Taiwan is to take part in this month’s UN Climate Change Conference in Paris as scheduled despite the terrorist attacks on Friday in the French capital that left at least 129 dead and many more injured, Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Wei Kuo-yen (魏國彥) said yesterday.
Speaking in a legislative committee meeting, Wei added that the EPA is to put forth its goal of intended national determined contributions at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.
Taiwan is aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030, a more ambitious goal than the 37 percent cut promised by South Korea, Wei said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Finance Chang Sheng-ford (張盛和) said that the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris would have only a “short-term” effect on Taiwan’s stock market.
Chang said that although France is a financial center of Europe, all countries are prepared for the market impact of the terrorist attacks, which French President Francois Hollande has called “an act of war.”
Taiwan’s National Stability Fund is keeping a close eye on global developments in the wake of the terrorist attacks, Chang said.
While Taiwan’s bourse might become volatile over the short term, the National Stability Fund is prepared to “brace for the unexpected” and is ready to step in if panic selling arises, he said.
The local bourse fell 34.1 points, or 0.41 percent, to close at 8,295.4 points in Taipei trading yesterday.
According to Financial Supervisory Commission Chairman Tseng Ming-tsung (曾銘宗), Mega International Commercial Bank is the only Taiwanese financial institution that has a foothold in Paris, adding that risk of exposure of Taiwan’s banking, insurance and securities sectors is about NT$400 billion (US$12.11 billion), a small sum compared with the financial institution’s total assets of NT$60 trillion.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday upgraded its travel alert for the French capital to “yellow” — advising people to consider if travel is necessary.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative candidate Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) also called for increased security measures at airports and seaports, and increased protection of candidates.
Chang, who studied in Paris and lived there for seven years, said the tragedy occurred in an area that has a large Asian, Arabic and African population.
“That part of Paris is known for having poor social order,” he said.
“Of course we must not think we are immune to terrorism, especially when election campaigns are going on,” he said, calling on the government to raise levels of security to protect all candidates running for public offices.
Both the legislative elections and the presidential election are to be held on Jan. 16.
Meanwhile, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has focused on security for Taipei’s 2017 Universiade.
Under Ko’s instruction, event organizers are to issue about 100,000 chip ID cards to members of the media, VIPs, officials and volunteers to ensure registration of people entering competition venues across the city.
Ko said that the city police department, the Ministry of the Interior’s National Police Agency and the National Security Bureau, “are all prepared.”
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