On a visit to Taiwan yesterday, US Senior Official for APEC Ambassador Kurt Tong extended an invitation to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to attend the 19th APEC Leaders’ Meeting hosted by the US in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13.
Speaking by telephone, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) spokesperson Sheila Paskman said that Tong had brought the invitation and that it was the same invitation that was being delivered to each APEC member state.
Despite an APEC practice to invite the president of each country to APEC leaders’ summits, Taiwan in the past has named a special envoy to attend on the president’s behalf because of opposition from Beijing.
Asked if the US would support Ma’s attendance this year, Paskman said: “It’s really up to the country to decide who to send [to the APEC Leaders’ Meeting].”
After delivering the invitation to the Presidential Office, Tong met with Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Hwang Chung-chiou (黃重球).
The AIT said in a press release that the US ambassador had discussed APEC matters, as well as issues related to US-Taiwan economic relations, with senior Taiwanese officials.
“Tong introduced a variety of issues relating to APEC, including upcoming high-level meetings to be held in San Francisco in September on energy and transportation issues, women and the economy, innovation and trade in technology, and health issues,” the AIT said.
In related news, the Chinese-language United Daily News (UDN) and the China Times yesterday reported that National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen (胡為真) had recently paid a “low-profile” visit to the US.
The UDN said Hu had visited the US last week to press the US on the sale of F-16C/D aircraft and diesel-electric submarines, as well as upgrades to Taiwan’s F-16A/B aircraft.
At a regular media briefing, Bruce Linghu (令狐榮達), -director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of North American Affairs, did not confirm the reports.
“I am unaware of that,” Linghu said.
The F-16C/Ds, diesel-electric submarines and the upgrade package for the F-16A/Bs are priority issues in US-Taiwan relations, along with inclusion of Taiwan in the US visa-waiver program, an extradition agreement and the resumption of Trade and Investment Framework Agreement talks, he said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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