President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday led a group of senior officials and reporters on an “energy tour” in an effort to raise awareness of the challenges facing Taiwan’s energy sector, but the visit was momentarily delayed after the most powerful earthquake so far this year struck in Nantou County.
Ma and the delegation were en route to the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Ma-anshan (馬鞍山), Pingtung County, when the earthquake struck Nantou County’s Renai Township (仁愛).
Following the quake, Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) took early leave of the tour.
Photo: CNA
Ma told the press that Mao was returning to Taipei to handle post-earthquake affairs, adding that Mao had also instructed Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) to lead the Central Disaster Response Center.
Meanwhile, Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), who was part of the group, said the government hopes the two-day visit will improve the public’s understanding of the administration’s energy policy.
The information obtained during the tour could be factored into the nation’s deliberations on whether to complete the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮), he said.
The fate of the project, under construction since 1999, is expected to be decided in a national referendum, likely to be held before the end of the year.
On the first day of the energy tour, officials and senior journalists visited a liquefied natural gas terminal, a coal-fired power station and a solar power station, all of which are located in Greater Kaohsiung.
The group was to spend last night in Pingtung County, before visiting the Fourth Nuclear Plant today.
WHEELING AND DEALING? Hou You-yi, Ko Wen-je, Eric Chu and Ma Ying-jeou are under investigation for allegedly offering bribes for the other side to drop out of the race Taipei prosecutors have started an investigation into allegations that four top politicians involved in attempts to form a “blue-white” presidential ticket have contravened election regulations. Listed as defendants are Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). The case stemmed from judicial complaints filed last month with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office alleging that the KMT (blue) and the TPP (white) had engaged in bribery by offering money or other enticements
ELIGIBLE FOR JANUARY: All presidential candidates and their running mates meet the requirements to run for office, and none hold dual citizenship, the CEC said Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator and vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) is working with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to resolve issues with her financial disclosure statement, a spokesman for the candidate said yesterday, after the commission published the statements of all three presidential candidates and their running mates, while confirming their eligibility to run in the Jan. 13 election. Wu’s office spokesman, Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞), said the candidate encountered unforeseen difficulties disclosing her husband’s finances due to being suddenly thrust into the campaign. She is also the first vice presidential nominee to have a foreign spouse, complicating the reporting of
GOOD NEWS: Although open civic spaces are shrinking in Asia-Pacific countries and territories, Taiwan’s openness is a positive sign, an expert said Taiwan remains the only country in Asia with an “open” civic space for the fifth consecutive year, the Civicus Monitor said in a report released yesterday. The People Power Under Attack 2023 report named Taiwan as one of only 37 open countries or territories out of 198 globally, and the only one in Asia. Compiled by Civicus — a global alliance of civil society organizations dedicated to bolstering civil action — the ranking compiled annually since 2017 measures the state of freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression around the world. Researchers assign each country or territory one of five rankings describing the
NOT JUST CHIPS: Although semiconductor processes are on the list, it also includes military technology and post-quantum cryptography to combat emerging cyberthreats The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) yesterday released a list of 22 technologies it considers crucial to the nation’s security and competitiveness, including the 14-nanometer semiconductor process and advanced chip packaging. For the first time, the council made a list of core technologies with an aim of preventing secret information about those technologies being leaked to foreign countries, which could put the nation’s security and the competitiveness of local industries at risk. For years, local semiconductor companies have faced challenges from talent poaching and theft of corporate secrets by Chinese competitors, who are seeking to rapidly advance their technology capabilities through
RSS