■ Politics
Beijing diplomat defends law
China's recent adoption of an "Anti-Secession" Law aimed at Taiwan is meant to bring about "peaceful national reunification," thee Chinese ambassador to Singapore Zhang Yun (張云) said yesterday. Speaking to the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore, Zhang defended the law passed last week by the National People's Congress, which triggered criticism from the US and Japan. "This law is meant to strengthen and promote cross-strait relations and bring about peaceful national reunification," Zhang said. "It is by no means a law on use of force against Taiwan, even less a law targeting Taiwan compatriots," he said. The law authorizes "non-peaceful" means against Taiwan if it moves toward formal independence.
■ Earthquake
Tremor shakes Nanao
A moderate earthquake shook northeastern Taiwan yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said. No damage or injuries were immediately reported. The 4.8-magnitude quake was centered 12km southwest of Nanao, the weather bureau said. Nanao is 90km southeast of Taipei.
■ Health
Lu suffers dry eye relapse
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) suffered a relapse of dry eye syndrome Monday during a transit stop in Miami on her way back to Taiwan after concluding a trip to Central America. She recovered after medical treatment. She is scheduled to return to Taiwan today.
■ Economy
CSBC plans name change
China Shipbuilding Corp (CSBC) president Fan Kuang-nan (范光男) said yesterday that a plan to change the company's name will cost an estimated NT$140 million (US$4.46 million). Fan told the legislature's Sci-Tech and Information Committee that the company submitted its name-change proposal to the Ministry of Economic Affairs in late January. The company is considering changing its name to "Central Shipbuilding Corp" or "Chungchuan Shipbuilding Corp" and will maintain its Chinese and English abbreviations to lessen the impact on its brand value, Fan said. According to Fan, CSBC is a reputable company in the international shipbuilding industry, with a brand value estimated at over NT$1 billion. The government has put forth a plan to change the names of state-run enterprises that bear the word "China" or "Chinese" to avoid confusion with those in China.
■ Politics
Chen's presence `irrelevant'
Whether President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) should take part in Saturday's protest to express anger over China's recent enactment of its "Anti-Secession" Law is beside the point, a US expert said on Tuesday. John Tkacik, a research fellow in China Policy at the Heritage Foundation, made the remarks at a seminar sponsored by the pro-independence Formosan Association for Public Affairs in Washington. According to Tkacik, Beijing has "irrationally" enacted the Anti-Secession Law and Taiwan has no need to counter it by adopting an anti-annexation law, making irrational moves to even the score, or by mobilizing a government-led protest march. But if it were the private sector mobilizing a million-people protest march on its own, it would underscore the will of the Taiwanese people to the international community, he said.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai