A grand opening ceremony for the Taiwan's high-speed railway will be held on Dec. 7 in Taichung, a Japanese news agency reported yesterday.
According to Kyodo News, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) has sent invitations to former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and many other Japanese politicians and railway industry figures to attend the inauguration of the 345km railway which uses the Japan-built Shinkansen "bullet train" system.
In Taipei, THSRC spokesman Chiang Chin-shan (
According to the Kyodo News, the THSRC management has informed Tadashi Ikeda, the Japanese representative in Taipei, of its decision with regard to the high-speed rail's opening as well as its invitations to Koizumi and other Japanese dignitaries.
The "bullet train," which began initial test running in August, has reached a top speed of 300kph during testing, Kyodo News said.
After the Dec. 7 ceremony, Kyodo News said, the high-speed railway is scheduled to formally begin operations in mid-December.
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
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