Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) yesterday said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) thanks the US Congress for supporting legislation that is to facilitate port calls between the US Navy and Taiwanese navy, but added that Taiwan would respect the US government’s decision on whether to put the provisions into practice.
Lee was responding to questions from lawmakers about the US’ National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal 2018, which US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law.
Several provisions in the NDAA call for strengthening the US’ defense partnership with Taiwan and local legislators asked whether the Presidential Office would support such strengthened cooperation.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said that Taiwan wishes to deepen military collaboration with the US, but added that is not at odds with hopes for a peaceful relationship with China.
The proposal to arrange port calls by the two nation’s navies in particular is still hypothetical at the moment, Wu said.
The US government’s stance on the issue is not known, but if the matter were to be discussed, Taiwan would balance the nation’s military considerations with the region’s peace and stability, he said.
Lee and Wu have both dismissed threats by Li Kexin (李克新), a minister at the Chinese embassy in the US who said that China would use violence if the US Navy were to make port calls in Taiwan, calling the comments unconducive to the development of cross-strait relations.
Li’s comments represented only one person’s views and differed from remarks by other Chinese government officials about the issue, Wu has said.
The ministry also issued a statement thanking the European Parliament for approving a motion that includes a statement of support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
The parliament on Wednesday passed its Annual Report on the implementation of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, which includes a clause related to Taiwan and security in the Asia-Pacific region, the ministry said.
Clause 31 of the motion notes the parliament’s interest in peace in the region, calls on all parties involved to resolve differences through peaceful means and finishes by reiterating “its commitment to supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and activities.”
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
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