■ Energy
Wind-power plant opened
Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday presided over the opening of a commercial wind power plant in Shihmen Township,
Taipei County, calling its operations a display of the government's resolve to make the nation nuclear power-free. In addition to representing a stride toward the government's goal of making Taiwan a nuclear-free country, Yu said, the plant will also be a new landmark in the scenic northeastern coastal area. The Shihmen wind-power plant, the first of its kind
in Taiwan for purely commercial purposes, has six power-generating units with a combined capacity of nearly 100 million kilowatt-hours per year, which will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 8,600 tonnes and replace 3,820 tonnes of fuel coal each year. According to the premier, the government earmarks around
NT$3 billion (US$93.75
million) each year for the development of alternative energy sources in line with a worldwide drive to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
■ Politics
TSU hopeful signs up
Su Chin-chiang (蘇進強), secretary-general of the National Cultural Association and former National Security Council advisor, plans to register his candidacy for chairman of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) today after asking for an application form from the TSU yesterday. Su, accompanied by TSU acting chairman Huang Chung-yuan (黃宗源) and acting secretary-general Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘), went to the Legislative Yuan to seek support from other TSU legislators for his campaign. Su said that it was former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) who talked him into running for the post and he believed that he would be an able chairman for the party.
■ Politics
KMT flies the flag
To celebrate the New Year, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) announced yesterday that it will hold
a flag-raising ceremony
early on New Year's Day. Reflecting a rift in the pan-blue camp, the People First Party (PFP) said yesterday that it would not attend. The public is also welcome to attend, the KMT said yesterday. When asked if
the party had extended an invitation to its coalition allies, the New Party and
the PFP, spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) said that the New Party was planning to make an appearance. While the PFP is not staging any New Year celebrations, its members were allowed to attend "flag-raising ceremonies of the Republic of China," PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-bin (謝公秉) said. The ceremony will be held at the Zhongshan Hall in Taipei at 5:30am tomorrow.
■ Diplomacy
Regulations to be eased
Restrictions on visiting family members in China using the "small three links" may be relaxed by Lunar New Year, Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said. Wu said that changes would have to be made to provisional policies overseeing travel between the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu, and China. Wu met with Lienchiang County Commissioner Chen Hsueh-sheng (陳雪生), who asked that the council ease restrictions on travel for Chinese firms helping
with the preservation of traditional architecture in Matsu. Wu also said that the council would consider lifting duties imposed on fish products for consumption in Matsu.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
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