Headline News
Blinken: Use of force against Taiwan 'serious mistake'
U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, expressed the U.S. concern about China's "aggressive actions" toward Taiwan and warned that any use of force that would disrupt the status quo in the Taiwan Strait would be a "serious mistake."
Blinken also noted that China has engaged in "increasingly aggressive actions" toward Taiwan, which has raised tensions in the Taiwan Strait. He said the U.S. has a commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to make sure that Taiwan has the ability to "defend itself and to make sure that we are maintaining peace and security in the western Pacific."
The U.S. stands behind these commitments and it would be a "serious mistake for anyone to try to change the existing status quo by force," Blinken said.
EU concerned about Chinese military activity near Taiwan
The EU expressed concern last Friday, about Chinese military activity near Taiwan and called on China to avoid unilateral actions that could fuel tensions.
“We are concerned by the intensification of military activities of the People’s Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait and the incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone [ADIZ]” an EU spokesperson said in an e-mail to the Central News Agency.
“Maintaining the status quo is important for peace and stability in the Strait and in the region. It is key to exert restraint and avoid any unilateral actions that may further escalate cross-strait tensions. Tensions should be resolved through dialogue,” was stated.
China dispatched 25 military jets into the southwestern part of Taiwan’s ADIZ on April 12, the most in a single day since the previous record of 20 Chinese jets on March 26.
Time for a European Taiwan Strategy
Representative Chen Hsin Hsin calls on European countries in an article in Dutch national daily Reformatorisch Dagblad of April 14, to formulate a European Taiwan strategy.
Emphasizing that Europe benefits from free passage and peace and stability in the waters around Taiwan, European trade interests would be at risk in a military conflict. A greater military engagement of European countries in this region would be justified.
It is therefore time for a European Taiwan strategy, that would be conducive to remove unnecessary obstacles and self-restriction in bilateral contacts and exchanges with Taiwan. In 2015, the EU concluded that Taiwan was eligible for an investment agreement to facilitate bilateral investments. But up to today, the EU has even not started negotiations for political reasons.
A European Taiwan Relations Act would provide certainty and clarity for all parties involved. Also the Netherlands would benefit from supporting Taiwan, being the largest foreign investor there.
Economy & Culture
MediaTek 8th largest semiconductor vendor
MediaTek Inc., a Taiwan-based smartphone IC designer, took the title as the world's eighth-largest semiconductor vendor in 2020, according to global market information advisory firm Gartner Inc.
According to Gartner, MediaTek, benefited from large shipments of 5G smartphone chips and an increase in its market share in the global 4G smartphone chip business. MediaTek saw its revenue rise 38.1 percent from a year earlier to US$10.99 billion in 2020.
Among the top 10 semiconductor vendors in 2020, MediaTek and U.S.-based graphic processing unit (GPU) designer NVidia Corp. enjoyed the highest year-on-year sales growth for the year.
National Palace Museum wins iF Design Award
A set of five mobile teaching kits designed by the National Palace Museum and digital art company Bright Ideas for Life, won the service design prize at the iF Design Award 2021. Beating over 10,000 submissions from 52 countries, the colorful, cartoon-like tools collectively called the "Mobile Museum of National Palace Museum" were inspired by the museum’s collection.
The five sets of tools won over the jury with their ability to give students living in rural areas a fun, hands-on opportunity to learn about the arts and culture, according to the iF website.
The award-winning program combines physical tools with technology. National Palace Museum is the only museum to receive an award in that category.
