The budget for Taiwan’s foreign aid will reach NT$17.979 billion (US$594 million) this year, with nearly all of it already committed to diplomatic allies and countries in need, Vice Foreign Minister Yang Tzu-pao (楊子葆) said on Thursday.
“Taiwan’s foreign aid is used mainly to strengthen and expand its diplomatic relations and boost international cooperation,” said Yang at a legislative session where he was briefing lawmakers on the allocation of the country’s foreign aid.
He said Taiwan’s aid projects focused mainly on helping its allies in infrastructure development, deploying agricultural and technical missions to allied countries, providing financial assistance and goods and making loans.
Yang said aid to Central and South American countries (including the Caribbean) would reach NT$10.9 billion, accounting for the bulk of the total, followed by the NT$2.93 billion promised to countries in Africa.
The foreign ministry will also provide NT$2.43 billion in aid to the Asian and Pacific region, NT$58.29 million to North America, NT$27.4 million to Europe and NT$10.5 million to West Asia, Yang said.
Of the NT$17.966 billion in aid that has already been committed, some NT$4.38 billion has been spent up to now, Yang told the legislators.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it