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Taiwan Quick Take

■ China Relations
Stop rattling sabres
A leader of the opposition People First Party (PFP) said yesterday at the Legislative Yuan that China should not resort to sabre-rattling against Taiwan, because Taiwan people do not accept military threats. Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋), convener of the PFP Caucus at the Legislative Yuan, said China should instead respect the opinions of Taiwan's people. He also said that he is grateful to the US government for its statement on Nov. 19 that Washington is firmly opposed to the use of force in trying to settle the differences between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

■ Diplomacy
Taiwan needs subs, US says
The US thinks Taiwan needs submarines and is ready to make them available, but it is up to Taiwan to decide whether to pursue them or not, Randall Schriver, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, said on Thursday. In a news conference organized for journalists posted in Washington by Taiwan media, Schriver said Washington believes the anti-submarine capability is most-needed by Taiwan at present and the US is willing to sell the vessels. He also categorically denied that any official from the Bush administration has ever called President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) a troublemaker, adding it is inappropriate to brand Chen as a troublemaker when his administration supports the US in many ways. Washington makes its views known to Taipei in private, he said.

■ Weather
Front brings cold weather
The Central Weather Bureau said yesterday that due to the arrival of a cold front, temperatures nationwide will begin to drop sharply and get much lower over the next two days. Meteorologists said temperatures in northern Taiwan yesterday dropped from a high of 23?C to a low of 17?C, and may drop further to 14?C today and tomorrow in some areas in northern Taiwan. The cold front may begin to weaken on Monday, they said. The bureau also said that ships sailing in waters near northern and northeastern Taiwan and in the northern half of the Taiwan Strait should remain on the alert for strong winds over the next two days.

■ Labor
Unemployment rate falls
Taiwan's jobless rate fell below 5 percent in October for the first time in five months, the government said yesterday. The figure dropped to 4.92 percent in October from 5.05 percent a month earlier, partly because there were fewer job losses associated with factory closures or downsizing, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said. A smaller number of first-time job seekers in October and fewer seasonal or temporary job terminations also contributed to the lower rate, it said.

■ Labor
Labor importers suspended
More than 40 Vietnamese companies have been suspended from sending laborers to Taiwan after Taipei threatened to stop receiving guest workers from the communist nation, Vietnamese state media said yesterday. The Taiwan government complained that increasing numbers of Vietnamese guest workers were breaking their assigned contracts and illegally taking up other jobs. Eight companies had their licenses suspended for six months, while 35 others were given two-month suspension terms, the Thuong Mai newspaper said.

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