■ Politics
PFP legislator passes away
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Nelson Ku (顧崇廉) died of lymphatic cancer at Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei yesterday. Ku, born in Shanghai in 1931, began his career as a naval officer in 1954, attaining the rank of admiral. He served as vice minister of national defense, navy commander-in-chief and the country's representative to the Netherlands. Ku entered the legislature as a legislator-at-large in 2001, and again in 2004. PFP Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) said that the party will spare no effort to help Ku's family with his funeral arrangements. Lee Fu-tien (李復甸), a professor of law at Chinese Culture University, will fill Ku's legislative vacancy.
■ Society
Booze-up teacher suspended
A Kaohsiung middle school teacher surnamed Chen was suspended after one of his students was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning on Friday. According to local media, the teacher-in-training brought two bottles of wine and one bottle of Kaoliang liquor to a weekend party with his students at the basketball court of Rueifeng Junior High School in Kaoshiung City. Chen reportedly encouraged his students to drink, resulting in one student downing half a bottle of white wine, chased by copious amounts of red wine and Kaoliang, a 40 to 50 percent proof distilled liquor. The student later collapsed in the hallway of his apartment after vomiting and frothing at the mouth, prompting his parents to rush him to the emergency room on Friday night. He was released the next day, according to local media. Chen reportedly became intoxicated with a number of students at the party.
■ Trade
China to buy oranges
Two organizations in China are planning to purchase a total of 12,000 tonnes of oranges for NT$180 million (US$5.49 million), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus said yesterday. The deal to sell the oranges for NT$15 per kilogram was reached after KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) visited Yunlin County on Thursday and met local fruit growers, who complained that an orange glut had driven prices down to an average of below NT$10 per kg. Ma instructed two KMT members to depart for China on Thursday to meet with Chinese authorities and discuss a deal. China's Taiwan Affairs Office then arranged a meeting between the two delegates and executives from two Chinese marketing organizations. Both sides agreed that the two Chinese companies would purchase 12,000 tonnes of Yunlin oranges at NT$15 per kilogram, the first shipment of which -- three containers -- is scheduled to leave for Shanghai today.
■ Crime
Lawmakers to visit PRC
A group of lawmakers across party lines yesterday said that they would organize a trip to China to discuss with Chinese authorities the issue of enhancing cooperation in combating crime. People First Party Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chu Feng-chi (朱鳳芝) and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Rong-shu (許榮淑) said they would join the trip. The lawmakers held a public hearing on the issue as they said that China has become a haven for Taiwanese fugitives, especially white-collar criminals, because of the lack of an extradition agreement between Taiwan and China. Mark Chen (陳明傳), a professor from the Central Police University, hailed the idea, saying the move would put pressure on China to deal with the problem.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
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