Members of a Chinese team participating in the International Children's Games in Thailand, yesterday snatched Taiwan's national flag from Taiwanese medalists as they accepted their awards.
The Taiwanese team was led by Deputy Taipei Mayor King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) and officials from the city government's Department of Education.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"It's the sixth time Taipei City has joined the event, and the first time for Beijing. Its attitude is surprisingly rude. This issue could have been solved through negotiation," Ma said last night as he watched the Taipei Firework Festival in Dadaocheng (
The first incident occurred before the Taiwanese athletes went on to the podium to receive their awards.
The flags which the athletes were planning to use had gone missing. It emerged that the flags had been stolen by members of the Chinese team, Angel Chen (
The second incident occurred when the athletes were on stage and ready to receive their awards, when individuals later identified as members of the Chinese team approached them and ripped off the flag that the athletes had worn.
The third incident occurred after the ceremony was over. Taiwanese athletes were sitting among the audience when members of the Chinese team approached and again ripped away the flag, Chen said.
Taiwanese officials immediately filed a complaint with the organizer.
They demanded an apology from China and the return of the flag, according to a statement released by city government officials last night.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
RSS