A number of pro-Taiwan US senators and representatives were re-elected during the country’s midterm elections, meaning that the election results would not affect the overall Taiwan-friendly sentiment in the US Congress, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The Democrats took control of the US House of Representatives, dealing a blow to US President Donald Trump, as a Democratic majority in the lower chamber — for the first time in eight years — would restrict his ability to steer his policies through Congress, according to foreign media reports.
However, the Republicans consolidated their grip on the US Senate, ensuring that Trump is still able to make key appointments, the reports said.
As a number of pro-Taiwan senators and representatives have been re-elected, “we do not see that the latest results would affect the US Congress’ friendly sentiment toward Taiwan,” ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said.
Lee said the ministry would continue to improve relations with senators and representatives from all political parties in the US to further solidify what he said was already-strong pro-Taiwan sentiment in the Senate and the House.
According to local media reports, some of these officials might include US Senator Robert Menendez, US Representatives Steve Chabot and Brad Sherman.
All three are supporters of the Taiwan Travel Act, which encourages visits between Taiwanese and US government officials and was signed into law in March.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
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