CROSS-STRAIT
Chinese students coming
Former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) foundation yesterday said the central government had approved its application to invite a group of Chinese students to visit Taiwan. Foundation CEO Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said in a statement that the 40 students from seven universities would be led by China Tsinghua University Committee Secretary of the Communist Party Qiu Yong (邱勇). The visiting students would include double Olympic table tennis champion Ma Long (馬龍) of Beijing Sport University, and 2020 Tokyo Olympic shooting gold medalist Yang Qian (楊倩) of Tsinghua University. They are expected to arrive on Nov. 27 and depart on Dec. 5. Hsiao said the government approval is meaningful at a time of increasingly tense cross-strait relations. The Mainland Affairs Council on Thursday said that no major flaws were identified during the application review, and that it would ask the visiting group that no political statements be made and no actions detrimental to Taiwan’s status be taken.
TECHNOLOGY
More funding coming
The government has allocated NT$196.5 billion (US$6.1 billion) in next year’s budget to support the tech industry, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said on Thursday. Speaking at the EdTech Taiwan at the Taipei World Trade Center, Cho said the government plans to “make step-by-step efforts” to transform Taiwan into a “digital nation and ‘smart’ island.” The government has earmarked NT$14.6 billion for the semiconductor industry, NT$10.1 billion for net-zero technology, NT$9.4 billion for artificial intelligence (AI), NT$6 billion for aerospace and communications industries and NT$5.3 billion for digital humanities, Cho said. The remainder of the tech budget would be spent on areas including the arms industry, security-related technologies and next-generation communications, he added. “Through its policy approach, the Executive Yuan hopes to establish Taiwan’s sovereign AI and enter the era of AI applications,” the premier said. Next year’s proposed budget represents an increase of more than 25 percent from the NT$156.9 billion allocated for this year.
TRANSPORT
Speed limit increased
The Danhai Light Rail Transit in New Taipei City has significantly improved service efficiency between the two stations by increasing the speed limit sixfold. Starting yesterday, light rail trains on the elevated section between Xinshi 1st Road Station and Danjin Beixin (Beitouzi) Station can travel up to 60kph, operator New Taipei Metro said in a statement. The two stations are 470m apart, and the higher speed limit reduces travel time by about one minute, it said, adding that the change was made possible by covering rarely used railroad switches between the stations.
“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
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
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
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