Taiwan’s participation at the International Criminal Police Organization’s (Interpol) annual summit in Indonesia in November has been obstructed, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said yesterday.
The bureau has not received an invitation from Interpol and attempts to take part in the summit have “not gone well,” bureau Deputy Director Lu Chun-chang (呂春長) said at a question-and-answer session of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee.
The nation is seeking to attend the summit as an observer, a role that is supported by members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, with US President Barack Obama signing a bill in March ensuring US support for Taiwan’s attendance, Lu said, adding that Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have also attempted to facilitate the nation’s participation.
However, those initiatives have not helped secure an invitation, he said.
Lu’s comments followed China’s obstruction of Taiwan’s participation at this year’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly in Canada, giving rise to speculation about whether Beijing has again suppressed Taiwan’s involvement in an international organization.
“It is uncertain whether China is involved,” Lu said.
Taiwan would be able to obtain first-hand information about terrorist groups, counterterrorism activities and stolen or lost travel documents if it is permitted join the summit, but the nation would have to access that information with the assistance of other countries should it be excluded, he added.
Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said Taiwan’s participation hinges on the attitude of the Chinese government and the support of the US and other nations.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Jason Hsu (許毓仁) said that the nation has become a hotbed for fraud and a major exporter of telecom fraud, raising the risk of significant consequences from exclusion from the international police body.
In response to questions about whether Taiwan’s exclusion from the ICAO assembly was due to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) refusal to accept the so-called “1992 consensus,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Chang Tien-chin (張天欽) said that former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) accepted the “1992 consensus,” but that did not enable the nation to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
The council extends goodwill toward China and is seeking to establish a stable and prosperous cross-strait relationship, Chang said.
The “1992 consensus,” a term former MAC chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted to making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
Taiwan’s coffee community has launched a “one-person-one-e-mail” campaign, calling for people to send a protest-e-mail to the World Coffee Championships (WCC) urging it to redesignate Taiwanese competitors as from “Taiwan,” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” The call followed sudden action last week after the WCC changed all references to Taiwanese competitors from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei,” including recent World Latte Art champion Bala (林紹興), who won the World Latte Art Championship in San Diego earlier this month. When Bala received the trophy, he was referred to as representing Taiwan, as well as in the announcement on the WCC’s Web site, until it
RSS