More than 300 well-wishers extended their congratulations to the Sultanate of Oman from Taipei last Tuesday as the Arab country celebrated its 38th year of nationhood.
The special day also marked the birthday of its leader, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who ascended to power in 1970.
In an elaborate reception complete with music and dance performed by local students and musicians, guests from various embassies, representative offices and other members of the international community raised their glasses to wish the country a happy birthday and a prosperous future.
“Today represents a new beginning in development and a new era for the people Oman,” said Sulaiman bin Sultan al-Mughairy, director of the Commercial Office of the Sultanate of Oman in Taiwan, who made his remarks in Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese).
Taiwan and Oman do not share formal relations, but non-political ties between the two countries are strong, he said, noting that bilateral trade volume between them has averaged US$1 billion in recent years; a drastic improvement compared with the less than US$100 million 17 years ago when the representative office was first set up in Taipei.
The director also touted the frequent exchanges in the areas of education, culture and tourism, encouraging more Taiwanese to explore the beauty of his homeland.
Deputy Foreign Minister Javier Hou (侯清山) greeted the guests in Arabic and said that Oman was a crucial economic partner to Taiwan, adding that the trade volume between the two sides so far this year had already reached US$890 million. Last year bilateral trade stood at US$860 million.
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
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
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