A new association boosting parliamentary exchanges between Taiwan and Canada was formed yesterday by more than 60 legislators from across the political spectrum.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Cheng Kuo-chung (
Cheng said it was his understanding that 109 Canadian parliamentarians had already joined the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group.
John McKay, president of the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, extended his congratulations on the establishment of the parallel parliamentary group in Taiwan by video.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (
Addressing the ceremony, Lipman said Canada-Taiwan trade and economic relations have been cordial, with bilateral trade volume growing continuously.
Bilateral exchanges in other fields have also been growing steadily, Lipman said, adding that three Canadian parliamentary delegations have visited Taiwan over the past year.
He said the establishment of the Taiwan-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Association is of great significance in the development of relations between the two countries.
Kau said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will offer full support to the new parliamentary amity group as it marks an important step in promoting bilateral relations.
Despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties, Kau said, Taiwan-Canada relations were close.
Taiwanese citizens make an average of 150,000 visits to Canada annually, making Taiwan Canada's seventh-largest source of tourist arrivals.
The number of Taiwanese expatriates in Canada, including those undertaking advanced study there, has also been rising steadily, said Kau.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three