President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday stressed unity despite domestic political differences as he received the delegation that is to attend the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
A cross-party delegation led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) is to depart for Washington tomorrow to attend the US presidential inauguration on Monday.
In a speech at the Presidential Office, Lai said that the delegation projects unity to the outside world, which would work to the nation’s benefit by deepening Taiwan-US relations.
Photo: screen grab from the Presidential Office livestream
He thanked Han of the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for stepping forward to lead the delegation and commended the lawmakers from different parties for coming together to represent the nation.
With the goal of promoting peace and prosperity, the delegation would stand together as one nation, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Lai said.
It would show Taiwan’s commitment to democracy, even under the threat of authoritarianism, and its resolve to stand with the US and the democratic world, he said.
Taiwan-US relations continue to grow, as shown by recent bilateral agreements, such as the double taxation legislation that was passed by the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, he added.
Han said that the delegation represents Taiwan’s voice as a democratic nation.
Democracy has become a part of the DNA of Taiwan’s 23 million people, a result of generations of hard work by their predecessors, he said.
Han compared Taiwan’s security to a table resting on four legs: protecting the Republic of China, freedom and democracy, maintaining relations with the US and cross-strait stability.
The delegation also includes Democratic Progressive Party legislators Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) and Jean Kuo (郭昱晴); KMT legislators Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) and Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞); and Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿).
Aside from attending the inauguration, the delegation is to meet with US officials, academics and representatives of the Taiwanese-American community before returning to Taiwan on Thursday next week.
UPDATED (3:40pm): A suspected gas explosion at a shopping mall in Taichung this morning has killed four people and injured 20 others, as emergency responders continue to investigate. The explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Situn District (西屯) at 11:33am. One person was declared dead at the scene, while three people were declared deceased later after receiving emergency treatment. Another 20 people sustained major or minor injuries. The Taichung Fire Bureau said it received a report of the explosion at 11:33am and sent rescuers to respond. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, it said. The National Fire
ACCOUNTABILITY: The incident, which occured at a Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store in Taichung, was allegedly caused by a gas explosion on the 12th floor Shin Kong Group (新光集團) president Richard Wu (吳昕陽) yesterday said the company would take responsibility for an apparent gas explosion that resulted in four deaths and 26 injuries at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Zhonggang Store in Taichung yesterday. The Taichung Fire Bureau at 11:33am yesterday received a report saying that people were injured after an explosion at the department store on Section 3 of Taiwan Boulevard in Taichung’s Situn District (西屯). It sent 56 ambulances and 136 paramedics to the site, with the people injured sent to Cheng Ching Hospital’s Chung Kang Branch, Wuri Lin Shin Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital or Chung
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘LAWFUL USE’: The last time a US warship transited the Taiwan Strait was on Oct. 20 last year, and this week’s transit is the first of US President Donald Trump’s second term Two US military vessels transited the Taiwan Strait from Sunday through early yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement, the first such mission since US President Donald Trump took office last month. The two vessels sailed south through the Strait, the ministry said, adding that it closely monitored nearby airspace and waters at the time and observed nothing unusual. The ministry did not name the two vessels, but the US Navy identified them as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson and the Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Bowditch. The ships carried out a north-to-south transit from
RSS