A delegation led by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach yesterday ended their visit, with the government saying that Taiwan and the US would continue to bolster economic ties.
After arriving in Taiwan on Thursday afternoon, the delegation yesterday attended a memorial service for former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and exchanged opinions with high-ranking officials and members of different sectors over various issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Krach is the highest-ranking US Department of State official to visit Taiwan since the two nations cut relations in 1979, it said.
Photo provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via CNA
Based on discussions with the group, the government would continue to work with the US to strengthen economic ties and bilateral partnerships, it added.
After hosting an evening banquet with delegation members at the presidential residence on Friday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) posted several photographs of the meeting on Facebook, which showed that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) also attended the dinner.
They were joined by Vice Premier Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津), Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花), National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中).
Photo: AFP / Presidential Office
Tsai wrote on Facebook that they had in-depth exchanges, adding that she hopes for additional dialogue.
Most of the US delegation’s meetings were held behind closed doors, unlike last month’s visit from a delegation led by US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar.
Keeping Krach’s meetings low-profile was not entirely Taiwan’s choice, a source familiar with the matter said, adding that there were some communications between agencies in Washington.
The Office of the US Trade Representative, which manages trade discussions, was viewing the visit closely, and might decide Taiwan has not made enough concessions or be watching how it resolves a disagreement over US pork imports containing ractopamine residues, they said.
The office might also be concerned if Krach’s delegation made too many commitments to Taiwan that create obstacles to future trade negotiations, they added.
Krach’s visit to Taiwan is already a diplomatic breakthrough, showing that Taiwan and the US can have more direct and closer communication, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said.
Prior to the administration of US President Donald Trump, Taiwan’s affairs were rarely a priority for the US, and Washington often viewed Taiwan through the lens of Beijing, he added.
After Krach commenced “preparatory talks” for the Taiwan-US Economic and Commercial Dialogue, other US officials might visit, he said.
Meanwhile, Chang’s attendance at the banquet showed that Taiwan could play a vital role in the US’ plans to promote its 5G Clean Path initiative and restructuring supply chains related to information technology, Wang added.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
RESTAURANT POISONING? Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang at a press conference last night said this was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan An autopsy discovered bongkrekic acid in a specimen collected from a person who died from food poisoning after dining at the Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said at a news conference last night. It was the first time bongkrekic acid was detected in Taiwan, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said. The testing conducted by forensic specialists at National Taiwan University was facilitated after a hospital voluntarily offered standard samples it had in stock that are required to test for bongkrekic acid, he said. Wang told the news conference that testing would continue despite
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)