DEVELOPMENT
Donations praised by WTO
The WTO has praised Taiwan’s donations to programs aimed at helping emerging countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Friday. In a statement issued on Jan. 21, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo welcomed Taiwan’s contributions and said they were playing a role in helping developing and countries strengthen their links with world markets, the ministry said. Azevedo was referring to a memorandum of understanding Taiwan signed with the WTO Secretariat to donate US$80,000 a year for three years from last year to next year to a plant and animal health initiative through the WTO’s Standards and Trade Development Facility. The agreement, which the ministry said underscores Taiwan’s support for the development of a multilateral trade system, helps developing countries build their capacity to implement international sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
DEFENSE
Radar disruption alleged
A new aerial listening station set up by China in its coastal Fujian Province appears to be aimed at disrupting Taiwan’s PAVE PAWS early-warning radar system, according to a report by Canada-based monthly Kanwa Defense Review. The new base in Huian is equipped with a phased array radar that is pointed directly at Taiwan’s PAVE PAWS in Hsinchu, just 240km away across the Taiwan Strait, the magazine said. Kanwa founder and editor-in-chief Andrei Chang (張毅弘) said the deployment is part of China’s plan to monitor, record, analyze and disrupt PAVE PAWS signals. Japanese defense technology analyst Tomohiko Tada agreed with Chang’s analysis, saying that because the phased array radar in Huian is very close to Taiwan’s PAVE PAWS, it can cause intermittent disruption to the system by intentionally using the same wave band, Tada said. However, China is unlikely to completely disrupt or paralyze the PAVE PAWS, he added.
TRADE
US APEC official to visit
Senior US APEC official Robert Wang (王曉岷) is set to visit Taiwan to discuss trade and economic issues, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said yesterday. During his visit from Saturday to Tuesday next week, Wang is to “meet with Taiwan officials and business leaders to exchange views on this year’s APEC agenda and other trade and economic matters of mutual concern,” the AIT said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Wang is scheduled to meet with former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) and Minister of Economic Affairs John Deng (鄧振中). They will discuss the development of economic integration in the Asia-Pacific and initiatives Taiwan and the US plan to push for under APEC, the ministry said.
SCIENCE
Exhibition focuses on light
An exhibition dedicated to the different scientific aspects of light is to run until September in celebration of the International Year of Light, as designated by the UN, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said yesterday. The museum is an appropriate host for the exhibition, as astronomy itself is considered “archeology of light,” said museum curator Chen An-li (陳岸立), who attributed modern astronomy research to the application of light. Events include a simulation of the Big Bang, as well as exhibits on sunlight and energy. The event is to run until Sept. 6. The UN in 2013 designated this year as the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it