Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, will serve as a low-carbon base for undertaking humanitarian tasks, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Minister Wang Chung-yi (王崇儀) says.
The move will promote peace and stability in the South China Sea, which is claimed in part or in whole by Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, Wang said.
He also reaffirmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) sovereignty over Taiping and its surrounding waters, in response to the US declaration that its navy and air force would sail and fly wherever international law allows, including disputed areas of the South China Sea.
The idea of transforming Taiping into a low-carbon island was first put forward by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to consolidate the nation’s sovereignty over the area by focusing on scientific research.
The government has already installed a solar power system on the island to produce electricity, along with diesel-powered generators, Wang said.
Construction of a wharf on the island remains on track and once the project is completed, 91-tonne ships will be stationed there and 2,721-tonne vessels will be able to dock, he added.
The facilities being built on Taiping and the deployment of the coast guard personnel there are aimed at humanitarian assistance and environmental protection, Wang said. Coast guard personnel on the island have rescued 12 people in 11 emergency missions since 2000.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS