The US and Taiwan on Monday agreed to cooperate on a new program aimed at expediting travel between the two countries.
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) Representative Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) and American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Managing Director Joseph Donovan signed the cooperation agreement at a short ceremony at the AIT’s offices in Washington.
The International Expedited Traveler Initiative will eventually grant preapproved, low-risk travelers a fast track through customs and immigration. It will be known as the Global Entry program in the US and as the E-gate program in Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
“For more than three decades, the US and Taiwan have shared a strong foundation of people-to-people ties,” a statement released by the AIT said.
Since Taiwan’s participation in the Visa Waiver Program began in 2012, travel from Taiwan to the US has increased by more than 50 percent and the US now ranks as the fifth-largest source of tourists to Taiwan.
The new program is expected to go into effect before the end of this year.
A fact sheet released by the AIT explained that Global Entry streamlines the screening process at US airports for trusted travelers, allowing customs officials to focus on those they know less about, while Taiwan’s E-Gate program provides streamlined immigration clearance.
At this point, Global Entry is available to qualified citizens of the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Panama, South Korea, Mexico and Canada.
“It will measurably help thousands of travelers from Taiwan and the US — last year Taiwan had nearly 14,000 frequent travelers to the US, many of whom can benefit from access to Global Entry,” Donovan said.
About 150,000 Americans who travel to Taiwan two or more times in a typical year could benefit from E-Gate.
“This joint statement is just one sign of the deep and expanding ties between the people of the US and the people of Taiwan,” Donovan said.
“In the past 12 months alone, more than a dozen new agreements have been signed and many more are under consideration. We are very proud of this cooperation and even prouder of our ties to our Taiwan partners,” he added.
Shen said the agreement would allow Taiwanese travelers to enter the US with more “convenience and dignity” and without having to wait in long lines.
He said it would “hopefully” become operational within a few months.
In 2014, Taiwanese travelers made an estimated 413,000 visits to the US.
Shen said that if each traveler could save an average of 14 minutes as a result of the new program there would be a “tremendous” joint saving of time.
“This is another example demonstrating that Taiwan-US relations are now at their best since the Taiwan Relations Act was adopted in 1979,” Shen said.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS