Foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will be invited this year to establish branches in Taiwan in a bid to turn the nation into a hub for NGOs in the Asia-Pacific region, the Ministry of Culture said in a report that it is to present to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today.
Active participation in international organizations can help Taiwan become an important hub for international cultural exchanges, the ministry said.
The ministry is to cohost international exchanges with foreign cultural institutions and organizations, develop platforms for arts and cultural performances, and strive to host international conferences in Taiwan, the report said.
The ministry plans to bolster the government’s role as a resource platform, support and assist domestic arts and cultural agencies, NGOs, think tanks and others in establishing connections with the international community and facilitate the promotion of Taiwanese culture to the world, it said.
The ministry said it has been working with the French Office in Taipei on the matter.
Last year, it sponsored the start-up PAIX Inc’s (明日逸品) attendance at the Living Lab event hosted by French start-up accelerator The Bridge in Avignon, France, the ministry said.
It has also helped students from Taiwanese-French cultural workshops pursue internships at French art festivals and arts and cultural institutions, it added.
To promote cultural exchanges with nations targeted by the government’s New Southbound Policy, the ministry in July last year established a cultural division under the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Thailand, it said.
The ministry’s efforts are in contrast to Beijing’s tightening of regulations on foreign NGOs with branches in that country.
On Jan. 1 last year, a regulation governing the activities of foreign NGOs in China went into effect.
It requires foreign NGOs to establish a representative office and register with public security agencies.
The regulation states that the agencies would conduct annual inspections and would be responsible for “investigating and punishing illegal behavior by foreign NGOs and their representative offices.”
If a foreign NGO were found to have violated the regulations, China’s Ministry of Public Security can place it on an “unwelcome list” and prohibit it from establishing a representative office or carrying out activities in China, the regulation states.
The regulation has caused some NGOs to leave the country, foreign media have reported.
‘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
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
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
RSS