HEALTH
Drugs institute to be set up
China Medical University and Center Laboratories have signed a contract to establish the nation’s first drug manufacturing institute. The institute aims to remedy the labor shortage faced by drug manufacturers by serving as a bridge for students from a wide variety of backgrounds to enter the field. Students will be taught by both China Medical University professors and industry professionals, with training focusing on quality control, drug research and development, intellectual property and management. After the first year of courses, students are to intern with Center Laboratories to clarify their interests and ensure a smooth transition into their future work. The institute has already begun accepting applications, aiming to begin training 15 master’s and five doctoral students next year. After graduating, jobs at Center Laboratories will be arranged for all students.
TRANSPORTATION
New mobile MRT map out
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp yesterday released the latest route map for mobile devices detailing the expanded MRT network that now includes the new semicircular Songshan Line (松山線). The map shows all five lines with the names of the stations listed in Chinese and is aimed at making it easier for passengers to plan their routes, the company said. The map can be downloaded from: m.trtc.com.tw/metrotaipei.jpg. The 8.5km Songshan Line was inaugurated on Saturday last week and is an extension of the green Xindian Line (新店線). The new line runs from Xindian (新店) in New Taipei City to Ximen Station (西門) and then turns east through six other stations before ending at Songshan (松山). From west to east, the six stations are Beimen (北門), Zhongshan (中山), Songjiang Nanjing (松江南京), Nanjing Fuxing (南京復興), Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋) and Nanjing Sanmin (南京三民).
ECONOMICS
Taipei, Tokyo to sign MOUs
Taiwan and Japan are expected to sign four more memorandums of understanding (MOUs) after the conclusion of a bilateral annual economic meeting in Taipei, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday on the opening day of the summit. Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) told reporters on the sidelines of a legislative committee meeting that during the two-day economic meeting, the two sides are to discuss issues related to the four proposed MOUs, including one to promote tourism exchanges. The other MOUs cover the exchange of information on immigration, nuclear power safety and patent protection related to biotechnological research, a ministry official said. According to the ministry, Taiwan and Japan have signed 14 agreements since April 2009, including a working holiday agreement, an investment protection accord and a fishery agreement.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Austria work holiday inked
Taiwan and Austria have signed a joint statement that paves the way for a reciprocal working holiday program that is expected to be launched by the end of this year at the earliest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The statement was signed a day earlier, the ministry said, adding that the working holiday program would be launched after the two countries complete follow-up procedures. Further details about the program will be announced once they are finalized, it said. Under the terms of the agreement, Taiwan and Austria will each allow an annual quota of 50 citizens aged 18 to 30 to travel and work in the opposite country for up to six months, the ministry said.
Former Czech Republic-based Taiwanese researcher Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) has been sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage-related charges, China’s Ministry of State Security announced yesterday. China said Cheng was a spy for Taiwan who “masqueraded as a professor” and that he was previously an assistant to former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰). President-elect William Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday last week announced Cho would be his premier when Lai is inaugurated next month. Today is China’s “National Security Education Day.” The Chinese ministry yesterday released a video online showing arrests over the past 10 years of people alleged to be
THE HAWAII FACTOR: While a 1965 opinion said an attack on Hawaii would not trigger Article 5, the text of the treaty suggests the state is covered, the report says NATO could be drawn into a conflict in the Taiwan Strait if Chinese forces attacked the US mainland or Hawaii, a NATO Defense College report published on Monday says. The report, written by James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, states that under certain conditions a Taiwan contingency could trigger Article 5 of NATO, under which an attack against any member of the alliance is considered an attack against all members, necessitating a response. Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that an armed attack in the territory of any member in Europe,
LIKE FAMILY: People now treat dogs and cats as family members. They receive the same medical treatments and tests as humans do, a veterinary association official said The number of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan has officially outnumbered the number of human newborns last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s pet registration information system showed. As of last year, Taiwan had 94,544 registered pet dogs and 137,652 pet cats, the data showed. By contrast, 135,571 babies were born last year. Demand for medical care for pet animals has also risen. As of Feb. 29, there were 5,773 veterinarians in Taiwan, 3,993 of whom were for pet animals, statistics from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency showed. In 2022, the nation had 3,077 pediatricians. As of last
XINJIANG: Officials are conducting a report into amending an existing law or to enact a special law to prohibit goods using forced labor Taiwan is mulling an amendment prohibiting the importation of goods using forced labor, similar to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed by the US Congress in 2021 that imposed limits on goods produced using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. A government official who wished to remain anonymous said yesterday that as the US customs law explicitly prohibits the importation of goods made using forced labor, in 2021 it passed the specialized UFLPA to limit the importation of cotton and other goods from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region. Taiwan does not have the legal basis to prohibit the importation of goods