President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday asked Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators to quickly complete the review of several major bills, including a pension reform bill and an infrastructure development plan, despite opposition.
Tsai, who is also DPP chairperson, told DPP lawmakers at a luncheon that damage caused by recent torrential rains shows the importance of water projects and urged them to push through the government’s NT$882.49 billion (US$29.24 billion) Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.
Tsai has also urged passage of a pension reform measure that would cut the retirement benefits of teachers and civil servants, saying that pension reform and the infrastructure project were crucial to the nation’s overall reform program and economic development, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said.
Tsai issued the appeal ahead of a special legislative session scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday, which is to be focused on bills considered a high priority for the DPP.
Under the proposed infrastructure plan, the government intends to spend nearly NT$890 billion over eight years on projects such as new light-railway systems and several railway extensions.
“Green” energy development and urban-rural construction and renewal projects are also part of the plan, which is aimed at spurring development and enhancing Taiwanese quality of life.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
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