President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) telephoned new Nauru President Marcus Stephen and new Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua on Thursday to congratulate them on their election victories, a Presidential Office news release said.
The press statement said Chen invited the new leaders of the nation's two South Pacific diplomatic allies to visit Taiwan in the near future to exchange views on matters of mutual interest, including measures to expand bilateral cooperation.
The statement said Chen assured both the Nauruan president and the Solomon Islands' prime minister that his administration would continue various cooperative projects with the countries.
He also called for continued support from the two countries for the nation's bid to join major international organizations, including the UN.
Stephen told Chen that he values his country's ties with Taiwan and would work to increase cooperation in various fields. Stephen also expressed his gratitude for the nation's longtime support and aid to his country, the Presidential Office statement said.
Meanwhile, Sikua expressed hope that Chen would either attend in person or name a special envoy to attend celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the founding of his country, scheduled to be held on Jan. 31.
Sikua also told Chen that the Solomon Islands would like to host the 2009 Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit and that he would do his utmost to help Taiwan join the UN and the WHO.
The third Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit is scheduled to take place in Kaohsiung next year.
Chen invited Sikua and Stephen to attend the meeting and expressed his hope that Taiwan and the Solomon Islands would wrap up talks on a free trade agreement as soon as possible and ink the deal.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS