President Biden indicated on Monday that he would use military force to defend Taiwan if it were ever attacked by China, dispensing with the “strategic ambiguity” traditionally favored by American presidents and repeating even more unequivocally statements that his staff tried to walk back in the past.
Former United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday during a speech in Taipei that the U.S. government should recognize Taiwan as a "free and sovereign country" immediately.
Tsai says the government has worked through a number of different channels to buy vaccine doses. She says there is no need to worry, as those doses will arrive soon.
People who get the vaccine using this method will have to pay up to NT$600 (US$21) per shot, in contrast to the NT$80-NT$200 per shot that those on the priority list are required to pay.
Several major landmarks in Taiwan, including the Presidential Office and Taipei 101, joined the global event by turning off their lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Organized by the Hong Kong Outlanders and Taiwan Association for Human Rights among other groups, demonstrators held signs with the English words "Save 12" and shouted slogans such as "Release the 12 Hong Kongers" and "Liberate Hong Kong. Revolution of Our Time.＂
A number of civic groups said in Taipei that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should be allowed to join the 2020 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit, which will be held virtually this year and hosted by Malaysia.
"Taipei's competent handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted its international reputation," wrote Hervé Lemahieu, director of the Asian Power and Diplomacy Program at the Sydney-based institute in the key findings report for the 2020 index.
