Cabinet Spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (
"Whenever it comes to international issues that concern Taiwan, our foreign allies always ask Beijing for a reaction first. If we have our own method of delivery, they will also have direct access to our views," Shieh said.
The spokesman made the announcement during a press conference after yesterday morning's weekly Cabinet meeting. He said initially the channel would be operated as a private firm with government funding.
Shieh said that the GIO will spend approximately eight to 12 months setting up the new TV channel and a budget of NT$2 billion (US$61 million) will be needed for its establishment.
Shieh said that he had discussed the matter on Tuesday with several local TV managers and university professors who compared efforts by TV channels such as Japan's NHK and Qatar's al-Jazeera.
"These channels do a great job of speaking out and delivering messages to the world on behalf of their countries. That is why we came up with the idea of a similar channel for Taiwan," Shieh said.
Shieh said that the government would not get involved in the management, although the channel would rely on the government for funds. The GIO will eventually make the channel an independent TV station, Shieh said.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
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,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
RSS