CULTURE
Taichung to host Double Ten
The annual fireworks display on Double Ten National Day is to be held on Oct. 10 at Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港) in Taichung, Deputy Minister of the Interior Hua Ching-chun (花敬群) said yesterday. National Day and the fireworks display play an important role in unifying people and drawing international attention, Hua, secretary-general of the National Day Preparation Committee, said in a statement. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?), who chairs the National Day committee, have expressed their support for having Taichung serve as the venue this year, Hua said. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said it was the good fortune of Taichung residents to be able to watch the fireworks in person this year rather than on television.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
St Kitts gets YouBikes
The Taipei City Government yesterday announced the donation of 50 retired first-generation YouBikes to Saint Christopher and Nevis. The donation symbolized the firm friendship between Taiwan and the Caribbean country, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. He added that the city government is scheduled to launch a program allowing YouBike users to ride for free for the first 30 minutes. St Christopher and Nevis Ambassador Donya Francis said he was “excited” about the donation, which was indicative of the “strong and admirable friendship” between the two nations. The bicycles would be used as part of a local initiative to create a healthy lifestyle centered on healthy eating practices, consistent physical activity, and regular health checks and screenings, he said. Thanking Chiang and his administration, he said he looks forward to collaboration opportunities between the Embassy of St Christopher and Nevis in Taipei and the Taipei City Government.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Envoy reshuffle approved
The Cabinet has approved proposed reshuffle of diplomatic personnel, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Douglas Hsu (徐佑典), who heads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ North American Affairs Department, is to replace Elliott Charng (常以立) as the representative to Australia, while Sharon Wu (吳尚年), head of the ministry’s International Organizations Department, is to head Taiwan’s office in Poland, replacing Bob Chen (陳龍錦), who is to become the envoy to Bahrain, the source said. Deputy Representative to the US Wang Liang-yu (王良玉) is to take over Hsu’s post, while Jonathan Sun (孫儉元), the top envoy in Boston, is to replace Wu. No specific dates were given when the new postings are to take effect.
POLITICS
Lee quits Yonghe race
Political commentator Lee Cheng-hao (李正皓) on Thursday night announced on Facebook that he has dropped his bid for a legislative seat in New Taipei City’s Yonghe District (永和). The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on May 24 announced that it was working with Lee, an independent, to secure a seat in the constituency. The decision drew objections from some DPP staffers, who urged the party’s nomination committee to reconsider, citing previous sexual allegations against Lee. Lee has denied the allegations, adding that a court has cleared him of the accusations. The DPP has become mired in discussion over a wave of allegations of sexual harassment, and his withdrawal would give DPP Chairman William Lai (賴清德) breathing room to resolve gender issues within the party, Lee said. DPP Secretary-General Hsu Li-ming (許立明) yesterday said the party respects Lee’s decision.
AGGRESSION: China’s latest intrusions set a new benchmark for its ‘gray zone’ tactics and possibly a new pattern that it would attempt to normalize, a researcher said China’s latest military exercises represent a new challenge to Taiwan’s legal authority to demarcate its borders in the Taiwan Strait, a defense expert said, adding that the fleets in the latest exercises were likely the most powerful the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ever assembled. The PLA conducted military exercises from Sunday last week to 6am on Friday, which encompassed large swathes of the western Pacific, including the Taiwan Strait and waters off the Philippines and Guam, National Policy Foundation associate research fellow Chieh Chung (揭仲) said on Friday. The Ministry of National Defense said that it detected 70 warship and 162 aircraft
DOMESTIC MARKET: To protect the livelihoods of local egg farmers, the government adopted a new method for releasing imported eggs, the agriculture minister said More than 54 million imported eggs will be disposed, as their expiration date has passed, Minister of Agriculture Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said yesterday. Chen made the remarks at a news conference in Taipei, explaining the flow of imported eggs following recent controversies regarding the products. The ministry introduced a special egg import program to address a nationwide egg shortage earlier this year. However, controversies have risen in recent weeks. These included an accusation that the government helped some egg importing companies over others, eggs imported from Brazil that had an incorrect expiration date, and egg shipments from Brazil that were found
PACIFIC OCEAN: Defense experts have warned that the ‘Shandong,’ China’s second largest aircraft carrier, poses a serious threat to eastern Taiwan’s defenses The drills conducted by the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong in the Western Pacific last week were more aimed at showcasing China’s military capabilities to the US rather than toward Taiwan, a Taiwanese defense expert said yesterday. Lin Yin-yu (林穎佑), an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said the drills which involved dozens of warplanes sought to test China’s anti-access and area denial capabilities should the US and its allies attempt to interfere in a cross-strait conflict. Lin said that the latest Chinese drills coincided with a joint maritime exercise conducted by the US, South Korea
Thousands of bottles of Sriracha have been returned or destroyed after the discovery of excessive sulfur dioxide, a bleaching agent, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday. About 12,600 bottles totaling 9,991.8kg of the hot sauce imported from the US by Emporium Corp (河洛企業) were flagged at the border for containing illegal levels of sulfur dioxide, the FDA said in its regular border inspection announcement. Inspectors discovered 0.5g per kilogram of the common bleaching agent and preservative, higher than the 0.03g permitted, it said. As it is the first time within six months the product has been flagged, Sriracha products from
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