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Newsletter (Issue 027/ 2024)

~Published by Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia~

Website: https://www.roc-taiwan.org/lv/index.html

FB: Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia

Twitter: @Taiwan_Latvia

E-mail:[email protected] Date: March. 4, 2024

1 Taiwan signed joint statement with like-minded countries on support for Ukraine

during WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference

Taiwan joined more than 40 WTO members at a side event of the 13th Ministerial

Conference of the WTO held on Feb. 25 to convey solidarity with Ukraine. The

participants, including the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom,

Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, issued a joint statement expressing support

for Ukraine. Taiwan’s participation in the event again underscored its synchronized

efforts with the international community to jointly thwart the expansionist ambitions of

authoritarian countries and its staunch commitment to protecting the multilateral trade

system and ensuring the stability of the global economy.

The joint statement reaffirms support for the people and government of Ukraine in their

fight for sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and calls for Russia to

immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from

Ukraine. It points out that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has produced

devastating global and regional impacts and gravely violated the principles and values of

the WTO.

2 Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hsieh attended Czechia semiconductor

investment opportunity seminar

Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kelly Wu-

chiao Hsieh attended a seminar on

semiconductor investment opportunities in

the Czech Republic on Feb. 1 in Taipei City,

underscoring the government’s commitment

to enhancing two-way economic and business

ties. The event involved over 100 officials

from the Cabinet-level National Development Council, Ministry of Economic Affairs and

CzechInvest, Czechia’s investment and business development agency, in addition to

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academics and business representatives.

In his remarks, Deputy Minister Hsieh pointed out that Taiwan and the Czech Republic

have enjoyed close cooperation in areas spanning culture, education, technology and

trade over the past 30-plus years. The seminar helps two sides further boost technological

innovation and economic growth for a solid bilateral relationship over the next three

decades.

Foto Credit: Taiwan Today

3 Polish parliament established Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group

Polish parliament established Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group on Feb. 22,

electing Kryzysztof Truskolaski as the first Chairperson and 4 other parliamentarians as

Vice- Chairperson. Over 110 polish parliamentarians have registered for the Taiwan’s

friendship group, making it the largest of its kind.

4 US government officially notified Taiwan of latest arms sale

Taiwan has received official notification from the US government that its executive

branch has informed Congress of an approximately US$75 million sale to Taiwan of

advanced tactical data link (Link 16) system upgrade planning. This is the Biden

administration’s 13th arms sale package to Taiwan since it assumed office in 2021. It

continues the US policy of recent years to normalize arms sales to Taiwan. The

announcement demonstrates the US government’s high regard for Taiwan’s defense

needs and readiness to assist Taiwan in strengthening its defensive and deterrence

capabilities.

5 EU and like-minded countries reaffirmed importance of peace and stability across

the Taiwan Strait

1. On February 23, the US Department of State released the text of a joint statement

between the United States and the European Union on the outcomes of the sixth high-

level meeting of the US-EU Dialogue on China and the fifth meeting of the US-EU

High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific. The statement reaffirmed the

importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and called for

the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. It further welcomed Taiwan’s vibrant

democratic process, including the presidential and legislative elections in January.

2. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa,

and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul met on the sidelines of the G20

foreign ministers’ meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 22. During their meeting,

the three discussed efforts to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

This follows on the joint statement issued after the August 2023 trilateral leaders’

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summit involving the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, which

reaffirmed the importance of supporting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait

and stressed opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the regional status quo

through force or coercion.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with People’s Republic of China

(PRC) Director of the Office of the Chinese Communist Party Central Foreign Affairs

Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security

Conference on Feb. 16. After the meeting, the US Department of State issued a press

release stating that Secretary Blinken had once again emphasized to Minister Wang the

importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

6 Taiwan ranked 1st in Asia in EIU Democracy Index

Taiwan retained its ranking of first in Asia and 10th globally in the 2023 Democracy

Index released on Feb. 15 by London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. Receiving an

overall score of 8.92 out of 10, Taiwan finished ahead of Japan, 16th; South Korea, 22nd;

Malaysia, 40th; and China, 148th, with Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden and

Finland topped the list. The report assessed a total of 167 countries and territories in five

main categories: civil liberties; electoral process and pluralism; functioning of

government; political participation; and political culture. Taiwan received a perfect score

in the second category and high marks of 9.41 and 9.29 in the first and third categories,

respectively.

7 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) celebrated the opening

of its subsidiary in Japan Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) recently held an opening

ceremony for its majority-owned subsidiary Japan Advanced Semiconductor

Manufacturing, Inc. (JASM) in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, bringing together suppliers,

customers, business partners, academia and the Japanese government to show

appreciation for their continued support and the joint effort that led to the success of the

project.

8 German companies in Taiwan optimistic about economic prospect

The German Trade Office (GTO) Taipei released its annual business confidence survey

on Feb. 21. According to the survey, 46 % of the companies said they are expecting

Taiwan’s economy in 2024 to improve compared to 2023. The companies’ prediction for

the next 3 years are more optimistic, with 59.2% saying they expect Taiwan’s economy

to improve. Germany has become Taiwan’s 2nd largest investing country in 2023 with

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over $ USD 1.553 billion of investment.

9 Taiwan and the US signed International Development Cooperation MOU

Taiwan and the US signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on International

Development Cooperation on Feb. 22. Under the agreement, Taiwan’s International

Cooperation and Development Fund and the DFC will explore cooperation in areas

including healthcare, women’s empowerment, ICT, agriculture, climate, energy, small

and medium-sized enterprises, and infrastructure. The signing of this MOU facilitates

cooperation between the DFC and its partners in Taiwan. This will empower both sides,

as well as the private sector and civil society, to collaborate in creative and diverse ways

on development cooperation in third countries.

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Taiwan and India signed MOU on labor force

Taiwan and India concluded a memorandum

of understanding on Feb. 16 to facilitate

employment of Indian workers in Taiwan.

The two sides will schedule meetings to

discuss the number of workers and the

industry sectors they are needed for. Taiwan

and India have been expanding cooperation

in recent years in areas such as culture and

education, investment, science and

technology, medicine and public health.

Foto Credit: Taiwan Today

11 Brussels-Capital Region Parliament of Belgium passed resolution in support of

Taiwan

The Brussels-Capital Region Parliament of Belgium passed a resolution on Taiwan’s

status in the international arena after a plenary review on Feb. 23, with 70 votes in favor,

10 abstentions, and none against. The resolution calls for the government of the Brussels-

Capital Region to encourage the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade

and Development Cooperation to support diplomatic work aimed at defusing tensions in

the Asia-Pacific. It endorses Taiwan’s participation in such international organizations

and mechanisms as the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation

Organization, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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