■ Crime
Anti-theft measure planned
In an effort to stem theft, the National Police Agency (NPA) will implement a new measure on Monday requiring that every new motorcycle be stamped with an engine code before license plates are issued. The new policy is part of an amendment to the regulations on road and traffic safety which was approved on Sept. 17 by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications after the policy was determined to be effective in a trial run by the NPA in March. During the period between March 15 and Dec. 17, the number of motorcycle thefts dropped 23 percent compared with the figure for the same period in the previous year, according to NPA Criminal Investigation Bureau tallies.
■ Environment
Wetlands study completed
The Chiayi County Government completed a three-year study in cooperation with the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area Administration yesterday, in an effort to develop the coastal wetlands into a wildlife conservation area. Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) inspected the Aoku Wetlands in Tungshi Township along with senior officials of the national scenic area administration. Chen said the wetlands, spanning more than 1,000 hectares, were a perfect site for bird-watching because they attracted hundreds of migrant birds every winter. The project calls for the area to be proclaimed a wildlife conservation area and for the construction of a wildlife protection center.
■ Immigration
Officials defend quota
Immigration officials yesterday defended the limit on the number of Chinese spouses of local citizens allowed to make short-term visits to Taiwan each year. The officials said that the newly amended regulations released earlier this month by the Ministry of the Interior allowed for 12,000 such people to enter the country each year. Previously, only 7,200 were permitted. The officials said that as the number of Chinese spouses applying for short-term residence has declined since 2003, when the government began conducting interviews of potential spouses, the annual quota of 12,000 short-term residence permits was reasonable. Noting that foreign and Chinese spouses of local residents now account for the largest number of immigrants, officials said they had become a drain on society. The government should set up a mechanism to control the growth of the country's population, they added. Taiwan's population density is the second-highest in the world.
■ Labor affairs
Restaurants have appeal
Middle-aged workers have the most interest in starting their own businesses, with the restaurant industry being the favorite, according to tallies released yesterday by the Council of Labor Affairs. By last Wednesday, 1,300 workers -- with women accounting for 53.4 percent and men accounting for 46.6 percent -- had consulted the council about a program encouraging workers to open small businesses that require no more than NT$1 million in investment start-up since the program was launched in June, the tallies showed. About 60 percent of the workers who sought consultations were in the 40 to 60 age group. By educational background, high school graduates accounted for 38.2 percent, bachelor's degree holders accounted for 22.1 percent, and college graduates accounted for 20.1 percent.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
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