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 yesterday.
The appointment is being processed and would be officially announced by the Presidential Office later, Lin said.
Lim, the lead singer of Taiwanese metal band Chthonic, previously served two terms as a legislator and on the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, making him familiar with Taiwan’s diplomatic affairs, he said.
Photo: Taipei Times
President William Lai (賴清德) places a strong emphasis on values-based diplomacy, including human rights and cultural diplomacy, he said.
The president believes that with Lim’s experience, he would be able to engage in international exchanges and effectively promote comprehensive diplomacy between Taiwan and northern Europe, as well as globally, he said.
Comprehensive diplomacy requires a diverse range of talent, including people from economic and cultural fields, as well as career diplomats, Lin said.
The number of ambassadors and representatives the president appoints each year is limited to protect promotion opportunities for career diplomats, he added.
Separately, the Presidential Office yesterday said former deputy representative to India Chen Mu-min (陳牧民) would replace Baushuan Ger (葛葆萱) as Taiwan’s representative to India.
It did not say why Ger was being replaced or when Chen would take up his new post as head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, a post Ger has held since 2020.
Meanwhile, Chiang Ya-chi (江雅綺) has been appointed as the new deputy head of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, the Presidential Office said.
Chiang, who is a professor in the College of Ocean Law and Policy at National Taiwan Ocean University, would replace Liu Hui-chien (柳惠千), a former air force fighter jet pilot, it said.
Liu has resigned as deputy head of the Taiwan office in London, where he had been serving since 2023, it said, without specifying when his replacement would take up the post.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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