Russia's disapproval of a clause regarding the mutual exemption of income tax has hindered the signing of an aviation agreement between Taiwan and Russia, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
If the tax exemption issue can be resolved, Chien said, a Taiwan-Russian aviation agreement would soon be realized.
As to reports that chartered flights between Taiwan and Russia would start Aug. 30, Chien said that the ministry is awaiting a formal reply from Moscow.
Taiwan's largest carrier -- China Airlines (CAL) -- has filed an application with Russian aviation authorities for a chartered flight from Taipei to Moscow in August and another in September.
Chien said chartered flights do not require the signing of an aviation accord and can fly simply with the consent of both sides.
According to Chien, Taiwan and Russia are close to forging an aviation agreement. "Most of the differences have been ironed out," he said, adding that the only sticking point now lies in the mutual exemption of income tax.
The minister said the ministry basically holds an optimistic view on prospects for signing an aviation pact with Russia in the not-too-distant future. This, he added, would open the way for direct flights, facilitate tourism both to and from Russia, and enhance commercial and cultural exchanges.
Taiwan and Russia signed a draft aviation accord in 1993 but it was never formalized due to tax issues and pressure from Beijing, which opposes any country signing official agreements with Taiwan.
A Central News Agency report from Moscow said Taiwan's representative to Russia Charles King (金樹基) has confirmed that a CAL chartered plane will make a maiden direct flight from Taipei to Moscow Aug. 30 and that Russia's Transaero Co will make a similar chartered flight from Moscow to Taipei Sept. 9. Moreover, King said, CAL will operate another chartered flight to Moscow in mid-September.
The three chartered flights are part of efforts on the part of carriers in Taiwan and Russia to promote an early opening of direct air links between the two countries, aviation sources said.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS