Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday attended a predeparture event for Taiwanese high-school students who are to visit the US and Canada as part of an annual government program promoting diplomacy.
During the flag ceremony for the annual Teen Diplomatic Envoys program, Lin congratulated the 20 high-school students who had been selected from five schools across Taiwan.
The schools — Taipei Fuhsing Private School, Taipei’s Chingshin Academy, Changhua City’s Ching Cheng High School, Taichung’s Ming-Der Senior High School and Taipei First Girls’ High School — were chosen from among 300 that had applied for the program.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Now in its 21st year, the Teen Diplomatic Envoys program has sent 58 groups totaling more than 230 high-school students overseas with the aim of helping them broaden their international outlooks, while demonstrating the creativity and vitality of young Taiwanese, Lin said.
The program also aligns with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ goal of promoting public diplomacy, he added.
The students would be divided into two groups, with one traveling to Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco, while the other is to visit Washington, New York and Boston, he said.
The 11-day trips, which start on Feb. 3, are to include stops at political, educational and cultural institutions, as well as international and non-governmental organizations.
The delegation is also to meet with politicians, academics and students, the ministry said.
Jointly organized by the foreign ministry and the Ministry of Education, the program has been held annually since 2002, except in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS