The US supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, including Interpol, a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The spokesperson made the statement after Taipei said that it was asking friendly nations to speak up at an Interpol executive committee meeting to support Taiwan’s participation at Interpol’s general assembly that opens on Nov. 16 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The spokesperson said Washington supports Taiwan’s participation in international organizations whether or not they require statehood.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“In organizations that require statehood for membership, the US supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation. This includes the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization], Interpol, WHO and the more than 60 international organizations in which Taiwan participates,” the spokesperson said.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Monday said that it sent a letter to ask that it participate as an observer at the Interpol assembly.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of International Organizations Director-General Bob Chen (陳龍錦) on Tuesday said that Interpol had received the letter sent by CIB Commissioner Tsai Tsan-po (蔡蒼柏) last month, but has yet to respond.
Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) yesterday told lawmakers that Taiwan’s participation in the assembly would be beneficial for China.
Asked by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) whether former Interpol president and Chinese Deputy Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei (孟宏偉) being under investigation would give Taiwan a better chance of attending the assembly, Hsu, who was appearing at the Legislative Yuan to report on the government’s drug policy, said the government is trying very hard to make that happen.
The Department of State’s expression of support for Taiwan’s participation was a strong boost for the nation’s effort to attend the assembly, he said.
Asked by People First Party Legislator Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔) whether the government has received a response from Interpol, Hsu said it has not.
China’s obstruction is the only thing preventing Taiwan from taking part in the assembly, he said, adding that it has a great effect on global efforts to fight crime, such as the smuggling of illegal drugs.
Blocking Taiwan from participating in the assembly does not benefit the investigation of cross-border crimes in any way, he said.
More than 70 percent of illegal drugs circulating in Taiwan originate in China, he said.
He urged Beijing to allow Taiwan to join Interpol, adding that doing so would be helpful for maintaining peace around the world.
Asked by Liu whether a mechanism is in place for cross-strait cooperation against crime, National Police Agency Director-General Chen Ja-chin (陳家欽) said that while the two sides are still cooperating on individual cases, these instances have become fewer.
The cases on which Taiwan and China are working more closely are fraud cases, which affect the property and safety of Taiwanese and Chinese, he said.
The two sides have also been working together in the fight against illegal drugs, he added.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS