The Government Information Office (GIO) will launch a publicity drive to counter China's series of campaigns against Taiwan and to underscore Taiwan's identity, GIO Director-General Pasuya Yao (姚文智) said yesterday.
In a report to the Education and Culture Committee at the Legislative Yuan, Yao said that Beijing has waged war on Taiwan using public opinion, legal and psychological forces and its parliament has just passed the "Anti-Secession" Law to unilaterally redefine the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing is also attempting to use its "one China" myth to squeeze the maneuvering room of Taiwan internationally, he said.
Yao said that to break the myth and reveal the anti-democratic nature and hegemonic mentality of Beijing, the GIO has asked the nation's overseas missions to strike back through such activities as video conferences, seminars, press conferences, interviews or sending letters to media organizations, hoping that major world media will report on news about Taiwan and present the country in a positive light.
He also said that to enhance the international understanding of Taiwan so that the world lends support to the democratic country, the GIO is also engaging in a national image program. The publicity drive will vary in content in different countries, although the purpose will all be to underscore the identity of the nation and to avoid being confused with the other side of the Taiwan Strait.
He cited the example of the GIO running national image ads at the Athens Olympics last year under the name of Chinese Taipei or Taiwan, while ranking government officials use Republic of China (Taiwan) as the nation's name to avoid confusion with the People's Republic of China.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese