■ CYCLING
Bike paths under way
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated a project aimed at establishing a network of bike paths in eastern Taiwan to promote cycling in the region. The cost of the project has been estimated at NT$791 million (US$23.88 million), spread over four years until 2012, officials said. A main part of the project will be to open five “classic routes” covering Taipei, Ilan, Hualien and Taitung counties by the end of this year. The shortest of the routes will be the 13.3km Guanshan path in Taitung County, passing tourist attractions such as the Guanshan Water Park and a century-old Chinese banyan tree. The longest will be the 76km Shuangtan route in Hualien County. Also planned is a 71km border-route connecting Hualien County’s Rueisuei (瑞穗) and Taitung County’s Changbin (長濱), passing attractions such as hot springs and whitewater rafting. The other two routes will be a 31km path through the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area in Taipei County and a 68km route from Dongshan River to Donggang Seaside Park in Ilan County.
■ DIPLOMACY
Sapporo office planned
Taiwan is slated to open an office in July in Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s Hokkaido Prefecture, with a variety of functions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The main goal will be to provide assistance to Taiwanese nationals in Japan and to Taiwanese fishing boats operating in the nearby waters of the North Pacific, as well as to help attract Japanese tourists to Taiwan, the report said. Representative to Japan John Feng (馮寄台) will present the report on Taiwan-Japan relations tomorrow at the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee. Feng said the number of Taiwanese tourists visiting Hokkaido had exceeded 280,000 per year — far more than the 18,000 visits made by Hokkaido residents to Taiwan.
■ SOCIETY
Ex-runner to return to job
Former ultra-marathon runner Chiu Chu-jung (邱淑容) said yesterday she would return to her job at China Steel Corp on June 1 after a long break that began last August when she went to France to compete in a race that led to her losing her right leg and part of her left foot. The 52-year-old Chiu underwent a double amputation to save her from an attack of necrotizing fasciitis contracted through infected blisters the day she finished a 1,150km race through France in which she placed 17th among 44 runners and second in the women’s division. Chiu said her recovery had been progressing smoothly and that she was determined to return to work where she has worked for more than two decades.
■ CYCLING
Giant boss tackles China
More than 20 cyclists from Taiwan led by Giant Inc chairman King Liu (劉金標) launched a bike tour yesterday in Beijing that will take them 1,668km to Shanghai. The team of 23 Taiwanese cyclists is scheduled to arrive in Shanghai on May 28. They will pass through 13 ancient cities scattered throughout Hebei, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces before reaching Shanghai. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the start of the journey, Liu expressed hope that the trip would serve as a bridge for exchanges between bike aficionados on the two sides of the Strait. The 75-year-old Liu will ride a bicycle that was signed by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) at a cycling activity late last month.
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