Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) yesterday told executives from Diageo Taiwan to ask its parent company to put positive ads about Taiwan in the UK after the firm recently placed ads in London deemed as offensive to Taiwanese.
William Li (李其英), managing director of Diageo Taiwan, visited the foreign minister yesterday afternoon accompanied by his subordinate Chang Chin-kei (張欽楷) and the British de facto ambassador to Taiwan Derek Marsh.
"Li expressed his apology on behalf of his parent company for the ads, adding he was to seek the minister's suggestions on how to compensate for the damage done by the improper ads," a foreign ministry press release said.
The fence-mending visit was triggered by Smirnoff vodka ads put up by Diageo, the world's largest brewer and distiller, at various subway stations in London on Dec. 16.
The advertisements read: "Warning. This gift will break down on Christmas morning. Replacement parts available from service center Box No. 260 Taiwan. Allow 365 working days for delivery."
In view of the enormous market share the British brewer and distiller has enjoyed in Taiwan and the close trade ties between Taiwan and the UK, Chien said the ads put up by Diageo "hurt the feelings of the Taiwanese people," the press release said.
Chien urged the British firm to put out ads that contain positive images of Taiwan in London so as to compensate for the damage done to Taiwan by the original ads, the press release said.
Chien said he would like to see a timely solution to the dispute by Diageo, whereas Li said he would pass on the minister's suggestion to his parent company in London, the press release said.
Diageo Great Britain has apologized to Taiwan by publishing a public apology in various Chinese-language newspapers in Taiwan.
The company has also promised to remove the controversial ads no later than Dec. 26.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it