Two major pillars — the will of the Taiwanese public and the US’ commitment to its ally — provide support for Taiwan’s future, Formosan Association for Public Affairs executive director Coen Blaauw said earlier this week.
In a keynote speech to the 27th annual convention of the North American Taiwanese Medical Association (NATMA), Blaauw said that while he had no real concerns about the US fulfilling its role, he worried that Taiwanese might not fight hard enough to stay separate from China.
He said there was a widespread feeling of inevitability in Taiwan that the country would fall under Chinese rule.
However, this is far from inevitable, he said, adding that only if Taiwanese are prepared to reject Beijing’s enticements, could Taiwan secure its future independence.
Blaauw, who has helped to write much of the pro-Taiwan legislation that passed through the US Congress in the past decade, was presented with a NATMA award for service to Taiwan.
Others who have received the award in the past include Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
Clifford Chao, president of the NATMA Greater New York Chapter, which hosted the event, said the primary goal of the meeting was to raise awareness of key healthcare issues affecting the Taiwanese-American community, such as healthcare reform and cardiovascular diseases.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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