The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged the EU to start preparations for negotiating a bilateral investment agreement with Taiwan, after the bloc expressed its intention to boost cooperation with Taiwan in semiconductors and other areas.
The EU on Thursday adopted a Joint Communication on the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, after the European Council on April 19 approved the strategy.
In the report, the EU said it intends to increase engagements with Indo-Pacific partners, based on promoting democracy, the rule of law, human rights and universally agreed commitments, such as those related to sustainable development and climate change.
Photo: Reuters
The document said that “there has been a significant military buildup, including by China, with the Indo-Pacific’s share of global military spending increasing from 20 percent of the world total in 2009 to 28 percent in 2019.”
“The display of force and increasing tensions in regional hot spots such as in the South and East China Sea and in the Taiwan Strait may have a direct impact on European security and prosperity,” it said. “There is also an increase in hybrid threats, including on cybersecurity.”
As resilient value chains are essential for recovery, the EU would work with its Indo-Pacific partners to reinforce value chains and develop cooperation in strategic sectors, it said.
“For semiconductors, for example, it will do so with partners such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan,” it said.
After drawing blueprints for concluding or negotiating economic agreements with Australia, India, Indonesia and New Zealand, it said “the EU will also pursue its deep trade and investment relationships with partners with whom it does not have trade and investment agreements, such as Taiwan.”
To promote safe and free data flows, the EU has worked with Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, it said.
“Other partners such as India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand have adopted, or are putting in place, modern data protection laws. This could possibly pave the way for future adequacy talks,” it said.
MOFA welcomed the bloc’s joint communication, which for the first time explicitly included Taiwan in its Indo-Pacific strategy and continued to express concern about the situation across the Taiwan Strait.
Over the past few months, the EU has frequently turned its attention to the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait through joint statements or communiques with other countries, the ministry said.
Enhancing cooperation with Taiwan in semiconductors, information and communications technology, and other strategic industries would help the EU reinforce its supply chains and achieve its goal of “open strategic autonomy,” it added.
The ministry said it would boost cooperation with the EU, but also urged the bloc to follow several resolutions passed by the European Parliament to commence preparations for negotiating a bilateral investment agreement with Taiwan, such as impact assessments, public consultation and scope identification.
The EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation report passed by the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs on Sept. 1 also recommended the bloc start preparations for an investment pact with Taiwan.
The report and related proposals are pending votes by a plenary session next month.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
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