DIPLOMACY
Sunak, Yoon ink accord
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is on a state visit to the UK, underlined the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in the Downing Street Accord signed on Wednesday. The UK and South Korea reiterated their commitment to “openness and transparency in the Indo-Pacific” and “emphasize that our basic positions on Taiwan remain unchanged.” “Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is an indispensable element in the security and prosperity of the international community,” the document said. The two countries “strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo” in the East and South China Seas, calling on the protection of freedom of navigation and overflight, it said, adding that the two leaders vowed to deepen cooperation on security issues in pursuit of regional and global stability.
DIPLOMACY
New state offices open
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ official in charge of US affairs on Wednesday hailed the opening of four new representative offices in Taiwan by US states this year, saying it illustrates how the two countries are “ideal and reliable” partners. Speaking at an annual appreciation reception held by the American State Offices Association (ASOA) in Taipei, Wang Liang-yu (王良玉), head of the North American Affairs Department, said the offices opened by Arizona, Louisiana, North Carolina and Virginia represented the “breadth and depth” of the partnerships between Taiwan and US states. In addition, six US governors led trade missions in Taiwan and signed a wide range of agreements this year, she added. Meanwhile, Emily Scott, director of the Agricultural Trade Office under the American Institute in Taiwan, said there are now 17 ASOA members in Taiwan. When she first arrived there were only eight members, Scott said, adding that she was happy to have witnessed the growth firsthand. She also noted that Taiwan is a close US trade partner and the sixth-largest market for US agricultural products. The other US state offices and ASOA members are Minnesota, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wyoming, while Guam also has an office in Taiwan.
SOCIETY
Unclaimed lottery tickets
Eight NT$10 million (US$317,007) and five NT$2 million winning receipts from the July-August invoice lottery remain unclaimed, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The eight-digit serial number that won the NT$10 million special prize in the lottery was 21981893, it said. Some of the unclaimed prize-winning NT$10 million receipts include a NT$26 receipt issued by a 7-Eleven in Hsinchu’s East District (東區), a NT$55 receipt issued by a drinks shop in Taichung’s Situn District (西屯) and a NT$60 purchase at a PX Mart in Changhua County’s Fenyuan Township (芬園). Meanwhile, five of the 16 NT$2 million grand prizes for receipts with the serial number 39597522 were also unclaimed, the ministry said. Unclaimed winning receipts include a NT$33 purchase issued by Apple’s App Store, a NT$85 receipt issued by MOS Burger in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義), a NT$242 receipt issued by a 7-Eleven in Taoyuan’s Taoyuan District (桃園), a NT$1,573 receipt issued by a steakhouse in Taichung’s Nantun District (南屯) and a NT$190 receipt for a top-up at a FamilyMart in Kaohsiung’s Siaogang District (小港). Those with the receipts can claim their winnings until Jan. 5.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
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