The US administration has decided to send a senior congressman as its envoy for next Thursday's inauguration of President Chen Shui-bian (
Representative James Leach, a Republican who heads the East Asian and Pacific affairs subcommittee of the House of Representatives' international relations committee, is expected to lead a delegation to the inauguration ceremony, the Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Joseph Wu (
"The president was very happy to learn that Leach will represent the US administration at the event in Taiwan," said Wu, who has been appointed to head the Mainland Affairs Council after the inauguration.
Wu said Chen felt that Leach, 61, has close links with President George W. Bush's administration, and his heading the group "represents the close relations between Taiwan and the United States."
Refusing to disclose the number of members in the delegation, Wu added that a staunch supporter of Taiwan, Alaska's Governor Frank Murkowski, is also scheduled to come for the inauguration.
Washington has been slow in deciding who to send for the ceremony after Chen's razor-thin victory in the March election.
Meanwhile, Leach told a Hong Kong-based television channel Thursday that he feels very heavy responsibility in being appointed head of the US delegation that will attend the inauguration ceremony.
Leach said during an interview with reporters for Phoenix Satellite TV that he might bring to the Taiwanese leadership important messages from White House -- messages that could outline the latest US policy toward Taiwan.
He declined to disclose anything further about the messages, saying that they have not yet been finalized, although he added that he will inform the Taiwanese authorities about the messages' content in advance once he has been notified by the Bush administration.
Leach said the coming four years will be a crucial period in deciding how the cross-strait issue should be settled and he admitted that uncertainty in the current situation is of great concern to the US.
He said he was very worried about the politically volatile situation across the Taiwan Strait, which is why he has urged all parties concerned to exercise the greatest possible degree of prudence at this juncture.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS