Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday touted the growing ties between Taiwan and Italy as the legislature inaugurated an interparliamentary friendship caucus.
Over the past few years, Taiwan and Italy have made consistent progress in expanding cooperation in trade, culture and technology, while maintaining a relationship based on trust and friendship, Wang told the event.
The nation’s donation of 50,000 masks and 30 ventilators to Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic showed Taiwan’s commitment to helping its friends, he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Taiwan is the world’s eighth-largest importer of Italian machine tools and looks forward to launching economic cooperation in semiconductors to broaden trade between the nations, Wang said, adding that Taiwanese enterprises have invested nearly US$4.5 billion in Italy since 2020.
Italy’s drive to build a domestic chip industry with 10 billion euros (US$11.1 billion) in subsidies is sure to increase bilateral exchanges in technology, he said, citing Rome’s plan to invest 103 million euros in GlobalWafers Co’s proposed 12-inch chip plant in Italy.
The Italian government is increasingly supportive of Taiwan’s global aspirations, having voiced support for Taipei’s participation in UN organizations, including the WHO and the International Civil Aviation Organization, Wang said.
Italy also called for greater attention on the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait at the G7 Summit in June, shortly before Italy’s ITS Cavour strike group participated in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise in the region, he said.
Italian Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Office Representative Marco Lombardi said that more Italians are coming to Taiwan to study in semiconductor-related fields, adding that he hopes for expanded bilateral cooperation in chips.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS