Space Industry and Business News
TAIWAN NEWS
Lai kicks off Marshall Islands tour; Taipei launches hotlines for China travel 'safety risks'
Lai kicks off Marshall Islands tour; Taipei launches hotlines for China travel 'safety risks'
by AFP Staff Writers
Taipei (AFP) Dec 3, 2024

Taiwan has launched hotlines for travellers seeking information about their "safety risks" while in China, which recently published tough criminal sentencing guidelines for supporters of the island's independence.

The enhanced "emergency assistance services" aim to help address "personal safety risks associated with travelling" to China, Hong Kong and Macau, Taiwan's top China policy body, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), announced on Monday.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control.

MAC raised its travel warning for China to the second-highest "orange" level earlier this year after Beijing published judicial punishments for supporters of Taiwan's independence.

The guidelines announced in June include the death penalty for "particularly serious" cases involving "diehard" advocates.

China has "continued to enact and amend national security laws, leading to numerous incidents involving the illegal detention, arrest, and interrogation of Taiwanese nationals in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau", MAC said.

While Taiwanese people do not have to register their travel to China, the number who have done so this year has soared, according to figures released by MAC.

From January to October, the number of people registering for travel to China's mainland rose "approximately 14 times" compared to last year, MAC said.

Meanwhile, registrations for Hong Kong and Macau "exceeded five times the total for the same period last year".

Taiwan's Lai kicks off Marshall Islands visit as China fumes
Majuro, Marshall Islands (AFP) Dec 3, 2024 - Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te toured the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, after visiting the United States on the first stop of a Pacific trip that has angered Chinese leaders.

The Marshall Islands is one of 12 remaining nations that recognise Taiwan diplomatically after others jumped ship to China following promises of aid and investment.

Taiwan calls itself a sovereign nation, but Beijing insists the island is part of its territory and opposes any official exchanges with it.

Beijing has sought to push Taipei off the international stage by poaching its allies and blocking it from global forums, including the United Nations.

Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine expressed her government's commitment to "remain a staunch ally" of Taiwan, after Lai arrived in the capital Majuro, where the Taiwanese leader held talks with the government and attended a banquet.

"Taiwan and the Marshall Islands share a traditional Austronesian culture as well as the values of freedom and democracy," Lai told Heine, speaking through an interpreter.

Lai's first overseas trip since taking office in May began with a two-day visit to the United States where he discussed "China's military threats" towards Taiwan during a call with former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi, and met with US government officials and members of Congress -- drawing a fresh barrage of criticism from Beijing.

China rejects any international recognition of Taiwan and especially bristles at official contact between the island and Washington, Taiwan's most important security backer.

China on Tuesday vowed to defend its "national sovereignty" and "territorial integrity" as Lai visited the Marshall Islands.

"The Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, when asked whether Beijing could launch another round of war games around the self-ruled island in response to the Pacific tour.

After the Marshall Islands, Lai will visit Taiwan's other remaining Pacific island allies Tuvalu and Palau as well as stop for one night in the US territory of Guam.

The Marshall Islands, a sprawling chain of volcanic islands and coral atolls halfway between Hawaii and Australia, has a long-standing agreement with the United States that gives it security and budget guarantees.

In return, the US military has access to its territory.

"We are like family, and we are also close partners who support each other," Lai told Heine.

"Over many years of mutual support, we have provided one another the greatest possible backing."

During his visit, Lai announced Taiwan would provide a "preferential loan" for state-owned Air Marshall Islands to purchase new aircraft.

Taiwan, which has a long history of providing development finance in the Pacific, will also help build a pig slaughterhouse in 2025 to improve "food security" in the Marshall Islands, Lai said.

Lai said Taiwan would look at how to help the Marshall Islands address "national security issues that are important to President Heine", without elaborating.

Heine told Lai that the Pacific island nation would "remain a staunch ally and continue to voice and support Taiwan's inclusion in the United Nations and all other regional and international organisations."

- 'Long-time friends' -

China has fumed over recent US arms sales to Taiwan and Lai's stop in the US island state of Hawaii, where he was welcomed with red carpets and garlands of flowers.

Pelosi's long-standing support for Taiwan has infuriated China, which responded to her visit to Taipei in 2022 with massive military drills around the island.

Lai and Pelosi discussed "China's military threats toward Taiwan", presidential spokeswoman Karen Kuo told reporters in Hawaii, describing the 20-minute call between the "long-time friends" as "warm and amicable".

In response to Lai's conversation with Pelosi, China on Monday called on the United States to "stop meddling with Taiwan" and cease "supporting and indulging Taiwan independence separatist forces".

Taiwan faces the constant threat of a military attack by China, which regularly deploys fighter jets and warships around the island to press its claims, and Beijing has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong's communist fighters and fled to the island.

In his first public speech of the trip on US soil, Lai said Saturday there was a need to "fight together to prevent war", warning there were "no winners" from conflict.

On the eve of Lai's week-long Pacific tour, the United States approved a proposed sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16s and radar systems, as well as communications equipment, in deals valued at $385 million in total.

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TAIWAN NEWS
China vows to 'resolutely crush' Taiwan independence attempts
Beijing (AFP) Nov 28, 2024
China on Thursday vowed to "resolutely crush" any attempts for Taiwan independence, as the self-ruled island's President Lai Ching-te is set to embark on an overseas trip. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory and baulks at any official contact Taipei has with other countries. Responding to a question on whether China's military would take countermeasures against Lai's Pacific tour, Wu Qian said: "We firmly oppose official interaction with China's Taiwan region in any form." "The Chine ... read more

TAIWAN NEWS
Scientists explore sustainable use of fly ash for water treatment

Bioinspired dropletronics pave the way for advanced biocompatible devices

New nanomaterial offers potential for antimicrobial applications

3D-printing advance mitigates three defects simultaneously for failure-free metal parts

TAIWAN NEWS
Orbit secures $9M contract to provide satellite communication systems for Israeli defense forces

Airbus to deliver advanced satellite modems to UK MoD for Skynet comms

Fleet Space Centauri 6 advances resilient SATCOM for defence

SpaceX launches secret 'Optus-X' payload atop Falcon 9 rocket

TAIWAN NEWS
TAIWAN NEWS
Deciphering city navigation AI advances GNSS error detection

Space Systems Command and U.S. Navy achieve major MGUE program milestone

N. Korea jams GPS signals, affecting ships, aircraft in South

Successful demo showcases BAE Systems' next-gen M-Code GNSS technology

TAIWAN NEWS
South Korea scrambles jets as Chinese, Russian warplanes approach

An electronic system eases airport traffic

Hong Kong airport third runway takes off

Germany fears outside hand in deadly Lithuania jet crash

TAIWAN NEWS
Cooling with light explored through semiconductor quantum dots

A pathway to advanced quantum devices with zinc oxide quantum dots

US unveils fresh export curbs targeting China's chip sector

Photonic processor could enable ultrafast AI computations with extreme energy efficiency

TAIWAN NEWS
How Mobile Technology is Changing the Geospatial Game

New AI tool generates realistic satellite images of future flooding

NASA data reveals role of green spaces in cooling cities

China launches new mapping satellites to enhance radar imaging network

TAIWAN NEWS
Indigenous groups call for health protections in plastic deal

Waste pickers battle for recognition at plastic treaty talks

UN chief defends plastic pollution talks after collapse

Plastic pollution talks fail to reach landmark deal; Greenpeace activists detained over plastic tanker protest

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.