The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to establish a foundation focusing on relations with the 10 ASEAN member countries in the near future, Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (
"Now is a very crucial time for Taiwan to forge closer relations with the ASEAN countries, because many Taiwanese businesses are pulling out of China and relocating to Southeast Asia after Beijing passed stricter laws on taxation and labor welfare," he said in his report to the Diplomacy and National Defense Committee in the Legislative Yuan yesterday morning.
Huang said although Taiwan was not a member of the regional community linking Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in the economic, security and political sectors, Taipei has maintained "low-key" contacts with the member states.
During yesterday's meeting, opposition lawmakers said President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) should be held responsible for a deterioration in the nation's diplomatic strength.
They lauded the diligence of ministry staff, but said that most of their efforts to boost the nation's international image in the last eight years had been in vain because of a "hyperactive" and "stubborn" president.
"When it comes to foreign policy, the buck stops at the final decisionmaker. But his [Chen's] radical behavior has made it very difficult for our diplomats to promote Taiwan's interests abroad," Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said.
Lin was one of six KMT lawmakers present at the meeting. None of the three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) committee members attended yesterday's meeting.
Huang responded to the charges by saying that Beijing's relentless oppression of Taiwan was the biggest cause of the nation's difficult diplomatic situation.
"China will not stop crushing Taiwan's international space until it has completely emptied out the nation's pool of allies and erased all chance of Taiwan's participation in international organizations," the minister said.
KMT Legislator Cheng Li-wen (
In any democratic country, Cheng said, the foreign affairs ministry has to be open to bipartisanship and resist being dictated to by the ruling administration alone.
KMT Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) joined in the criticism, saying that the DPP's proposed referendum on applying for UN membership using the name "Taiwan" had no benefits in terms of shoring up ties with allies and non-allies.
"Instead, the referendum has already incited many objections from Taiwan's crucial friends and major international power players," Chiang said.
Huang responded by saying that referendums are a necessary component of a democratic nation, and the government had to allow voters to voice their opinion on important issues, such as participation in the UN.
The minister said that the ministry did not rule out other approaches to joining international organizations.
Despite the recent friction in relations with the US, ties between Washington and Taipei remain solid, Huang said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is unlikely to attempt an invasion of Taiwan during US president-elect Donald Trump’s time in office, Taiwanese and foreign academics said on Friday. Trump is set to begin his second term early next year. Xi’s ambition to establish China as a “true world power” has intensified over the years, but he would not initiate an invasion of Taiwan “in the near future,” as his top priority is to maintain the regime and his power, not unification, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University distinguished visiting professor and contemporary Chinese politics expert Akio Takahara said. Takahara made the comment at a
Upon its completion next year, the new Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋) in New Taipei City is to be an important landmark in Taiwan, alongside Taipei 101, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said today. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in December next year and open to the public in the first half of 2026, connecting New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts. It is an asymmetric single-tower suspension bridge, nearly 70 stories tall, designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The bridge aims to alleviate traffic in Tamsui and on the Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋), in addition to increasing the
EXERCISES: A 2022 article by a Chinese intelligence expert identified at least six People’s Liberation Army assault boats hidden inside the Hong Kong-flagged ship A Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship that had been docked at Taichung Port and which previously took part in Chinese military exercises departed from the port on Saturday, the Taiwan International Ports Corp’s Taichung branch said yesterday. The statement came in response to a post on the social media platform X by Taiwan-based journalist Chris Horton that said the ship, the SCSC Fortune, had been docked at the port since Tuesday and questioned whether Taiwan has any rules regarding foreign civilian vessels that have participated in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises. Horton referenced a 2022 article by Chinese intelligence expert Rod Lee that
PROBLEMATIC: Popular hotpot restaurant chains were among the list of restaurants that failed the inspection and have been ordered to remove bad ingredients The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of hotpot ingredients in hotpot restaurants resulted in a 16.7 percent failure rate. Eight vegetables had excessive pesticide residue and two other items had aflatoxin and excessive preservatives. As the weather is getting colder, more people eat at hotpot restaurants so a random inspection of ingredients was conducted in October to ensure food safety, the department said. Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) said 60 different ingredients were tested: 15 high-risk vegetables, 15 processed food items, 10 soy-based food items, five meat items, five lamb items, five seafood items and five peanut powder
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