Asked whether restrictions imposed by Russia on “unfriendly nations” would affect Taiwan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) yesterday said that the government would monitor the situation closely as Russia is still drafting the details.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov on Monday said that Moscow is drafting regulations to ban the entry of people from countries on its “unfriendly” list.
The Russian government released a list of 48 countries and territories that have taken “unfriendly actions against Russia and its companies and citizens” on March 9.
The list includes Taiwan and other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, as well as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK, the US and EU countries, among others.
“The government is drafting an executive order to use visa policies as a vengeance on several foreign governments for their unfriendly actions. The order will put restrictions on their entries to Russia,” Lavrov said on TV.
The order might affect Taiwanese visiting Russia for business or study, Ou said.
There are about 180 Taiwanese in Russia, all of whom are keeping in touch with the representative office in Moscow, she said, adding that they have so far not reported any issues concerning their personal safety.
In August last year, Russia suspended visa applications from Taiwan and other countries to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Ou said.
No visa denial cases had been reported to the ministry, she added.
Any impact on Taiwan should be limited, as Russia is not a major supplier of industrial materials to the nation, and Taiwan has diverse sources of petroleum and natural gas, Ou said.
Taiwanese can still leave Russia if they want to, as several international airlines continue to operate in Russia, she added.
The ministry said that people planning to travel to Russia should prepare sufficient rubles and US dollars before their trip to avoid being affected by Russia’s trade policies.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit. Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers. Carriers that apply the fees include CAL, EVA, Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan. A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major players include Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. EVA Air began
WATCH FOR HITCHHIKERS: The CDC warned those returning home from Japan to be alert for any contagious diseases that might have come back with them People who have returned from Japan following the World Baseball Classic (WBC) games during the weekend are recommended to watch for symptoms of infectious gastroenteritis, flu and measles for two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. Flu viruses remain the most common respiratory pathogen in Taiwan in the past four weeks and the influenza B virus accounted for 55.7 percent of the tested cases, exceeding the percentage of influenza A (H3N2) infections and becoming the local dominant strain, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said at a news conference on Tuesday. There were 82,187 hospital visits for
Alumni from Japan’s Kyoto Tachibana Senior High School marching band, widely known as the “Orange Devils,” staged a flash mob performance at the Grand Hotel in Taipei yesterday to thank Taiwan for its support after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The show, performed on the earthquake’s 15th anniversary, drew more than 100 spectators, some of whom arrived two hours before the show to secure a good viewing spot. The 26-member group played selections from “High School Musical,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and their signature piece “Sing Sing Sing” and shouted “I love
RSS