WEATHER
Storm not a worry: CWA
A low-pressure system in the northwestern Pacific that was early yesterday upgraded to a tropical storm named Jongdari would not affect Taiwan directly, but might bring heavy rain to the south, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system had been over waters east of the nation and south of Okinawa before it intensified into the ninth tropical storm of the year in the region at 2am yesterday, it said. The storm would have no direct impact on Taiwan as it drifts northward toward the East China Sea and South Korea, it said. Jongdari was 450km east of Taipei at 8am, moving at 17kph to 30kph in a north-northwesterly direction. It had maximum sustained winds of up to 65kph, with gusts reaching up to 90kph, CWA data showed. The storm’s movement might bring heavy rain to central and southern Taiwan as the southwesterly seasonal winds strengthen today, the agency said. Taiwan is currently influenced by the intertropical convergence zone and southwesterly seasonal winds, which could cause rainfall in Taiwan’s southern areas, CWA forecaster Chen Pei-an (陳姵安) said. With Jongdari moving northward, precipitation is expected to expand to Yunlin County today, she said. Meanwhile, the country would experience exceptionally high tides from yesterday to Friday, the CWA said. People in low-lying areas near the coastline from New Taipei City to Chiayi County should be on guard against seawater intrusion, Chen said.
DIPLOMACY
Francois Wu takes new post
Former representative to France Francois Wu (吳志中) on Sunday officially assumed the post of deputy minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wu, who became the representative to France in 2018, was previously deputy minister of foreign affairs from May 20, 2016, to July 2018 during the administration of then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). Immediately after his inauguration on May 20, President William Lai (賴清德) named Wu deputy minister of foreign affairs following six years in Paris. However, Wu remained in his post until the conclusion of the Paris Olympics before returning to Taiwan, the ministry said. His successor is Hao Pei-chih (郝培芝), former head of the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission. Hao is the first woman to serve as Taiwan’s top envoy to France. She was a member of the advisory committee at the Mainland Affairs Council from 2007 to 2009.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
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