The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday expressed its gratitude to the UK and the US governments for restating the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in their UK-US Strategic Dialogue joint statement, which was released on Saturday London time.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in London to open the UK-US Strategic Dialogue, which was held on Tuesday and Wednesday last week.
The strategic dialogue, which covered the key elements of the UK-US partnership, included unwavering support for Ukraine, the promotion of peace and security in the Middle East — including a ceasefire in Gaza — cooperation towards a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and alignment on secure, resilient and sustainable growth.
Photo: AP
In the joint statement released by both governments on Saturday, they “restated the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to the security and prosperity of the international community and called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.”
In Taipei yesterday, the ministry issued a press release expressing its thanks to the UK, the US and other like-minded countries for their continued focus on peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region.
“As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is to continue to work with like-minded democratic partners to safeguard the rules-based international order and promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity,” it said.
Regarding the Indo-Pacific region, the UK and the US’ joint statement said the two sides “pledged to explore new opportunities to coordinate approaches, work with others to support a free and open region, and oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.”
They also recognized AUKUS, their partnership with Australia, as a demonstration of their continued collective commitment to the region, the joint statement said.
Regarding China, the joint statement said that the UK and the US “noted with concern dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea by Chinese vessels towards Philippines vessels.”
They also confirmed their shared commitment to upholding international law and the rules-based international system, and emphasized the need to respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, it 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