Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

On the evening of June 8 local time (afternoon of the same day Taipei time), Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao hosted a banquet for traditional Palauan leaders. In remarks, Vice President Hsiao noted the Austronesian cultural links between Taiwan and Palau, adding that both see the ocean as a home. She stated that on the strong foundation of the quarter-century of friendship between our two peoples, Taiwan and Palau will continue to collaborate in several areas. The vice president expressed hope that, as we are in an age of geopolitical challenges, globalization, and AI, we can find a balance between advancing technology and traditional values, so that we can keep our identities alive and flourishing.
A transcript of Vice President Hsiao’s remarks follows:
It is such an honor to be able to act as host because I have been enjoying the Palauan hospitality throughout this trip so far. But it is an honor to have this opportunity to engage with the traditional leaders of Palauan society. As I said this morning at the National Congress, I think we are not separated by waters, but instead, the waters connect us; the oceans connect us. And part of that connection is deep cultural roots, bounded by the Austronesian heritage that has taken root in Taiwan, but also around the Pacific region. And many Taiwanese, or indigenous communities in Taiwan, have managed to find their relatives all over the Pacific, including here in Palau.
For tonight’s occasion, I am dressed in a shirt designed by a traditional Taiwanese indigenous artist of the Paiwan tribe. There are 16 recognized indigenous groups in Taiwan, just like you have 16 states. But the 16 recognized groups are because they have distinct languages, cultures that have been carried on over the generations.
Unfortunately, we used to have many more indigenous communities and tribes in Taiwan that have, over time, lost their heritage. And therefore, it has been a priority of our government to support the revitalization of languages and cultures in our indigenous communities. And we have recently passed laws to legislate all of the indigenous languages that have also become our national languages.
Now, I used to serve in a community or district in Eastern Taiwan. It is a community that also has many indigenous groups. And I have enjoyed and appreciated the diversity and culture that they generate and share with the people of Taiwan. Now, they have been outstanding musical performers and also sports players. And of course, among the many areas of exchange and collaboration between Taiwan and Palau, exchanges in sports and co-training – that is, exchanges between the baseball teams of Taiwan and Palau – are something that I had the honor of witnessing upon the first day of my arrival here in Palau.
But it is a true honor to be able to represent the president and the people of Taiwan in coming here. Now, this is my first official visit to a diplomatic ally since I became vice president. And I am so pleased that Palau is my destination because of the beauty, the attractions, the warmth of the people here, and all the ties that have been evolving over the years from our former presidents’ days and the deepening roots that have been carried on not only through government ties, but also through traditional cultural connections, as well as our civil society.
You know, I always run into Taiwanese people who tell me – especially recently since I announced that I was coming here – everybody has a story about Palau. About how many times they have been here, about how many friends that they had dinner with, also about the beauty of this place. And also, I have heard from younger people who have taken part in some educational exchange programs, and some have also volunteered here as part of their learning experience. So, there is so much going on.
And of course, based on the strong foundation of the quarter-century of friendship between our two peoples, that of course includes collaboration in some of the infrastructure projects. I visited some today. I was also able to witness some of Taiwan’s collaboration with Palau on the island of Peleliu a few days ago, including transportation networks that connect communities to each other.
Like Palau, as I said, in the constituency I used to serve, indigenous communities – some are high in the mountains, some are by the ocean – but we need transportation networks to bring us closer together. And I am proud to say that Taiwan has contributed to 68 percent of the land roads that connect the people of Palau with each other.
Another important area of collaboration – and I just visited our technical mission this afternoon – involves agriculture and also aquaculture in supporting sustainable fisheries that can be used not only as sustenance food, but also as economic activity of the Palauan people. And among the agricultural products that our technical mission is supporting, I am told that the favorite fruit is the dragon fruit, especially the red dragon fruit, and also the guava. But as part of our agriculture cooperation, we are honored to be able to support healthy lunches for the students in public schools of Palau with the efforts and collaboration of our technical mission.
But they do not only [do] agriculture. They also conduct education and language exchange programs. They are also working on mapping the ocean or the fishery ecosystem using AI and big data to help Palau govern your natural resources. And with the data, it would give all of us a better understanding of areas that require greater protection and of areas that could be balanced with more tourism and economic activities. This is very valuable data as both of us are ocean nations, and we have a responsibility over stewardship of our oceans around us, especially the oceans that have been such an important part of our culture.
And of course, speaking of culture, ocean countries and the peoples of ocean countries tend to be much more open-minded. We look at the ocean as our home, and we are open-minded, we are friendly, we are warm, and hospitality is part of our DNA. And so I am very glad that you are able to join us tonight for this event, for us to have an opportunity to thank the Palauan people over the hospitality for this delegation. And this has been a wonderful trip so far. We have many more activities planned tomorrow, including visiting the fishery and aquaculture center.
We are also looking forward to extended work and collaboration on promoting sustainable tourism, which was an assignment that our president gave me for this trip. And we were brainstorming ideas with the Vice Minister Lin [Ching-yi] (林靜儀) here – she is the Vice Minister of Health – over how to put our Palauan scenery into the karaoke songs, the videos for karaoke in Taiwan, and to attract more Taiwanese to Palau. But I am certainly not the only advocate for Palau. There are many advocates of Palau in Taiwan, many people who have already experienced the beauty and the warmth of Palau, and we will continue to work on those.
And finally, again, back to the cultural connections between us, the Austronesian links between us. I think this is a very valuable area. It is a priority of our government to revitalize these cultures in Taiwan, and I believe there are many opportunities for us to work together, to learn from each other in how to support and sustain the traditional cultures. As we are in an age of all kinds of geopolitical challenges, globalization, AI, artificial intelligence, and finding that balance between advancing technology and also our traditional values is critically important in keeping our identities alive and flourishing. Thank you again for joining us tonight, and it is an honor to meet all of you. 
Also in attendance at the dinner were Queen Bilung Gloria Salii and several Palauan chiefs.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive John Lee today said that the Government introducing subsidiary legislation for safeguarding national security is purely to make the law even clearer in the classification mechanism for offences that relate to endangering national security.

Speaking ahead of this morning’s Executive Council meeting, Mr Lee explained the introduction of the subsidiary legislation.

He said: “The Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, Section 7 makes mention of the offence of endangering national security, and includes other offences endangering national security under the law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.”

Mr Lee highlighted that the purpose of introducing the subsidiary legislation is to make it clear how offences endangering national security under the laws of Hong Kong will be so classified.

“It is not intended, and will not expand the definition of the offences. It is not adding any new offences, any new power or punishment, and it also does not expand the scope of application of the law.

“Having a clearer mechanism of classifying offences endangering national security will have the benefit of reducing the risk of controversies or debates in court about what constitutes an offence endangering national security,” he added.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA strongly refutes false claims regarding Taiwan in joint statement by China and Laos

Date：2026-06-07
Data Source：Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

June 7, 2026  No. 252  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) refutes and condemns in the strongest terms the false claims regarding Taiwan made in a joint statement between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In the statement, issued on June 6, Laos pledged to support China in its efforts to realize “national unification.” Such baseless sentiments aim at downgrading Taiwan’s sovereignty, encourage the use of force against Taiwan, and affect regional peace and stability. MOFA strongly condemns China’s repeated use of joint statements with nations deferring to its stance to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty and distort the truth. Laos continues to ignore the facts despite repeated corrections and admonitions from Taiwan, demonstrating its persistent stance in collaborating with China to suppress Taiwan. MOFA again cautions the Laotian government that appeasement of authoritarianism will lead the people of Laos into a vicious cycle of being entrapped in China’s political and economic coercion.The Republic of China (Taiwan) is an independent and sovereign country, and neither it nor the PRC is subordinate to the other. These are undeniable objective facts and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. MOFA once again calls on the world to pay heed to China’s long-standing attempts to rationalize its heavy-handed expansionist ambitions and undermine the sovereign decisions of other nations. Taiwan is willing to collaborate with all nations that support freedom, democracy, and human rights to oppose authoritarian expansionism, staunchly defend peace and security across the Taiwan Strait, and uphold a free and stable Indo-Pacific region. (E)

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

To celebrate the 29th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s establishment, on July 1, the Government and various sectors of the community will organise a range of special offers and activities for the public.

The Mass Transit Railway Corporation will give away 71,000 single rides via a lucky draw, and will also provide Airport Express offers to holders of Child Octopus, Personalised Octopus with Student Status and JoyYou Cards.

Free rides on several ferry routes will be offered, with vouchers for certain ferry routes being distributed in advance of July 1.

Moreover, the public will be offered free admission to a number of fee-charging Leisure and Cultural Services Department facilities and to the Hong Kong Wetland Park, operated by the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department.

The public can also enjoy free admission to specified exhibitions at M+ and all thematic exhibitions at the Hong Kong Palace Museum.

Free guided tours, as well as dining, consumption and accommodation offers, will be available from mid-June to early July in relation to the 14 projects under the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme.

Additionally, more than 1,000 restaurants and merchants are expected to provide dining offers on July 1.

The Peak Tram, Ngong Ping 360, Ocean Park Hong Kong and Tai Kwun will provide ticket offers, while Hong Kong International Airport, the Hong Kong Science Park, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, and various shopping malls and department stores, will roll out dining, consumption or parking offers.

For its part, the Hong Kong Tourism Board will team up with industry partners to offer various dining, shopping, tourism and entertainment deals.

Several public markets under the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department will also roll out offers. Consumers can enjoy a 29% discount when purchasing selected products via the “Local Fresh” online store or mobile app from July 1 to 7.

The Environmental Protection Department will award double GREEN$ Points to members of the public who recycle at GREEN@COMMUNITY on July 1. 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive John Lee today described the Civil Service Bureau’s new reward and punishment system as sensible and practical.

Speaking before the Executive Council meeting this morning, Mr Lee noted that various sectors of society, including legislators, had suggested strengthening the civil service appraisal system.

He explained that the bureau, after reviewing the feedback, agreed to enhance the mechanism. Consequently, a new measure has been introduced to ensure that underperforming civil servants will have their pay adjustments withheld.

“This point system will be granted only if the merits deserve it, and the Civil Service Bureau has introduced this new measure to ensure a clear reward and punishment system, and that will reward those who are working hard, who have a passion for their job and serve the public well. It will motivate them.

“At the same time, those who are not performing should be told, and be appropriately dealt with, such as not giving them a point of increment. I can understand that civil servants may take time to adapt to the new system,” he added.

Mr Lee said that while the Civil Service Bureau must step up its explanatory efforts, the public and the workforce should understand that the reform ultimately benefits the civil service as a whole.

“Those who work hard will be better recognised and supported by the citizens of Hong Kong, and those who do not perform, will have to know that they must improve,” he said.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

Vice President Hsiao attends ribbon-cutting ceremony for infrastructure project in Ngchesar State, Palau
On the afternoon of June 8 local time (afternoon of the same day Taipei time), during her visit to the Republic of Palau, Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a Taiwan-funded road project in Ngchesar State. In remarks, Vice President Hsiao stated that improved roadways will assist in stimulating economic growth and bolstering connectivity among states. She noted that together, Taiwan and Palau also hope to complete a major interstate road network on Babeldaob by 2028, building a brighter and more balanced future for Palauans.
A transcript of Vice President Hsiao’s remarks follows:
I’m delighted to join you for today’s meaningful ribbon-cutting ceremony. A well-developed road system helps to bridge the gap between urban and rural development, improving the lives of local people. I’m confident that this interstate road project will further connectivity and prosperity across Palau.
In fact, balanced development is not only a priority in our partnership with Palau – it is also President Lai [Ching-te]’s priority inside Taiwan. We want to ensure that our citizens living across our island, in different parts of the country, and in different occupations can grow and develop and enjoy the prosperity of our economy together. So balanced growth is an important priority.
Of course, Taiwan and Palau enjoy longstanding diplomatic ties based on shared values. And over the years, we have collaborated on many important initiatives benefiting both our countries and peoples. Taiwan continues to attach great importance to this bilateral partnership and is pleased to support Palau’s infrastructure development through annual assistance programs. To date, roads constructed with contributions from Taiwan account for approximately – I’m told – 68 percent of Palau’s existing transportation networks on land. This remarkable figure is a concrete testament to the unwavering trust, friendship, and cooperation between our two peoples.
Looking ahead, Taiwan is committed to supporting Palau’s development across all sectors and backing the visionary goals of President [Surangel S.] Whipps, [ Jr.]. Together, we hope to complete the major interstate road network on Babeldaob by 2028. Improved roadways will assist in stimulating economic growth and bolstering connectivity among states, building a brighter and more balanced future for Palauans. Through joint efforts, I’m confident that Taiwan-Palau relations will steadily grow and flourish, and that the friendship between our countries and our peoples will remain rock-solid.
And in closing, I’d like to thank you again for joining us, and I wish everyone the best of health, happiness, and success – and of course, smooth cruising along this road. Thank you. Mesulang!
Following her remarks, Vice President Hsiao and President Whipps proceeded with the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the new road, marking the smooth and successful completion of its construction and a new chapter for transportation development in Palau.
Also in attendance at the ceremony were Minister of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, Paramount High Chief Reklai Raphael Ngirmang, Governor of Ngchesar State Jackson Doktok, Ngchesar State Delegate Rebecca Sebalt-Ngirmechaet, Ambassador-designate to Taiwan Gaafar J. Uherbelau, and Ambassador of Japan to Palau Kasahara Kenichi.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region