EDITORIAL: Sharing responsibility for peaceAt a news conference marking the seventh anniversary of her presidency at the Presidential Office in Taipei, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday vowed to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait in the face of China’s political and military intimidation. “The global consensus is clear: The Taiwan Strait issue must be resolved peacefully; war is not an option. “Maintaining the status quo of peace and stability is the consensus for the world and Taiwan,” Tsai said. Peace in the Taiwan Strait has become a top agenda item for the international community. Maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” on the basis of Taiwan’s freedom and sovereignty is also the largest common denominator among Taiwanese.

MOFA vows to do its best to help after NY complaintBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterMinister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) would do its best to assist overseas Taiwanese in need. The remarks came after a Taiwanese student expressed disappointment at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York after seeking help from there following an attack. He said that the ministry and all foreign embassies and missions would do their utmost to assist overseas Taiwanese. The ministry condemned any violence, including racial discrimination and verbal or physical violence, and said that it would ask offices in the US to keep in touch with overseas Taiwanese to offer help when needed. In case of an emergency that threatens personal safety, people should take measures to protect themselves and immediately contact local law enforcement agencies or the nearest Taiwanese office abroad for assistance, it said.

When the Korean War broke out in June 1950, US forces in Japan significantly contributed as part of the UN armed forces. In the face of tensions between South Korea and North Korea, Washington has increased its military deployment in the Korean Peninsula to counter the CCP. Instead, the US has taken advantage of its relations with South Korea to advance US interests in Northeast Asia. First, if the conflict in the Korean Peninsula intensifies, the US’ presence there would allow it to gain more leverage from the six-party talks (China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the US). Third, the US is trying to exchange benefits with North Korea to curb China, with an aim to obtain a military advantage.

Beijing slams UK, Japan over ‘anti-China’ G7 summitReuters, BEIJING and TOKYOChina’s Global Times yesterday called the G7 an “anti-China workshop,” a day after Beijing summoned Japan’s envoy and berated Britain in a fiery response to statements issued at the group’s summit in Hiroshima. G7 declarations issued on Saturday singled out China on issues including Taiwan, nuclear arms, economic coercion and human rights abuses, underscoring the wide-ranging tensions between Beijing and the group that includes the US. Russia, a close ally of China that was also called out in the G7 statement over its invasion of Ukraine, said the summit was an “incubator” for anti-Russian and anti-Chinese hysteria. The main G7 leaders’ communique mentioned China 20 times, up from 14 mentions last year. “The G7 mentioned many concerns [over China] in an unprecedented way.

Over 6,000 backed WHA bid: ministryTAIWAN CAN HELP: More than 3,000 people supported the bid on social media, including US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman Robert MenendezBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterThe government thanked more than 6,000 friends from around the world for supporting the nation’s participation in the WHO and the World Health Assembly (WHA), despite Taiwan not being invited to attend. The legislative bodies of the US, Germany and the Czech Republic all passed bills supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, showing that the stance is part of public opinion in many nations, it said. The ministry this year launched a campaign on social media, enlisting support with the hashtags #TaiwanCanHelp, #LetTaiwanHelp, #LetTaiwanIn and #WHONeedsTaiwan, the ministry said. The ministry condemned China’s obstruction of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations using unscrupulous means, adding that global epidemic prevention should not be subject to the political interference of a single nation. The WHA is also discussing how to conduct better clinical trials to facilitate evidence-based data, research and coordination of intervention measures, he said.

EDITORIAL: The missing piece in world healthThe 76th World Health Assembly (WHA) opened on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland, once again without Taiwan. The snub was formalized yesterday with a vote preceded by pleas from China and Pakistan to bar Taiwan from the proceedings. Yet as it hears the same pleas year after year, the world is taking greater notice. This time, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ tally, more than 6,000 people and groups around the world have called for Taiwan’s inclusion. No matter what you think of Indo-Pacific politics, even the most pragmatic actor would find it difficult to argue against allowing access as a mere observer to an organization whose mission is to protect global health through open channels of communication.

Ukraine war shows need for defense pact with US: PNGReuters, SYDNEY and WASHINGTONPapua New Guinea (PNG) said it would sign a defense agreement with the US, ahead of a deal with Australia and despite opposition party concerns that it could upset China, because the Ukraine conflict shows the need for military capability. Today, the Pacific island nation is to host visits by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and other Pacific island leaders. While Modi’s visit is expected to focus on trade, Blinken is to sign a defense cooperation agreement (DCA) with PNG Prime Minister James Marape, the two nations have said. Yun said he hopes to conclude a deal with the Marshall Islands soon. Chinese diplomats have been courting the region and China’s construction and mining companies have expanded their business in many Pacific island nations.

Cabinet eyes road safety guidelinesWALKING DISTANCE: Forty-six percent of roads 12m or longer do not have sidewalks, and fully addressing it would take 100 years, an Executive Yuan official saidBy Chung Li-hua / Staff reporterTraffic guidelines that prioritize pedestrian safety are to be passed at a weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said yesterday. The guidelines detail the government’s plan to clear the nation’s reputation of being a “hell for pedestrians” through road construction, technology and education, he said. “We need to enhance the safety of pedestrians, as more than 300 pedestrians die in traffic accidents each year, and the issue needs to be tackled through better road design, safety at intersections and education,” he said. The Executive Yuan last year approved the appropriation of NT$5 billion to enhance road safety around 446 primary school campuses, which would be enforced this year. This year, agencies are to focus on four key enforcement priorities: improving the pedestrian environment on 100km of roads, enhancing safety at 1,218 intersections, eliminating obstacles for pedestrians at 161 locations and establishing 25 pilot areas for road safety.

Miles Yu On Taiwan: The Globalization of Taiwan’s DefenseIn the 74 years since its founding, the leaders of the People’s Republic of China have always seen the Republic of China in Taiwan as a thorn in their collective side. Even since the termination of their Mutual Defense Treaty in 1980, the United States has continued to commit to Taiwan’s defense through the Taiwan Relations Act and a series of executive orders and policy statements. Leaders of both Japan and Australia have insisted that what matters to Taiwan’s defense matters to theirs too. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly stated that what concerns Taiwan’s security is also what concerns NATO’s security. Yet in many ways it is only natural that Taiwan’s defense be international in scope.

Mother takes action over son’s mystery death after weddingBy Tsai Shu-yuan, Chang Jui-chen and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe mother of a student, who died on May 4, on Friday accused a man of tricking her son into a same-sex marriage to gain legal rights to his inheritance, NT$500 million (US$16.3 million) of land. The son, surnamed Lai (賴), fell to his death from a 10th-floor residence in Taichung owned by a man surnamed Sia (夏). Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei TimesHowever, Sia took Lai to the Household Registration Office in Beitun District (北屯) to register themselves as a same-sex couple, the mother said. A lawyer for the mother, surnamed Hsu (許), told the news conference that the marriage was “absurd,” as the two had only met twice, with the first time being last month. Lai’s mother said that her son had recently started university and had been looking for a girlfriend.

While traditional insurance can take months to pay, with so-called “parametric” insurance there is no need to prove losses. Insurance analysts at Allied Market Research estimate that the market, valued at US$11.7 billion in 2021, could reach US$29.3 billion by 2031. At annual climate talks in Egypt last year, nonprofits urged richer nations to help finance parametric insurance as a way of compensating victims of worsening weather extremes. LIMITSWhile parametric insurance has been around since the 1990s, recent advances in satellite technologies have opened up areas that were previously difficult to assess for damage, such as distant islands or mountain communities. At the moment, insurance schemes in the developing world are largely subsidized by nonprofit groups, national governments or wealthy countries.

Ko announces campaignStaff Writer, with CNATaiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder and Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday vowed to end political wrangling and extend goodwill to China, as he officially launched his campaign for next year’s presidential election. Taiwan People’s Party chairman and its presidential candidate Ko Wen-je speaks at a news conference in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District yesterday. There has been a lack of concrete action in pushing for judicial reform and the establishment of an “e-government,” he said. People attend an event by Taiwan People’s Party chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District yesterday. Taiwan’s autonomy and maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait is crucial to ensure prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.

EDITORIAL: Economic alliance as a deterrentFormer British prime minister Liz Truss on Wednesday called on EU countries and other like-minded nations to form an “economic NATO” as a countermeasure to Chinese economic coercion. Truss also called on the UK and other states to have a clear stance toward China, and not to let the economic benefits it offers cloud the threats it presents to freedom and democracy. These are two separate issues that Truss has raised — creating economic resilience by reducing reliance on China, and having a clear stance on relations with Taiwan and China — but they are highly connected. Beijing is not likely to risk a war when the odds are stacked so greatly against it. An alliance of like-minded countries that are clear in their intentions to assist Taiwan will help deter China in its military ambitions, and that clarity of intentions can only be achieved by reducing their economic reliance on China.

Samsung plans chip facility in JapanEXPANSION: Japan is providing subsidies for eight battery and two semiconductor projects in the nation as it tries to bolster its supply chain, an industry official said Samsung Electronics Co is to build a new semiconductor chip development facility in Japan, Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported. The plant would be in Yokohama, where Samsung has a research and development site, the report said, without citing anyone. The South Korean firm would build a production line for a prototype chip, and the facility would cost more than ￥30 billion (US$221 million), with the Japanese government expected to provide more than ￥10 billion in subsidies, it said. Operations are targeted to begin in 2025, it reported. Samsung’s move follows its bigger foundry rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which is

Significance of Truss’ support for TaiwanBy Martin Oei 黃世澤Seeing former British prime minister Liz Truss visit Taiwan, pro-China politicians unfamiliar with British politics have lashed out by calling her a “washed-up political figure” who is seeking to make political capital out of the visit. Therefore, Truss’ visit is significant because it marks the first time a former British prime minister who is still an MP has set foot in Taiwan. Consequently, Truss’ argument during her visit in Taiwan could one day turn into policy. In view of these other events, Truss’ visit to Taiwan is not only an open display of support for Taiwan, but also a wake-up call for businesspeople, China Hands and politicians who still harbor fantasies about China. Martin Oei is a Hong Kong-born British political commentator based in Germany and a member of the British Conservative Party.