Premier Frank Hsieh (
"If we put our efforts together and keep fighting for it, it will be possible to host the Olympics," the premier said.
The premier made the remarks yesterday morning while meeting with acting Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (
Hsieh complained that he had missed a chance to visit Germany earlier this year because of political pressure from China after he was promoted as premier.
Hsieh was referring to an invitation he received from the German company Siemens in May to attend a ceremony at its headquarters to celebrate Kaohsiung City's subway system. Hsieh was mayor when a procurement deal was signed with Siemens.
"I lost my round-trip ticket to Germany because of my promotion," he said.
Hsieh, however, expressed happiness that Kaohsiung had won the right to host the World Games in spite of China.
"We are glad that we made it ... the Chinese government could not react fast enough," the premier said.
Hsieh also said that Kaohsiung may host other international games in the near future because it has the facilities to hold large sports events. However, he also encouraged other cities to increase construction so they can qualify to host sports events.
"As I said, we have yet to decide which city will be the host for the 2020 Olympics. That means everybody [every city] has a chance," Hsieh said.
In the mean time, the focus is on the 2009 World Games.
To be authorized to host the games, the government has kept a low profile and is working hard to prove to the World Games committee that Kaohsiung is capable of hosting the international event.
The games in Duisburg this year will feature 32 different sports this year. The 2009 Kaohsiung World Games will add two more events -- softball and baseball -- for a total of 34.
The first World Games were held in Santa Clara, California, in 1981 and Duisburg, Germany is hosting this year's event. They are held every four years.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard