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities, increase its defense spending to at least 3 percent of its GDP and hopes to upgrade its asymmetrical warfare capabilities by cooperating with the US, he said.
Recently, the US and Taiwan have deepened their cooperation in technology and energy, demonstrating Taiwan’s desire to establish a mutually beneficial partnership with the US, Lin said.
This includes Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) increasing its investment in the US, and a letter of intent signed between CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC) and Alaska Gasline Development Corp, he said.
Lin said he hopes that the two nations could develop a “joint fleet” model to integrate their industrial chains and strengthen their economies and national security.
Building on the successful US-Taiwan partnership, Lin said he hopes that like-minded democratic countries in the first island chain, like the Philippines, could closely cooperate and support each other to promote regional peace and prosperity.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
RSS