Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said yesterday that she was seeking central government support for seven major construction projects in the city, including extending the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system to neighboring counties.
Chen disclosed that she had handed a letter to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Saturday in which she urged the central government to help Kaohsiung with its construction projects.
The Kaohsiung MRT system has two lines. The 28.3km Red Line has its northernmost station at Chiaotou (橋頭), Kaohsiung County, and terminates at Linhai Industrial District in the south of the city, connecting with Kaohsiung International Airport.
The east-west Orange Line is 14.4km long and runs from National Sun Yat-sen University in the west to Taliao (大寮), Kaohsiung County, in the east.
The central government has already included a plan to extend the Red Line further north to Luchu Township (路竹), Kaohsiung County, and the Orange Line east to Pingtung County in its “iTaiwan” 12 public infrastructure projects. The 12 projects are projected to cost NT$3.99 trillion (US$122 billion) over eight years between this year and 2016.
Saying that the Cabinet is working on another plan to spend an extra NT$500 billion over a four-year period on expanded public construction projects, Chen suggested that the Kaohsiung MRT system’s extension plan and a Kaohsiung airport cargo transport system improvement plan be included in the new program, so that the nation’s second-largest city would have a full-fledged mass transport system.
Other major construction projects for which Chen is seeking the central government’s help include a plan to move all the railway lines in Kaohsiung underground, a plan to build a music venue in the Kaohsiung Harbor area, a proposed highway to relieve the traffic caused by the High Speed Rail in Zuoying District (左營) and a plan to improve access roads to the city’s harbor.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
RSS