The Prague-based think tank European Values Center for Security Policy yesterday opened an office in Taipei, which signified Taiwan’s growing ties with Europe, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said.
Wu made the remarks at the opening of the think tank’s office, adding that the opening demonstrated camaraderie among fellow democratic countries.
The office’s establishment also sends a clear signal to the world that Taiwan’s partnership with the Czech Republic is strengthening, he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Taiwan’s partnership with democratic countries is a crucial part of its strategy, especially as authoritarian nations attempt to exert their influence on the international stage and threaten to destroy the core values of democracy, he said.
Interacting with the center will hopefully result in viable solutions to combat disinformation, cyberattacks and economic threats from other countries, he added.
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk, who also attended the opening, said that the institute could play a constructive role when interacting with the center.
Taiwan can provide its European partners valuable insight into China and the region, she said.
The AIT is happy to see that European partners are concerned with the security of Asia, she said, adding that the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region not only affects nations in Asia, but also the US and Europe.
The US is dedicated to upholding security in the Indo-Pacific regional, especially as China’s actions conflict with the values that the Taiwan, Europe and the US believe in, she said.
China’s human rights abuses, use of the economy as a coercive tool and cyberattacks are increasingly obvious, especially in terms of its relationship with Taiwan, she said.
The primary job of US President Joe Biden’s administration is to support US allies and partners, and jointly uphold and safeguard prosperity, security and the US’ core values, she said.
The US has offered long-term and solid support for Taiwan, which transcends political party differences in Washington, she added.
European Values Center for Security Policy director Jakub Janda said that the establishment of the Taipei office would allow the center to learn how Taiwan upholds democracy, despite direct pressure from China, adding that the office’s establishment was a sign of support for Taiwan.
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry
RSS