■ Energy
Wind-power plant opened
Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday presided over the opening of a commercial wind power plant in Shihmen Township,
Taipei County, calling its operations a display of the government's resolve to make the nation nuclear power-free. In addition to representing a stride toward the government's goal of making Taiwan a nuclear-free country, Yu said, the plant will also be a new landmark in the scenic northeastern coastal area. The Shihmen wind-power plant, the first of its kind
in Taiwan for purely commercial purposes, has six power-generating units with a combined capacity of nearly 100 million kilowatt-hours per year, which will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 8,600 tonnes and replace 3,820 tonnes of fuel coal each year. According to the premier, the government earmarks around
NT$3 billion (US$93.75
million) each year for the development of alternative energy sources in line with a worldwide drive to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
■ Politics
TSU hopeful signs up
Su Chin-chiang (蘇進強), secretary-general of the National Cultural Association and former National Security Council advisor, plans to register his candidacy for chairman of the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) today after asking for an application form from the TSU yesterday. Su, accompanied by TSU acting chairman Huang Chung-yuan (黃宗源) and acting secretary-general Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘), went to the Legislative Yuan to seek support from other TSU legislators for his campaign. Su said that it was former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) who talked him into running for the post and he believed that he would be an able chairman for the party.
■ Politics
KMT flies the flag
To celebrate the New Year, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) announced yesterday that it will hold
a flag-raising ceremony
early on New Year's Day. Reflecting a rift in the pan-blue camp, the People First Party (PFP) said yesterday that it would not attend. The public is also welcome to attend, the KMT said yesterday. When asked if
the party had extended an invitation to its coalition allies, the New Party and
the PFP, spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) said that the New Party was planning to make an appearance. While the PFP is not staging any New Year celebrations, its members were allowed to attend "flag-raising ceremonies of the Republic of China," PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-bin (謝公秉) said. The ceremony will be held at the Zhongshan Hall in Taipei at 5:30am tomorrow.
■ Diplomacy
Regulations to be eased
Restrictions on visiting family members in China using the "small three links" may be relaxed by Lunar New Year, Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said. Wu said that changes would have to be made to provisional policies overseeing travel between the offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu, and China. Wu met with Lienchiang County Commissioner Chen Hsueh-sheng (陳雪生), who asked that the council ease restrictions on travel for Chinese firms helping
with the preservation of traditional architecture in Matsu. Wu also said that the council would consider lifting duties imposed on fish products for consumption in Matsu.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
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