Kiri

1

Newsletter (Issue 007/ 2025)

~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: Sep 2, 2025

1 Latvian parliamentary delegation visited Taiwan in August

A delegation of eight Latvian

members of parliament, led by Ingrida

Circene, head of the Latvia-Taiwan

Parliamentary Friendship Group,

visited Taiwan from August 9th to 14th.

The group met Vice President Hsiao,

Foreign Minister Lin, National

Security Council Secretary General

Joseph Wu, and other senior officials.

A key focus is touring the Asia UAV-

AI Innovation Application R&D

Center in Chiayi County to explore

Taiwan’s drone industry. Taiwan and

Latvia signed an MOU in late 2024 to

cooperate on drone development and

manufacturing. The delegation also

visited Hsinchu Science Park and the

Industrial Technology Research

Institute. Chiayi County plans to

invest NT$6.9 billion (US$230 million) in the Minxiong Aerospace Industrial Park and

NT$3.2 billion to enhance the Asia UAV center, aiming to strengthen defense technology

and industrial innovation cooperation between the two countries.

2

2 US senate Armed Service Committee chair visits Taiwan for the 1st time in 9 years

From August 29th to 30th , Roger Wicker, one

of Taiwan’s staunchest allies in Congress and

chair of the US Senate Armed Services

Committee, and ranking member Deb Fischer

visited Taiwan – the first such visit in nine

years, since John McCain’s trip in 2016.

In his remarks upon arrival, Wicker said his

delegation has come to "reemphasize the

partnership and the security friendship

agreement that the United States has had with

Taiwan for some decades. Wicker noted that

Congress has stressed the importance of US’s

relationship with Taiwan in the past two

defense authorization acts. During their visit,

the senators met with President Lai, Vice

President Hsiao, senior officials of the National Security Council, and the Ministry of

National Defense to discuss Taiwan’s security-related issues.

3 President Lai reaffirms commitment to supporting Ukraine's reconstruction

efforts

President Lai Ching-te on reiterated Taiwan’s

commitment to aiding Ukraine’s

reconstruction efforts during a meeting with

Ukrainian lawmaker Mykola Kniazhytskyi on

August 7. President Lai emphasized, Taiwan has

stood with Ukraine, providing humanitarian aid

through government funding and private donations.

Taiwan has also partnered with like-minded countries such as, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech

Republic and Poland to provide Ukraine with assistance. Kniazhytskyi described his

meeting with Lai as a historic moment, affirming Taiwan’s commitment to relations with

Ukraine. The two countries are defending democracy against authoritarianism to ensure

national identity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

3

4

Taiwan’s defense spending is to rise to 3.32% of GDP in 2026, and reach 5% by

2030

During President Lai’s meeting with the delegation of US Senate on Auguest 29 th ,

President Lai reiterated that, Taiwan will continue to bolster its national defense

capabilities and deepen collaboration with democratic partners to enhance deterrence.

The defense spending, as defined by NATO, will reach 3.32 percent of GDP in 2026.

And the goal is to increase that number to five percent of GDP by 2030. This will help

Taiwan enhance its self-defense capabilities and further contribute to the maintenance

of regional peace and stability.

5 EU leaders expressed concerns over increased tension in the Taiwan Strait at the

EU-China Summit

On July 24, European Council President António Costa, European Commission President

Ursula von der Leyen, and High Representative of the EU for Foreign and Security Policy

Kaja Kallas attended the 25th EU-China summit in Beijing. When they met with Chinese

leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, the three EU leaders once again expressed

concerns about increased tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and pointed out that

heightened instability in the East and South China Seas threatened regional and global

prosperity and security.

In recent years, the European Union has consistently paid attention to and showed support

for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. On three occasions since May last year,

the EEAS expressed concern over China’s large-scale military drills targeting Taiwan and

stated that the EU had a direct interest in the preservation of peace and stability across the

Taiwan Strait. In addition, the White Paper for European Defence—Readiness 2030,

released this March, expressed concern over China’s expanded coercion of Taiwan and

emphasized that cross-strait peace and stability were of profound importance to Europe.

6 UK, France and Australia conveying concern over peace and stability

across Taiwan Strait

1 UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron met in

London on July 10 for the 37th UK-France summit. The two leaders jointly reaffirmed

their commitment to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, in the South and

East China Seas, and in the Taiwan Strait, calling for the peaceful resolution of cross-

strait issues.

2 On July 14, the French government released its “National Strategic Review 2025.”

The report noted that China has continued to strengthen its military capabilities, in-

crease the intensity of military exercises around Taiwan, exert pressure on Taiwan

4

through military force and other means, and fuel tensions and instability in the region.

3 UK and Australia condemned Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, particularly

“sideswiping, water cannoning, and close maneuvers” by Chinese military and coast

guard vessels. These actions have “resulted in injuries, endangered lives, and created

risks of miscalculation and escalation.” British Secretary of State for Defence John

Healey in comments to The Telegraph on July 27, suggested that the UK is ready to

fight a war in the Asia-Pacific region over Taiwan. Healey stated that “if we have to

fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the

UK are nations that will fight together. We exercise

together and by exercising together and being more

ready to fight, we deter better together.” Healey also

said both nations would rather see conflicts resolved

“peacefully” and “diplomatically.”

7 Japan and EU stressing importance of peace and stability across Taiwan Strait

On July 23, Prime Minister of Japan Shigeru Ishiba, President of the European Council

António Costa, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen met in

Tokyo for the 30th Japan-EU Summit. In a joint statement released following the meeting,

the two sides underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait

as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community and called for

the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. They also reiterated their opposition to any

unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

8 China’s Pacific drill spending spiked 40% in 2024

A report by Taiwan’s armed forces estimates that

China spent US$21 billion on military exercises

around Taiwan and the western Pacific in 2024, mark-

ing a nearly 40% increase from 2023. The report, based

on monitoring Chinese naval and air activities in the

Taiwan Strait, East China Sea, South China Sea, Bohai

Sea, and Western Pacific, calculated costs from fuel, maintenance, and personnel ex-

penses.

Chinese military aircraft flew nearly 12,000 sorties, logging 37,000 flight hours—30%

more than last year. The navy conducted over 86,000 missions, sailing more than 2 mil-

lion hours, a 20% rise. About 34% of naval activity occurred in the South China Sea, 28%

near Japan and South Korea, and 14% in the Taiwan Strait. Military exercises accounted

for roughly 9% of China’s total defense budget, up from 7% in 2023.

5

9 President Lai met with

the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) delegation

On August 27, President Lai met with a delegation from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance

on China (IPAC). President Lai thanked IPAC for continuing to support Taiwan through

concrete actions, and emphasized that Taiwan will continue to bolster its national defense

capabilities and deepen collaboration with democratic partners to enhance deterrence.

President Lai also expressed hope that IPAC, through its inter-parliamentary network,

will be able to bring together even more like-minded partners to stand side by side in

protecting democracy, peace, and prosperity in the region and around the world.

10 Taiwan and Canada signed MoU on dark vessel detection system

On August 11th, Taiwan and Canada jointly an-

nounced the signing of a memorandum of un-

derstanding on a dark vessel detection system,

laying a solid foundation for bilateral coopera-

tion in combating illegal, unreported, and un-

regulated maritime activities. In recent years,

Taiwan and Canada have expanded cooperation

in such domains as public health, technology,

customs matters, trade, economics, and indige-

nous affairs. By signing the MOU, the two countries have pledged to work together to

protect the marine environment and economy; combat illegal, unreported, and unregu-

lated fishing and other maritime activities conducted by dark vessels; and safeguard pros-

perity and stability in the region.

6

11 Taiwan Defense Industry Development

1 Taiwan's drone exports reached US$10.7 million in the first half of the year, a 7.49-

fold increase from the same period last year. Poland was the leading destination for

the exports, accounting for approximately 54.5% of the total. The US followed with

13%, Germany with 12.2%, and the Czech Republic with 8.7%. The growth has been

supported by initiatives like the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Op-

portunities Alliance (TEDIBOA), which brings together more than 200 Taiwanese

companies to help secure international orders.

2 Taiwanese company, Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) will collabo-

rate with Japanese firms to build a China-free drone supply chain, aiming to expand

their global market share. The company noted that Japanese manufacturers have

strengths in engines, heat-resistant coatings, and solid-state batteries. Taiwan offers

high cost-performance advantages in motors, small batteries, and cameras, making

the two sides highly complementary.

3 An AI robotics alliance was established on July 22 in Taiwan that hopes to capitalize

on the current AI boom and generate more than US$34.01 billion in production value

by 2030. The alliance was organized by six major business groups in Taiwan,

including the Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robotics Association. With the

group setting its sights on creating more than NT$1 trillion in output value by 2030,

the TAIROA said it would create five Taiwan-made robotics models under four

platforms - automated mobile vehicles, foot-shaped robotics, humanoid robots and

specialty design.

4 Taiwan’s Thunder Tiger announced plans to expand drone production in the US,

unveiling its latest models at Taiwan Expo USA in Dallas. The company’s board

approved investments in US facilities for key drone components and motors to

enhance global competitiveness and foster US collaboration. At the expo, Thunder

Tiger showcased its Taiwan-made first-person view drone series, independent of “red”

supply chains, including an AI-precision

suicide attack drone developed with the

National Chung-Shan Institute of Science

and Technology. They also demonstrated

the SeaShark 800 unmanned vessel and the

TB-1 tactical ground station, featuring

proprietary software for real-time drone monitoring and mission control.

7

12 Taiwan machinery exports set to rise on robotics and chip demand

Rising demand for artificial intelligence is boosting

Taiwan’s machinery exports, particularly in robotics

and semiconductor sectors. While traditional

metalworking machine tool exports have declined

due to competition and export restrictions,

semiconductor-related machinery exports have

surged, increasing their share of total machinery

exports from 6.4% in 2019 to 20.5% in 2023.

Taiwan’s exports to China have dropped to under

30% in 2023, with Southeast Asia, led by Singapore, becoming the second-largest market

at 20%. The US market grew to 24.2%, surpassing China for the first time. Taiwan

remains a top supplier of machine tools, bearings, and semiconductor equipment to key

markets including Germany, Japan, and the US.

13 Taiwan Defense Industry Development

1 Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has added drone training to this year’s eight-

week joint basic training program for students at Taiwan’s nine military academies.

The program is divided into three phases: pre- and post-flight safety checks, simulator

operation, and a dynamic flight test. The training is conducted in accordance with

Civil Aviation Administration regulations and ensures cadets acquire essential drone

operation skills.

2 Defense Minister Wellington Koo confirmed on Aug. 6 that Taiwan has received the

first batch of Altius-600M attack drones from US

defense firm Anduril Industries, with delivery to the

Army completed the same day. The collaboration

with Anduril marks a key step in strengthening

Taiwan’s defense posture and contributes to

maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

1

Newsletter (Issue 007/ 2025)

~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: Sep 2, 2025

1 Latvian parliamentary delegation visited Taiwan in August

A delegation of eight Latvian

members of parliament, led by Ingrida

Circene, head of the Latvia-Taiwan

Parliamentary Friendship Group,

visited Taiwan from August 9th to 14th.

The group met Vice President Hsiao,

Foreign Minister Lin, National

Security Council Secretary General

Joseph Wu, and other senior officials.

A key focus is touring the Asia UAV-

AI Innovation Application R&D

Center in Chiayi County to explore

Taiwan’s drone industry. Taiwan and

Latvia signed an MOU in late 2024 to

cooperate on drone development and

manufacturing. The delegation also

visited Hsinchu Science Park and the

Industrial Technology Research

Institute. Chiayi County plans to

invest NT$6.9 billion (US$230 million) in the Minxiong Aerospace Industrial Park and

NT$3.2 billion to enhance the Asia UAV center, aiming to strengthen defense technology

and industrial innovation cooperation between the two countries.

2

2 US senate Armed Service Committee chair visits Taiwan for the 1st time in 9 years

From August 29th to 30th , Roger Wicker, one

of Taiwan’s staunchest allies in Congress and

chair of the US Senate Armed Services

Committee, and ranking member Deb Fischer

visited Taiwan – the first such visit in nine

years, since John McCain’s trip in 2016.

In his remarks upon arrival, Wicker said his

delegation has come to "reemphasize the

partnership and the security friendship

agreement that the United States has had with

Taiwan for some decades. Wicker noted that

Congress has stressed the importance of US’s

relationship with Taiwan in the past two

defense authorization acts. During their visit,

the senators met with President Lai, Vice

President Hsiao, senior officials of the National Security Council, and the Ministry of

National Defense to discuss Taiwan’s security-related issues.

3 President Lai reaffirms commitment to supporting Ukraine's reconstruction

efforts

President Lai Ching-te on reiterated Taiwan’s

commitment to aiding Ukraine’s

reconstruction efforts during a meeting with

Ukrainian lawmaker Mykola Kniazhytskyi on

August 7. President Lai emphasized, Taiwan has

stood with Ukraine, providing humanitarian aid

through government funding and private donations.

Taiwan has also partnered with like-minded countries such as, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech

Republic and Poland to provide Ukraine with assistance. Kniazhytskyi described his

meeting with Lai as a historic moment, affirming Taiwan’s commitment to relations with

Ukraine. The two countries are defending democracy against authoritarianism to ensure

national identity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

3

4

Taiwan’s defense spending is to rise to 3.32% of GDP in 2026, and reach 5% by

2030

During President Lai’s meeting with the delegation of US Senate on Auguest 29 th ,

President Lai reiterated that, Taiwan will continue to bolster its national defense

capabilities and deepen collaboration with democratic partners to enhance deterrence.

The defense spending, as defined by NATO, will reach 3.32 percent of GDP in 2026.

And the goal is to increase that number to five percent of GDP by 2030. This will help

Taiwan enhance its self-defense capabilities and further contribute to the maintenance

of regional peace and stability.

5 EU leaders expressed concerns over increased tension in the Taiwan Strait at the

EU-China Summit

On July 24, European Council President António Costa, European Commission President

Ursula von der Leyen, and High Representative of the EU for Foreign and Security Policy

Kaja Kallas attended the 25th EU-China summit in Beijing. When they met with Chinese

leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, the three EU leaders once again expressed

concerns about increased tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and pointed out that

heightened instability in the East and South China Seas threatened regional and global

prosperity and security.

In recent years, the European Union has consistently paid attention to and showed support

for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. On three occasions since May last year,

the EEAS expressed concern over China’s large-scale military drills targeting Taiwan and

stated that the EU had a direct interest in the preservation of peace and stability across the

Taiwan Strait. In addition, the White Paper for European Defence—Readiness 2030,

released this March, expressed concern over China’s expanded coercion of Taiwan and

emphasized that cross-strait peace and stability were of profound importance to Europe.

6 UK, France and Australia conveying concern over peace and stability

across Taiwan Strait

1 UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron met in

London on July 10 for the 37th UK-France summit. The two leaders jointly reaffirmed

their commitment to peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, in the South and

East China Seas, and in the Taiwan Strait, calling for the peaceful resolution of cross-

strait issues.

2 On July 14, the French government released its “National Strategic Review 2025.”

The report noted that China has continued to strengthen its military capabilities, in-

crease the intensity of military exercises around Taiwan, exert pressure on Taiwan

4

through military force and other means, and fuel tensions and instability in the region.

3 UK and Australia condemned Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, particularly

“sideswiping, water cannoning, and close maneuvers” by Chinese military and coast

guard vessels. These actions have “resulted in injuries, endangered lives, and created

risks of miscalculation and escalation.” British Secretary of State for Defence John

Healey in comments to The Telegraph on July 27, suggested that the UK is ready to

fight a war in the Asia-Pacific region over Taiwan. Healey stated that “if we have to

fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the

UK are nations that will fight together. We exercise

together and by exercising together and being more

ready to fight, we deter better together.” Healey also

said both nations would rather see conflicts resolved

“peacefully” and “diplomatically.”

7 Japan and EU stressing importance of peace and stability across Taiwan Strait

On July 23, Prime Minister of Japan Shigeru Ishiba, President of the European Council

António Costa, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen met in

Tokyo for the 30th Japan-EU Summit. In a joint statement released following the meeting,

the two sides underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait

as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community and called for

the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. They also reiterated their opposition to any

unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

8 China’s Pacific drill spending spiked 40% in 2024

A report by Taiwan’s armed forces estimates that

China spent US$21 billion on military exercises

around Taiwan and the western Pacific in 2024, mark-

ing a nearly 40% increase from 2023. The report, based

on monitoring Chinese naval and air activities in the

Taiwan Strait, East China Sea, South China Sea, Bohai

Sea, and Western Pacific, calculated costs from fuel, maintenance, and personnel ex-

penses.

Chinese military aircraft flew nearly 12,000 sorties, logging 37,000 flight hours—30%

more than last year. The navy conducted over 86,000 missions, sailing more than 2 mil-

lion hours, a 20% rise. About 34% of naval activity occurred in the South China Sea, 28%

near Japan and South Korea, and 14% in the Taiwan Strait. Military exercises accounted

for roughly 9% of China’s total defense budget, up from 7% in 2023.

5

9 President Lai met with

the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) delegation

On August 27, President Lai met with a delegation from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance

on China (IPAC). President Lai thanked IPAC for continuing to support Taiwan through

concrete actions, and emphasized that Taiwan will continue to bolster its national defense

capabilities and deepen collaboration with democratic partners to enhance deterrence.

President Lai also expressed hope that IPAC, through its inter-parliamentary network,

will be able to bring together even more like-minded partners to stand side by side in

protecting democracy, peace, and prosperity in the region and around the world.

10 Taiwan and Canada signed MoU on dark vessel detection system

On August 11th, Taiwan and Canada jointly an-

nounced the signing of a memorandum of un-

derstanding on a dark vessel detection system,

laying a solid foundation for bilateral coopera-

tion in combating illegal, unreported, and un-

regulated maritime activities. In recent years,

Taiwan and Canada have expanded cooperation

in such domains as public health, technology,

customs matters, trade, economics, and indige-

nous affairs. By signing the MOU, the two countries have pledged to work together to

protect the marine environment and economy; combat illegal, unreported, and unregu-

lated fishing and other maritime activities conducted by dark vessels; and safeguard pros-

perity and stability in the region.

6

11 Taiwan Defense Industry Development

1 Taiwan's drone exports reached US$10.7 million in the first half of the year, a 7.49-

fold increase from the same period last year. Poland was the leading destination for

the exports, accounting for approximately 54.5% of the total. The US followed with

13%, Germany with 12.2%, and the Czech Republic with 8.7%. The growth has been

supported by initiatives like the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Op-

portunities Alliance (TEDIBOA), which brings together more than 200 Taiwanese

companies to help secure international orders.

2 Taiwanese company, Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) will collabo-

rate with Japanese firms to build a China-free drone supply chain, aiming to expand

their global market share. The company noted that Japanese manufacturers have

strengths in engines, heat-resistant coatings, and solid-state batteries. Taiwan offers

high cost-performance advantages in motors, small batteries, and cameras, making

the two sides highly complementary.

3 An AI robotics alliance was established on July 22 in Taiwan that hopes to capitalize

on the current AI boom and generate more than US$34.01 billion in production value

by 2030. The alliance was organized by six major business groups in Taiwan,

including the Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robotics Association. With the

group setting its sights on creating more than NT$1 trillion in output value by 2030,

the TAIROA said it would create five Taiwan-made robotics models under four

platforms - automated mobile vehicles, foot-shaped robotics, humanoid robots and

specialty design.

4 Taiwan’s Thunder Tiger announced plans to expand drone production in the US,

unveiling its latest models at Taiwan Expo USA in Dallas. The company’s board

approved investments in US facilities for key drone components and motors to

enhance global competitiveness and foster US collaboration. At the expo, Thunder

Tiger showcased its Taiwan-made first-person view drone series, independent of “red”

supply chains, including an AI-precision

suicide attack drone developed with the

National Chung-Shan Institute of Science

and Technology. They also demonstrated

the SeaShark 800 unmanned vessel and the

TB-1 tactical ground station, featuring

proprietary software for real-time drone monitoring and mission control.

7

12 Taiwan machinery exports set to rise on robotics and chip demand

Rising demand for artificial intelligence is boosting

Taiwan’s machinery exports, particularly in robotics

and semiconductor sectors. While traditional

metalworking machine tool exports have declined

due to competition and export restrictions,

semiconductor-related machinery exports have

surged, increasing their share of total machinery

exports from 6.4% in 2019 to 20.5% in 2023.

Taiwan’s exports to China have dropped to under

30% in 2023, with Southeast Asia, led by Singapore, becoming the second-largest market

at 20%. The US market grew to 24.2%, surpassing China for the first time. Taiwan

remains a top supplier of machine tools, bearings, and semiconductor equipment to key

markets including Germany, Japan, and the US.

13 Taiwan Defense Industry Development

1 Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has added drone training to this year’s eight-

week joint basic training program for students at Taiwan’s nine military academies.

The program is divided into three phases: pre- and post-flight safety checks, simulator

operation, and a dynamic flight test. The training is conducted in accordance with

Civil Aviation Administration regulations and ensures cadets acquire essential drone

operation skills.

2 Defense Minister Wellington Koo confirmed on Aug. 6 that Taiwan has received the

first batch of Altius-600M attack drones from US

defense firm Anduril Industries, with delivery to the

Army completed the same day. The collaboration

with Anduril marks a key step in strengthening

Taiwan’s defense posture and contributes to

maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.