This Week in Taiwan 0808-0814
August 9: Days of torrential rain struck Kaohsiung, and the Mingba Kelu Bridge on Taiwan Route 20 was disrupted by the rising Yusui Stream around noon on August 7, stranding a total of 501 people from three aboriginal tribes in Taoyuan District. On August 8 and 9, the Kaohsiung City Government asked the National Airborne Service Corps, Ministry of the Interior, to dispatch three Black Hawk helicopters to deliver more than a ton of necessities and medicines to the victims and transporting two tribal patients to receive medical treatment.
In aboriginal language, the Mingba Kelu Bridge means the "Bridge of Hope." It opened in 2017 and cost NT$1 billion (about US$36 million). It is the main passage to the three tribes in the mountainous areas of Taoyuan District. Nobody anticipated that the bridge would be destroyed by mountain torrents in only four years.
August 10: The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a climate report on August 9, indicating that the average global temperature is likely to rise 1.5 degree Celsius within the next decade, breaking the limits on temperature increase set forth in the Paris Agreement. Taiwan's climate change science team also released a Taiwan Climate Change Report on August 10, claiming that Taiwan will be drier when dry and wetter when wet. Typhoons striking Taiwan will be less in number but will increase in intensity. In the worst case, Taiwan may have no winter as soon as 2060.
August 10: In an interview by Japanese magazine Bungei Shunju, President Tsai Ing-wen stressed that on cross-strait relations, the Taiwan government adopts a stance of maintaining the status quo towards China, that is, a policy of no rash advances. At the same time, Taiwan seeks to reduce its high reliance on products, parts, and software produced by China.
According to experts, even if the official communication channels between the two sides have been disrupted, Taiwan's exports to the mainland continue to record new highs. For example, Taiwan's exports to the mainland accounted for 42.6 percent of total exports in the first seven months of this year.
August 11: Dissatisfied with Lithuania's agreement to have a representative office established in the name of "Taiwan," mainland China recalled on August 10 its ambassador to Lithuania and demanded that Lithuania recall its ambassador to China.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania expressed regret over China's decision but emphasized that under the "One China" principle, it intends to seek reciprocal relations with Taiwan, just like the European Union (EU) and many other nations in the world.
Spokesman Ned Price of the Department of State immediately stated that the United States supports its European partners in developing reciprocal relations with Taiwan and resist China's coercive actions. Spokesman Nabila Massrali of the European External Action Service also stated that the EU does not consider establishing an office in Taiwan or having Taiwan set up an office in Europe as a violation of the "One China" policy because it is essentially different from an embassy or consulate. While it recognizes that the People's Republic of China is the government which represents China, the EU is also interested in deepening relations with Taiwan, so it has an European Economic and Trade Office in Taipei.
Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 and established diplomatic relations with the PRC in 1991.
August 11: An F-16V fighter plane at the Air Force's Chiayi base took off during routine training at 7:29 AM. The cockpit cover flew off. It hurried back to the airport seven minutes later. The pilot and the plane were both safe. This is the first instance that the cockpit cover fell off in flight since the Air Force received F-16 fighter jets from the United States.
An Air Force task force launched an investigation focusing on human negligence, and the pilot is currently grounded for investigation.
The captain pilot returned to the field in an "open-top" condition. He was unclear when he entered the field, but he still tried his best to overcome it. He corrected the altitude and speed of the fighter jet and landed smoothly. This was quite fortunate in his unfortunate situation.
August 12: The White House announced that the United States will convene a Leaders' Summit for Democracy on December 9 by video conference, for two days. Although the list of invitees has not yet been announced, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated that it is working hard to ensure participation.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously promised that Taiwan would be invited when he attended a hearing held by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 10.
In an online press conference, Deputy Director-General Chen Hui-chen of the Department of North American Affairs, MOFA, stated that the topics covered by the summit includes resisting authoritarianism, combating corruption, and promoting human rights. These are values shared by Taiwan and the United States.
Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of mainland Chinse state media Global Times authored a fierce editorial claiming that the mainland will not allow Tsai to attend. If the United States were to invite Taiwan to participate, it needs to follow the protocol similar to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Otherwise, the meeting would constitute a serious escalation of American intervention on the Taiwan issue.
August 13: The momentum behind Taiwan's exports and investment exceeded expectations. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, revised the economic growth forecast to 5.88 percent, an increase of 0.42 points from the June forecast, marking the best performance in 11 years. The Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs, also released a summary of trade statistics. Taiwan's cumulative exports this year until July amounted to $244.87 billion, marking an increase of 31.5 percent.
August 14: After epidemic prevention measures eased in Taiwan, the first travel bubble tour group to Palau departed on August 14, with most guests traveling to Palau to be vaccinated. On whether vaccination abroad would be recognized, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) stated that certification issued by the place of vaccination may be accepted, but the particular vaccine must have passed emergency use authorization (EUA) in Taiwan. Mix-and-match combinations must have international precedent, and the two doses should be separated by an interval of at least 28 days.