TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Congressmen Scott Perry and Tom Tiffany penned a letter to G20 Chair Mario Draghi on Wednesday (Oct. 27), highlighting the importance and benefits of including Taiwan in the upcoming summit in Rome beginning Saturday (Oct. 30).
According to Perry and Tiffany, Taiwan is Asia’s seventh-largest economy, has the world’s fifth-largest foreign reserves, and ranks 19th globally by purchasing power parity. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has also filled a crucial role within the global supply chain, making constructive diplomatic engagement with Taiwan “a necessity, not an option,” they wrote.
The Congressmen also mentioned Taiwan’s performance since the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from donating personal protective equipment to countries around the world at the height of the pandemic, Taiwan alerted the World Health Organization and even China about human-to-human transmission early on, something Perry and Tiffany described as “a selfless and altogether inspiring act of goodwill.”
“While the People’s Republic of China has chosen not to attend the G-20 Summit in Rome, the world would clearly benefit from a relative increase in Taiwan’s role at such an event,” they concluded. They urged Draghi not to bend to Chinese influence and reinforce the impression that international organizations are being “corrupted” by China.
Reuters cited an anonymous source as saying Chinese Leader Xi Jinping (習近平) will not be personally attending this G20 Summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will be also absent. The source also told Reuters that the absence of these leaders should not compromise the chances of making good progress at the summit.
Taiwanese legislators propose a "Climate Change Action" bill to promote active carbon neutrality measures. (CNA photo)
The summit in Rome will focus on issues pertaining to COVID and climate change, per Reuters. Taiwan is deeply engaged in both matters, yielding globally recognized achievements in preventing and curbing COVID and taking action towards its “Net Zero by 2050” goal.
“Time and again, the Government of Taiwan has demonstrated it's willing to responsibly shoulder the burdens that accompany its elevated position as a major world economy,” Perry and Tiffany wrote in their letter to Draghi.
