Taiwan and the EU on Friday held a Trade and Investment Dialogue in Brussels, with discussions focusing on economic security and the resilience of semiconductor supply chains.
The dialogue was cohosted by Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) and Sabine Weyand, director-general for Trade and Economic Security at the European Commission, and marked the highest-level platform for Taiwan-EU economic cooperation, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement yesterday.
Participants also exchanged views on climate-related trade measures, global steel overcapacity and other commercial issues, according to the ministry.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Economic Affairs
During the meeting, Kung spoke about Taiwan’s strategy of diversifying global supply chains, building out its technology and manufacturing capabilities and enhancing international competitiveness, the ministry said.
In addition to co-hosting the dialogue, Kung met with the European Commission’s director-general for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) Kerstin Jorna to discuss industrial policy and new areas for cooperation.
While in Brussels, Kung met with Taiwanese business representatives based in Brussels to better understand their local operations, identify challenges and explore possible government support measures.
The EU is Taiwan’s fourth largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of about US$68.7 billion last year, according to ministry data.
In investment, the EU is Taiwan’s largest foreign investor, with investment totaling US$59.5 billion from 1952 to last year, showing the depth of economic involvement between the two sides.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
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
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS