Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) yesterday urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue to invite high-level US officials to visit Taiwan to enhance mutual trust and substantive ties between the two countries.
Saying that strengthening Taipei-Washington relations is a pivotal task of the ministry, Chen added that the ministry should also seek to bolster military cooperation between the US and Taiwan, lessen bilateral engagement restrictions, and update a privileges and immunities agreement between the two countries.
He called on the ministry to renew the US-Taiwan privileges and immunities agreement that was signed 32 years ago.
The ministry should study whether the existing accord complies with the spirit and regulations of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act before conducting talks with Washington on the issue, he said.
The premier also said the ministry should stay abreast of progress toward including Taiwan in the US’ visa waiver program, which is expected to be implemented before the end of this year.
In a report submitted at an Executive Yuan meeting, the ministry said Taiwan faced several challenges in bilateral relations with the US, including warming Beijing-Washington ties, the ractopamine controversy involving imports of US beef and the US-Taiwan privileges and immunities agreement.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
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