WEATHER
CWB issues cold warnings
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) has issued warnings for cold temperatures in 20 cities and counties, with a strong continental cold front to linger until at least early this morning. An “orange” alert was issued for New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Chiayi City and Tainan, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi and Yilan counties, warning of temperatures of below 6°C last night into this morning. The CWB also issued a “yellow” alert, saying temperatures of below 10°C were expected in Keelung, Taipei, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Pingtung, Hualien, Taitung and Kinmen counties. In November last year, the bureau adopted a color-coded alert system to warn of low temperatures across Taiwan, with “yellow,” “orange” and “red” warnings denoting “cold,” “very cold” and “frigid” temperatures respectively in non-mountainous areas.
DIPLOMACY
Visa program extended
Taiwan and North Macedonia have agreed to extend their bilateral visa-free programs for five years through March 31, 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Passport holders from both sides can visit each other’s territory without a visa for up to 90 days within an 180-day period, the ministry said in a statement, adding that information has been updated on the Web site of each nation’s foreign ministry. However, the privilege only applies to Republic of China passport holders whose document contains their national ID number, the Taiwanese ministry said. Having the ID number means the passport holder is a Taiwanese national and has household registration in Taiwan, which guarantees their civil and political rights, it said.
DIPLOMACY
Ministry thanks US senator
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked US Senator Marco Rubio for urging the US to fully implement the Taiwan Travel Act, negotiate a bilateral trade agreement and increase military support for Taiwan. In an opinion piece published in the Washington Examiner on Thursday, Rubio said that Beijing would likely redouble its efforts to isolate Taiwan in the run-up to the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s founding next year. Ship visits and face-to-face meetings between senior military and government officials are opportunities for US engagement, while the US should “fully implement the Taiwan Travel Act,” he wrote. The ministry said in a statement that the nation would continue working with the US administration and the US Congress with a pragmatic attitude, and steadily deepen bilateral partnerships around the world.
SOCIETY
Fire dog carer sought
The Taipei Fire Department is to accept applications to take care of its rescue dog, a five-year-old German shepherd named Humble, until Feb 17. Applicants should live on the first floor of a building with open space of at least 10m2, with Taipei residents preferred, the department said. The dog’s food is to be paid for by the department, it said, adding that if veterinarian services are required, the carer should inform the department first, but if there is an emergency, the carer can seek help first and apply for reimbursement from the department afterward on provision of medical certificates. Since 2015, six of its retired rescue dogs have been adopted by animal lovers, the department said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to