The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed its gratitude for US President Barack Obama’s recognition of Taiwan’s efforts in the global fight against terrorism, saying its current focus is on providing humanitarian assistance.
Obama on Sunday mentioned Taiwan as a member of a global coalition to counter the Islamic State during a speech at the East Asia summit in Kuala Lumpur.
He also named Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea as partners in the US’ anti-terrorism efforts.
“The Asia-Pacific [region] is absolutely critical to promoting security, prosperity and human dignity around the world. That’s why I’ve devoted so much of my foreign policy to deepening America’s engagement with this region,” Obama said.
“Over the years, our friends here in Asia have been victims of terrorism, and many of them are close counterterrorism partners with us,” he said.
Ministry spokeswoman Eleanor Wang (王珮玲) said Taiwan has assisted with humanitarian and emergency-response missions as part of its contributions to the international anti-terror effort.
Amid the terror attacks and civil wars in the Middle East, Taiwan has offered humanitarian aid to the region through the US, other nations and international organizations, such as donating prefabricated houses, LED lamps and nearly US$10 million in medical supplies, she said.
Taipei’s humanitarian assistance to refugees from the region has been recognized by the US and the international community, Wang said.
Taiwan’s active role in the international community as a provider of humanitarian aid and a regional peacemaker are in line with President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) foreign policy, she said.
Taipei and Washington have established strong mutual trust and have cooperated closely through various and multilayer channels in areas including politics, trade and economics, she said.
“In an effort to enhance bilateral cooperation in responding to global challenges, the two countries also signed a memorandum of understanding on the Global Cooperation Training Framework in June,” Wang said.
Taiwan and the US are to continue expanding the scope of their bilateral cooperation on regional and global issues, which is likely to raise Taipei’s international profile and increase the levels of roles it can play in the international community, she said.
In related developments, the Ministry of the Interior said the National Police Agency and the National Immigration Agency are cooperating with major countries on intelligence exchanges to safeguard the nation’s security.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Jonathan Chen (陳純敬) said that the police agency has stationed liaison officers in Southeast Asian countries to exchange information with local governments, and is working with the US and other countries on entry and departure information of travelers.
These efforts can make Taiwan more secure, Chen said.
Additional reporting by CNA
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
As eight basketball-playing international students appealed to the Taiwanese basketball industry after they were excluded from the draft of an upcoming new league merging the P.League+ and the T1 League, the new league’s preparatory committee spokesperson Chang Shu-jen (張樹人) yesterday said the committee would tomorrow discuss the supplementary measures and whether the international students can join the draft. The students on Tuesday called for support on their right to play in the upcoming new league, after a merger involving the two leagues impacted their eligibility for the draft. The international players from the University Basketball Association (UBA), led by first pick prospect
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
Some foreign companies are considering moving Taiwanese employees out of China after Beijing said it could impose the death penalty on “die-hard” Taiwanese independence advocates, four people familiar with the matter said. The new guidelines have caused some Taiwanese expatriates and foreign multinationals operating in China to scramble to assess their legal risks and exposure, said the people, who include a lawyer and two executives with direct knowledge of the discussions. “Several companies have come to us to assess the risks to their personnel,” said the lawyer, James Zimmerman, a Beijing-based partner at the Perkins Coie law firm. He declined to identify