Cross-strait security and reinforcing the nation’s position in the global supply chain are key priorities for her final year in office, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
“It’s the global consensus that the Taiwan Strait issue must be resolved peacefully,” Tsai told a news conference marking the seventh anniversary of her presidency at the Presidential Office in Taipei, adding that peace was the only option for Taiwan in terms of ties with China.
China has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai took office in May 2016.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The president has repeatedly vowed to defend Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.
“War is not an option. Neither side can unilaterally change the status quo with non-peaceful means,” Tsai said. “Maintaining the status quo of peace and stability is the consensus for both the world and Taiwan.”
“In the face of China’s civil attacks and military threats, the people of Taiwan are calm and not aggressive, rational and not provocative,” she said.
“We will not be provocative, aggressive and we will definitely not yield under pressure,” she added
She reiterated a commitment to resolve differences with China through dialogue and by promoting orderly exchanges.
She said that at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, leaders emphasized the situation across the Taiwan Strait.
Prior to the summit, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated their “resolve to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” after they met on Thursday.
Citing Kishida’s recent comments, Tsai said the Taiwan issue has come under the spotlight in the international community and is a critical part of global peace.
As a result, Taiwan cannot look down on itself, but must take the responsibility to work with like-minded allies to push for regional peace, she said.
“Although Taiwan is at risk, it is never a risk maker, but a responsible risk controller,” Tsai added. “Taiwan will stand with all democratic countries in the international community to resolve the risks.”
She stressed the global importance of Taiwan’s supply chain, which produces most of the world’s advanced semiconductors.
Tsai said that even as firms such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) boost foreign investment, Taiwan would maintain its research-and-development capacity and advanced technology to ensure it maintains an edge.
Through forward-looking infrastructure projects and the promotion of the nation’s “six core strategic industries,” Taiwan has commanded an irreplaceable status in the global supply chain, she said, citing government data that indicated that new foreign investments exceeded NT$2 trillion (US$65.2 billion) in her seven years as president.
Tsai said she expects efforts to develop renewable energy in Taiwan to attract about NT$1 trillion in foreign investments by the end of this year under the government’s goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Regarding the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade, the first phase of negotiations have concluded with the first agreement likely to be signed in the coming weeks, Tsai said.
The agreement is expected to serve as the most detailed trade pact between Taiwan and the US since 1979, and would turn a new page in the trade ties between Washington and Taipei, she said.
Taiwan aims to open 18 representative offices and seven Taiwan Tourism Information Centers worldwide by next year to attract international visitors, the Tourism Administration said on Saturday. The agency has so far opened three representative offices abroad this year and would open two more before the end of the year, it said. It has also already opened information centers in Jakarta, Mumbai and Paris, and is to open one in Vancouver next month and in Manila in December, it said. Next year, it would also open offices in Amsterdam, Dubai and Sydney, it added. While the Cabinet did not mention international tourists in its
EYES AT SEA: Many marine enthusiasts have expressed interest in volunteering for coastal patrols, which would help identify stowaways and illegal fishing, the CGA said Six thousand coastal patrol volunteers are to be recruited for 159 inspection offices to enhance the nation’s response to “gray zone” conflicts, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) sources said yesterday. Volunteer teams would be established to increase the resilience of coastal defense systems in the wake of two unlawful entries attempted by Chinese over the past three months, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. A former Chinese navy captain drove a motorboat into the Tamsui River (淡水河) in Taipei on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, while another Chinese man sailed in a rubber boat into the Houkeng
NEXT LEVEL: The defense ministry confirmed that a video released last month featured personnel piloting new FPV drone systems being developed by the Armaments Bureau Taipei and Washington are pushing for their drone companies to work together to establish a China-free supply chain, the Financial Times reported on Friday. A delegation of high-level executives and US government officials were yesterday to arrive in Taipei to discuss with their Taiwanese counterparts collaboration on drone technology procurement and development, the report said. The executives represent 26 US manufacturers of drone and counter-drone systems, while the officials are from the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit, along with Dev Shenoy, principal director for microelectronics in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense
‘ANONYMOUS 64’: A national security official said that it is an attempt by China to increase domestic anti-Taiwanese sentiment and inflame cross-strait tensions The Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM) yesterday denied accusations by China that it had undermined regional security by carrying out cyberattacks against targets in China, adding instead that Beijing was responsible for raising tensions and undermining regional peace. The Chinese Ministry of State Security on WeChat accused a hacker group called “Anonymous 64” of targeting China, Hong Kong and Macau starting earlier this year through frequent cyberattacks. The group carried out cyberattacks to seize control of Web sites, outdoor electronic billboards and video-on-demand platforms in China, Hong Kong and Macau, it said, adding the hackers’