Penghu might become a relay station between Taiwan and China, similar to Kinmen, Premier Frank Hsieh said yesterday.
"Penghu is definitely qualified to apply, as a special case, to handle direct transportation with China," he said. "The possibility of passing such an application is quite high and we will seriously consider it."
Hsieh made the remarks in Penghu yesterday morning in response to media inquiries about Penghu becoming a relay station under the "mini three links" plan.
The "mini three links," established in January 2001, opened the door for residents of Kinmen and Matsu to travel to Xiamen in China's Fujian Province without restrictions.
Hsieh said the earliest Penghu would take such a role would be next month. He did not say, however, if any government agency is already drawing up plans.
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday that the premier was referring to direct transport for religious pilgrimages.
Wu, however, said that the government would consider allowing other forms of direct transportation for Penghu, as a special case.
Hsieh went to Penghu yesterday for a ceremony marking the upgrading of the National Penghu Institute of Technology to National Penghu University.
Meanwhile, China's preferential tariff exemptions on the import of 15 types of Taiwanese fruit took effect yesterday.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip William Lai (
They are duty bound, he said, to educate farmers on all the pros and cons of the offer so that they could make an informed decision.
Lai urged farmers to review their long-term interests to ensure they don't become the biggest loser in the game.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus leader Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) said the government has been blocking fruit exports to China for political reasons.
Cho said that it baffles him that Taiwanese fruit is banned from going to China when it is exported all over the world.
KMT Legislator Tseng Yung-chuan (
Tseng dismissed media speculation that the KMT is planning to set up an agricultural development fund and four fruit-trading centers in China to help promote agricultural exports.
(Additional reported by Shih Hsiu-chuan)
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS