Taiwan's national security system is ready for the government's plan to implement the "small three links" (
The NSB has completed planning on measures to safeguard national security, including personnel training, the establishment of relevant facilities at appointed ports, the establishment of inspection and surveillance points, and the completion of other related arrangements, Ting said.
After long discussions and debates, the government decided recently to open communication, transportation and trade links between Taiwan's outlying islands and selected Chinese coastal cities as part of its effort to forge cross-strait rapprochement.
Ting said that although the related security planning has been mapped out, the question of funding the implementation of the plans has yet to be finalized as the costs were not included in the government's budget plan for this year.
Meanwhile, in Kinmen, where the mood recently has been upbeat in preparation for the implementation of the "small three links," a two-day seminar on tourism promotion began yesterday as part of efforts to usher in a "new era" of local business prosperity.
Some 200 people are attending the seminar, which is focusing discussions on five areas of business -- tourism, hotels and restaurants, tour buses, dining, and sales of folk products and souvenirs.
Addressing the opening of the seminar, the deputy commissioner of Kinmen County, Yen Tah-jen (
Under the government's "small three links" plan, up to 700 Chinese citizens will be allowed to arrive in Kinmen per day for business or pleasure, while a maximum of 100 Chinese citizens per day will be able to visit Matsu.
In related news, director of the Department of Economic Affairs of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會) Fu Don-cheng (傅棟成), along with other MAC officials, arrived in Kinmen yesterday to inspect the preparation work for the "small three links."
Fu said he was impressed by Kinmen officials' efforts and urged local officials to continue their good work in the coming two months so that the "small three links" can be formally opened in January 2001.
Seventy percent of middle and elementary schools now conduct English classes entirely in English, the Ministry of Education said, as it encourages schools nationwide to adopt this practice Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) is scheduled to present a report on the government’s bilingual education policy to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today. The report would outline strategies aimed at expanding access to education, reducing regional disparities and improving talent cultivation. Implementation of bilingual education policies has varied across local governments, occasionally drawing public criticism. For example, some schools have required teachers of non-English subjects to pass English proficiency
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