Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Time for TECRO to change name

Taipei Times Editorial

If the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US could be renamed to include “Taiwan,” the change would support Lithuania’s difficult decision to host a “Taiwanese Representative Office” and prompt other allies to follow suit.

The Financial Times on Friday reported that US President Joe Biden’s administration is “seriously considering a request from Taiwan” to change TECRO’s name to the “Taiwan Representative Office,” and that US National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell has backed the change.

Ministry mum on TECRO name change

Taipei Times

The nameplate of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US is pictured in an undated photograph.
Photo: Liberty Times file photo

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday declined comment on a Financial Times report that the name of Taiwan’s representative office in Washington might be changed, saying only that bolstering and upgrading ties with the US has been the government’s long-term objective.

Cybersecurity policy needs update

Holmes Liao 廖宏祥

In September last year, Vice President William Lai (賴清德) attended the Hacks in Taiwan Conference, a cybersecurity conference held annually in Taiwan. He said: “Taiwan is in a key position on the first island chain and faces a grave threat from China. It suffers 30 million cyberattacks every month.”

Echoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) belief that “cybersecurity is national security,” Lai advocates a policy for enhancing the cybersecurity industry on par with the West’s.

EU-Taipei ties rise as China falters

Huynh Tam Sang and Tran Hoang Nhung

While China is losing its luster in Europe, Taiwan’s importance is growing in the eyes of European countries. Against the backdrop of Beijing’s worsening image, European states should work with Taipei to develop a robust and sustainable relationship.

Amid Taiwan’s vaccine shortage, European partners donated COVID-19 vaccines to help Taiwan. Lithuania was the first EU member state to donate vaccines to Taiwan, with 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Czech Republic followed with a donation of 30,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine last month. Poland donated 400,000 AstraZeneca doses this month and Slovakia has pledged to donate 10,000 doses.

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