The Legislative Yuan yesterday inaugurated a new committee on foreign affairs, with the goal of improving the nation’s international standing by achieving unity among legislators from different parties.
According to its charter, the Congressional Diplomacy and Strategy Consensus Committee aims to maintain regional peace through defense collaboration, as well as promote the nation’s international participation.
Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉) praised the committee as an “additional counterparty between Taiwan and other countries.”
Photo: CNA
The committee, the first of its kind, would be able to overcome obstacles that Taiwan faces in its foreign interactions, said Lin, who attended on behalf of Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃).
Through this “innovation,” lawmakers could reach a consensus over issues of national concern, enabling them to communicate internationally with one voice, he said.
They could then liaise with a wider array of organizations than possible by a congressional friendship association, such as Harvard University, the Heritage Foundation, international think tanks and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), he added.
Taiwan cannot remain on the sidelines as authoritarian expansionism threatens global stability and democracies everywhere, Lin said, touting the establishment of the committee as an expression of the legislature’s willingness to act.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Mark Ho (何志偉), who is to serve as chairman of the committee, emphasized the nonpartisan nature of the group.
Faced with changeable global circumstances, legislators need a pragmatic platform to discuss foreign affairs, Ho said.
Hopefully, it could result in a unified voice that sustains, regardless of which party is in power, he added.
In its day-to-day operations, the committee is to organize seminars and publish related commentaries, in addition to cooperating with international think tanks and NGOs, Ho said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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