The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has arranged a series of courses for the 75 students selected for this year’s International Youth Ambassadors Exchange Program to prepare them for international relations, foreign policy and international etiquette.
The students will be traveling overseas from Aug. 27 through Sept. 6 and would be separated into three groups: Palau and the Philippines; the Solomon Islands and Thailand; and Tuvalu and India, the ministry said.
One Southeast Asian country was paired with another that has diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the ministry said.
The groups will visit agencies involved with the program, participate in exchanges with local think tanks, learn what services local volunteers provide and act as one-day volunteers, the ministry said.
Competition for the program was quite heated this year, and the 75 youth ambassadors were chosen from more than 800 applicants, Department of NGO International Affairs Deputy Director-General Chang Hsiu-chen (張秀禎) said.
The chosen youth ambassadors are to take an intensive four-week course beginning at the end of next month, and representatives from the nations to be visited would be invited to join them, Chang said, adding that this should provide the ambassadors with the knowledge and skills to perform well during their visits.
Of note is a student from Ming Chuan University, surnamed Chen (陳), who has a parent from Thailand and has grown up in Taiwan and Thailand, Chang said.
He is in the unique position of having an in-depth understanding of both cultures, Chang said.
The government hopes that as a youth ambassador, Chen will be able to help promote Taiwan in Thailand, Chang added.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it