Taiwan will send a top defense official to the US to attend a defense industry meeting, a report said yesterday.
The US-Taiwan Business Council has invited Defense Minister Lee Jye (
But it quoted an unnamed military officer as saying "at this moment, Lee has not yet decided to attend or not because he may have to stay here to defend the special military budget while it is screened by the Legislative Yuan."
If that happens, Deputy Defense Minister Huo Sho-yeh (
The nation's defense ministry declined to comment on the report.
There have been mounting objections to the controversial special budget of NT$610 billion (US$18.2 billion US) which is pending approval.
The budget is for the purchase of eight conventional submarines, modified Patriot anti-missile systems and anti-submarine aircraft over a 15-year period.
Some critics say the nation cannot afford the spending, while others say the new weaponry will not be delivered in time to help the nation fend off a possible attack from China in coming years.
Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (
A string of wargames have been staged separately by Taiwan and China over the past few weeks, prompting the US to call for restraint from the two sides, fearing unexpected clashes might lead to war.
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56
FATALITIES: The storm claimed at least two lives — a female passenger in a truck that was struck by a falling tree and a man who was hit by a utility pole Workers cleared fallen trees and shop owners swept up debris yesterday after one of the biggest typhoons to hit the nation in decades claimed at least two lives. Typhoon Kong-rey was packing winds of 184kph when it slammed into eastern Taiwan on Thursday, uprooting trees, triggering floods and landslides, and knocking out power as it swept across the nation. A 56-year-old female foreign national died from her injuries after the small truck she was in was struck by a falling tree on Provincial Highway 14A early on Thursday. The second death was reported at 8pm in Taipei on Thursday after a 48-year-old man
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