Former lawmaker and musician Freddy Lim (林昶佐) is to serve as Taiwan’s next representative to Finland, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) confirmed today.
Lim’s appointment is currently being processed and would be officially announced by the Presidential Office at a later date, Lin told reporters prior to a meeting at the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Lim previously served two terms as a legislator and on the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, making him familiar with Taiwan’s diplomatic affairs, Lin said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Lim did not run for re-election last year to spend time with a family member suffering from a rare disease.
He has a strong international perspective and experience with international exchanges, especially with human rights diplomacy, Lin said.
President William Lai (賴清德) places a strong emphasis on values-based diplomacy, including human rights and cultural diplomacy, Lin said.
The president believes that with Lim’s past experience, he would be able to engage in international exchanges and effectively promote comprehensive diplomacy between Taiwan and northern Europe, as well as globally, the minister said.
Comprehensive diplomacy requires a diverse range of talents, including people from economic and cultural fields, as well as career diplomats, he said.
The number of ambassadors and representatives the president appoints each year is limited to protect promotion opportunities for career diplomats, he added.
Finland is also famous for its heavy metal music scene, raising hopes for collaboration opportunities with the Chthonic leading man.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
RSS