Officials with the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA,
On Friday, Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (
Yesterday, PFP legislator Hsieh Chang-chieh (
"Why does the EPA open a door to an unwelcome client? Does it mean the company can still do business in Taiwan despite having been blacklisted?" Hsieh told the Taipei Times.
The one-year right suspension of the Japanese firm, Hsieh said, was issued by the commission following the company's unsatisfactory performance in building LNG storage tanks for the Chinese Petroleum Corp (
Hsieh said EPA head Hau Ling-bin (
Hsieh said that he suspects the Japanese company would follow the model of working with the EPA to bid on other profitable construction projects in Taiwan, including the NT$1.8 billion Tatan Power Plant (大潭電廠) project under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Hsieh said that the company is not afraid to challenge Taiwanese laws because of its good relations with high-level officials and influential political figures.
"The EPA's behavior has obviously damaged the dignity of Taiwan's laws and national interests," Hsieh said, adding that at least five local companies are capable of completing the task.
Hau yesterday stressed that the contract was awarded based on cost-effectiveness, professional performance and public interest.
"Neither I nor any of us [EPA officials] have personal relations with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and our integrity can be tested by investigative agencies," Hau said.
Hau said the Public Construction Commission wrote the EPA on Feb. 6, saying that the agency can make its decision independently in case of emergency.
Officials said solving waste-management problems in Ilan County is an urgent matter. The county generates 500 tonnes of waste per day but only relies on landfills.
The incinerator project has been delayed for five years. As early as 1997, a Taiwanese company contracting with Germany-based Stein-muller won the bid at the lower price of NT$ 2.08 billion. But the Taiwanese company had to stop work on the project when it went bankrupt.
EPA officials said that since last July the only company in the game, Taiwan-based CTCI Corp (
Hau said that doing business with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries rather than CTCI would save taxpayers NT$300 million.
"The bidding absolutely conforms to national interests and Ilan residents' interests," Hau said.
Environment officials said that a bidding meeting was once interrupted by a male assistant from Hsieh's office, but Hsieh dismisses the charge.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
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
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS