Taiwan and the Czech Republic share the determination to defend democracy and freedom, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told a forum in Prague yesterday, calling on democratic countries to unite against authoritarianism.
Wu made the remarks at a forum cohosted by the Czech Academy of Sciences and Czech think tank Sinopsis titled “Towards a productive relationship: Engaging with Taiwan in multiple domains.”
“As a former political scientist studying democratization, I have always wanted to visit late [Czech] president Vaclav Havel’s motherland,” Wu is cited as saying in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Photo courtesy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
“The pursuit of freedom and democracy has always been the most important reason that our two countries are closely connected,” he said.
The combination of new technologies and social media has empowered people around the world to voice their views, but at the same time, democracy’s enemies have become increasingly bold and outspoken, Wu said.
“Our democratic accomplishments … need to be underpinned by determination and principles. This is especially true in times when authoritarianism continuously seeks to undermine the values and institutions that we all cherish,” he said.
When democracies are threatened around the world, “we need to work with and support each other. United we stand, divided we fall,” he said.
Taiwan is willing to share its valuable experiences in economic and technological developments with like-minded countries around the world and serve as “a force for good” against authoritarianism, Wu said.
Wu is part of a delegation to Europe that has since Sunday been visiting Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Wu is invited to a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international group of lawmakers, in Rome tomorrow, which he might attend via videoconference due to the visit’s tight schedule, the ministry said.
The ministry did not confirm media reports that Wu would also visit Poland and Brussels.
Moreover, a 66-person trade and investment delegation is visiting Lithuania, after leaving the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Taiwan and Lithuania have agreed to establish representative offices in each other’s capitals, despite pressure from the Chinese government.
Lithuania’s representative office is expected to open at the beginning of next year, Lithuanian Minister of the Economy and Innovation Ausrine Armonaite said.
A Taiwanese firm might open a semiconductor factory in Lithuania, she said.
During a bilateral trade and investment forum yesterday, Taiwan and Lithuania signed six memorandums of understanding in life sciences, information and communications technology, financial technology, electric vehicles, laser technology, semiconductors and food processing.
Additional reporting by CNA
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
RSS