Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺) departed for London yesterday for the 26th UK-Taiwan Trade Talks, which aim to enhance economic resilience and supply chain collaboration, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said.
The meeting, to be jointly hosted by Chen and British Minister of State for International Trade Nigel Huddleston, is also to cover cooperation in the realms of energy, semiconductors and scientific research, the ministry said in a statement.
Both sides are to build on the progress achieved following the signing of a memorandum of understanding during last year’s talks and boost two-way innovation collaboration, such as introducing joint projects that focus on next-generation communication, semiconductor technology, electric vehicles and renewable energy, it said.
Photo: AFP
Regarding energy, the two countries are also to discuss topics such as net-zero carbon emissions policies, low-carbon hydrogen and offshore wind power, with the aim of progressing toward the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, it said.
Chen, who is staying in the city until tomorrow, is also set to meet with Taiwanese businesspeople and local industry representatives to exchange views and promote investment in Taiwan, it said.
Trade between Taiwan and the UK totaled US$6.6 billion last year, which was a 10-year high, the ministry said, adding that the UK is Taiwan’s third-largest trading partner in Europe.
In other news, former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has been named President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) representative to an event scheduled to be held in Washington by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said on Friday.
Su is to attend the event marking the 40th anniversary of the NED — a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting democratic institutions around the world — on the 14th of this month on behalf of Tsai and deliver remarks, Lin said in a press release.
NED president Damon Wilson visited Taiwan in July and conferred the organization’s “democracy service medal” on Tsai, Lin said, adding Tsai’s achievements in promoting democracy and human rights would also be recognized during the upcoming NED event.
Su, who currently does not hold any official post, is to depart for New York on the 12th and arrive in Washington the evening of the 13th for the event, Lin said.
According to Lin, Su was chosen because of his track record on promoting human rights in Taiwan, including working as a human rights lawyer during the Martial Law era and endorsing the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019 in his capacity as premier.
Su, 76, served as head of the Executive Yuan from 2006-2007 and again from 2019 until January this year.
He started working as a lawyer in 1971 and was known for being part of a team of lawyers defending the core members of the pro-democracy protest on Dec. 10, 1979, later known as the Kaohsiung Incident, who were put on trial for sedition.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at