Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
The leaders of the nine allies either praised Taiwan's economic achievements and democracy or prodded the UN to admit Taiwan as a member at the UN Summit of World Leaders that concluded in New York on Friday.
Although their speeches did not help Taiwan's bid to enter the UN, which had already been quashed after the UN General Committee decided on Sept. 13 not to put it on the agenda, they helped voice Taiwan's desire to reach out to the international community, Chen said.
The minister said he especially took heart at the speech of Fiji President Josefa Iloila, who said the world should develop ties with China and Taiwan in parallel. Iloila's remarks bode well for ties between the two countries, although there are no diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Fiji, Chen said.
The leaders of the nine allies who spoke out for Taiwan were Kiribati President Anote Tong, Tuvalu Prime Minister Maatia Toafa, Honduras Foreign Minister Mario Fortin, Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Sao Tome and Principe President Fradique de Menenes, Saint Christopher and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, Nauru President Ludwig Scotty, Marshall Islands President Kessai Note and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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
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