TRADE
Taiwan drops one spot
Taiwan has become China’s sixth-largest source of imports in the first quarter of this year, one notch down from the previous ranking, because of a higher comparison base a year ago. The lower ranking came after the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and China removed or reduced tariffs on certain goods from the start of this year. The Ministry of Economic Affairs on Sunday attributed the poorer performance to a relatively high growth rate of 76 percent in China’s imports of Taiwanese goods in the first quarter of last year. During the January-to-March period this year, Taiwanese exports to China grew 16.2 percent, Chinese customs figures showed.
TRADE
Stronger Israel ties sought
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he hoped Taiwan and Israel can enhance trade and cultural exchanges. He noted that bilateral trade with Israel amounted to only US$1.2 billion last year, indicating that there was great room for improvement. In the past few years, the two countries have signed 15 pacts on cooperation in various fields, Ma said, adding that he hopes collaboration will further expand in the future. Ma said improved relations between Taiwan and Israel could also bring benefits to both sides and to the region. He made the remarks while receiving an Israeli parliamentary group at the Presidential Office. He said that when he visited Israel 12 years ago, he admired the country, saying that despite its small size, it had nevertheless devoted itself to the development of its economy and research in science and technology.
MEDIA
GIO urges ‘happy news’
The new head of the Government Information Office (GIO) urged the media yesterday to report more “happy news,” international news and investigative news. GIO Minister Philip Yang (楊永明) said at his inauguration ceremony that the media should focus more on what he called “happy,” or positive news, adding that this would make the public “engage more with society” and “view the news more positively.” He said international news coverage was important for allowing Taiwanese to keep up with the latest in global affairs and also helps Taiwan gain much-needed competitiveness in international markets by better understanding its counterparts. Investigative news provided readers with more in-depth and analytical stories, he said. Yang said one of the key objectives of the office was to assist the nation in promoting its soft power and to build a positive international image of the country.
CULTURE
Poetic train tickets exhibited
An exhibition featuring poetry written on mock train tickets opened on Sunday at a century-old historic building in Taipei. For the exhibition, part of the Red House’s ground floor was remodeled to look like a railway station. Boards designed as train tickets were hung on the wall, with a 20-character poem carved on each to symbolize a life journey, said one of the exhibition curators, Juan Shu-jung (阮淑容). “The words in the poems speak of different interpersonal relationships and people’s mental state at different stages of life,” she said. Visitors to the exhibition can obtain cards designed to look like train tickets and can write wishes on them, organizer EZ Studio said. The exhibition runs through June 13. Admission is free.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit. Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers. Carriers that apply the fees include CAL, EVA, Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan. A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major players include Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. EVA Air began
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
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