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
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
RSS