The government has banned the export of most types of thermometers until the end of this month, the Customs Administration said yesterday.
Those who want to export thermometers by sea, air, other postal method or by courier service must first apply for permission from the Bureau of Foreign Trade, the customs agency told a news conference in Taipei.
The ban aims to ensure an adequate domestic supply of thermometers for combating the COVID-19 outbreak, it said.
Photo: Wu Chi-lun, Taipei Times
People traveling abroad are allowed to carry up to two thermometers with them, the agency said, adding that this is a reasonable number for personal use.
Travelers do not need to apply with the authorities to carry two thermometers through customs, it added.
However, those found carrying more than two thermometers in their carry-on or checked baggage, or found shipping thermometers abroad by any means without prior permission, would be subject to a fine of up to three times the value of the devices in accordance with the Customs Anti-smuggling Act (海關緝私條例), it said.
The thermometers would be seized by customs officials, it added.
Customs officers have been instructed to check packages for thermometers during the ban, Customs Administration Deputy Director-General Peng Ying-wei (彭英偉) said.
The ban applies to infrared thermometers, forehead contact thermometers, ear thermometers, digital thermometers and thermal imaging cameras, but not to mercury thermometers.
The government previously implemented a ban on the export of masks, which on Feb. 13 was extended until the end of next month.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
RSS