Taiwan is willing to help if Japan needs assistance, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off Fukushima on Saturday.
In a message written in Japanese on her Twitter account, Tsai said she hoped that “our friends in Japan are safe” and that Taiwan is always willing to support and help Japan.
“Taiwan will always be there if the Japanese people need us,” the president wrote.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s office in Taipei posted on Facebook a screenshot of Tsai’s Twitter page thankng her for her message of support.
Taiwan is always the first country to root for Japan whenever it encounters problems or difficulties, the association wrote, adding that even during the Lunar New Year holiday, when Taiwanese are having family gatherings, they would not forget to show their concern for their neighbors.
“Because of your support, we believe we can make it and come out of the disaster safely. Thank you, Taiwan,” the association wrote.
Meanwhile, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake shook Taiwan’s southeastern coast at 12:25pm yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said.
There were no reports of damage or injuries, it said.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 52.2km northeast of Taitung County Hall, at a depth of 40.4km, the Seismology Center said.
The earthquake’s highest intensity, which gauges the actual strength of the shaking felt on land, was in Taitung County’s Chenggong Township (成功), where it measured 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale.
Early yesterday morning, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck Hualien, registering an intensity of 3 in Tongmen Village (銅門) and 2 in Taroko Gorge and Hualien City.
No immediate damage or injuries were reported.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RSS