A legislative friendship group was yesterday established at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to build closer ties with ASEAN members, and to promote regional peace, economic development and bilateral trade.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀), who heads the Taiwan-ASEAN Parliamentary Friendship Association, told a ceremony announcing the association’s establishment that the group would seek to enhance exchanges with the 10 ASEAN member states of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Many new immigrant spouses in Taiwan come from ASEAN member states and the group hopes to work closely with them to promote ties, Chen said.
About 30 lawmakers across party lines have joined the association, he added.
Speaking at the ceremony, Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉) expressed the hope that a legislative delegation would visit ASEAN members as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.
Overseas Community Affairs Council Minister Tung Chen-yuan (童振源), who also attended the ceremony, said that most overseas Taiwanese businesses have chosen to conduct business in ASEAN member states, with at least 600,000 businesspeople and their family members based in those countries.
The New Southbound Policy launched by the government in May 2015 to enhance ties with ASEAN, as well as other countries in the region, has built a solid foundation for bilateral ties and raised relations to the next level, he added.
A domestically developed “suicide drone,” also known as a loitering munition, would be tested and evaluated in July, and could enter mass production next year, Taiwan’s weapons developer said on Wednesday. The yet-to-be-named drone was among nine drone models unveiled by the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) on Tuesday. The drone has been dubbed the “Taiwanese switchblade” by Chinese-language media, due to its similarity to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which has been used by Ukraine in counterattacks during Russia’s invasion. It has a range of more than 10km, a flight time of more than 15 minutes, and an electro-optical
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number