■ DIPLOMACY
Philippines’ move rebuffed
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated Taiwan’s historical claim to islands and reefs in the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands. The ministry’s statement on Wednesday night came after both houses of the Philippine legislature passed bills to annex some isles and reefs of the Spratlys and Macclesfield Bank Islands as part of the Philippines’ territory. The ministry said Taiwan’s sovereignty claim was beyond doubt and challenge, stressing that all four groups of islands in the South China Sea — the Nansha, Jhongsha, Dongsha (Pratas) and Sisha (Paracel) — and their surrounding waters were Taiwan’s territories from a historical, geographical, factual and international law perspective. The ministry said the government would not recognize any move by another country that occupies or claims sovereignty over any of the four island groups. It called on the Philippines to negotiate with Taiwan on the sovereignty dispute to peacefully resolve the conflicting claims.
■ AGRICULTURE
Cold snap costs NT$67m
The cold weather before and during the Lunar New Year holiday caused more than NT$67.83 million (US$2.01 million) in agricultural sector losses, including more than NT$51.11 million in crop damage and NT$16.72 million in aquaculture damage, Council of Agriculture statistics showed yesterday. Twenty percent of the crops on a total of 509 hectares of farmland were lost, mainly bell fruit, tea, tangerines, bananas, pineapples, musk melons, rice and betel nuts, in Hsinchu, Kaohsiung, Nantou and Pingtung counties. Aquaculture operations in five counties and cities were affected, including fish and shrimp farms in Yunlin and Chiayi counties, as well as milkfish farms in Tainan and Kaohsiung counties.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
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