The Executive Yuan yesterday denied that PFP lawmaker Kao Ming-chien (
"I think most of the people have missed the point here. The key to this matter is not from where he got the invitation, but how he got on China's recommendation list and why he accepted the offer," Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
To straighten things up once and for all, Lin said, Kao should act like a responsible adult and explain the matter to the public upon returning from his trip.
Despite the imbroglio, Lin said that the government will continue to participate in future international events and medical cooperation programs, as long as national dignity is safeguarded and public health and security are ensured.
According to Lin, the National Security Council had expressed its concern over the matter and the foreign ministry had told Kao to stay alert and handle the matter. carefully.
"I hope he didn't do it intentionally. This matter only highlights the fact that China has never given up its efforts to belittle and suppress Taiwan," Lin said. "The public has to be aware of the sneaky tricks China plays and be scrupulous while dealing with it."
While the foreign ministry had originally planned to hold a pre-event discussion with participants, including Kao, Lin said that the ministry later decided against it for fear that it might lead the public and international community to misconstrue that Kao was one of the government's representatives at the meeting.
The delegates recommended by the government to the WHO were Director of Center for Disease Control Su Ih-jen (
Unable to handle the mounting pressure from the brouhaha surrounding the controversy, Kao's wife was rushed to the hospital yesterday and was later discharged.
Kao's office issued a statement yesterday afternoon, stating that Kao does not rule out the possibility of pressing charges against the media and government officials for releasing what he says is false information about him.
"We have documents to prove that Lawmaker Kao indeed asked for help from the government and did learned from the foreign ministry that he was one of the government's representatives at the meeting," the statement said.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
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