Seedlings of the official city tree in Nanjing, China, cedrus deodara, are expected to be planted in Taipei County sometime next year, a county government source said yesterday.
Paperwork pertaining to quarantine and exports of the seedlings is currently in the pipeline in Nanjing City for the shipment of thousands of seedlings of the conifer, as well as other trees, to Taipei County — the largest and most populous administrative district in Taiwan — said Chen Yuan-chuan (陳淵泉), a division chief at the Taipei County Bureau of Agriculture.
A total of 1,000 seedlings of cedrus deodara, 3,000 willow seedlings and 100 plum seedlings that the Nanjing city government promised to Taipei County are expected to be delivered once Nanjing city officials complete the quarantine paperwork and the Council of Agriculture approves the imports, Chen said.
Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) visited Nanjing in July to promote two-way tourism and cultural exchanges. During Chou’s visit he signed a memorandum of understanding with Nanjing Mayor Jiang Hongkun (蔣宏坤) and the city’s Communist Party leader Zhu Shanlu (朱善璐) aimed at enhancing bilateral exchanges and cooperation.
A botanist and a Nanjing city government official visited Taiwan recently to probe the feasibility of the donation and gain a better understanding of the suitability of Taipei County for growing the seedlings, Chen said.
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
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
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,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,