■ Politics
DPP urges support
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday called on opposition parties to support the DPP's proposal to hold a special legislative session next month to review several priority items, including an eight-year, NT$80 billion (US$2.54 billion) flood-control project. The DPP also hopes to put on the agenda the arms-procurement budget, Control Yuan nominations and proposed amendments to the Organic Law of the Executive Yuan (行政院組織法). The caucus said that the flood-control project was put forth by Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) soon after his inauguration in February. On Wednesday Hsieh urged lawmakers to approve the proposal. However, Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) has expressed his disapproval of the proposal and said there is still at least NT$19.3 billion at the Cabinet's disposal for flood aid and prevention. Legislators from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party have also objected to the proposal.
■ Manufacturing
Renewable energy is `key'
Metal manufacturers are eager to launch production lines for equipment used in generating electricity from wind power to cash in on the emerging market for renewable energy, according to the Metal Industries Research and Development Center (MIRDC). MIRDC officials said Thursday that with the Kyoto Protocol having gone into effect in February and which aims to limit the global emission of greenhouse gases, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is adjusting the country's energy structure and promoting actively the development of renewable energy, such as wind, water, solar and geothermal. Among these, wind power is the one with the largest potential and could account for 35 percent of the total renewable energy of the country in 2010, the officials added.
■ Trade
Hsieh wants goodwill
Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday said that his Cabinet has appointed the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to discuss with China exports of Taiwan's produce, and he hopes that China will respond with goodwill. Hsieh made the remarks while attending the opening of Food Taipei 2005, an international food exhibition, which will run until June 19. The premier said that he has faith in the professionalism of TAITRA, and hopes that China can accept it as a contact party so that there will be another outlet for marketing Taiwan's produce. On China's announcement that it will relax regulations governing the conditions and qualifications of Taiwan residents working in China, he said that the sense of Taiwan's identity will only be higher with increased cross-strait exchanges.
■ Business
Chen praises companies
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said Thursday that as long as Taiwanese enterprises can find their own niche and core competitive edge, they are bound to shine internationally. Chen made the remarks while attending the 2005 National Excellence Awards ceremony held at the Taipei International Convention center. Chen said that he was happy to see the outstanding results of domestic enterprises, adding that he admired and appreciated their contributions in upgrading the overall image and international competitiveness of Taiwanese products. He said that goods made in Taiwan have leapt into the ranks of international brands.
Former Czech Republic-based Taiwanese researcher Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) has been sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage-related charges, China’s Ministry of State Security announced yesterday. China said Cheng was a spy for Taiwan who “masqueraded as a professor” and that he was previously an assistant to former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰). President-elect William Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday last week announced Cho would be his premier when Lai is inaugurated next month. Today is China’s “National Security Education Day.” The Chinese ministry yesterday released a video online showing arrests over the past 10 years of people alleged to be
THE HAWAII FACTOR: While a 1965 opinion said an attack on Hawaii would not trigger Article 5, the text of the treaty suggests the state is covered, the report says NATO could be drawn into a conflict in the Taiwan Strait if Chinese forces attacked the US mainland or Hawaii, a NATO Defense College report published on Monday says. The report, written by James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, states that under certain conditions a Taiwan contingency could trigger Article 5 of NATO, under which an attack against any member of the alliance is considered an attack against all members, necessitating a response. Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that an armed attack in the territory of any member in Europe,
LIKE FAMILY: People now treat dogs and cats as family members. They receive the same medical treatments and tests as humans do, a veterinary association official said The number of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan has officially outnumbered the number of human newborns last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s pet registration information system showed. As of last year, Taiwan had 94,544 registered pet dogs and 137,652 pet cats, the data showed. By contrast, 135,571 babies were born last year. Demand for medical care for pet animals has also risen. As of Feb. 29, there were 5,773 veterinarians in Taiwan, 3,993 of whom were for pet animals, statistics from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency showed. In 2022, the nation had 3,077 pediatricians. As of last
XINJIANG: Officials are conducting a report into amending an existing law or to enact a special law to prohibit goods using forced labor Taiwan is mulling an amendment prohibiting the importation of goods using forced labor, similar to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed by the US Congress in 2021 that imposed limits on goods produced using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. A government official who wished to remain anonymous said yesterday that as the US customs law explicitly prohibits the importation of goods made using forced labor, in 2021 it passed the specialized UFLPA to limit the importation of cotton and other goods from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region. Taiwan does not have the legal basis to prohibit the importation of goods