The former administration’s “diplomatic truce” policy belied the nation’s diplomatic predicament as Taiwan continues to face challenges caused by pressure from China, Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said yesterday.
“We were led to believe that there was no diplomatic predicament under the so-called ‘diplomatic truce policy,’ but the predicament remains and we have to face it,” Lin said during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan.
“If our participation in international organizations depends on China’s ‘charity,’ [Taiwan’s international presence] is an illusion,” Lin said in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) about the government’s foreign policy.
Saying China has suppressed Taiwan’s international space by forcing its exclusion from this year’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly in Canada and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP22) in Morocco, Huang asked whether the government is to scale down diplomatic presence as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepares to close some embassies and overseas missions.
The ministry’s plan is aimed at a more efficient allocation of the government’s limited resources, not reducing diplomatic operations, Lin said, adding that the nation has to expand its international space by its own means.
The government aims to establish rapport with China on the basis of bilateral goodwill, Lin said, calling on Beijing to act more rationally.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) asked if Lin was to become an “Executive Yuan chief executive officer” under President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) weekly policy coordination mechanism, with Tsai interfering with Lin’s authority.
Chen asked whether Tsai would impose her authority on the premier if there is a disagreement on major issues such as a proposed bill to implement a five-day workweek with a mandatory day off and a flexible “rest day.”
Lin said he would not disagree with the president on major issues because they always reach a consensus through discussions, but he also would not be a mere instrument of the president.
The weekly policy coordination meetings between the president and the Executive Yuan could facilitate policy implementation and allow the Executive Yuan to clarify policies and collect different opinions, Lin said.
In response to legislators saying that proposed legislation for a five-day workweek is aimed at eliminating seven national holidays, Lin said there was no problem of cutting national holidays.
“The legislation has been interpreted as an attempt to reduce holidays by seven days, which is not correct,” the premier said.
“There is no problem of reducing holidays, but the aim is to unify the nation’s various leave schemes,” he said.
Although the government is to cancel some holidays, there will be supportive measures in place such as the five-day workweek and modifications to the annual leave system, so the legislation should not simply be understood as cutting seven holidays, he said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers
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