The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday that it has prepared contingency plans to be used in the event that foreign dignitaries attending the Oct. 10 National Day banquet are disturbed by protesters.
The anti-President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁)campaign has announced that a plan to "besiege" the Presidential Office on Double Ten Day on Oct. 10 will proceed as scheduled. As a result some lawmakers suggested canceling the celebration and the National Day dinner party because of the protest.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Michel Lu (呂慶龍) yesterday said that the annual Double Ten Day dinner party will be held in the Taipei Guest House, near the Presidential Office, as in past years. Preparations are under way and would not be affected by the ongoing campaign, he added.
"Should political activity hinder foreign guests from entering the Taipei Guest House, the ministry has made preparations for such a situation," Lu said.
Director-general of the ministry's Department of Central and South American Affairs, Ko Jai-son (柯吉生), said the president of Honduras, vice president of Nicaragua and the governor of Belize will be attending the Double Ten National Day celebrations. The President of Sao Tome and Principe will also be a guest.
But Lu said the ministry is not sure if American Institute in Taiwan Director Stephen Young, who is currently in the US for consultations, will be able to attend the celebration. If Young cannot make it, a proxy will attend the celebration in his place, which is normal diplomatic practice, Lu added.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to announce a new advanced “all-domain” air defense system to better defend against China when he gives his keynote national day speech today, four sources familiar with the matter said. Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding its own advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles. Lai is expected to announce the air defense system dubbed “Taiwan Dome” in his speech this morning, one of the sources said. The system
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