S Korea offers North economic benefits for denuclearization

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday offered “audacious” economic assistance to North Korea if it abandons its nuclear weapons program, while avoiding harsh criticism of the North days after it threatened “deadly” retaliation over the COVID-19 outbreak it blames on the South. In a speech celebrating the end of Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula, Yoon also called for better ties with Japan, calling the two countries partners in navigating challenges to freedom and saying their shared values would help them overcome historical grievances linked to Japan’s brutal colonial rule before the end of World War II. Yoon’s televised speech on the liberation holiday came days after North Korea claimed a widely disputed victory over COVID-19, but also blamed Seoul for the outbreak. The North insists that leaflets and other objects flown across the border by activists had spread the virus, an unscientific claim Seoul described as “ridiculous.” Yoon, a conservative who took office in May, said that North Korea’s denuclearization would be key for peace in the region and the world. If North Korea halts its nuclear weapons development and genuinely commits to a process of denuclearization, the South would respond with huge economic rewards that would be provided in phases, Yoon said. Yoon’s proposal was not meaningfully different from previous South Korean offers that have already been rejected by the North, which has been accelerating its efforts to expand the nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles program North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sees as his best guarantee of survival. “We will implement a large-scale program to provide food, providing assistance for establishing infrastructure for the production, transmission and distribution of electrical power, and carry out projects to modernize ports and airports to facilitate trade,” Yoon said. “We will also help improve North Korea’s agricultural production, provide assistance to modernize its hospitals and medical infrastructure,

Philippines drops Russian helicopter purchase, talking to US

Manila is looking to buy heavy-lift Chinook helicopters from the US, after scrapping a deal with Russia worth 12.7 billion pesos (US$227.43 million) to avoid sanctions, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said yesterday. In June, days before then-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte ended his six-year term, the Philippines scrapped a deal to buy 16 Mi-17 Russian military transport helicopters because of fears of US sanctions linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This cancellation of this contract is precipitated mainly by the war in Ukraine. While there are sanctions expected to come our way, from the United States and western countries, obviously it is not in our interest to continue and pursue this contract,” Romualdez told journalists in a virtual forum. Romualdez said the Chinooks would replace existing hardware used for the movement of troops and for disaster preparedness in the Southeast Asian country. The US is willing to strike a deal for the amount the Philippines was set to spend on the Russian helicopters, Romualdez said, adding that it would likely include maintenance, service and parts. The Philippines is pursuing discussions with Russia to recover its US$38 million down payment for the helicopters, the delivery of which was supposed to start in November next year, or 24 months after the contract was signed. The Philippines is at the tail-end of a five-year, 300 billion pesos modernization of its outdated military hardware, which includes warships from World War II and helicopters used by the US in the Vietnam War. Aside from military deals, the nation, under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, also wants increased economic exchanges with the US, in fields such as manufacturing, digital infrastructure and clean energy, including modular nuclear power, Romualdez said.

US lawmakers arrive in Taiwan

A delegation of US lawmakers yesterday arrived in Taiwan for a two-day visit, the second high-level group to visit the nation amid military tensions with China. Beijing has been holding military drills around the nation to express its anger at this month’s visit to Taipei by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto US embassy in Taipei, said that the delegation is led by US Senator Ed Markey, who is being accompanied by US representatives John Garamendi, Alan Lowenthal, Don Beyer and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region. The AIT said the delegation would meet with senior Taiwanese leaders to “discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate change and other significant issues of mutual interest.” In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the bipartisan and bicameral delegation, saying it demonstrates the US’ firm support amid China’s escalation of regional tensions. Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said the visit “once again demonstrated the US Congress’ resolute support for Taiwan,” as well as its commitment to working with democratic partners to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region.” The delegation’s trip comes less than two weeks after Pelosi concluded a 19-hour visit to Taiwan on Aug. 3, the first visit by a sitting US House speaker since 1997.

NHIA expands coverage of telemedicine

REACHING OUT: The NHIA increased the amount allocated for providers offering telemedicine from NT$100 million last year to NT$170 million to aid more Taiwanese

The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) has expanded National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage of telemedicine services to include divisions of cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology and pulmonology starting this month, in a change that is expected to benefit nearly 800,000 people. The NHIA last year started covering telemedicine services used by people living in mountainous areas and on outlying islands amid increased need during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the coverage was limited to divisions of ophthalmology, dermatology and medicine focused on conditions of the head and neck, as well as emergency treatment. The administration’s plan increases the amount allocated for telemedicine from NT$100 million (US$3.34 million) last year to NT$170 million for hospitals and clinics providing consultations remotely or making visits to patients’ homes. It is also lifting a restriction limiting participation in the telemedicine program to one hospital or clinic in each area, it said. To encourage more people to use “virtual” NHI cards, the administration said it would offer a monetary reward to hospitals and clinics that help people apply for them. The virtual cards are used by more than 285,000 people, with nearly 110,000 applying for the cards after the application procedure was simplified on May 16, it said. Medical resources are insufficient in mountainous areas and on outlying islands, where 2 percent of Taiwanese live, but only 0.75 percent of physicians work, NHIA Director-General Lee Po-chang (李伯璋) said on Saturday, adding that expanding the coverage gives residents in the areas access to more medical services. People living in mountainous areas and on outlying islands seek medical treatment more often than the national average, sometimes as much as 14.4 times the national average, NHIA official Yu Hui-chen (游慧真) said. Many of these places lack physicians who specialize in areas other than general and internal medicine, so telemedicine is needed to give people access to doctors who can

By Lin Hui-chin and Liu Tzu-hsuan

KMT’s Andrew Hsia resigns as Taichung adviser

VISIT BACKLASH: The Mainland Affairs Council said that Hsia’s trip to China amid rising military threats from Beijing sends a confusing message to the international community

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia (夏立言) has resigned as an adviser to the Taichung City Government in the wake of a heavily criticized trip to China. In a statement issued on Saturday, the city government said Hsia, who departed for China on Wednesday and is undergoing 10 days of COVID-19 quarantine, tendered his resignation on Friday. The city government added that it respects his wishes, and expressed gratitude for his contributions and assistance to Taichung. Hsia is visiting as Beijing continues a high-pressure military and economic campaign against Taiwan in retaliation for a 19-hour visit to Taipei by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Aug. 2 and 3. Hsia’s trip has drawn criticism not only from the Democratic Progressive Party, but also from colleagues inside the KMT. The city government said Hsia told Taichung Deputy Mayor Bruce Linghu (令狐榮達) that the controversy surrounding his trip had caused trouble for the city government, so he would resign as an adviser and a member of the city’s international affairs committee. Although Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) — who is also a KMT member and had said the trip came at an inappropriate time — urged him to stay on, Hsia insisted on stepping down, the city government said. Among the critics of Hsia’s trip to China, the Mainland Affairs Council said the visit could cause confusion in the international community about how Taiwanese perceive China’s military threat. Inside the KMT, New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) called the merits of visiting China at this moment “debatable,” as the country should be united in the face of Beijing’s rising military threat. KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), who has supported Hsia’s trip, on Saturday said that Taiwan and China need a channel to engage in exchanges and communication amid escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Although he acknowledged that

Moscow asks for assurances to visit nuclear power plant

Russian forces yesterday fired rockets on the Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine, killing at least one person, as a Russian diplomat called on Ukraine to offer security assurances so that international inspectors could visit a nuclear power station that has come under fire. The call was made after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday warned Russian soldiers who shoot at Europe’s largest nuclear power station or use it as a base to shoot from that they would become a “special target” for Ukrainian forces. The Mykolaiv region is just to the north of the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, which Ukrainian forces have vowed to retake. The Ukrainian emergency service said one person was killed in shelling early yesterday of the Mykolaiv regional settlement of Bereznehuvate. As fighting steps up in southern Ukraine, concern has grown sharply about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is held by Russian forces and has been hit by sporadic shelling. Both Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the shelling, which officials say has damaged monitoring equipment and could lead to a nuclear catastrophe. “Every Russian soldier who either shoots at the plant, or shoots using the plant as cover, must understand that he becomes a special target for our intelligence agents, for our special services, for our army,” Zelenskiy said in an evening address on Saturday. Zelenskiy, who did not give any details, again said that he considered Russia was using the plant as nuclear blackmail. Russian envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency Mikhail Ulyanov called on Ukraine to stop attacking the plant to allow an inspection mission from the agency. “It is important that the Ukrainians stop their shelling of the station and provide security guarantees to members of the mission. An international team cannot be sent to work under continuous artillery shelling,” he was quoted as saying yesterday

Sri Lanka defends letting Chinese survey ship dock

Sri Lanka on Saturday said it agreed to allow the Chinese survey vessel Yuan Wang 5 to tomorrow dock at its southernmost port, the Chinese-run Hambantota, despite security concerns raised by neighboring India and the US. Foreign security analysts describe the Yuan Wang 5, which is to dock in Sri Lanka until Monday next week, as one of China’s latest generation space-tracking ships, used to monitor satellite, rocket and intercontinental ballistic missile launches. Sri Lanka cleared the ship after the government “engaged in extensive consultations at a high level through diplomatic channels with all parties concerned,” including seeking “further information and material,” the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The South Asian island nation is experiencing political and economic turmoil after defaulting on debt for the first time and has endured months-long protests. The government previously deferred a request by the Chinese embassy on June 28 to allow the ship a port call in the middle of this month for replenishment purposes. The earlier postponement was made after “certain concerns” were raised, the ministry said, adding that the ship would not be allowed to conduct scientific research within Sri Lankan waters and must keep its automatic identification system on within its exclusive economic zone. “It is Sri Lanka’s intention to safeguard the legitimate interests of all countries, in keeping with its international obligations,” it said, reiterating its “policy of cooperation and friendship with all countries.” The Indian Ministry of External Affairs on July 28 said in regards to the ship that it was carefully monitoring any development that might have a bearing on India’s security and economic interests, and “takes all necessary measures to safeguard them.” The US has also been lobbying the government to revoke Chinese access to the port, the Washington Post previously reported, citing an unnamed Sri Lankan official. India and

US seeks to boost trade with Taiwan

BOLSTERING TIES: The US is ‘developing an ambitious road map for trade negotiations’ with Taiwan and plans to continue transits through the Taiwan Strait, a US official said

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday expressed “sincere gratitude” toward the US for taking “concrete actions” to maintain security and peace in the Taiwan Strait and the region, after the White House on Friday said it would boost trade with Taiwan and insist on the right of air and sea passage in the area in response to China’s “provocative” behavior. A new trade plan is to be unveiled within days, while US forces are to transit the Taiwan Strait in the next few weeks, US National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell told reporters in a teleconference. The statement came after Beijing raged at last week’s trip to Taipei by US House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi, launching its largest-ever military drills around Taiwan proper. Campbell said that Pelosi’s visit was “consistent” with Washington’s existing policy and that China had “overreacted.” Beijing used the pretext to “launch an intensified pressure campaign against Taiwan to try to change the status quo, jeopardizing peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region,” he said. “China has overreacted and its actions continue to be provocative, destabilizing and unprecedented.” In response to China’s drills, the US is reasserting its involvement in the area, while reiterating its policy of “strategic ambiguity” — diplomatically recognizing China, while simultaneously supporting Taiwan. Campbell said the administration would continue to “deepen our ties with Taiwan, including through continuing to advance our economic and trade relationship.” “For example, we’re developing an ambitious road map for trade negotiations, which we intend to announce in the coming days,” he said. The US would also reassert its right to use international air and sea space between Taiwan and China, he said. US forces “will continue to fly, sail and operate where international law allows, consistent with our long-standing commitment to freedom of navigation,” he said. “That includes conducting standard air

Official outlines plan to make more than 1,000 missiles

ORDNANCE: Under a five-year plan, the Chungshan Institute would make about 200 Hsiung Feng II and III/IIIE, and Hsiung Sheng missiles, an official said

The Ministry of National Defense plans to counter the Chinese navy by producing more than 1,000 anti-ship missiles over the next five years, a defense official familiar with the matter said yesterday. The comments came after China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy began a series of military drills in a simulated naval blockade of Taiwan proper following a visit to Taipei by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Although China has in the past few years rapidly produced many warships and added them to its navy, these large vessels are more suited for warfare on the open sea than in the narrow confines of the Taiwan Strait, the official said on condition of anonymity. Taiwan’s radar systems and anti-ship missile units can track large or medium-sized warships with relative ease in waters near its stations, a capability proven by their performance during China’s naval drills and other activities, the official said. China’s 052-class guided-missile destroyers can be rendered combat ineffective or sunk after being struck by four anti-ship missiles, while two missiles should suffice for smaller craft, the official said, citing analysts. Torpedoes that strike a ship below its waterline would cause greater damage than missiles, the official said. As the Sea-Air Combat Power Improvement Plan enters into effect, Taiwan is initiating the mass production of locally designed missiles from this year to 2026, the source said. Under the five-year plan, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology would manufacture 70 Hsiung Feng III/IIIE missiles per year, while 131 Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Sheng missiles can be produced every year by sharing an assembly line, the source said. In addition, Taiwan is expected to receive 100 Harpoon missile launchers and 400 missiles from the US, which would be deployed in conjunction with domestically made systems, the source said. Taiwan’s ability to deploy multiple types of missiles would improve

By Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin

China sending jets to Thailand for exercises

The Chinese air force is today to send fighter jets and bombers to Thailand for a joint exercise with the Thai military. The training is to include air support, strikes on ground targets and small and large-scale troop deployment, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on its Web site. Beijing’s expanding military activities in the Asia-Pacific region have alarmed the US and its allies and form part of a growing strategic and economic competition that has inflamed tensions between the world’s two largest economies. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in June visited Thailand as part of an effort to enhance what he called the US’ “unparalleled network of alliances and partnerships” in the region. The Falcon Strike exercise is to be held at the Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in northern Thailand near the border with Laos. Thai fighter jets and airborne early warning aircraft from both countries would participate. The training comes as the US holds combat drills in Indonesia with Indonesia, Australia, Japan and Singapore in the largest iteration of the Super Garuda Shield exercises since they were first held in 2009. It also follows China’s sending warships, missiles and aircraft into the waters and air around Taiwan in a threatening response to a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. US National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell on Friday said that the US would take resolute steps to support Taiwan, including sending warships and aircraft through the Taiwan Strait. “We’ll continue to fly, sail and operate where international law allows, consistent with our longstanding commitment to freedom of navigation,” he said in a call with reporters. “And that includes conducting standard air and maritime transits through the Taiwan Strait in the next few weeks.”

AP, BANGKOK

Universities miss their recruitment targets by 36.83%

Twenty-two public and 29 private universities missed their recruitment target by 14,000 students, despite reporting a record acceptance rate of 98.94 percent, the University Admission Committee said on Friday, underscoring the severity of student shortfalls due to declining birthrates. The committee, in a report on acceptance rates nationwide, said that 25,297 prospective students took entrance exams this year, 9,272 fewer than last year, as universities sought to recruit 39,350 students, but missed their target by 36.83 percent. In terms of student majors, foreign-language departments made up more than 62 percent of the departments that were unable to meet their recruitment targets, the committee said. Committee executive secretary and National Cheng Kung University Department of Education Affairs director Tsai Chun-li (蔡群立) said that the number of people taking the new exams had decreased sharply due to declining birthrates. This year was the first time by-subject exams were administered in lieu of the previous advanced subjects tests. The by-subject test only considers the scores — up to a maximum of 60 points in each subject — in category A mathematics, history, geography, civics, physics, chemistry and biology. The by-subject test is another option for students seeking to enter a university, with the other option being the General Scholastic Ability Test, which considers examinees’ scores on four out of five subjects, including general Mandarin; written Mandarin; English; category A or B mathematics, or both; social sciences; and the sciences. The committee said that private universities with established reputations have also been affected by declining enrollment, with Chinese Culture University reporting that it only recruited 257 students, despite having 2,635 available slots. The Union of Private School Educators and the National Federation of Teachers Unions (NFTU) urged the Ministry of Education to reconsider its policies related to student recruitment. Union of Private School Educators president Yu Jung-hui (尤榮輝) said that although universities

By Rachel Lin, Yang Mien-chieh and Jake Chung

US to limit exports of some chip tech

The US is imposing export controls on technologies that support the production of advanced semiconductors and turbines, protecting against their “nefarious” military and commercial use. The innovations “are essential to the national security” of the US and meet the criteria for the protection, the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security said in a statement on Friday. The agency creates and enforces export restrictions. “Advancements that allow technologies like semiconductors and engines to operate faster, more efficiently, longer and in more severe conditions can be game changers in both the commercial and military context,” US Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez said in the statement. The move came as the US seeks to hinder the ability of China, which it sees as a strategic competitor, from developing advanced chipmaking technologies. It also follows passage this week of US legislation that includes about US$52 billion to boost domestic semiconductor research and development, and aims to bring more chipmaking back to the US. “We are protecting the four technologies identified in today’s rule from nefarious end use by applying controls through a multilateral regime,” US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea Rozman Kendler said in the statement. The statement highlighted three technologies targeted by the controls, including two substrates of ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors: gallium oxide and diamond. Chips made with these materials can work under more severe conditions, such as at higher voltages or temperatures, and devices that use them have “significantly increased military potential,” it said. The electronic computer-aided design software, made for the development of integrated circuits with gate-all-around field-effect transistor structure, is also targeted, it said. The software is used by military and aerospace-defense industries to design complex integrated circuits. Gate-all-around field-effect transistor structure is key to designing technology that enables “faster, energy efficient, and more radiation-tolerant integrated circuits” that

Defense missiles to get US overhaul

US DEAL INKED: Next year’s defense budget would be NT$15.4bn higher than this year’s, while the long-term plan to service Patriot systems would cost NT$2.52bn, sources said

Taiwan’s Patriot missiles are getting a maintenance package of NT$2.52 billion (US$84.1 million) over four-and-a-half years from the US, a notification about the deal issued by the Ministry of National Defense showed on Thursday. The US Department of State in February approved the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s request to offer a maintenance package for Taiwanese Patriot PAC-2/GEM and Patriot PAC-3 missile defense systems, said a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. US-made Patriot missile defense systems are designed to shoot down hostile aircraft and ballistic missiles, capabilities that experts said Taiwan urgently needs amid China’s frequent incursions into its air defense identification zone and live-fire missile tests last week. The package includes support through the US Army International Engineering Services Program and the Field Surveillance Program, the official told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The programs would ensure that the missiles systems are reliable, adequately supplied with parts and upgraded, they said. These services were originally listed at US$100 million, with a program duration of five years, but the price was reduced following negotiations between Taipei and Washington, they said. The contract was signed by a ministry-led delegation of military officers and American Institute in Taiwan officials, and took effect on July 20, they said. Taiwan operates PAC-3s and PAC-2/GEMs — which are PAC-2s upgraded to PAC-3 performance standards. Improved PAC-3/MSEs are expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026. Separately, the nation’s defense budget is slated to grow 4.2 percent next year, more than the 4.09 percent the Cabinet previously said it was considering, an official familiar with the matter said. Next year’s defense budget would be NT$15.4 billion higher than this year’s budget of NT$367.6 billion, they said, adding that the largest budget items would be personnel costs, operational costs and arms procurement. The salaries and benefits of military service

By Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin

Irrigation body nationalization found constitutional

‘NO BREACHES’: The Cabinet got backing from the Constitutional Court after it said that the former irrigation association system was not based on constitutional rights

The nationalization of Taiwan’s 17 irrigation associations under the Agency of Irrigation in July 2020 did not contravene the Constitution, the Constitutional Court ruled yesterday. The move did not contravene the principle of legal clarity, nor people’s freedom of association, guaranteed by Article 14 of the Constitution, said Judicial Yuan President Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力), who heads the Constitutional Court. The nationalization process did not infringe on property rights, nor did it violate the non-retroactivity principle or the principle of legitimate expectation, Hsu said. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators said the nationalization of the irrigation associations under the Irrigation Act (農田水利法) was disproportionate and amounted to stealing from the public. The irrigation agency was established without amending the Organizational Act of the Council of Agriculture (行政院農業委員會組織條例), and therefore breached the legal reservation principle and the Act Governing Central Administrative Agencies and Organizations (中央行政機關組織基準法), the legislators said. The agency was founded via executive order, instead of by following due process, they said. The Taoyuan irrigation association, a plaintiff in the case, said the act breached its members’ freedom of association, infringed on their property rights and endangered their livelihood. The Executive Yuan countered the argument, saying that irrigation associations are public legal persons that provide indirect administrative oversight on behalf of the government. Therefore, the former irrigation association system was not based on constitutional rights and the associations cannot ask for basic guarantees under the Constitution, the Cabinet said. Taiwanese expect improvements to food safety, and fair and efficient use of water in light of changing agricultural practices amid concerns over climate change, the Council of Agriculture said. These are expectations that the irrigation associations, many of which were mired in financial and administrative issues, could no longer meet, the council said. The need to nationalize the associations into a government agency was urgent and necessary, it said. The government initiated dialogue

By Wu Cheng-feng, Chang Wen-chuan and Jake Chung

WorldPride event canceled over use of nation’s name

The organizers of WorldPride 2025 have canceled the Kaohsiung event because its licensing group, InterPride, demanded that it remove “Taiwan” from the event’s name, they said in a statement yesterday. Kaohsiung was to host WorldPride Taiwan 2025 after being granted the right by the global LGBTQ advocacy group. However, the WorldPride 2025 Taiwan Preparation Committee said that InterPride recently gave “abrupt notice” asking it to change the name of the event and use “Kaohsiung” instead of “Taiwan,” even though it applied for the event using “Taiwan” in its name. The name was initially chosen for its significance to the Taiwanese LGBTQ community, as local annual pride celebrations since 2003 have used “Taiwan” in their names rather than the name of the respective host city, the committee said. It was also chosen to connect several pride events across Taiwan, as many cities other than Kaohsiung were to participate in the event, it added. Negotiations were also convened in November last year over a separate naming controversy, after InterPride listed Taiwan as a “region” in its hosting announcement. During the meeting organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three sides agreed to use the name “WorldPride Taiwan 2025.” However, the naming issue was only the “final straw” following a number of other issues that emerged during the negogations, the committee said. “There were major discrepancies between our stances on the event’s naming, understandings of Taiwan’s culture and expectations of what a WorldPride event should look like,” the committee said. InterPride repeatedly raised concerns about Taiwan’s ability to hold an international event, “despite our team consisting of highly competent pride organizers who have successfully organized some of the largest pride events in Asia,” it said. “After careful evaluation, it is believed that if the event continues, it may harm the interests of Taiwan and the Taiwan gay community,” it said. “Therefore, it

Latvia, Estonia exit China-led forum on eastern Europe

Latvia and Estonia have left a Chinese-backed forum aimed at boosting relations with eastern European countries, the two Baltic countries have said, in what appears to be a new setback for China’s increasingly assertive diplomacy. The move follows China’s boosting of its relations with Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine is seen as a possible first step in a series of moves against countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. China has refused to criticize Russia and has condemned punishing economic sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West. Weeks before the war started in February, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where they declared in a joint statement that their countries’ bilateral relations had “no limits.” Latvia’s and Estonia’s announcements came after Beijing launched economic and diplomatic retaliation against another Baltic state, Lithuania, in retaliation for its expanded ties with Taiwan. China’s increasing assertiveness and last week’s threatening military drills near Taiwan have brought a sharp backlash from the US and other democracies. “In view of the current priorities of Latvian foreign and trade policy, Latvia has decided to cease its participation in the cooperation framework of Central and Eastern European Countries and China,” the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday. The country “will continue to strive for constructive and pragmatic relations with China both bilaterally, as well as through EU-China cooperation based on mutual benefit, respect for international law, human rights and the international rules-based order,” the statement said. Estonia issued a similar statement, saying it would “continue to work towards constructive and pragmatic relations with China, which includes advancing EU-China relations in line with the rules-based international order and values such as human rights.” “Estonia participated in the cooperation format of Central and Eastern Europe and China from 2012. Estonia has not attended any

Hong Kong sentences protesters, blocks film screening

A Hong Kong court yesterday sentenced two young men to jail terms over a violent clash during the territory’s political unrest in 2019 that killed an elderly man. Luo Chang-qing (羅長清), a 70-year-old cleaner, died from a blow to the head during a confrontation near the mainland China border where democracy protesters and government loyalists hurled bricks at each other. Luo was one of the only fatalities directly linked to Hong Kong’s political turmoil in 2019, and his case remains a source of outrage for Hong Kong government supporters. Kelvin Lau (劉子龍), 19, and Chan Yin-ting (陳彥廷), 18, were each sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail for rioting. The duo faced additional manslaughter and wounding charges, but a jury last month cleared them of responsibility in Luo’s death. The judge yesterday said that the defendants — who were underage at the time of the clashes — were among a group that instigated the violence that escalated into a “very serious riot.” “Things devolved into mayhem which led to very tragic consequences,” the judge said. The skirmish, which took place in the Sheung Shui neighborhood in November 2019, was one among dozens that broke out between ideological opponents at the height of Hong Kong’s massive pro-democracy protests. The defendants made plans to protest together on the day, which showed some level of premeditation, the judge said. Earlier media accounts of the clashes placed blame on both sides, but the judge praised the government loyalists as “unsung heroes” who acted selflessly and courageously when they stood up to the protesters. Separately, Hong Kong censors have banned an award-winning animated film from being shown over a one-second scene depicting the 2014 democracy protests in the territory, local media reported, in the latest sign of free speech curbs in Hong Kong. Losing Sight of a Longed Place, an eight-minute film about a young gay man’s