In a bid to help foreign residents better adapt to Taiwan and experience a higher quality of life, the government yesterday launched an English-language Web site with information on daily living and an accompanying 24-hour hotline.
The "International Community Service Web site and Hotline" is part of the Executive Yuan's National Development Plan, which includes measures to make the nation more English-friendly.
"Facing immense pressure from global competition and increasingly frequent contacts with countries all over the world, the Taiwanese government is actively seeking to globalize the country and keep pace with global development," Vice Premier Wu Rong-i (
"With the rapid growth in the number of foreigners in Taiwan, the key to retaining foreign talent is the provision of information in English to help foreigners to feel at home while living in Taiwan," Wu said.
The Web site, at iff.npa.gov.tw, contains sections covering basic subjects, including visa and passport issues, health care, housing and safety. Users can also log on according to whether they are a tourist, foreign student or foreign dependent for more direct and quick access to related information. A map of Taiwan, weather forecasts, and online Chinese conversation classes are also available on the site.
The international community service hotline, 0800-024-111, is run by Chunghwa Telecom. It offers information in both Chinese and English year-round, and the government says it will ensure that all inquiries are addressed within three working days at the most.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
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The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
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