Headline News
G7 stresses importance of peace across Taiwan Strait
A communique from the Group of Seven following the summit in the United Kingdom on Sunday, June 13, highlighted the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait among a range of other pressing global issues.
"We reiterate the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo Pacific, which is inclusive and based on the rule of law," the seven nations said in the communique. "We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues."
"We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions."
It is the first time that the summit included a statement of support for Taiwan in its communique.
According to a press readout from the White House, on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also discussed the Taiwan Strait situation, among many other global challenges.
China expanding influence beyond first island chain
Foreign Minister Joseph Wu called on the international community to pay attention to Beijing’s true intentions and said that China is trying to expand its influence beyond the first island chain.
In an interview with The Australian on Wednesday (June 9), Wu discussed the current state of cross-strait relations and China’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific, pointing to the fact that Taiwan is at the forefront of the communist nation’s expansion.
Beijing continues to employ military threats, disinformation, hybrid warfare, economic coercion, and political isolation in the run-up to an invasion of Taiwan, CNA quoted Wu.
Wu also called on the international community to pay attention to Beijing’s motives as it attempts to expand its influence beyond the first island chain, adding that China is trying to exert control over the Solomon Islands and Kiribati because of their strategic location.
Beijing is involved in local corruption and using debt traps to make these countries to become dependent on China, Wu said.
Taiwan applies to produce Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung said on Friday, June 11, that Taiwan has tendered a request to make the vaccines of the American pharmaceutical company via contract manufacturing.
The head of the Central Epidemic Command Center said earlier that Taiwan has made headway in mRNA technologies, paving the way for it to enter the global market of such vaccine production through contract manufacturing or licensed agreements.
Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccines are produced, using this innovative approach.
Through successful collaboration, Taiwan’s industry players could produce Moderna doses in numbers that not only meet domestic demand but would also supply the export market, Chen is quoted.
Economy & Society
Taiwan’s economy records strongest month of growth in 33 years
Taiwan's economy for the third consecutive month in April, reached its highest level of growth in 33 years, according to the National Development Council (NDC).
Data released by the NDC on Thursday (May 27) showed that the country's composite index of monitoring indicators, which reflects the current economic situation, rose one point from March to 41 in April, the highest since May 1987.
Despite Taiwan’s impressive economic performance in April, the NDC expects the ongoing local COVID-19 outbreak to have a negative impact on restaurants and wholesale and retail businesses in the next few months.
The scale of the impact will be determined by how well the government is able to keep the pandemic situation under control, the NDC said.
Taiwanese director wins big at film festival in France
The documentary "Eagle Hand," directed by Taiwanese director Lai Li-chun captured three prizes at the 2021 Cannes World Film Festival, a new venture unrelated to the famous Cannes Film Festival.
The film tells the story of lotus root farmers in Lai's hometown in the Taiwanese county of Chiayi. It won Best Documentary Feature, Best Female Director, and Best Cinematography.
“Eagle Hand” portraits the hands of farmers, which become malformed after decades of digging out lotus roots.
