Newsletter (Issue 032/ 2024)
~Published by Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia~
Website: https://www.roc-taiwan.org/lv/index.html
FB: Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia
Twitter: @Taiwan_Latvia
E-mail:
[email protected] Date:July 10, 2024
1 US government officially notifies Taiwan of the 15th arms sale
Taiwan has received official notification from the US government that its executive
branch has informed Congress of a US$360.2 million sale to Taiwan of loitering missile
systems, including antipersonnel (Switchblade 300) and antiarmor (Altius 600M)
munitions. This is the Biden administration’s 15th arms sale package to Taiwan since it
assumed office in 2021. Continuing the US policy of recent years of normalizing arms
sales to Taiwan, the deal demonstrates the US government’s strong support for meeting
Taiwan’s defense needs, particularly in building asymmetric warfare and deterrence
capabilities, as well as high regard for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Recently China has frequently conducted gray-zone operations to intimidate Taiwan and
neighboring countries and employed military coercion in provocative actions against
democratic nations in the region. The United States has worked with like-minded
partners to repeatedly urge China to cease such irrational behavior as harassing Taiwan
and damaging the peaceful and stable cross-strait status quo
2 US State Department condemned China on punishing Taiwan independence
China recently issued what it referred to as a set of judicial guidelines for imposing
criminal punishments on diehard Taiwan independence separatists for conducting or
inciting secession. In response, US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller
stated that the United States strongly condemned China’s escalatory and destabilizing
language and actions, adding that the United States urged restraint and that no unilateral
changes ought to be made to the status quo. Pointing out that threats and legal warfare
would not achieve peaceful resolution to cross-strait differences, Mr. Miller called on
China to engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan.
China has recently exploited a variety of opportunities to engage in flagrant legal and
cognitive warfare and gray-zone coercion. Its attempts to strangle Taiwan’s democracy
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and freedom through the aforementioned guidelines, suppress Taiwan’s international
space by misrepresenting and erroneously citing United Nations General Assembly
Resolution 2758 over the years, pursue regional expansion, challenge the status quo,
and increase its own influence have all elicited significant concern and strong
condemnation from the international community.
3 G7 leaders supported the Taiwan Strait peace and stability
The G7 leaders made an affirmative statement of the importance of peace and stability
across the Taiwan Strait and support for the Taiwan’s meaningful participation in
international organizations in a communique issued on June 15 in Italy, making the
fourth consecutive show of support from the grouping of industrialized nations.
In the communique, G7 leaders said cross-strait peace and stability is indispensable to
international security and prosperity, adding that they called for a peaceful resolution of
relevant issues. They also expressed backing for Taiwan’s engagement in global bodies,
including the WHA and technical meetings of the WHO.
In addition, G7 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and
expressed concerns about China’s comprehensive nonmarket policies and practices,
which have had global spillovers and led to market distortions. They added that
measures like de-risking and diversifying supply chains can foster resilience against
economic coercion.
4 Taiwan’s President emphasized peace in the Taiwan Strait
benefits the whole world
Speaking to new recruits at an army base in
Taichung in central Taiwan recently, Taiwan’s
President William Lai said peace in the Taiwan
Strait benefits the whole world and the international
community believes that without it, there can be
neither prosperity nor security. He added that the
international community believes that peace and
stability in the Taiwan Strait is a necessary component for global security and
prosperity. No matter whether it’s the United States, Japan, South Korea or the
European Union, they all agree on this point, opposing any country using force to
change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
5 US congress approved amendment lifting limits between US and Taiwan officials
An amendment to the U.S. State Department spending bill that will prevent the
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department from spending funds to enforce restrictions on high-level bilateral U.S.-
Taiwan communications was passed by voice vote in the House of Representatives on
June 27. The amendment would prevent the enforcement of “arbitrary, self-imposed”
State Department rules that restrict communication between U.S. officials and their
Taiwanese counterparts, which are designed to prevent high-level coordination between
the U.S. and Taiwan.
6 Taiwan Research Institute hikes GDP forecast to 3.57% for 2024
Taiwan’s economy is likely to expand by 3.57% in 2024 backed by the high-tech sector,
the Taiwan Research Institute (TRI) on June 27. A majority of think tanks have raised
their 2024 predictions for the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to a level above
3%, indicating the economy was doing much better than last year. Domestic
consumption was returning to normal levels, with a growth rate of 2.75% likely for this
year. The think tank also released its electricity prosperity index in May, with the
manufacturing sector and the semiconductor industry showing strong advances.
Traditional sectors of the economy, including plastics, rubber, and chemicals, were
recovering from a slump.
7 Czech Republic tries to attract Taiwan investors
During an interview on June 22, Taiwan’s Minister of Economics Kuo Jyh-huei said
that the Czech Republic is interested in attracting Taiwan businesses due to the presence
of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in nearby Dresden,
Germany. The minister said that a Taiwan-friendly country like the Czech Republic was
making use of its geographical proximity to the TSMC project to try and attract
investors from Taiwan for its supply chain. The world’s largest contract chipmaker
plans to start building the factory in Dresden during the final quarter of 2024, with
production launching in 2027.
8 German Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee passed friendly resolution
on cross-strait situation
Proposed by the governing traffic light coalition comprising the Social Democratic
Party, Alliance 90/Greens, and the Free Democratic Party, this was the first resolution
passed by the committee recognizing the importance of peace and stability across the
Taiwan Strait and opposing any unilateral change to the cross-strait status quo. The
resolution also pointed out that European and Indo-Pacific security were closely linked
and that German involvement in Indo-Pacific security affairs was commensurate with
German interests and those of the European Union (EU). Furthermore, the resolution
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especially recognized a previously established Taiwan-Germany platform for civil
society exchanges for having advanced bilateral dialogue. It also supported Taiwan’s
participation in international bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and
backed engagement between Taiwan’s civil society and the United Nations and its
specialized agencies.
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