This year’s Cross-Strait CEO Summit (CSCS) is to be held in November in Kinmen as well as Xiamen, China, a summit official said.
CSCS Taiwan secretary-general Steve Chen (陳瑞隆) said it would be the first annual meeting of the non-official organization to be held in cities on both sides of the Taiwan Strait since the program was launched.
The opening ceremony is to be held on Kinmen and the discussions, seminars and closing ceremony are to be held in Xiamen in China’s Fujian Province, Chen said.
However, he declined to reveal the exact dates of the gathering, which is expected to attract a large number of entrepreneurs and experts from the two sides.
CSCS was founded in July 2013 in Taipei and Beijing, to enable cooperation between entrepreneurs on both sides of the Strait and bilateral dialogue on trade and economic development strategies.
Chen said choosing Xiamen as one of the two sites of the conference is based on its position as a starting city for China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative.
The initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), focuses on encouraging connectivity and cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and other nations.
It consists of two main components, the land-based “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the ocean-going “Maritime Silk Road.”
CSCS — headed by former vice president and premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) — has become one of the leading business groups in Taiwan, with 28 member groups and 186 individual members.
The Chinese side is led by former Chinese vice premier Zeng Peiyan (曾培炎).
It has created seven task forces to promote industrial cooperation across the Strait, focusing on macroeconomics, small, medium-sized and emerging businesses, cultural and creative industries, information technology, household electronics, biotech and healthcare.
CSCS held conferences in Nanjing, China in 2013 and in Taipei in 2014 and last year.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
Taiwan is concerned that China could exploit the US’ war in the Middle East, with state media citing examples from the conflict to cast doubt on the efficiency of US weapons Taiwan would use to repel an invasion. Taiwanese officials said the resumption of Beijing’s large-scale air force incursions near Taiwan after an unusual decline show that China wants to take advantage of the redeployment of US forces from East Asia to the Middle East. “This is a moment for China to exercise influence,” a senior Taiwanese security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “What China is trying to create is a