Saudi Arabian Representative to Taiwan Mohammed S. Alghamdi yesterday said that he is looking to continue strengthening bilateral relations, as his office celebrated his country’s National Day.
At a reception in Taipei to mark Saudi Arabia’s National Day, Alghamdi said the annual ceremony commemorates the unification of the Saudi kingdom 95 years ago.
Over the years, Riyadh and Taipei have built “a solid bridge of relations based on mutual cooperation and shared economic and cultural interests,” said Alghamdi, head of the Saudi Arabian Trade Office in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now the largest supplier of energy to Taiwan, and its top trading partner in the Middle East and Africa, he said.
In May 2023, the Taiwan Trade Center, Riyadh, was inaugurated at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center to further explore business and investment opportunities for both sides, he said.
He said his office would continue to work with officials and authorities in Riyadh and Taipei to strengthen cultural, commercial, investment and tourism opportunities.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said at the reception that Saudi Arabia “stands as a symbol of tradition, culture and prosperity in the region.”
“Today, we mark the founding of a nation that has played a pivotal role in the Middle East and has made significant global contributions, especially with respect to energy, religion, trade and technology,” Wu said.
Last year, Saudi Arabia was Taiwan’s 17th-largest global trading partner and its top regional trading partner, with two-way trade reaching US$9.4 billion, Wu said.
Saudi Arabia has also been “a reliable and vital energy supplier to Taiwan,” accounting for nearly one-third of its crude oil imports, he said.
Taiwan is looking forward to deepening cooperation with Saudi Arabia in areas such as technology, trade, investment, education and tourism for the benefit of both nations, Wu said.
Saudi Arabia’s National Day is celebrated annually on Sept. 23 to commemorate the renaming of the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 through a royal decree by King Abdulaziz ibn Saud.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS