■ Diplomacy
US policy unchanged
The US government's policy toward China and Taiwan remains unchanged regardless of changes in the US administration and possible shifts of power in the legislature in Taiwan, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on Monday. McClellan made the remarks at a routine news briefing while answering a question on reports suggesting that if the pan-green camp won a majority in legislature following the Dec. 11 elections, it could bring the nation closer to a military confrontation with China. McClellan also said that changes in the US admini-stration after President George W. Bush's re-election will be done smoothly and will not impact any US policies.
■ Foreign Aid
Orphanage opened in Africa
An orphanage built with support from Taiwanese churches has been completed and opened earlier this month in Burkina Faso, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday. A 20-member delegation formed by the Glory Star Church in Taipei and the Bread of Life Christian Church in Pingtung went to Burkina Faso on Nov. 3 to attend the opening ceremony and established sisterhood ties with churches in the African nation, according to director of the ministry's Department of African Affairs Pei-chi (張北齊). Lien Chia-en (連加恩), who is a medical school graduate and a member of the Glory Star Church, started a fundraising campaign in Taiwan for the construction of the orphanage a few years ago when he was serving in Taiwan's medical mission in Burkina Faso as an alternative to military service. On finishing his service last year, he was hired to become a staff physician at the mission and continued to work on the orphanage project.
■ Housing
Paraguay project under way
Houses being built for low-income families in Paraguay with funds donated by Taiwan are almost 50 percent complete, the Paraguay National Housing Committee said yesterday. A committee official said the program was now in its second phase, with 557 houses completed. The construction of an additional 640 units started earlier this month. Each unit is estimated to be worth about US$4,423, or just under the annual income of an average citizen of Paraguay, the official said. Taiwan's ambassador to Paraguay Yan Ping-fan (顏秉璠) donated US$3 million on behalf of the government last month to be used for housing projects. Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte Frutos said everyone in Paraguay hopes to own a home and thanked the government for the donation.
■ Diplomacy
Ivory Coast worries ministry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed its missions overseas to establish an urgent communication network with 25 Taiwanese residing in the Ivory Coast because of the conflicts that have broken out there. Chang Pei-chi (張北齊), director of the Department of African Affairs, noted that Western countries began evacuating their nationals last Thursday. He said the ministry wants to establish a communication network to execute an evacuation if the situation deteriorates further. Chang said the representative office in the Ivory Coast has secured the US embassy's promise to help evacuate the Taiwanese should such need arise. He said the 25 Taiwanese are not willing to leave yet because they want to safeguard their investments. He also urged people to refrain from traveling to the Ivory Coast for the time being.
Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai. Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform on Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and would continue to “surprise” her. Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including
Starting next month, people who signed up for the TPass 2.0 program can receive a 15 percent rebate for trips on mid to long-distance freeway buses or on buses headed to the east coast twice every month, the Highway Bureau said. Bureau Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) said the government started TPass 2.0 to offer rebates to frequent riders of public transportation, or people who use city buses, highway buses, trains or MRTs at least 11 times per month. As of Nov. 12, 265,000 people have registered for TPass 2.0, and about 16.56 million trips between February and September qualified for
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
The year 2027 is regarded as the year China would likely gain the capability to invade Taiwan, not the year it would launch an invasion, Taiwanese defense experts said yesterday. The experts made the remarks after President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference on Wednesday that his administration would introduce a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.8 billion) special defense budget bill to boost Taiwan’s overall defense posture over the next eight years. Lai said that Beijing aims for military unification of Taiwan by 2027. The Presidential Office later clarified that what Lai meant was that China’s goal is to “prepare for military unification
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