The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said that a new US bill that would expand its visa-waiver program to include several allies in its war on terror could benefit Taiwan.
It said that one of the conditions -- a low rate of visa rejection and overstays -- could apply to Taiwan.
Both the US House and Senate last week passed the Secure Travel and Counterterrorism Partnership Act directing the secretary of Homeland Security to establish a pilot program to expand the visa waiver program for up to five new countries that are cooperating with the US on security and counterterrorism matters.
The act would extend a 90-day visa-free travel privilege to nationals of foreign countries that are allies in the war on terrorism.
Inclusion in the program is conditional on the rates of visa rejection, which needs to be less than 10 percent and the rate of overstays has to be decreased gradually.
The bill has been submitted to the White House and is awaiting US President George W. Bush's signature.
The visa-waiver program currently covers 27 countries. Other than Japan and Australia, all are Western European countries.
MOFA spokesman David Wang (王建業) yesterday pointed out that the government had pushed hard for Taiwanese citizens to obtain preferential treatment allowing them to travel visa-free to the US and Canada for up to for 90 days.
Taiwan meets the provisions that the bill demands, Wang said, pointing out that Taiwan had a low US visa refusal rate of only about 3 percent and few cases of people overstaying.
"If the US allows this legislation to apply to Taiwanese, US-Taiwan relations will be greatly advanced," Wang said. "For example, the peoples of Taiwan and Japan have had much closer relations and interaction since Japan offered free-visa treatment to Taiwanese tourists."
Other countries that meet the bill's criteria and may qualify for inclusion in the visa-waiver program are Argentina, Brazil, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Israel, South Korea, Malta, Slovakia and Uruguay.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique