BY HUNG-WEI CHEN AND MAX HAHN

Minister Wang Mei-hua Heads Delegation to U.S.

A delegation led by Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua visited the U.S. October 9-16 to attend the first physical meeting under the U.S.-Taiwan Technology Trade and Investment Collaboration (TTIC) framework, a bilateral platform launched in 2021 to expand bilateral cooperation on critical supply chains.

During the trip, Taiwan and U.S. tech companies signed seven MOUs focusing on renewable energy and 5G communications, as well as other information and communications technology.

“The close commercial and investment ties between the United States and Taiwan support good future-orientated jobs and contribute to our mutual prosperity,” said U.S. International Trade Administration (ITA) Assistant Secretary Arun Venkataraman in a statement.

The delegation participated in a series of events aimed at facilitating business exchanges and cooperation. Wang also visited U.S. companies and business associations in Silicon Valley with ties to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry and met with top executives at major tech companies. The meetings were expected to bring more than NT$30 billion in research and development investment and orders to Taiwan by U.S. companies, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement.

International Support for Taiwan Rising

A survey conducted in October by nonpartisan American think tank Pew Research Center showed that more Americans (43%) considered tensions between China and Taiwan to be a very serious problem for the U.S., an increase of 8% from the previous survey conducted in March. The change follows U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s August visit to Taiwan and China’s increased military pressure on Taiwan in response.

The survey also showed that Americans were more likely now than in March to see China’s military power and economic competition as serious problems for the U.S. Nevertheless, a bipartisan majority (54%) of Americans agreed that the U.S. should continue political visits to Taiwan, even if this would harm relations with China.

A UK survey conducted between August and September by the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project found that majorities in major democratic countries, including Britain (51%), Australia (62%), and the U.S. (52%), agreed that “other countries should provide help to Taiwan” if China attempted to annex the island by force. The same survey also revealed that China’s global reputation had severely declined since 2019.

Blinken: China Rejects Status Quo

Speaking at an event organized by Bloomberg on October 26, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China had changed a decades-old basic understanding between Washington and Beijing that its differences with Taiwan would be managed peacefully.

“What’s changed is this: the decision by the government in Beijing that that status quo was no longer acceptable, that they wanted to speed up the process by which they would pursue reunification,” Blinken said.

Earlier in the month, a National Security Strategy report released by the U.S. government called for U.S. allies to “play an active role in the Indo-Pacific” and to continue to support “freedom of navigation and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

“First Strike” by China Gets Redefinition

Taiwan will be prepared for war if forced to counter a “first strike” from the Chinese military, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng said on October 12 at the Legislative Yuan. The statement was a response to discussions on incursions by Chinese unidentified aerial vehicles (UAVs) into Taiwanese airspace.

UAV incursions were previously considered artillery strikes. But due to the increased frequency of Chinese drone incursions into Taiwanese airspace, they would now be defined as “first strikes,” Chiu said. The military would first respond to intruding UAVs by locking into them as a warning before responding with a defensive “counterattack,” the minister explained.

20th Party Congress Solidifies Xi’s Position

The 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), held October 16-22, confirmed an unprecedented third term for Xi Jinping as General Secretary of the party, making him China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. The 2,338 delegates at the congress represented the party’s 96.7 million members.

In his speech opening the party congress, Xi restated firm opposition to Taiwanese independence and any interference by foreign forces in China’s internal affairs. He also reaffirmed China’s preference for peaceful reunification with Taiwan, while reserving the use of force to solve the “Taiwan issue” if necessary.

Xi described Taiwan as “China’s Taiwan” and “a matter for the Chinese” to resolve. The party constitution was amended to incorporate this line of thinking, stating opposition to “separatists seeking Taiwan independence” and a commitment to “resolutely implementing the policy of One Country, Two Systems.”

In response, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council reiterated Taiwan’s determination to defend its national sovereignty and “preserve our freedom and democracy.”

Relaxation Set for COVID-Related Rules

Taiwan will further ease its COVID-related restrictions starting November 7. Patients will no longer need to follow self-health monitoring if they obtain a negative test result after seven days of quarantine. Meanwhile, those having close contact with COVID patients will only have to observe seven days of self-health monitoring instead of three days of quarantine and four days of self-health monitoring. Temperature checks in public places will no longer be required, and vaccine mandates for entry to venues such as fitness centers and karaoke bars will be lifted.

The National Immigration Agency (NIA) on October 25 ended the program granting automatic 30-day visa extensions to foreign nationals unable to leave Taiwan due to lockdowns and entry restrictions in other countries, a measure it introduced in March 2020 and renewed monthly since then. According to the NIA, the more than 420,000 foreign nationals who have stayed in Taiwan under the automatic monthly visa extension program will have to leave Taiwan before November 30.

Taiwan on October 24 additionally lifted a ban on port calls by international cruise ships, which has been in place since February 2020 to help curb the spread of COVID-19. To be allowed entry into Taiwan, cruise passengers are required to present a negative rapid COVID test taken within a day of arrival, and those with COVID-19 symptoms on the day of arrival are required to produce an additional rapid test result.

English-language Media Presence Expands

TaiwanPlus, a government-funded English-language media service platform, premiered its new 24-hour TV news channel on October 23.

Since TaiwanPlus launched its online platform in August 2021, it has produced more than 4,000 news stories and 1,300 program videos, attracting nearly half a million social media followers. Although the platform’s TV channel is currently only accessible domestically, Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te said the possibility of broadcasting in North America within the next six months is being explored.

In addition, CNN International on September 29 announced it had opened a bureau in Taipei, with award-winning Senior International Correspondent Will Ripley as its lead reporter. In his new position, Ripley has conducted exclusive interviews with President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.

CNN’s move to Taipei follows a trend of several international news agencies setting up bureaus in Taiwan. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 29 foreign media outlets and 63 reporters have moved to the island since 2020.

Taipei Pride Parade Draws 120,000 Marchers

Around 120,000 people marched in the Taiwan Pride parade, Asia’s largest Pride march, on October 29 in Taipei. The annual parade, the 20th since it began, was organized by the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association under the theme “An Unlimited Future.” The event aimed to demonstrate the potential of every individual to build a Taiwanese society that inclusively celebrates gender, sexual orientation, and relationships and that enables every individual to live authentically and realize their potential, the association said in a statement.