The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday thanked the House of Representatives of the Netherlands for passing a resolution stating that UN Resolution 2758 does not involve Taiwan, making it the first parliamentary body in Europe to approve such a motion.
The Taiwan-friendly motion was overwhelmingly approved by 146 of the House’s 150 members on Thursday.
It states that UN Resolution 2758 does not determine the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over Taiwan, nor does it preclude Taiwan’s participation in the UN or other international bodies.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The approval of the motion is significant for Taiwan, especially as the 79th session of the UN General Assembly just convened on Wednesday, the ministry said.
While the PRC has mischaracterized the UN resolution to block Taiwan’s international participation, it is in the interest of the Netherlands for Taiwan to be a part of global organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the WHO, the ministry cited the motion as saying.
The Dutch parliament’s move follows the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China’s (IPAC) passage of a similar motion in July and another by the Australian parliament last month, the ministry said.
The bipartisan motion was proposed by 13 parliamentary members from the Democrats 66 party, including IPAC cochair Jan Patternote, it said, adding that this was the third time the Dutch parliament has taken firm action to support Taiwan.
The Dutch House in April passed a motion to support Taiwan’s international participation, and another in May to urge the Dutch government to unite with the EU and like-minded countries to oppose China’s military drills around Taiwan and support maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, the ministry said.
Separately, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) told a news conference that she expects more democratic allies to speak up for Taiwan.
The motion won approval from up to 14 parties at the Dutch parliament, she said, calling on the UN to reinterpret the resolution to stop China from continuously distorting and using it to suppress Taiwan’s participation in the international community.
The DPP caucus will put forward a similar motion in the upcoming legislative term to “support our nation ourselves,” Wu said, adding that she hoped that the opposition and ruling parties would support Taiwan together.
DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said she was glad to see that the influence of the IPAC in favor of Taiwan has extended to parliaments of countries like the Netherlands, adding that she expects more countries to join the effort.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it