Taipei and Beijing last week began preparing to sign an agreement on nuclear safety as China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Yang Yi (楊毅) yesterday said that China would “seriously consider” the possibility of establishing a mechanism to exchange information.
However, Yang was noncommittal as to whether a deal would be sealed during the upcoming meeting between Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) this year, despite the call by President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to do so.
“The two sides could establish a mechanism to inform each other of the situations and communicate with each other on how to strengthen the exchanges of -technology and skills,” he said. “When both sides are ready, the SEF and ARATS could invite experts to negotiate the issue.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
As the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Chinese Communist Party prepare to participate in a cross-strait economy and culture forum in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, next month, Yang said the two sides would touch on the issue of nuclear safety during the meeting. The Mainland Affairs Council has authorized the SEF to negotiate an agreement on nuclear security with ARATS.
An insider to cross-strait affairs said the SEF and ARATS exchanged opinions on Friday, when both sides agreed to “seriously consider” placing nuclear safety on the agenda of the Chiang-Chen meeting.
The two sides’ supervisory agencies also began to study the possibility of signing the deal, which would include an emergency notification system, the official said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
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