FOREIGN RELATIONS
VWP expected this year
The US is expected to extend the its visa-waiver program (VWP) to Taiwan in the second half of this year, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday. “Granting Taiwan visa-waiver privileges will make Taiwanese more willing to travel to the US. If we can solve the issue by the second half of this year, it will also help improve the balance of trade between the two countries,” he said when meeting with a US delegation led by US Representative Mike Honda at the Presidential Office. Taiwan was nominated for the program in December last year, pending a review of the nation’s homeland security and immigration system by the US government. If Taiwan is admitted to the VWP, it will become the fifth Asian country to enter the program after Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Brunei.
TOURISM
Foreign visitors hit record
The number of international visitors to Taiwan soared to a record 990,000 in the first two months of this year, according to the latest statistics released by the Tourism Bureau. The figure represents year-on-year growth of 15.4 percent, with a daily average of 16,000 visitors from more than 10 countries, the statistics showed. The highest growth was among Chinese visitors (39.9 percent), who accounted for 304,000 of the total. Japanese visitors were in second place, with 9.2 percent growth and making up 227,000 of the total. Double-digit growth was also recorded for visitors from other countries and areas, including Hong Kong, Macau, the US, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, France and South Korea.
MARITIME
Sailor rescued off Japan
A Taiwanese sailor who was aboard a missing Hong Kong-registered cargo ship has been rescued by the Japanese coast guard, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman James Chang (章計平) said on Thursday. The vessel’s eleven crew members, including the Taiwanese, were rescued from two lifeboats that were floating in waters more than 100km southwest of the Japanese island of Amami Oshima, Chang said, citing officials at Taiwan’s representative office in Fukuoka, Japan. According to Japanese media reports, none of the rescued crewmen had sustained injuries and they all seemed to be in good spirits. Chang said the Taiwanese crewman is expected to return to Taiwan after Japanese authorities finalize their investigation into the cause of the sinking. The 4,143-tonne New Lucky VII was carrying lumber from Papua New Guinea to China when it lost contact in rough seas on Tuesday, according to a report by NHK.
SOCIETY
Student wins US prize
A Taiwanese student in the US won the Best Commercial prize at the 33rd College Television Awards earlier this month. Cheng Kai-chung (鄭凱中), a student at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, was selected for his commercial titled “Voodoo Bear.” Cheng’s commercial uses black humor and features an ordinary office worker who tries to outwit his co-workers, but cannot. “Voodoo Bear” won from a field of about 400 entries. Cheng, the first Asian student to win in the category, said he hoped to inspire people through his work and to one day make a movie that uses comedy to highlight serious issues. There were more than 1,000 entries in 12 categories this year at the annual awards, which honor the best student-produced work in video, digital and film production in the US.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is unlikely to attempt an invasion of Taiwan during US president-elect Donald Trump’s time in office, Taiwanese and foreign academics said on Friday. Trump is set to begin his second term early next year. Xi’s ambition to establish China as a “true world power” has intensified over the years, but he would not initiate an invasion of Taiwan “in the near future,” as his top priority is to maintain the regime and his power, not unification, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University distinguished visiting professor and contemporary Chinese politics expert Akio Takahara said. Takahara made the comment at a
Upon its completion next year, the new Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋) in New Taipei City is to be an important landmark in Taiwan, alongside Taipei 101, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said today. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in December next year and open to the public in the first half of 2026, connecting New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts. It is an asymmetric single-tower suspension bridge, nearly 70 stories tall, designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The bridge aims to alleviate traffic in Tamsui and on the Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋), in addition to increasing the
EXERCISES: A 2022 article by a Chinese intelligence expert identified at least six People’s Liberation Army assault boats hidden inside the Hong Kong-flagged ship A Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship that had been docked at Taichung Port and which previously took part in Chinese military exercises departed from the port on Saturday, the Taiwan International Ports Corp’s Taichung branch said yesterday. The statement came in response to a post on the social media platform X by Taiwan-based journalist Chris Horton that said the ship, the SCSC Fortune, had been docked at the port since Tuesday and questioned whether Taiwan has any rules regarding foreign civilian vessels that have participated in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises. Horton referenced a 2022 article by Chinese intelligence expert Rod Lee that
PROBLEMATIC: Popular hotpot restaurant chains were among the list of restaurants that failed the inspection and have been ordered to remove bad ingredients The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of hotpot ingredients in hotpot restaurants resulted in a 16.7 percent failure rate. Eight vegetables had excessive pesticide residue and two other items had aflatoxin and excessive preservatives. As the weather is getting colder, more people eat at hotpot restaurants so a random inspection of ingredients was conducted in October to ensure food safety, the department said. Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) said 60 different ingredients were tested: 15 high-risk vegetables, 15 processed food items, 10 soy-based food items, five meat items, five lamb items, five seafood items and five peanut powder
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