AFP
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) founder Morris Chang on Wednesday called on the democratic island of Taiwan to defend its semiconductor industry, amid saber-rattling from China and an unprecedented drought. Semiconductor manufacturing is a crucial industry that touches on people s daily lives, the economy and national defense, the 89-year-old Chang told an Economic Daily forum in Taipei. It is also the first industry for which Taiwan has earned a competitive position on the global stage. It s very difficult to create such a flagship chip industry over years, and it s also very challenging to keep this edge, he said. I call on the government, society and TSMC to keep hold of it tightly.
Handout by Taiwan s Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFP
A U.S. delegation led by former Senator Chris Dodd arrived on the democratic island of Taiwan on Wednesday, amid rising tensions with China.
Dodd s is the first delegation to visit the country since President Joe Biden took office in January. A close personal friend of Biden, Dodd was accompanied by former deputy secretaries of state Richard Armitage and James Steinberg, and greeted by Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu.
Taiwan foreign affairs ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said the delegation s visit would enable it to exchange views on a variety of topics with relevant government departments here.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday (local time) issued a warning to China stating it would be a serious mistake for anyone to attempt to change Taiwan s status quo amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over the island country s sovereignty. What we have seen and what is a real concern to us is increasingly aggressive actions by the government in Beijing, directed at Taiwan, raising tensions in the straits. And we have a commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, a bipartisan commitment that s existed for many, many years, to make sure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and to make sure that we re sustaining peace and security in the Western Pacific. We stand behind those commitments, Blinken said in an interview with NBC News, according to a transcript provided by the US Department of State.
AFP
Ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping has told the country s military and armed police force to get combat ready to defend national sovereignty and security, amid fears that Beijing may be planning an invasion of democratic Taiwan in the next few years. The entire army needs to strengthen its performance so as to do a good job of ensuring a good start to the 14th Five-Year Plan, and of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the party, Xi told People s Liberation Army (PLA) and People s Armed Police (PAP) leaders, according to a Mar. 10 report in the official CCP newspaper, the
Taiwan Promotes ‘Freedom Pineapples’ in Response to Chinese Import Ban
The U.S. and Canada are among the countries promoting Taiwanese pineapples after China moved to block all imports of the fruits, citing biosecurity concerns.
March 06, 2021
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph, with a pineapple in the table next to him, participates in a briefing of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) on Mar. 4, 2021.
Credit: Twitter/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan)
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Fans of “freedom fries” and Australian “freedom wine,” rejoice: There’s a new addition to the table.
The United States and Canada are among the countries praising Taiwan’s “freedom pineapples” after China last week blocked imports of the fruits, a decision widely seen in Taipei as a political move meant to economically pressure the country.