President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) presided over the inauguration of the New Cishan Bridge in Greater Kaohsiung yesterday and expressed hope that it would help to boost the local economy and tourism.
Ma hailed the quick completion of the 535m long, 22.2m wide single-tower balanced cantilevered bridge connecting Cishan (旗山) and Meinong (美濃) districts at a cost of about NT$600 million (US$20 million).
Construction of the bridge, which is built on the foundations of two older bridges, was completed five months ahead of schedule, despite being interrupted by Typhoon Morakot when it ravaged southern Taiwan in August 2009.
Photo: CNA
The project is one of 47 bridge renewal programs carried out by the government since Ma assumed office in May 2008. Construction of all 47 new bridges is scheduled to be completed by the end of next month.
Accompanied by Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) and Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國), the president also toured the old street of Cishan and sampled some cheesecake with banana, one of the area’s principal crops.
Later in the day, Ma chaired a ground-breaking ceremony for Siaolin (小林) No. 2, where 120 permanent houses will be built on a 5.81 hectare plot of land for the survivors of landslides triggered by Morakot, which destroyed the original village.
Morakot was the worst typhoon to hit southern Taiwan in more than 50 years and the government’s bungled response in the immediate aftermath sent Ma’s approval rating plunging.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
RSS