DIPLOMACY
MOFA helps relief efforts
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it would donate US$800,000 for recovery efforts in the US states most severely affected by Hurricane Helene, including US$300,000 each to Florida and North Carolina, and US$200,000 to Georgia. “Taiwan is frequently hit by typhoons in summer and autumn” and “deeply empathizes with those who have suffered tremendous losses in life and property” due to Hurricane Helene, the ministry said. The funds aim to help US residents reconstruct their homes and get back to their normal lives, the ministry said, adding that its overseas missions in Miami and Atlanta would soon discuss with relevant US agencies how to make the donations. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on the evening of Sept. 26. It has killed more than 230 people and caused at least US$30 billion in damage.
Photo: AFP
CRIME
Workers probed in China
Four Taiwanese employees of Foxconn’s factory in Zhengzhou, a major Apple supplier, are under investigation in China on suspicion of accepting bribes and embezzling funds, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said on Friday. Authorities are handling the case in accordance with the law while ensuring the protection of the suspects’ legal rights, TAO spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) said. Reports said the Taiwanese employees were accused of accepting bribes, with two facing embezzlement allegations. The Zhengzhou police arrested and detained the four employees on charges equivalent to a “breach of trust” offense in Taiwan, but Foxconn said that it has suffered no losses and that the employees have not harmed the company’s interests.
AWARDS
Taiwan film gets top award
Taiwanese film Yen and Ai-Lee (小雁與吳愛麗) on Friday won the Busan International Film Festival’s (BIFF) top prize, the Kim Jiseok Award, marking the first time a Taiwanese film received the award. Village Rockstars 2, a film coproduced by India and Singapore, also received the Kim Jiseok Award. The Taiwanese film was “an unfinishing and bold portrayal of a traumatic mother and daughter relationship, with powerful and beautiful performances,” the BIFF said. The 108 minute black-and-white film was directed by Tom Lin (林書宇), and features actresses Yang Kuei-mei (楊貴媚) and Kimi Hsia (夏于喬). Meanwhile, Another Home (日泰小食), a film coproduced by Taiwan, Hong Kong and France, won the Mecenat Award for documentaries. The 84-minute film, directed by Hong Kong director Frankie Sin (冼澔楊), is about an elderly couple and their food stall on Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong.
ENTERTAINMENT
Taiwan play joins festival
This Is Not an Embassy (Made in Taiwan), a play exploring the complexities of national identity in Taiwan, is to be performed next month at the Paris Arts Festival, an event organizer said. It would be the first Taiwanese piece to appear at the 52-year-old festival, festival art director Francesca Corona said. It was coproduced by German theatre group Rimini Protokoll and the National Theatre of Taipei. The play centers around a fictional Republic of China (Taiwan) embassy, set in a miniature decor, and features three performers who are Taiwanese. It presents complex topics in a nuanced way, without oversimplification or polarization, Corona said. The 105-minute show is to be performed in English and Mandarin, with French and English subtitles, at the MC93 public multicultural venue from Nov. 14 to Nov. 17.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
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