The Kaohsiung City Government will seek the right to host the 2009 Asia Pacific Cities Summit, Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Cheng Wen-lon (
Cheng said he will bid for the right on behalf of the city government when he attends this year's Asia Pacific Cities Summit to be held in the Australian city of Brisbane tomorrow through Monday.
Cheng headed for Brisbane yesterday as the head of a 21-member delegation composed of Kaohsiung city officials in charge of construction, urban development, manpower resources development, cultural, media and information affairs.
Cheng said Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) has expressed a strong interest in securing the right to host the 2009 summit to enhance the city's international profile.
The delegation will also use the event to give a presentation introducing Kaohsiung's general investment climate in the hopes of attracting foreign entrepreneurs willing to launch new businesses in the city, he said.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (
Hau will deliver a briefing at the event about Taipei's plans and perspective regarding its development as a waterfront city, the Taipei City Government said.
After concluding his visit to Brisbane, Hau will travel to Singapore to inspect the city-state's Hyflux Water Processing Plant and Biopolis, a research and development center for biomedical sciences and other sites.
Hau is scheduled to return home next Friday.
The Brisbane APCS, the sixth of its kind, is expected to draw the participation of 1,000 government officials and enterprise leaders from more than 100 cities in 49 member countries, who will take part in discussions surrounding the event's theme this year -- renewing Asia-Pacific cities -- according to the summit host, the Brisbane city council.
The APCS was founded to foster city partnerships and encourage the sharing of information and ideas between local governments, technical experts and businesses within the Asia-Pacific region.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS