US Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is to arrive today for a four-day visit and attend Double Ten National Day celebrations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Johnson, chairwoman of the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, is to take part in National Day events in Taipei on Monday, and meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang (唐鳳), the ministry said in a statement.
The 86-year-old representative is also to visit the National Space Organization in Hsinchu to discuss possible ways to further bilateral science, space and technology partnerships, the ministry said.
The Democrat from Texas has supported Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, such as the WHO and International Civil Aviation Organization, over her nearly three decades in the US Congress, it said.
Johnson’s trip — bringing the total number of US lawmakers to visit this year to eight — would demonstrate the Congress’ support for Taiwan, the ministry said.
In a separate statement, the ministry said 19 Japanese parliamentarians arrived in Taiwan earlier yesterday for a three-day visit.
The group, consisting of lawmakers from the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council, a 270-member group dedicated to promoting Taiwan-Japan relations, would join Japanese lawmaker and council chairman Keiji Furuya at the National Day celebrations, the ministry said.
Furuya arrived in Taiwan earlier this week for the Yushan Forum. He and the group are to meet with Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?) and former speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), who is chairman of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, the ministry said.
Before returning to Japan tomorrow, they are also to pay their respects to former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) at the military cemetery in New Taipei City where the late president is buried, it said.
A domestically developed “suicide drone,” also known as a loitering munition, would be tested and evaluated in July, and could enter mass production next year, Taiwan’s weapons developer said on Wednesday. The yet-to-be-named drone was among nine drone models unveiled by the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) on Tuesday. The drone has been dubbed the “Taiwanese switchblade” by Chinese-language media, due to its similarity to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which has been used by Ukraine in counterattacks during Russia’s invasion. It has a range of more than 10km, a flight time of more than 15 minutes, and an electro-optical
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number