■ Politics
KMT-CCP seminar nixed
A seminar scheduled to be held in Taipei this month between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been postponed, and might be moved to Hong Kong after Taipei barred the 60 Chinese delegates from entering Taiwan, a radio station said on Monday. The KMT-affiliated Broadcasting Corp of China (BCC) hinted that the postponement is a sign that Taiwan is tightening its China policy, because last month Taipei barred only Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), director of the Chinese State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, from attending the meeting. Now, Taipei has barred all 60 Chinese delegates from attending, citing Beijing's hostile attitude to the country and its government.
■ Foreign affairs
Ma says no plans to visit US
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he so far has no plans to visit the US next February. Ma made the remarks in response to press reports which quoted Chang Ta-tung (張大同), deputy representative of the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) stationed in the US, as having said that Ma might visit the US in February. Ma said yesterday that for now, he had one trip planned already in the same month to Britain, Ireland and Belgium. According to the report, Ma is scheduled to call on officials in charge of foreign relations in the EU and the Taiwan British Business Council, as well as visiting British politicians in London. Ma also plans to speak at Cambridge University, Oxford University or the London School of Economics and Political Science, probably giving an introduction to Taipei's trade and investment environment.
■ Communications
NCC hearings to be public
The members review committee of the National Communications Commission (NCC) announced yesterday that its hearings at the Legislative Yuan, which are scheduled to run from Friday through Sunday, will be open to the public. People interested in watching the question-and-answer sessions can register to attend, not at the hearing room, but at an adjoining room to watch a live broadcast. Registration starts before the hearings begin at 9am Friday through Sunday. The final list of successful candidates for the NCC will be sent to the Executive Yuan for final approval by the premier. Political parties have named 11 members to the review committee, who will vote on 18 nominees, 13 of whom will become NCC members. To be successful, nominees must win more than 60 percent of the review committee ballots. If fewer than 13 pass that threshold in the first round of balloting, a second vote will be held to choose those who get more than half of the votes.
■ Overseas aid
Taiwan helps poor kids
A Taiwanese foster care center was opened late last month in Guatemala to take care of more than 700 children from poor families, a spokesman for the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families said. The center -- Corazon del Maiz -- is located in San Miguel Chicaj, some 65km north of the capital, Guatemala City, and will offer monetary aid and assistance in health and education to poor children and community services to families in the area, the spokesman said. The Taiwan-based foundation sponsors more than 2,000 poor children in Guatemala -- one of Taiwan's diplomatic partners in Central America.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
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