1. U.S.: Mike Pence Visit to Taiwan, Lai’s Message to Trump, Taiwan-U.S. Initiative on 21st-Century Trade Coming Into Force
On January 17, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) met former U.S. vice-president Mike Pence as part of his visit to Taiwan. Lai said Pence spoke in support of Taiwan’s participation in international venues.
President Lai sent returning U.S. President Donald Trump congratulations on his second inauguration on Monday via X. Taiwan “looks forward to working with your administration to promote enduring freedom, peace & prosperity around the world. We wish you great success in the years ahead,” he wrote.
Taiwan’s legislative delegation to the U.S., made up of eight lawmakers from all three of Taiwan’s largest parties, was invited to watch the inauguration ceremony livestream in the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington. Trump’s inauguration ceremony moved to inside the Capitol Rotunda, which limited the number of seats for the actual event.
On December 10, the first agreement under the Taiwan-U.S. Initiative on 21st-Century Trade came into force. The Office of the United States Trade Representative said progress is being made on a second agreement on labor, the environment and agriculture.
On December 11, Time Magazine named AMD CEO Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) its CEO of the Year. The company designs and develops central processing units, or CPUs, and graphics processing units, or GPUs.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Marco Rubio, vowed to ramp up support to deter any invasion of Taiwan.
At the start of January, former U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo visited Taiwan, meeting President Lai. Pompeo said that America stands with the people of Taiwan and will continue to do so.
2. Japan: Relations With China and New Fishing Agreement
After Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya visited Beijing at the end of last year and Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba openly discussed a visit, it has been suggested that relations between China and Japan are improving. However, Taiwan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has said it sees Japan’s interactions with China as a way to avoid unexpected situations and not as a threat to relations with Taiwan.
Taiwan’s minister of economic affairs, Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝), awarded former Japan vice minister for International Affairs Hirai Hirohide an economics medal this week. The medal was for Hirohide’s role in encouraging TSMC’s investment in Japan, with the Taiwanese chipmaker’s first fab opening in Kumamoto in February last year and a second fab is scheduled to open in 2027.
Last week, Taiwan and Japan agreed on new fishing rules for the waters north of Japan’s Yaeyama Islands.
3. Europe: Ukraine Pledge, Italian Delegation, French Survey
At the end of December, Taiwan’s government pledged $5 million (164 million New Taiwan dollars) in funding for a medical building in the Ukrainian city of Lviv.
At the start of January, a delegation of Italian lawmakers met with Taiwanese Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Legislative Deputy Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) to discuss shared issues. Within the EU, Italy was Taiwan’s fourth-largest bilateral trading partner in 2023, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A French survey of 4,000 respondents has found the majority backed pro-Taiwan narratives about Taiwan’s international situation over China’s. Forty-eight percent disagreed and 20 percent agreed that “Taiwan is historically Chinese and is an integral part of Chinese territory,” while 72 percent disagreed and 11 percent agreed that “only the Chinese government has the legitimacy to decide the future of Taiwan.”
4. India: AI Partnership
This week, speaking at a banquet in Taipei to mark India’s 76th Republic Day, India’s Representative to Taiwan Manharsinh Yadav said the ongoing AI revolution aligns with Taiwan and India’s shared strengths. He said he hoped the India-Taiwan partnership will play a significant role in India’s AI development.
5. Diplomatic Allies: Solomon Islands Prime Minister Survives Potential No-Confidence Vote, Ministry of Justice in Palau
On December 16, the Solomon Islands’ China-friendly Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele survived an attempted no-confidence motion in the country’s parliament. The motion was withdrawn by Central Honiara Member of Parliament Gordon Darcy Lilo as it failed to garner enough support. Earlier this year, the Solomon Islands tried to block Taiwan’s future attendance at the annual Pacific Islands forum — on Beijing’s instruction. The Solomon Islands terminated diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 2019.
Between December 11 and 13, the head of Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau Michael Chen (陳白立) visited Palau to help work against launderers from China.
6. Additional Developments: Rare Chinese Delegation Visit and English Premier League’s Change of Policy
A delegation of officials from China visited Taipei in December. They met Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) during the Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum, who called for “fewer roaring sounds from vessels and planes” and stressed the importance of continued cross-strait exchanges.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard asked South Korea for help investigating a Chinese-owned ship that is believed to have cut an undersea cable off its northern coast at the start of this month. “Since it was not possible for us to question the captain, we have asked the South Korean authorities to help with the investigation at the ship’s next port of destination,” a Taiwan Coast Guard official said.
Taiwanese doubles player Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) reached the semifinal at the Australian Open on Tuesday in her attempt to retain the title she won last year.
A couple was made to leave a Taiwan versus Australia soccer match in Australia after waving a Republic of China (Taiwan) flag. Taiwan competes in FIFA competitions as Chinese Taipei.
The English Premier League has changed references to “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei” after a review. The league opened an office in China in October.
Taiwan’s passport ranking rose to 33rd in the world this year, according to the Henley Passport Index, which ranks the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
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