■ Diplomacy
German lawmakers arriving
Leaders of a German parliamentary group will arrive in Taipei tomorrow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday. Berlin-Taipei Friends Group chairman Klaus Rose and vice chairman Angelika Kruger-Leissner hope to learn more about Taiwan's political situation in the wake of the presidential election as well as the development of cross-strait relations, ministry officials said. The officials added that the Germans will meet with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) , Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (錢復), Foreign Affairs Minister Eugene Chien (簡又新), Vice Minister of National Defense Lin Chong-pin (林中斌) and Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Huang Chieh-cheng (黃介正) before leaving on April 9.
■ Defense
US defends radar sale
The US on Thursday defended its planned sale of advanced radar systems to Taipei, saying they were merely to safeguard Taiwan's security. China had said it wanted to seek clarification from Washington over the deal. US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters that Washington had not received any "formal demarche" from Beijing but said that the early warning radars were "inherently defensive" and to enable Taiwan "to detect and react to missile attacks." He said that the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on Tuesday about the sale of the two long-range radars, reportedly worth nearly US$1.8 billion. "We believe it will improve the overall security and defensive capability of Taiwan and that this sale does not affect the basic military balance in the region and is consistent with the United States law and policies," Ereli said. "We will continue to assist Taiwan in meeting its legitimate self-defense needs in accordance with our obligations" under the Taiwan Relations Act, Ereli said.
■ Education
Exams computerized
Participants in the national examination will now be able to get their results almost immediately after sitting the examination, thanks to the inauguration yesterday of a computerized examination center. Ministry of Examination Vice Minister Huang Ya-pang (黃雅榜), who concurrently serves as the convener of a national examination task force, said that participants in the examination will from now on answer questions on computers. Referring to concerns about anti-fraud measures employed by the computerized system, the Ministry of Examination officials said that they have taken advantage of the experience of other countries in preventing fraud when taking computerized tests for things like drivers' licenses and TOEFL certification.
■ Science
Inter-museum show set
The "Rhythms of Life" exhibition from Britain's Natural History Museum will open at the National Taiwan Museum in September, Taiwanese museum officials announced yesterday at a contract-signing ceremony. The "Rhythms of Life" exhibit is a wide-ranging display of graphic illustrations, rhythmic sound effects, museum specimens and models and magic shows. It is described as an informal and fun way to introduce visitors to the idea of the mysterious clocks that run the natural world and to show how humans interrupt the natural rhythms of nature.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to