DEFENSE
US ship transits Strait
A US military vessel transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said. The vessel sailed north through the Taiwan Strait, it said in a statement, adding that it was closely monitoring nearby airspace and waters as the ship crossed and observed nothing unusual. In another statement, the US identified the ship as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson. The ship was conducting a routine Taiwan Strait transit through waters where high seas freedom of navigation and overflight apply under international law, it said. “Ralph Johnson’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle,” the statement said. “No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms.” Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Li Xi (李熹) criticized the US for “trumpeting” the transit.
EVENTS
Taiwan to host scout event
Taiwan is to host the 2029 World Scout Moot following a successful bid at the World Scout Conference in Cairo, the General Association of the Scouts of China (Taiwan) said yesterday. Taiwan on Wednesday garnered the support of more than 90 percent of the nearly 2,000 attendees from 176 countries, it said in a statement. The association said the event is to take place at Tsou Ma Lai Farm in Tainan, where the 12th National Jamboree was held last month. The World Scout Moot is one of the three major international scouting events, along with the World Scout Conference and the World Scout Jamboree. The World Scout Moot is held every four years, primarily for scouts aged 18 to 25. Taiwan previously hosted the event in 2004.
WEATHER
Storm not to impact Taiwan
A low-pressure system in the Pacific was upgraded to a tropical storm early yesterday, but would not impact Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Shanshan was 2,290km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) at 8am, moving at 6kph in a north-northwesterly direction, it said. CWA data showed it had maximum sustained winds of 72kph, with gusts reaching 101kph. The agency said the storm would not directly impact Taiwan and was moving slowly toward Japan.
TRADE
Paraguay open to China
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena on Wednesday said he was “fully open” to trade deals with China via South American trade bloc Mercosur, despite his country’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Paraguay is the last South American country with formal relations with Taiwan. Mercosur, a customs union, has been in talks to finalize a trade deal with the EU, but has also discussed a potential trade deal with China. “Our position with China is one of total openness,” Pena said of Paraguay’s position within Mercosur, adding that the obstacle was China not accepting its recognition of Taiwan. “We are in favor of advancing trade agreements,” he said in an interview with Reuters. Mercosur officials held a dialogue with Chinese counterparts on Monday last week in Uruguay’s capital. “I see prudence on Brazil’s side,” Pena said of the possible China agreement, which he emphasized that he supported. “I think that the most interested is Uruguay, and we accompany this effort to have a conversation as a bloc.”
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
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