Taiwan has donated more money to earthquake-stricken Japan than any other country or region in the world, surprising the Japanese and making them realize that Taiwanese are true friends, a Japanese magazine reported in its latest issue.
The Shukan Shincho, a weekly magazine issued every Thursday, also ran a photo showing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) soliciting donations for Japan on TV.
The report said more than 130 countries and regions have come to the aid of Japan in the wake of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, such as the US, which has not only donated money, but also mobilized about 18,000 soldiers for assistance.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
In addition, Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, has donated ￥82 million (US$1 million), and many relatively poor countries in Africa, such as Sudan, had also contributed funds.
SURPRISED
However, what surprised the Japanese the most was the helping hand extended by Taiwan, the report said.
Taiwan has sent a rescue team and relief goods, and as of April 1, its Red Cross Society had solicited ￥10.99 billion in donations, up to 90 percent of which came from private donors.
Though it has a population of only 23 million, Taiwan has donated even more than the US, the report said.
PAST ACTIONS
The reports also cited a Japanese reporter stationed in Taiwan who said Taiwanesee had not forgotten the goodwill shown by Japan in the wake of Taiwan’s devastating on Sept. 21, 1999 earthquake that left more than 2,000 people dead.
Japan sent a 145-member rescue team and donated NT$1.1 billion (US$37 million) in funds to Taiwan after that natural disaster.
The magazine also cited diplomatic commentator Masahiro Miyazake’s observation that Japan’s pro-China political figures and media have not treated Taiwan well.
Even former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) sent encouraging messages to quake-affected victims, but pro-China media has barely acknowledged Taiwan’s support, he said, observing that true friends are those who are there in difficult times.
APPRECIATION
Meanwhile, Japanese travel agency H.I.S. Co also ran a full-page ad in the largest-circulated newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun to express appreciation to Taiwan.
The ad said Taiwan sent a rescue team and relief goods, and the Red Cross Society had collected ￥11.01 billion as of Tuesday.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
RSS