Taiwan is to boost investment in national defense to resist authoritarian coercion with a "David versus Goliath" spirit, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday in his speech at a dinner for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Taiwan would learn from Israel's resolve and capability to staunchly defend its homeland, as appeasement is never the solution to containing authoritarianism, Lai said.
Bringing “peace through strength” is the way to overcome changes and challenges, he said, calling it a principle long upheld by Taiwan, the US and Israel.
Photo provided by the Presidential Office
The nation is to boost defense spending, strengthen the capacity of the domestic national defense industry and build a “T-Dome” system, a rigorous air defense system modeled after Israel's Iron Dome and the US' Golden Dome, he said.
Taiwan is also to procure weaponry and technology to enhance defense capabilities, he said, expressing hope for the committee’s support and assistance.
Apart from national security and diplomatic cooperation, economic investment is a key area where the three countries can strengthen their cooperation during the current global supply chain restructuring, he said.
He expressed a desire for further cooperation with Israel under US President Donald Trump's AI Action Plan.
Taiwan could leverage its strengths as a semiconductor industry hub, combining US and Israeli research and development resources and experience, to deepen cooperation in fields such as semiconductors, ICT and digital security, he said.
Taiwan and the US are firm partners who share the values of democracy and freedom, he said, adding that he was pleased to see the deepening relationship between Taiwan, the US and Israel with bipartisan support.
He also expressed relief over the release of Israeli hostages, calling a ceasefire and the hostages' release the most important development in more than two years, a significant diplomatic achievement for Trump and a major step toward peace in the Middle East.
While Taiwan, the US and Israel are geographically distant, they are on the frontline against authoritarianism, upholding the fundamental values of civilization based on a firm belief in freedom, human rights and the rule of law, he said.
He urged the US, Israel and other allies to continue to be aware of the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and its role in global peace and prosperity.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
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