CROSS-STRAIT
No joint centenary: Sheng
Taiwan yesterday ruled out joining China in celebrating the upcoming centenary of the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC), an event hailed as an historical milestone by both Taipei and Beijing. “Given the differences between the two sides, it would be unlikely for us to host joint celebrations,” Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Emile Sheng (盛治仁) said in English to a group of foreign reporters in Taipei. Taiwan is gearing up for the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the ROC, which was on Jan. 1, 1912, after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. Sheng said the differences in political systems in China and Taiwan would make joint celebrations impossible.
DIPLOMACY
Global inclusion sought
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday solicited the support of allies in Taiwan’s bids for participation in UN activities. Taiwan hopes to take part in events hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and in meetings on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Ma said. He addressed Taiwan’s bids for access to the two world bodies during a meeting at the Presidential Office with visiting UN representatives of Palau, Tuvalu, Belize and El Salvador. Those nations are among the 23 countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Speaking of the ICAO bid, Ma said Taiwan has among the busiest air traffic in East Asia and should have closer contacts with the civil aviation regulatory body, as such links would facilitate the development of the industry and its efforts to promote air safety. In terms of the UNFCCC, Ma said that in the face of extreme weather trends that have made Taiwan more vulnerable to natural disasters, the country would very much like to have UNFCCC links.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
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