More of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies on Saturday called for the nation’s inclusion in the UN system during the global body’s COP28 climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
On the second day of the high-level segment of COP28, prime ministers from allies Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Tuvalu and Eswatini voiced their support for Taiwan’s participation in the UN’s annual climate conference.
“The time is now for world leaders to transform to a safer place for our children,” Saint Lucian Prime Minister Philip Pierre said in his address.
Photo: AFP
“And in this battle Taiwan must not be left behind,” he added.
Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew said that Taiwan is a “reliable global partner in the climate crisis.”
“Saint Kitts and Nevis firmly believes that Taiwan, as an island nation, should be allowed to play [a] meaningful role in the existential policy drives of the United Nations,” he said.
Tuvaluan Prime Minister Kausea Natano said in his speech that all the challenges the world faces require all countries to work together to address.
“I therefore urge the members of [the] UN to recognize the contribution of the Republic of China to assist with climate change challenges, health issues and so forth,” he said.
Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, who was sworn into office last month, said that all countries should be party to the agreements and commitments on climate action.
“If countries like Taiwan have voluntarily committed for the sake of the planet and people without being a party to the negotiations, then the rest of us can,” he said, adding that Eswatini calls for Taiwan’s formal inclusion in future UN climate conferences.
The 28th UN Climate Change Conference, which started on Thursday, ends on Tuesday next week.
The conference has been held annually since the first UN climate agreement was reached in 1992. It is intended to be a platform for governments to discuss and agree on policies to limit global temperature rises and adapt to climate change.
After the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) were expelled from the UN in 1971, Taiwan left the global body and has since been excluded from its special agencies, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Since 1995, Taiwanese officials have participated in the conference through the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute, acting as a non-governmental organization.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS