NATIONAL DEFENSE
Taipei site to be developed
A prime site in downtown Taipei where the air force headquarters used to be will be used for the development of a commercial complex, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. An inter-agency meeting on Wednesday approved a plan drafted by the Council for Economic Planning and Development for the 7.15 hectare site on Renai Road to be developed into a multipurpose business complex. The “city within a city” project, which will include hotels, a shopping mall, plaza and green spaces, is expected to generate NT$90 billion (US$3 billion) to NT$100 billion worth of business and 10,000 jobs. Officials who attended Wednesday’s meeting also agreed that part of the profits from the project will be allocated to the ministry. The Air Force Command Headquarters relocated to Taipei’s Dazhi District (大直) in October last year.
CROSS-STRAIT TIES
Museum director to visit
Shan Jixiang (單霽翔), director of the Palace Museum in Beijing, is scheduled to arrive in Taipei on April 18 on a five-day visit. He will stay in Taipei for two days before visiting the National Palace Museum’s southern branch in Chiayi, and then traveling to Greater Kaohsiung and Kinmen. National Palace Museum Director Feng Ming-chu (馮明珠) visited China in late January and talked with Shan about cooperation between the two museums. One of the major purposes of her visit was to discuss a loan of artifacts from China for an exhibition that will be held at the Taipei museum later this year on the artistic tastes of Emperor Qianlong (乾隆, 1711 to 1799). Shan is expected to confirm the items that will be loaned for the exhibition during his trip. Since the two museums began promoting exchanges and cooperation a few years ago, the Beijing museum has loaned several exhibits to its Taipei counterpart, including objects for an exhibition on Emperor Yongzheng (雍正, 1678 to 1735) in 2009.
ENVIRONMENT
Greener worship urged
The public is urged to adopt greener approaches to ancestor worship during the Tomb Sweeping holiday, as the traditional practices often result in substantial pollution, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said. It said various alternatives are being offered to dissuade people from burning “ghost money” for ancestors during the festival. Burning 1kg of “ghost money” can generate approximately 1.5kg of carbon dioxide emissions, the EPA said. The public is therefore urged to use the online platforms established by local governments for ancestor worship and to burn “ghost checks” instead of “ghost cash,” the EPA said, adding that people are also encouraged to purchase rice and fruit as a substitute for “ghost money.”
TRAVEL
Macedonia extends program
Macedonia has decided to continue its visa-free treatment for Republic of China citizens, which came into effect on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday. The move extends the visa-free privileges for ROC passport holders for another five years, the ministry said in a statement. Macedonia first began granting Taiwanese visa-free privileges on April 1 last year for a one-year period, the ministry said. The renewal will continue to make it more convenient for Taiwanese traveling to Macedonia for business or tourism, the ministry said, welcoming the Balkan country’s decision. Taiwanese now enjoy visa-free treatment or landing visas from 132 countries and territories, the ministry said.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all