■ SOCIETY
Ministry releases statistics
A total of 7,625,000 people, including 4.5 million Taiwanese, entered and exited the country last year, representing a year-on-year increase of 3.7 percent, the Ministry of the Interior reported yesterday. The country’s population stood at 22.946 million at the end of last November. Another 2.47 million people who entered or exited the country last year were foreign nationals, followed by 318,000 residents of Hong Kong or Macau and 260,000 Chinese citizens, the ministry said. Citizens of China, Hong Kong and Macau are routinely classified separately from other foreign nationals in statistical surveys and covered by a separate legal framework. Meanwhile, the ministry said 674,000 Taiwanese lived abroad for most of last year, up 5.9 percent from a year earlier. Of these, 45 percent were female and 55 percent male. Last year, 561,000 people who are not Taiwanese and did not apply for household registrations lived in Taiwan for most of the year, marking a year-on-year increase of 8.3 percent. Of these, 66 percent were females and 34 percent males.
■ HEALTH
Team departs for Honduras
A mobile medical team is set to depart for Honduras on Sept. 29 on a two-week medical service mission, one of 19 missions planned to strengthen bonds with the nation’s allies, the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) said yesterday. The mobile medical team, to be composed of surgeons, physicians, pharmacists and nurses from the Taipei-based Cardinal Tien Center and Taichung-based China Medical University Hospital, will provide medical care and exchange views on clinical experiences and techniques with physicians in Honduras, ICDF secretary-general Chen Lien-chun (陳連軍) said. Meanwhile, Chen said, a team from Taipei Medical University’s Wan Fang Hospital left on Saturday for the Marshall Islands on a two-week mission. The ICDF chief said the foundation expects to organize 19 mobile medical teams to 12 diplomatic allies this year to promote friendship through medical cooperation. To date, 11 teams have visited 10 allies, benefiting more than 15,000 patients in those countries. Participating hospitals around the country include Changhua Christian Hospital, the Chi Mei Foundation Medical Center and Mackay Memorial Hospital, it said.
■ agriculture
COA lauds diplomacy plan
Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) said yesterday that “agricultural diplomacy” was one of the most effective and cost-effective approaches to cement relations with the country’s allies. Chen, who accompanied Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) on a visit to Swaziland earlier this month, made the remarks after concluding the trip they made to attend the 40th anniversary of Swaziland’s independence from Britain and the 40th birthday of King Mswati III. Chen said that with 45 percent of the country covered by forests and woodlands, 70 percent of Swaziland’s population engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. Wood, paper and sugar form the main economic lifeline of the country. Taiwan, with ample talent in those areas, could provide technical assistance to the country, he said. Most farms in Swaziland cultivate sugar cane, tangerines, corn, grains, pineapples and cotton. As corn is the main staple in the southern African country, Taiwan’s agricultural technical team has focused its efforts on helping the country grow the crop on a large scale, Chen said.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard