Headline News
Dutch parliament passes motion supporting Taiwan
The Dutch parliament (Tweede Kamer) passed a motion on October 8, with an overwhelming majority (132-18 votes) supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and affairs.
It is the first such resolution adopted in the Tweede Kamer, supported by 13 parties/fractions with 2 parties against, calling on the Dutch cabinet to explore ways within the framework of the European Union to support Taiwan’s international participation.
Representative Chen Hsin Hsin thanked the parliamentarians for their support and said to be looking forward to strengthening cooperation with the Netherlands on various international matters.
National Day celebration
Around 300+ guests including Dutch dignitaries and representatives from the diplomatic, academic, business, cultural, media sector and the Taiwanese community, attended the celebration of the National Day of the ROC (Taiwan) in The Hague.
Representative Chen Hsin Hsin presented an update on Taiwan’s position today with a focus on the relations with the Netherlands, including a 60% growth in bilateral trade up to US$10 billion, the signing of a MoU on Science and Technology Cooperation and the support by the Dutch parliament for Taiwan’s international participation.
Martijn van Helvert, spokesperson for foreign affairs and defense of CDA, referred in his speech to the exclusion of Taiwan on the global stage and his motives to join Roelof Bisschop of the Reformed Party SGP as signatories of the motion in support of Taiwan’s international participation.
German petition calls for official ties with Taiwan
A petition calling on the German government to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan was submitted to the Bundestag for discussion after it collected over 53,554 signatures (Oct. 4) and thereby exceeded the threshold of 50,000 signatures.
The petition asks why Germany cannot recognize “two Chinas,” since the UN has recognized two German states for decades and treats North and South Korea equally. Unlike China, Taiwan has democratized but still not formally recognized by Germany. Denying Taiwan UN membership has no international legal basis, it says.
Economy & Society
The Netherlands largest foreign investor
The Netherlands turned out to top foreign investors to Taiwan in the first eight months of 2019 according to figures from the Investment Commission of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
With an investment of US$2.158 billion, the Dutch investment counts for 33.11% of the total foreign investments in mentioned period.
Investments from the Netherlands continued to rise in recent years, especially in the semiconductor, consumer goods and chemical sectors.
First offshore wind power plant ready to start
Formosa I, Taiwan’s first offshore wind power plant six kilometers off the west coast of Miaoli County, is scheduled to start operations by the end of this year.
Formosa I is a joint project by Danish energy developer firm Orsted, Japan-based power producer JERA Co., Macquarie Capital of Australia and Taiwan’s Swancor Holding Co.
With 22 wind power turbines, the capacity of Formosa I will be 128MW expected to supply power to 128,000 households each year.
Marriages and divorces
Since the legalization of same-sex marriage in May this year, as of the end of August, 1827 same-sex marriages were registered in Taiwan. Married female couples (1222) outnumbered the male couples (605).
In the same period, 18 male and 16 female couples terminated their marriage.