DEFENSE
Chinese aircraft enter ADIZ
Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) yesterday for the eighth consecutive day. The mission involved four People’s Liberation Army aircraft, a Ministry of National Defense report said. The air force responded by scrambling planes to monitor the Chinese aircraft, issuing radio warnings and mobilizing air defense systems until the aircraft left the area, the ministry said. The number of Chinese warplanes flying into Taiwan’s ADIZ has increased after China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier group sailed south through the Miyako Strait on Saturday last week.
DIPLOMACY
Honduras ties hailed
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday thanked Honduras for its international support of Taiwan in a video message marking the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries on Friday. Calling Honduras “a staunch ally of Taiwan,” Tsai in a video released online by the Presidential Office highlighted growing trade relations with the Central American country, adding that Honduras is the main source of whiteleg shrimp sold in Taiwan. Apart from trade, Tsai said the nations are mutually supportive allies. “Taiwan has stood with Honduras to address the global [COVID-19] pandemic and hurricane relief, donating supplies and sharing experiences that helped us overcome these challenges together” in the past year, she said.
SOCIETY
New monkeys arrive at zoo
Black howlers and golden-headed lion tamarins, both species native to South America, have arrived at the Taipei Zoo for the first time, the zoo said on Friday. Two male golden-headed tamarins and three male black howlers were on Wednesday brought from the Singapore Zoo through the European Endangered Species Programme. The Taipei Zoo is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. The monkeys are undergoing a month of quarantine, the zoo said, adding that the zoo would give them time to adapt to their new home before exhibiting them to the public. The golden-headed tamarin is an endangered species native to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil. There are fewer than 150 golden-headed tamarins in the wild, as their primary habitat in the forest of Bahia, Brazil, has been significantly reduced due to farming, ranching, mining and urbanization, the zoo said.
AGRICULTURE
Farmind eyes pineapples
Japanese produce distributor Farmind is planning to sell Taiwanese pineapples in 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan this year, the Council of Agriculture’s Department of International Affairs said. During a videoconference with council Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) on Friday, Farmind president and CEO Tatsuo Horiuchi said his company plans to buy 3,000 tonnes of pineapples this year, some of which would be sold in 7-Elevens, department head Lin Chia-jung (林家榮) said. The first shipment of pineapples Farmind received from Taiwan this year are destined for Japanese supermarkets, Lin said. Because 80 percent of Japanese consumers prefer to buy cut fruit, Horiuchi said that Farmind intends to explore this market segment with Taiwanese pineapples later this year, the department said. If the plan does go ahead, it would be the first time Taiwanese pineapples are sold through convenience stores in Japan, Lin said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it