Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), the nation's representative to the US, visited the construction site of the Pentagon Memorial in Washing-ton at the invitation of the US Department of Defense on Friday, an official from Taiwan's representative office said.
The memorial is designed to commemorate those who died in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, said Tsai Chung-li (蔡仲禮), director-general of the Information Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US.
Tsai said that the Pentagon Memorial Fund had raised money for the construction of a memorial park dedicated to the victims. Construction on the outdoor memorial, which began in June last year, is scheduled to be completed next year. The park will include 184 benches, each engraved with one of the victims' names.
The defense department invited 50 guests, including mem-bers of the victims' families and sponsors of the construction project, to attend the memorial activity and to learn more about the construction's progress. Also invited were Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England and former chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers.
Tsai said Taiwan donated US$1 million to the construction project to express the condolences of the government and people to the families of the victims and to show support for the US fight against terrorism.
Taiwan's donation is listed along with the country's flag and official name, the Republic of China, on the memorial project's official Web site, Tsai said.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the