TAIPEI: Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen will visit three Pacific nations this month to shore up ties, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to lure away Taipei’s dwindling number of allies.
Tsai will visit Palau, Nauru and Marshall Islands between March 21 and March 28 — her second official visit to the Pacific amid growing concerns about China targeting countries in the region.
Beijing has stepped up diplomatic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai took office in 2016, as she has refused to acknowledge its “one China” policy.
The two sides split after a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still sees the self-ruling island as part of its territory to be brought back into the fold.
Five countries have switched official recognition to Beijing since Tsai became president, leaving Taipei with only 17 diplomatic allies including six in the Pacific.
Beijing has also made progress with the Vatican, Taiwan’s most powerful official ally and its only one in Europe, by signing a landmark agreement with the Holy See on the appointment of bishops last year.
A growing list of international companies have been pressured to list Taiwan as part of China on their websites while Taipei has also been blocked from attending a string of international events.
“Our allies in the Pacific have fully supported our participation in the international community,” deputy foreign minister Hsu Szu-chien told reporters.
“We believe that this visit will increase the understanding of Taiwan among the people in these countries ... and for Taiwanese people to get familiar with our good friends.”
Tsai, Taiwan’s first female leader, will also meet with Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, the first female head of state in the Pacific islands and join a women leaders’ conference hosted by the country, Hsu added.
He declined to give details about where Tsai will transit, saying it is “pending negotiation.”
Taiwan is typically low-key in announcing its leader’s specific itineraries, fearing China’s use of its power to disrupt.
Tsai’s last state visit was to Paraguay in August with US transits that prompted an official protest from Beijing after she gave a speech in Los Angeles — the first time in 15 years that a Taiwanese leader spoke publicly on US soil.
A Taiwanese bakery chain was pressured to declare its “firm support for the “one China” policy following boycott calls in China after serving Tsai at its shop in Los Angeles.
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Taiwan leader to visit Pacific allies to firm up ties
Taiwan leader to visit Pacific allies to firm up ties
- Tsai Ing-wen will visit Palau, Nauru and Marshall Islands between March 21 and March 28
- Beijing has stepped up diplomatic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai took office in 2016
Modi ally proposes social media ban for India’s teens as global debate grows
- India is the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion Internet users
- South Asian nation is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access
NEW DELHI: An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for children, as the world’s biggest market for Meta and YouTube joins a global debate on the impact of social media on young people’s health and safety.
“Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,” lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu said on Friday.
“Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,” he said.
Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticized by major technology companies and free-speech advocates. France’s National Assembly this week backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
Facebook operator Meta, YouTube-parent Alphabet and X did not respond on Saturday to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta has said it backs laws for parental oversight but that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
India’s IT ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion Internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access.
Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is not public but was seen by Reuters, says no one under 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold” a social media account and those found to have one should have them disabled.
“We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social media platforms,” Devarayalu said.
The government’s chief economic adviser attracted attention on Thursday by saying India should draft policies on age-based access limits to tackle “digital addiction.”
Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill — not proposed to parliament by a federal minister — but such bills often trigger debates in parliament and influence lawmaking.
He is from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs the southern state Andhra Pradesh and is vital to Modi’s coalition government.
“Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,” lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu said on Friday.
“Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,” he said.
Australia last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access in a move welcomed by many parents and child advocates but criticized by major technology companies and free-speech advocates. France’s National Assembly this week backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media, while Britain, Denmark and Greece are studying the issue.
Facebook operator Meta, YouTube-parent Alphabet and X did not respond on Saturday to emails seeking comment on the Indian legislation. Meta has said it backs laws for parental oversight but that “governments considering bans should be careful not to push teens toward less safe, unregulated sites.”
India’s IT ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
India, the world’s second-biggest smartphone market with 750 million devices and a billion Internet users, is a key growth market for social media apps and does not set a minimum age for access.
Devarayalu’s 15-page Social Media (Age Restrictions and Online Safety) Bill, which is not public but was seen by Reuters, says no one under 16 “shall be permitted to create, maintain, or hold” a social media account and those found to have one should have them disabled.
“We are asking that the entire onus of ensuring users’ age be placed on the social media platforms,” Devarayalu said.
The government’s chief economic adviser attracted attention on Thursday by saying India should draft policies on age-based access limits to tackle “digital addiction.”
Devarayalu’s legislation is a private member’s bill — not proposed to parliament by a federal minister — but such bills often trigger debates in parliament and influence lawmaking.
He is from the Telugu Desam Party, which governs the southern state Andhra Pradesh and is vital to Modi’s coalition government.
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