■ Politics
Australia defends China ties
Stronger economic relations with China will allow Australia to push Beijing to reach a peaceful solution to its bitter feud with Taiwan, Defense Minister Robert Hill said yesterday. Australia and China this week announced the start of formal talks on a possible free trade deal after Prime Minister John Howard became one of the world's first leaders to grant free market status to China. Hill played down suggestions that closer economic ties could compromise Australia's military response to any future tensions between China and Taiwan. Last month, Howard said Australia could help mediate between China and the US to prevent a military conflict. "I would say that [a free-trade deal] is useful in our goals of persuading a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue," Hill said. "Our position is that there is one China and there are differences between China and Taiwan and that they need to be resolved peacefully." China is Australia's third-largest trading partner and second-largest export market.
■ Politics
Cabinet treated to breakfast
Cabinet members yesterday morning tucked into a light breakfast before the weekly Cabinet meeting. Cabinet Spokesman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the Cabinet members seemed surprised by the arrangement, which was suggested by Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷). Cho said that the light breakfast may become a permanent fixture at the Cabinet meetings, and that the premier may also invite reporters who cover Cabinet affairs to partake in the breakfast before the weekly meeting every Wednesday. However, the meeting will still be held behind closed doors, and reporters are prohibited from releasing any detailed information until after the press conference following the meeting.
■ Diplomacy
Chen may visit Fiji
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) may visit Fiji during his upcoming tour of the nation's allies in the South Pacific, a Chinese-language newspaper reported yesterday. Chen is scheduled to fly to the Marshall Islands on May 1 in a week-long trip which will also take him to Kiribati and Tuvalu. A local evening paper cited informed sources as saying that Chen might be able to visit Fiji despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Sources from Fiji said the country was "very optimistic" that Chen would travel to the island and meet high-ranking officials there, the paper said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined comment.
■ Environment
Chang's resignation gets nod
The Minister of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Chang Juu-En's (張祖恩) resignation was approved by the Executive Yuan yesterday. Beginning Sunday, the vacancy will be temporarily filled by Tsay Ting-kuei (蔡丁貴), incumbent EPA vice minister. Chang took the EPA's helm in October 2003, when former EPA head Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) resigned amid controversy over the environmental impact assessment for a planned highway construction project in Pinglin, Taipei County. In April 2001, when Chang was an environmental engineering professor at National Cheng Kung University, Hau invited him to serve as his deputy. According to the law, the maximum term for a professor to be temporarily transferred to the government is four years. Chang thus resigned from the EPA to return to his previous position at the university.
■ Tuna industry
Number of boats to fall
Measures are being taken to reduce the number of tuna fishing boats to comply with international conservation efforts, Taiwan Tuna Association president Wang Shun-lung (王順隆) said yesterday. During a meeting of the association in Kaohsiung, Wang said that international fisheries organizations had expressed concern over the issue and pressed the UN to impose sanctions on countries that refuse to comply. According to Wang, the association has worked out a plan to reduce the number of tuna fishing boats, which now amounts to more than 600, after coordinating with members of the tuna industry. Wang said tuna fishing is a very competitive international industry. Wang said Taiwan is overly reliant on the Japanese market while lacking in resources, and he claimed that the tuna quotas enjoyed by Taiwan were insufficient. Under these circumstances, he said, reducing the number of boats was a measure that had to be adopted until new markets were developed.
■ Trade
Utah delegation on the way
A US newspaper reported on Tuesday that eight Utah lawmakers and their spouses will travel to Taiwan this week on a "goodwill trade mission" paid for by the Taiwanese government. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that former Utah Senate president Cap Ferry, now a corporate lobbyist, organized the trip. The report said the 11-day visit, including a side trip to Vietnam that the lawmakers are paying for themselves, puts Utah leaders "in the middle of the international shoving match between Taiwan and China." The Utah House unanimously passed a resolution during the general session supporting Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
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