■ Defense
Think tank praises US forces
The US military presence in Asia can help maintain peace and advance democracy in the region, and can also serve American interests, Larry Wortzel, vice president of Foreign Policy and Defense Studies at the Heritage Foundation, said Friday. Wortzel said in an article published by the well-known think tank in Washington that without an American military presence, deep historical animosities and territorial disputes among Russia, China, Japan and the two Koreas would lead to a major race for military dominance. A delicate balance has existed since the end of World War II. Pulling out US troops from Asia would destroy that balance, he said, adding that the forward presence of US troops serves to protect democratic countries in Asia from hostile threats by Leninist dictatorships in North Korea and China.
■ Culture
GIO warns industry slipping
Arthur Iap (葉國興), director-general of the Government Information Office (GIO) , painted a grim picture of the culture and creative industry yesterday at a seminar held by the DPP to discuss national policy. Iap warned in a report presented at the seminar that the country's film-making industry and phonographic industry are declining rapidly and that his office is trying to reverse the trend by giving them aid and encouraging them to develop. Iap noted that the output of the country's film industry has declined from NT$6 billion (US$169.01 million) to NT$4 billion (US$112.67 million). He also said that the domestic market for both foreign and domestic films is "shrinking rapidly," blaming advanced technology for the slide. Meanwhile, the output of Taiwan's phonographic industry has declined from NT$12 billion in 1996 to NT$5.7 billion last year.
■ Foreign affairs
Lee hopes to visit Japan
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) told Japanese reporters in Taipei Friday that he hopes to visit Japan for sightseeing sometime this year. According to Japanese newspaper reports, Lee made the remarks while meeting with Japanese reporters at the Tamsui-based Taiwan Research Institute, where his office is located. Last fall, the Japanese Foreign Ministry refused to issue Lee a visa to speak at a student club at Tokyo's Keio University. In 2001, the Japanese government issued a visa for Lee to undergo heart surgery there, based on humanitarian considerations. During his meeting with the reporters, Lee reiterated his wish to visit northeastern Japan and other scenic places such as Kamakura and Kanazawa.
■ Trade
Panamanian official to visit
A senior Panamanian official was scheduled to leave for Taiwan Friday to hold a second round of talks on the signing of a free-trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries. According to Panama's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Meliton Arrocha, vice minister of commerce and industry, will represent Panama at the talks set for this month. The ministry said that both Panama and Taiwan have made efforts to conclude the FTA talks within six months since an FTA joint communique was signed in August last year between the two. In order to achieve the six-month goal, the ministry said that Panama and Taiwan have held intensive consultations on issues regarding market access of financial services, investment protection, government procurement and certification of product origin.
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