■ LANGUAGE
Dispute rages over ‘Chinese’
The Presidential Office yesterday said it was not against calling Chinese “Huayu (華語)” or “Huawen (華文),” but said that the Executive Yuan must explain the government’s position to the public. Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said “Guoyu (國語)” refers to the national and official language of a country, a principle that should be reflected in school textbooks. Chinese courses for elementary and junior high schools next year will still be called “Guoyuwen (國語文)” but be changed to “Huayuwen (華語文)” in guidelines for teachers and textbook writers and editors. Huang Kuang-kuo (黃光國), a national policy advisor, threatened to resign should the Ministry of Education decide to change “Guowen” to “Huawen.”
■ HEALTH
Kids stay home, get myopia
Nearly 90 percent of the school children visiting ophthalmology clinics recently have been diagnosed with worsening myopia because of excessive eye strain suffered during the summer break, an eye doctor said, adding that television and computer games could be to blame. Most students prefer indoor activities during the summer vacation, which tends to cause worsening of any existing eye problems, said Liao Chang-bin (廖昶斌), director of the Shu-tien Urology and Ophthalmology Clinic.
■ TRADE
Taipei, Manila talk pact
The Philippines is likely to sign a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan within a year on the basis of the recent trade pact between Taiwan and China, Philippine Deputy Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal said yesterday. Although the Philippines is a member of the ASEAN plus one grouping, which includes China, and has an economic agreement with Japan, it will benefit from an FTA with Taiwan, Cristobal said. “We hope to start formal FTA negotiations with Taiwan within a year,” Cristobal said. However, the Philippine government will have to consult with the country’s parliamentarians, academics and business leaders on the issue and close internal divisions before it could hold discussions with potential FTA partners, he said. In late June, then-Secretary of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry Jesli Lapus said that because the Philippines adheres to the “one China” policy, the issue of an FTA with Taiwan was quite sensitive.
■ RETAILING
Post office moves online
Chunghwa Post said yesterday it was considering branching out into online shopping. The company said in a presentation at the Ministry of Transportation and Communications that the move was part of a strategy to increase revenue as its mail delivery service shrinks because of the increased use of electronic mail and documents. Trumpeting the advantage of having 1,320 outlets nationwide and a comprehensive logistics network, the company said it was ready to compete with the main players in the market, including Yahoo-Kimo, PC-Home and PayEasy. To distinguish itself from competitors, Chunghwa Post said it would focus on the sale of health-related products, produce and special snacks in different localities. Based on preliminary plans, sellers would pay between 4 percent and 5 percent of the closing price as well as a NT$10,000 guarantee. The company said it would waive the annual NT$12,000 fee to use Chunghwa’s online shopping network for the first year, for those vendors that use the postal company’s boxes to package their products.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
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