DIPLOMACY
Vice president to visit Palau
Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) is to lead a delegation to Palau, one of Taiwan’s four allies in the Pacific, on Saturday next week to join celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the two nations’ ties, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told a news conference at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei yesterday. He is expected to return on Dec. 30, Hsu said. The delegation is to meet with Palauan President Thomas Remengesau, among other officials, and examine Taiwan’s achievements in assisting Palau to develop its agriculture and husbandry.
DIPLOMACY
APEC data announced
The number of Taiwan’s delegates joining APEC-related meetings in Chile this year was second among all member states to China, Ministry of Foreign Affairs data showed yesterday. Citing the Report on Outcomes of APEC Chile 2019, there were 254 APEC-related meetings this year attended by 8,404 representatives, with Beijing’s representatives involved in 12 percent, followed by 11.1 percent for Taiwan, 9.8 percent for the US, 7.4 percent for Japan and 7.1 percent for Malaysia, the ministry said. Separately, Malaysia on Dec. 4 held a ceremony to launch APEC 2020, 22 years after it previously served as host country for the conference, the ministry said. This year’s APEC conference in Chile was canceled by Santiago due to protests. APEC is the highest-level global organization that Taiwan is part of and the ministry would work with Malaysia to bolster its representation and add to its contributions to the regional economy, the ministry said.
DIPLOMACY
Tsai meets Honduran envoy
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday told Honduran Ambassador to Taiwan Eny Yamileth Bautista Guevara that her government would continue to encourage Taiwanese businesses to invest in the Central American nation to create mutually beneficial developments. Accepting the credentials of the new ambassador at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Tsai said she looks forward to working closely with Bautista Guevara to bring new vitality and fresh developments in bilateral relations. “The Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Republic of Honduras share a commitment to universal values such as democracy, freedom and human rights,” the president said, adding that she and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez have developed a deep friendship through reciprocal state visits and by strengthening cooperation. “Over the past three years or so, our countries have seen many cooperative achievements in public health, agriculture, education, science and technology,” Tsai said. The government organized a delegation comprised of local tour operators to visit Honduras this year with the hope that it would help promote its culture and customs to Taiwanese, she said. “We would invite Honduran companies to attend trade shows and exhibitions in Taiwan,” she said.
SOCIETY
Literary pioneer dies
Yu Tien-tsung (尉天驄), a literary pioneer and educator, died on Tuesday at Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital at age 84. Yu had used a wheelchair since 2014 after a motorcycle accident and his last public appearance was in October, when he attended an event for the release of a novel by Huang Chun-ming (黃春明). Yu was born in 1935 in Jiangsu Province, China, and relocated to Taiwan in 1949. Yu was chief editor of the monthly journal Writers’ Forum (筆匯) and he founded Literature Quarterly (文學季刊).
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
RSS