Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday welcomed news that the New York Mets invited Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) to throw the ceremonial first pitch at Mets Taiwan Day on Sunday next week.
“We are pleased to announce Taiwan Ambassador to the United States — Ms Bi-Khim Hsiao will throw out the honorary first pitch for the 16th annual Mets Taiwan Day,” the Mets Taiwan Day Facebook account posted on Friday.
In previous years, the Mets invited tennis player Lu Yen-hsun (盧彥勳), movie director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) and chemist Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) to throw the Taiwan Day first pitch at Citi Field.
Photo courtesy of the New York Mets
Hsiao is the first Taiwanese representative to the US to throw the pitch at the event, DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said, adding that the post by the Mets was a rare occasion when the representative’s title has been acknowledged publicly.
“This means that Taiwan’s participation in private and official events in the US could take place on the table and become normalized,” she said.
“Hsiao’s first pitch will become a symbol for the unshakable friendship between Taiwan and the US,” DPP Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) said, adding Hsiao’s appearance at the Mets event would boost recognition of Taiwan.
The Mets 2,000 limited edition Taiwan Day jerseys, which were made in collaboration with Taiwanese-American groups and bore the “Hello Taiwan” logo, sold out last month.
Additional reporting by Ni Wan-chun
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS