Taiwan is committed to working with democratic countries to safeguard regional peace and stability, and aims to join the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), president-elect William Lai (賴清德) told a US-Taiwan Business Council delegation yesterday.
Lai told the delegation, led by former US undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment Keith Krach, that Taiwan plays a pivotal role in preserving peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and as president he would seek to maintain the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
Thanking the US government for its strong support for Taiwan’s democracy, as shown in visits by high-level delegations after the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections, Lai said that Taiwan would work with the US to open up for more bilateral investment and to establish a more predictable investment environment.
Photo: CNA
He also asked the council for its support in enhancing the resiliency of Taiwan-US supply chains in key industry sectors, and expressed willingness to join the IPEF.
He added that Taiwan is an important and reliable partner for the US in safeguarding security and promoting economic prosperity in the region.
Krach, chairman of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue, congratulated Lai and vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) on winning the presidential election.
He said it was urgent that the US and Taiwan engage in “tech diplomacy.”
It was Hsiao’s first official meeting with foreign dignitaries at the Presidential Office in her capacity as vice president-elect. She and Lai had earlier received a Japanese delegation at the Democratic Progressive Party office.
In other foreign affairs news, Lai in a videoconference call invited the president of the Marshall Islands to attend his presidential inauguration on May 20.
Accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Lai called Marshallese President Hilda Heine, who was sworn in as president on Jan. 2, a good friend of Taiwan, adding that Taipei would continue to support the Pacific island nation.
Heine reaffirmed her nation’s firm and long-lasting friendship, and that bilateral relations remain rock-solid regardless of the test of time or external pressure, a news release issued by the Presidential Office said.
This year marks the 26th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the Marshall Islands, built on their common Austronesian roots and values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law, it quoted her as saying.
Her government would continue to work with Taiwan and other like-minded countries to contribute to the security and resilience of the Indo-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is today to meet with the first delegation of US lawmakers to visit Taiwan since the elections.
US representatives Mario Diaz-Balart and Ami Bera, co-chairs of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus, arrived yesterday, the Presidential Office said.
Bera and Diaz-Balart are to meet with Lai, Hsiao, Wu and other political leaders before departing today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
In a joint statement, Bera and Diaz-Balart said the trip aimed to “reaffirm US support for Taiwan following their successful democratic elections, express solidarity in their shared commitment to democratic values, and explore opportunities to further strengthen the robust economic and defense relationship between the United States and Taiwan.”
Additional reporting with CNA
ENDEAVOR MANTA: The ship is programmed to automatically return to its designated home port and would self-destruct if seized by another party The Endeavor Manta, Taiwan’s first military-specification uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) tailor-made to operate in the Taiwan Strait in a bid to bolster the nation’s asymmetric combat capabilities made its first appearance at Kaohsiung’s Singda Harbor yesterday. Taking inspiration from Ukraine’s navy, which is using USVs to force Russia’s Black Sea fleet to take shelter within its own ports, CSBC Taiwan (台灣國際造船) established a research and development unit on USVs last year, CSBC chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) said. With the exception of the satellite guidance system and the outboard motors — which were purchased from foreign companies that were not affiliated with Chinese-funded
PERMIT REVOKED: The influencer at a news conference said the National Immigration Agency was infringing on human rights and persecuting Chinese spouses Chinese influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣) yesterday evening voluntarily left Taiwan, despite saying yesterday morning that she had “no intention” of leaving after her residence permit was revoked over her comments on Taiwan being “unified” with China by military force. The Ministry of the Interior yesterday had said that it could forcibly deport the influencer at midnight, but was considering taking a more flexible approach and beginning procedures this morning. The influencer, whose given name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), departed on a 8:45pm flight from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) to Fuzhou, China. Liu held a news conference at the airport at 7pm,
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
RSS