The Cabinet-level Council of Cultural Affairs yesterday named five historical and natural sites in Taiwan for nomination as UN World Heritage sites.
At a year-end press conference, the chairwoman of the CCA, Tchen Yu-chiou (
"The council will set up an operations committee in March to manage the application schedule, as well as oversee the maintenance and preservation of the potential world heritage sites," Tchen said yesterday.
The council also revealed an evaluation report by international world heritage inspectors, including Yukio Nishimura, the vice chairman of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), one of the agencies responsible for recommending potential sites to the UN World Heritage Committee.
The CCA last year invited academics from around the world, as well as local governments and communities to participate in the selection of potential world heritage sites in Taiwan with universal historical, cultural or natural qualities.
Twelve sites have been identified, seven of which require conservation work in order to meet World Heritage criteria.
Citing the international inspectors' report, Tchen said the natural resources at Toroko Gorge and Yu Shan are well preserved under the protection of their "National Park" designation, making them priority choices for nomination as World Heritage sites.
Chilanshan Forest in Ilan County houses the only remaining giant Taiwan hinoki cypress trees, an ancient cypress type that currently only exists in North America and East Asia.
The false cypress forest, planted by the Council of Agriculture's forestry bureau, at Chilanshan is the only botanical site among the 12 locations.
The report highlights the Alishan Mountain Railway's importance to forestry development and economic and industrial development in Taiwan.
The Peinan Culture Site in eastern Taitung County houses a large number of ancient and prehistoric artifacts dating from between 2,000 and 5,000 years ago.
It is the largest prehistoric burial site in the Pacific Rim area, and the only archaeological site in Taiwan recommended for a World Heritage listing.
The additional seven sites include: Yangmingshan National Park; the Penghu Archipelago for its basalt formations; the Old Mountain Railway in Miaoli County; the island of Kinmen; the historic foreign customs houses and trading depots in Tamsui; Orchid Island and the old mining township of Chinkuashih (金瓜石) in Taipei County.
The procedure for having a site named as a World Heritage site can take up to five years and involves applications to the ICOMOS and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
The ICOMOS and IUCN then issue recommendations to the UN World Heritage Committee, the decision-making body.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS