SOCIETY
Swiss office on charity drive
The Trade Office of Swiss Industries in Taipei has launched an online painting auction, with the proceeds to be donated to local charities, the office said yesterday. “This is another milestone in the fostering of good ties between Switzerland and the Taiwanese people,” said Jost Feer, the office’s director. The Swiss trade office organized a drawing competition last year for the first time and received more than 2,400 entries from elementary-school students, Feer said. In collaboration with a gallery in Taipei, the office selected the 88 most artistic paintings, based on age, style and creativity, to be auctioned. All the proceeds will be donated to two children’s charities — the St Raphael Opportunity Center in Tainan and the Star Home for People with Disability in Taitung. Interested bidders can visit www.aircamel.com.tw/star/bid/18/index.php.
ART
Taipei unveils application
The Taipei City Government yesterday unveiled its application to be the 2016 World Design Capital (WDC) after it budgeted NT$392 million (US$13 million) to compete. The application, sent to the WDC organizers on April 30 under the theme “Adaptive City,” was designed in the form of five-volume scrolls put together using the traditional binding skill known as “dragon-scale mounting.” Designer of the application Chen Jun-liang (陳俊良) said the cover pages of the five-volume scrolls contained calligraphy by Tong Yang-tze (董陽孜), paintings by illustrator Jimmy Liao (幾米) and scenic photographs representing the beauty of Taipei. A seven-minute promotional video shows artists and members of cultural industries, including choreographer Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) and sculptor Ju Ming (朱銘), discussing the city’s ever-changing and adaptive elements.
Staff writer, with CNA
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