Overseas Taiwanese are a vanguard to introduce Taiwan as a force for good to the world, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday in an address to the Overseas Compatriots Affairs Commission’s (OCAC) General Assembly of Council Members.
Tsai thanked council members for helping overseas Taiwanese overcome challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and leading efforts to donate disease-prevention supplies to other countries.
Taiwan’s ranking in the International Institute for Management Development’s world competitiveness report climbed from 14th in 2016, when she was inaugurated as president, to sixth this year, she said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
In particular, Taiwan’s ranking in terms of infrastructure improved from 19th to 12th during the same period, she added.
When the government develops sound infrastructure, manufacturers would be drawn to invest in Taiwan, which can in turn build up the nation’s economic momentum, she said.
This is why she has been systematically increasing investment in infrastructure since taking office, aiding the economy to grow an average of 3.4 percent from 2016 to last year, she said.
She urged overseas Taiwanese to promote Taiwan’s advanced development abroad, and invited Taiwanese and foreign businesses to invest in the country.
“We welcome the world to Taiwan and continue to bring Taiwan to the world,” Tsai said.
Taiwan has won more international support in the past few years, frequently welcoming friends from the EU, the US, Japan and all over the world to visit the nation to show their support, she said.
Tsai visited Guatemala and Belize in March and Vice President William Lai (賴清德) attended Paraguayan President Santiago Pena’s inauguration ceremony earlier this month.
Such visits were completed successfully thanks to the contribution of overseas Taiwanese, she said, adding that she was looking forward to meeting with Taiwanese compatriots in Eswatini during her trip to the African ally next week.
Taiwanese living abroad are lively and active, working toward a brighter future by holding activities and providing services to local societies, OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said.
Overseas Taiwanese are valuable assets of the country, as they are committed to working together with the government to protect Taiwan regardless of their political affiliation or where they live, she said.
Taiwan will continue to contribute to the world while upholding the values of freedom and democracy, she said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS