US Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao (趙小蘭) said recently that she would continue to work to cement US ties with Taiwan and China after she retires from her post early next year.
The 55-year-old Taiwan-born Chao said she would like to visit Taiwan sometime after her retirement next month, when US President George W. Bush’s term ends.
Chao will be the only Cabinet member to have served through all eight years of Bush’s presidency.
Chao also served as deputy transportation secretary under the administration of the first president George Bush.
Chao made the remarks after a ceremony in Flushing, New York, where her father, James Chao, who has been running a shipping and trading business in New York since the 1960s, was granted a Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Leadership Foundation.
Elaine Chao, who was awarded the same award several years ago, said that she would continue to support the work of the foundation.
Elaine Chao, who is married to Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, was awarded an honorary doctorate in law by Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan in 1993.
She is a former president of United Way, one of the largest charitable organizations in the US, and has also served as director of the US Peace Corps.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
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