Taiwan and Belgium have inked an agreement on a reciprocal working holiday program for young adults, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Under the program, which is set to take effect on March 29, each nation would provide an annual quota of 200 visas for nationals aged between 18 and 30, the ministry’s Department of European Affairs director-general Hsu Mien-sheng (徐勉生) said.
This would allow young people from Taiwan and Belgium to work, travel and study in each other’s country for up to one year, Hsu said at a news briefing.
“This program serves as a good opportunity for young Taiwanese adults to learn more about Europe,” he said.
Taiwan is the first Asian country to ink such a pact with Belgium, which has similar agreements with Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the ministry said.
Belgium is the fourth European country to sign a working holiday agreement with Taiwan, after Germany, the UK and Ireland.
Under Taiwan’s working holiday programs, young Taiwanese can also travel to Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
Hsu said he is optimistic that Taiwan and France would finalize a working holiday agreement by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, the government of the Czech Republic has decided to include Taiwan in its green card program, under which Taiwanese hired to work there can apply for a permit for long-term residence for employment purposes, Hsu said.
Under the program, which was implemented on Feb. 20, Taiwanese working in the Czech Republic have been able to apply for a green card that combines a residence permit and a work permit in a single document, intended to simplify entry to the job market for foreigners, Hsu said.
The green cards are valid for up to three years.
The cards will only be issued to people taking jobs that have not been successfully filled by workers from the Czech Republic or other members of the EU.
US President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
A cold surge advisory was today issued for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures of below 10°C forecast during the day and into tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10°C or lower, the CWA said. Temperatures are likely to temporarily drop below 10°C in most other areas, except Taitung, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, CWA data showed. The cold weather is being caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from
Snow this morning fell on Alishan for the first time in seven years, as a strong continental cold air mass sent temperatures plunging across Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The Alishan weather station, located at an elevation of about 2,200m in central Taiwan, recorded snowfall from 8:55am to 9:15am, when the temperature dropped to about 1°C, the CWA said. With increased moisture and low temperatures in the high-altitude Alishan area, the conditions were favorable for snow, CWA forecaster Tsai Yi-chi (蔡伊其) said. The last time snow fell at the Alishan weather station was on Jan. 10, 2018, while graupel fell there
RSS