■TOURISM
PRC medical tourists arrive
A 32-member medical tour group from China arrived in Taiwan yesterday for health check-ups, making it the first Chinese group to visit Taiwan for medical tourism since last July, when the government began allowing Chinese citizens to visit Taiwan as tourists. During their six-day stay, the members of the group are scheduled to visit six medical centers and hospitals. They are also expected to visit several clinics specializing in cosmetic surgery, the local travel agency that arranged the tour said. “Each member of the group is expected to spend 5,000 yuan (US$731) on their check-up,” an executive of the travel agency said. “Another group from China is expected to arrive in August for the same purpose if the first group is satisfied with its experience,” the executive said.
■ EDUCATION
City unveils English village
Kaohsiung City Government inaugurated the city’s fourth English village on Friday as part of its preparations for the World Games next month. “Creating an English learning environment for students in the city and cultivating their English speaking proficiency has become particularly important now that the games are fast approaching,” Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said. Like the other English villages in Kaohsiung, the village at Taiping Elementary School includes several real-life contexts — a simulated airport, hotel, shopping mall and a health store — for pupils to practice English. School principal Tsai Chin-yuan (蔡進元) said 12 recipients of the Fulbright Youth Scholarship will offer assistance to the school’s teachers in improving the English proficiency of students over the next 11 months. The other three English villages in Kaohsiung are located at Zuoying Elementary School, Fudong Elementary School and Lingjhou Elementary School.
■ TOURISM
KRTC launches bike shop
The Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) yesterday launched the nation’s first government-affiliated foldable bicycle rental shop at Zuoying Mass Rapid Transit Station. The service was introduced in a bid to encourage backpackers to tour the city. The rental rate is NT$100 for four hours, NT$200 per day, NT$380 for two days or NT$540 for three days, KRTC said. Those who are interested in renting the bike will only be required to leave an ID instead of a deposit, it said. KRTC general manager Yen Pang-chieh (顏邦傑) said it hoped visitors to the city would take advantage of the new service to gain a better understanding of the beauty of Kaohsiung.
■ TOURISM
Student is 2 millionth visitor
“I’m so lucky,” said a Hong Kong university student on Saturday when he learned that he was the 2 millionth tourist to Taiwan this year and received a NT$200,000 prize. Wong Chi Hoi (黃智凱), a sophomore at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, arrived at Kaohsiung International Airport via a China Airlines flight on Saturday afternoon along with three of his friends for a backpacking trip. It is Wong’s first visit to Taiwan. He said he planned to tour scenic spots in Kaohsiung and Kenting National Park in Pingtung County. “The prize comes as a big surprise to me. I’m blessed ... I’ll share the prize with my friends,” said Wong who was also given a collection of gift items with a local flavor. The prizes are part of the Tourism Bureau’s efforts to attract more tourists to Taiwan. The 1 millionth visitor this year was a Malaysian who entered Taiwan from Taoyuan International Airport in April.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
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