Taiwan and Slovakia yesterday signed an agreement on judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters, the first of its kind signed by Taiwan with an EU country.
The pact was signed during a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ in Taipei by Representative to Slovakia David Lee (李南陽) and his Slovakian counterpart, Martin Podstavek.
The event was witnessed by a visiting Slovakian delegation led by Slovak National Council Deputy Speaker Milan Laurencik, as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥).
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Wu described the agreement as another “extraordinary milestone” in bilateral ties that gives Taiwan and Slovakia a comprehensive framework for cooperation on judicial issues.
The two nations in August last year signed an agreement on judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
“By establishing the framework, Taiwan is expanding the freedom and rights of its people while enhancing ties with Slovakia,” Wu said.
Laurencik said that the latest agreement is another major step in mutual cooperation that would strengthen the bilateral friendship between Slovakia and Taiwan.
“Good deals make good friends,” Laurencik added.
The Ministry of Justice said that the agreement encourages the two sides to share information on civil and commercial legal issues, respond to requests for assistance in civil and commercial cases, and hold regular meetings to facilitate cooperation in these areas.
This was the first agreement on civil and commercial matters that Taiwan has signed with an EU country. It signed a similar agreement with Vietnam in August 2020.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament on Tuesday voted to pass a resolution expressing concern over China’s “threats” to Taiwan’s sovereignty and security in the wider Indo-Pacific region.
The resolution — which was based on a report from the parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs on security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region — was adopted in a 474-60 plenary session vote, with 80 abstentions.
China’s use of military action to threaten the territorial integrity of Taiwan had exerted “further strain on regional security and stability,” the report said.
It pointed to China’s rapid military buildup, and increasingly assertive and expansionist behavior in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as its military activities in the Taiwan Strait, as evidence of Beijing’s destabilizing influence.
The report made particular note of what it called Beijing’s “deliberate and repeated violations” of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, while warning “of the danger of an accelerated arms race in the region” and calling for the EU “to prepare a strategy based on realities on the ground that would allow it [the EU] to react if need be.”
It also “strongly refutes any attempt by Chinese propaganda to draw similarities between the Russian war in Ukraine and the overall security situation of Taiwan.”
The situations in Ukraine and Taiwan differ significantly, historically, and when analyzing the role of Taiwan in the regional and global context, it said.
The report stressed its opposition to any unilateral action undermining the cross-strait “status quo,” and said that any change must not be made against the will of Taiwanese.
At the same time, the report recognized Taiwan as “a key partner and democratic ally in the Indo-Pacific” region and called for the EU to enhance its existing partnership with Taiwan, including on securing the free navigation of primary maritime routes, ensuring an open and safe airspace, and tackling climate change.
In a statement issued yesterday, the foreign ministry thanked the European Parliament for taking concrete steps to support Taiwan.
The resolution shows the European Parliament’s wariness regarding “China’s increasingly assertive behaviors that undermine regional peace and stability,” it said.
As a responsible actor in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan would continue working with the EU and the bloc’s member states to contribute to the peace and stability of the region, and counter the threats posed by authoritarian regimes to the international order, it said.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
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