A new association boosting parliamentary exchanges between Taiwan and Canada was formed yesterday by more than 60 legislators from across the political spectrum.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Cheng Kuo-chung (
Cheng said it was his understanding that 109 Canadian parliamentarians had already joined the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group.
John McKay, president of the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, extended his congratulations on the establishment of the parallel parliamentary group in Taiwan by video.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (
Addressing the ceremony, Lipman said Canada-Taiwan trade and economic relations have been cordial, with bilateral trade volume growing continuously.
Bilateral exchanges in other fields have also been growing steadily, Lipman said, adding that three Canadian parliamentary delegations have visited Taiwan over the past year.
He said the establishment of the Taiwan-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Association is of great significance in the development of relations between the two countries.
Kau said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will offer full support to the new parliamentary amity group as it marks an important step in promoting bilateral relations.
Despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties, Kau said, Taiwan-Canada relations were close.
Taiwanese citizens make an average of 150,000 visits to Canada annually, making Taiwan Canada's seventh-largest source of tourist arrivals.
The number of Taiwanese expatriates in Canada, including those undertaking advanced study there, has also been rising steadily, said Kau.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)