The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) hopes to formally open its representative offices in Sapporo, Japan, and Istanbul, Turkey, before the summer holiday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) said yesterday.
Ou said the ministry was working on budgeting and staffing plans for the new offices. He said between two and three more months would be required to complete the necessary arrangements, adding that the governments of Japan and Turkey had given the green light for Taiwan to open the liaison offices.
Staffing levels at the two offices would be determined based on the number of Taiwanese tourists who travel to the two cities, he said, adding that the Sapporo office would be staffed by four or five officials while the Istanbul office would have two or three.
Ou said that the idea to open new offices stemmed from frequent people-to-people exchanges between Taiwan and the two countries.
EL SALVADOR
Ou also commented on Taiwan’s ties with El Salvador, which recently elected a president from a party with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party, leading to speculation that the Central American country could cut ties with Taiwan.
Ou, who recently concluded a visit to San Salvador, said Salvadoran president-elect Mauricio Funes welcomed President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to attend at his inauguration on June 1.
In an interview with the Central News Agency, Ou said the ministry was making arrangements for Ma to lead a delegation to the ceremony. Ministry spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said the ministry had yet to receive a final decision from the Presidential Office regarding the trip.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
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