Several permanent representatives to the UN of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies arrived in Taiwan yesterday at the start of a six-day visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
The delegation comprises permanent representatives to the UN Lois Michele Young of Belize, Aunese Makoi Simati of Tuvalu and his wife, Carlos Enrique Garcia Gonzalez of El Salvador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Jose Blanco of the Dominican Republic. The diplomats were invited by the government, the ministry said.
“The four visiting ambassadors have considerable diplomatic experience, are acquainted with the UN and have been friendly toward the ROC [Republic of China]. Their countries have lent strong support to increased ROC participation in the international arena and helped promote Taiwan’s bids to participate in UN specialized agencies,” the ministry said.
The ministry said the delegation would offer advice and exchange views on the government’s endeavors to secure meaningful participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as on approaches to enhancing interaction between Taiwan and the UN.
The ambassadors will meet President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂), Department of Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) and Minister of Environmental Protection Stephen Shen (沈世宏), the ministry said.
They will also tour the International Cooperation and Development Fund, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, the National Palace Museum, Kaohsiung Harbor and the fishery museum in Pingtung County, the ministry said.
Tropical Storm Nari is not a threat to Taiwan, based on its positioning and trajectory, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Nari has strengthened from a tropical depression that was positioned south of Japan, it said. The eye of the storm is about 2,100km east of Taipei, with a north-northeast trajectory moving toward the eastern seaboard of Japan, CWA data showed. Based on its current path, the storm would not affect Taiwan, the agency said.
The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of fresh fruit and vegetables sold in local markets revealed a 25 percent failure rate, with most contraventions involving excessive pesticide residues, while two durians were also found to contain heavy metal cadmium at levels exceeding safety limits. Health Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) yesterday said the agency routinely conducts inspections of fresh produce sold at traditional markets, supermarkets, hypermarkets, retail outlets and restaurants, testing for pesticide residues and other harmful substances. In its most recent inspection, conducted in May, the department randomly collected 52 samples from various locations, with testing showing
The cosponsors of a new US sanctions package targeting Russia on Thursday briefed European allies and Ukraine on the legislation and said the legislation would also have a deterrent effect on China and curb its ambitions regarding Taiwan. The bill backed by US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal calls for a 500 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports — targeting nations such as China and India, which account for about 70 percent of Russia’s energy trade, the bankroll of much of its war effort. Graham and Blumenthal told The Associated Press
INTEL: China’s ships are mapping strategic ocean floors, including near Guam, which could aid undersea cable targeting and have military applications, a report said China’s oceanographic survey and research ships are collecting data in the Indo-Pacific region — possibly to aid submarine navigation, detect or map undersea cables, and lay naval mines — activities that could have military applications in a conflict with Taiwan or the US, a New York Times report said. The article, titled “China Surveys Seabeds Where Naval Rivals May One Day Clash,” was written by Chris Buckley and published on Thursday. Starboard Maritime Intelligence data revealed that Chinese research ships last year repeatedly scanned the ocean floor east of Taiwan’s maritime border, and about 400km east and west of Guam; “waters that