A seven-member delegation of officials and experts left for Beijing yesterday to discuss establishing a cross-strait mechanism to share information on food safety and deal with tainted food crises.
Led by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) vice secretary-general, Chang Shu-ti (張樹棣), the group of health and food experts will be in Beijing for three days to discuss the issue with their Chinese counterparts.
Chang yesterday said they would have some preparatory work to do after arriving in Beijing in the afternoon and would start discussions today. Chang said he was unclear about today’s schedule and who they would talk to.
Chang said the delegation would write a report after it returned tomorrow. He said he was unsure whether there would be a press conference at that point or whether they would present their findings to Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) first.
Chang said the SEF’s goal was to establish a communication channel for experts from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to share food safety information, such as how melamine was added to certain products, what inspection processes and standards are employed in China and how to prevent future food scandals.
Bureau of Health Promotion Director-General Hsiao Mei-ling (蕭美玲) said she would like to meet officials from China’s inspection bureau and other experts to broaden her understanding of the melamine scandal.
She said she also hoped to learn about China’s food safety procedures and, most importantly, work toward a communication channel — modeled on the mechanism to share information on contagious diseases — to prevent tainted products from entering Taiwan without having to notify the SEF.
A senior official at the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) who asked to remain anonymous said the delegation should be careful about visiting any milk companies, because it might be misconstrued as an endorsement.
The official said the delegation was likely to meet Chinese officials, but because they were not authorized to negotiate, the purpose of their trip would merely be to lay the groundwork for a cross-strait food safety mechanism.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has proposed setting up a direct line to Beijing authorities for cases in which there are concerns about tainted products entering Taiwan.
MAC Vice Chairman Liu Teh-hsun (劉德勳), however, said it did not matter whether there was such a line, as long as there was a channel for “direct,” “practical” and “effective” communication.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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