More than 700 expatriates, as well as local residents, climbed the world's tallest building, Taipei 101, for the second year yesterday to raise funds for the 2007 Taiwan Youni International Climbathon for Charity.
Although tired, most climbers enjoyed the experience.
"[I'm] exhausted," said Marcus Bauder of the Shangri-La Hotel Taipei team when asked how he felt after climbing the 91 floors.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GARDEN OF HOPE FOUNDATION
"But I'm feeling good right now ? It's fun, and it's for charity," he said.
There were also climbers who came well prepared.
"I went through an intense training regime during the past two weeks, climbing up to my third-floor office, I'm well-prepared," said Brandon Williams, an American who has been working in Taiwan for two-and-a-half years.
Some participants also expressed the hope that events such as this could increase understanding between Taiwanese and the expatriate community.
"It's really great to see both the locals and the foreign community participating in something like this together," said Elias Ek, a Swede who started his own business in Taipei five years ago. "Most of the time, the foreign community is just not visible."
Altogether, 750 climbers raised NT$1.8 million (US$54,100) for charities, said Mary Chua, director of the Community Services Center (CSC), one of the event organizers, along with ICRT, Taiwan's English-language radio station.
The Garden of Hope Foundation is one of the main beneficiaries.
Many firms, including the Taipei Times, also helped sponsor and organize teams for the event.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
RSS