DIPLOMACY
Abe thanks Tsai for support
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday expressed on Twitter his gratitude for the sympathy and support extended by Taiwanese and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in the wake of heavy rain, flooding and landslides that killed at least 151 people in Japan. Abe wrote in Chinese that he is thankful for the sincere condolences and is grateful for the prompt assistance and donations from Taiwanese. The warm support of Taiwan in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami is unforgettable, he said. Abe’s response came after Tsai extended her condolences in Japanese, saying that Taiwan is ready to provide any assistance. The president also expressed the hope that survivors will recover soon and that the areas hit by the disaster will be restored as soon as possible. Taiwan is also afflicted by frequent heavy rains and understands the severity of such disasters, Tsai said. Taiwan has pledged to donate ¥20 million (US$179,920) to Japan for flood relief, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.
DEVELOPMENT
MOU signed on AI, robotics
The Hsinchu Science Park and the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with India’s Karnataka State to promote bilateral exchanges in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The document was signed by Hsinchu Science Park director-general Wayne Wang (王永壯), CTSP director-general Chen Ming-huang (陳銘煌), and Karnataka Center for e-Governance chief executive officer Shri K. Nagaraja. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Representative to India Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) and Gaurav Gupta, the principal secretary of the Karnataka Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology. Speaking after the ceremony, Wang said he hopes to promote exchanges between academics and entrepreneurs in Taiwan and Karnataka and help Taiwanese firms gain access to the growing Indian market to create new business opportunities in Bengaluru, especially in the field of information technology. Chen said he also hopes to see cooperation in robotics. The MOU enables the two nations to institutionalize an industrial collaboration mechanism and platform, which, in turn, would help enhance ties in the fields of industry, investment and technical cooperation on an equal and mutually beneficial basis, Tien said.
ENVIRONMENT
US official in Taiwan
Jane Nishida, principal deputy assistant administrator at the US Environmental Protection Agency, yesterday arrived in Taiwan to promote bilateral cooperation, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement. Nishida is to meet with government officials and students today to promote the International Environmental Partnership (IEP), a long-time collaboration between the US agency and the Environmental Protection Administration, the statement said. The AIT did not disclose when Nishida would be leaving Taiwan. Through the IEP, the US and Taiwan have addressed issues related to environmental education, electronic waste management, air pollution, mercury monitoring, and remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater, the statement said. Nishida has more than 30 years of environmental experience at the federal and state government levels, and with international and non-governmental organizations. She has visited Taiwan several times to promote the IEP, the AIT said.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all