A group of 26 young professionals from Pacific island nations are in Taiwan for a leadership program to learn more about the nation’s political and economic development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The participants from 13 countries — including Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Palau, the Solomon Islands and the Marshall Islands — are attending a four-week training session that is to conclude on Nov. 8 under the Pacific Islands Leadership Program, the ministry said.
The annual program is organized by the ministry and the East-West Center, a US think tank based in Hawaii.
Following an eight-week session in Hawaii, the training in Taiwan provides courses that enhance the participants’ understanding of the nation’s political environment, economy and relations with the US and Pacific Island nations.
They also cover Taiwan’s foreign aid policies, developments in agriculture, education, environmental protection and Aboriginal culture, the ministry said.
The participants are scheduled to visit the Eden Social Welfare Foundation and World Vision Taiwan to learn more about the domestic development of non-governmental organizations, the ministry said.
Aged from 25 to 38, the participants come from a variety of fields, including international relations, business, education, human resources and public health, the ministry said. Three are government officials, it added.
The ministry’s Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs signed a memorandum of understanding in 2012 with the East-West Center on a joint program to develop future leaders in the Pacific Island region. The program aims to train 125 young leaders over five years, the ministry said.
Last year, 21 young professionals attended the leadership program, the ministry said.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
RSS