The government yesterday denied suggestions that the National Treasury Administration (NTA) interfered in a lottery tender at the request of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
CTBC Financial Holding, which operates the national lottery, last week announced a lucrative worldwide tender for technical services.
A report published yesterday by the Chinese-language United Daily News said that an AIT official visited NTA Director-General Hsiao Chia-chi (蕭家旗) to give him information about the Nevada-based firm International Game Technology.
Photo: Clare Cheng, Taipei Times
The NTA passed along the information to CTBC for “reference,” the paper reported, quoting an unnamed former Ministry of Finance official as saying that the “inappropriate” action put pressure on the firm to choose the US company.
Hsiao said that the agency only gave the information to CTBC for reference, but did not make a recommendation or interfere in the tender process.
Any firm interested in tendering an offer may do so, he said, adding that he also reiterated to the AIT official that the agency cannot influence the selection process.
In a brief statement, an AIT spokesperson said that officials from around the world, including the US, have always advocated for their nation’s business interests in a variety of ways.
Such forms of “regularized commercial engagement” promote trade and investment links in the global economy, and help strengthen global supply chains, the spokesperson said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs agreed, saying that it is natural for governments to advocate for their nation’s companies.
The NTA and AIT have responded clearly, emphasizing that the case is an example of “regularized commercial engagement,” the ministry said in a statement.
No pressure was put on CTBC, nor was there any interference, it said, condemning “certain media” for spreading baseless rumors, vilifying the actions of the US and alleging that friendly relations between the two nations are reliant on profit.
After witnessing its many contributions to the international community over the past few years, countries want to deepen their relations with Taiwan, the ministry said.
As Beijing becomes more expansionist, like-minded nations are willing to stand up and defend peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it added.
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
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
RSS