Taiwan on Thursday joined dozens of countries in signing a declaration led by the US to promote a free and open Internet to counter “rising digital authoritarianism.”
Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) represented the government at a virtual ceremony hosted by the White House and signed the Declaration for the Future of the Internet.
Other signatories included Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK and the European Commission.
Photo: screenshot from Facebook
Tang yesterday wrote on Facebook that it remained an urgent task for democratic nations to build an Internet environment where economic and social development is encouraged, and democratic values and individual rights are protected.
Taiwan has much to contribute to the task taken on by the declaration’s signatories, Tang added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the nation’s participation in the initiative was the latest example of the close partnership between Taiwan and the US, and of US support for Taiwan’s engagement in international affairs.
It also said in a statement that Taiwan would continue working with like-minded countries to contribute to efforts to tackle global challenges.
Sixty countries have endorsed the declaration, which aims to “support a future for the Internet that is open, free, global, interoperable, reliable and secure, and affirm their commitment to protecting and respecting human rights online and across the digital world,” a White House statement said.
The US and its partners through the initiative would work to tackle what they described as “rising digital authoritarianism,” the statement said, adding that some countries had acted to repress freedom of expression, censor independent news sites, interfere with elections, promote disinformation and deny their citizens other human rights.
Signatories are committed to protecting human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all people while strengthening a multistakeholder approach to governance that keeps the Internet available for the benefit of all, the statement said.
Countries that backed the declaration agreed to promote a global Internet that advances the free flow of information and trust in the global digital ecosystem, including through protection of privacy, the statement said.
The signatories would also strive to advance inclusive and affordable connectivity so that all people can benefit from the digital economy, it added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said of the declaration in a separate statement that “the future of the Internet is also the future of democracy, of humankind.”
“Like-minded countries from all over the world are setting out a shared vision for the future of the Internet, to make sure that the values we hold true offline are also protected online, to make the Internet a safe place and trusted space for everyone, and to ensure that the Internet serves our individual freedom,” she added.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to