■ Diplomacy
MOFA eyes Manila events
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to monitor closely the political crisis in the Philippines although President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is not under immediate pressure to step down, a ministry official said yesterday. Gary Lin (林松煥), director of the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, pointed out that the opposition in the Philippines has initiated many protests demanding the resignation of Arroyo over an election scandal and a gambling scandal. However, Lin said he thinks Arroyo should be able to relieve the pressure to step down and bring the situation under control.
■ Orations
Lee talks about issues
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday a national leader has to balance the development of various goals of the country. Lee made the remarks when he spoke to a class of the Lee Teng-hui School on the overall goals of the nation in the 21st century. He said that these include national security, the economy, diplomacy, education, ecology, technology and various other aspects, but there could be conflicts among the various goals. He cited national security as an example, saying that if the country wants security, it has to increase its outlay on arms, which will naturally reduce the budget for other items, saying that a leader has to balance the development of various goals. Lee's words came against the backdrop of the Executive Yuan's stalled special arms procurement package in the Legislative Yuan.
■ Politics
Soong leaves for US
People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) left yesterday for the US, in what the Chinese-language media has speculated is an attempt to take a break from the political conflict facing the party and from the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) chairmanship election tomorrow. Chinese-language media speculated yesterday that Soong decided to take a vacation in order to avoid choosing sides in the KMT's chairmanship race, and to also take a break from his party's beleagured political and financial situation. When questioned as to how long Soong might stay in the US, PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-pin (謝公秉) would only say that Soong's stay there would "not be too short," and implied that Soong would be in the US until well after the PFP's July 22 chairmanship election. Soong is the sole person running for the post.
■ Diplomacy
Japanese official to visit
A Japanese parliamentarian is scheduled to arrive in Taipei on Sunday for a three-day visit to exchange views with Taiwanese authorities over a range of issues of mutual concern, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said yesterday. "Hirosato Nakatsugawa, a member of the lower house of the Japanese Diet of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, will visit Taiwan July 17-19 to discuss issues regarding Taiwan-Japan security cooperation and fishing disputes resulting from their overlapping economic zones," said Gary Lin (林松煥), director of MOFA's East Asian and Pacific Affairs Department. According to Lin, Nakatsugawa heads a research panel on Japan-Taiwan security and economic cooperation. During his visit, Nakatsugawa will meet with senior officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山), National Security Council Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and Cabinet Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元).
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
An electric bus charging facility at Taipei Metro’s Beitou Depot officially opened yesterday with 22 charging bays to serve the city’s 886 electric buses. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) told a ceremony to mark the opening of the facility that the city aims to fully electrify its bus fleet by 2030. The number of electric buses has grown from about 650 last year to 886 this year and is expected to surpass 1,000 by the end of the year, Chiang said. Setting up the charging station in a metro depot optimizes land and energy use, as the metro uses power mainly during the
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
Traffic controls are to be in place in Taipei starting tonight, police said, as rallies supporting recall efforts targeting the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers as well as a rally organized by the KMT opposing the recall campaigns are to take place tomorrow. Traffic controls are to be in place on City Hall Road starting from 10pm tonight and on Jinan Road Section 1 starting from 8am tomorrow, police said. Recall campaign groups in Taipei and New Taipei advocating for the recall of KMT legislators, along with the Safeguard Taiwan, Anti-Communist Alliance (反共護台聯盟), have previously announced plans for motorcycle parades and public
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