The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) hopes to formally open its representative offices in Sapporo, Japan, and Istanbul, Turkey, before the summer holiday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) said yesterday.
Ou said the ministry was working on budgeting and staffing plans for the new offices. He said between two and three more months would be required to complete the necessary arrangements, adding that the governments of Japan and Turkey had given the green light for Taiwan to open the liaison offices.
Staffing levels at the two offices would be determined based on the number of Taiwanese tourists who travel to the two cities, he said, adding that the Sapporo office would be staffed by four or five officials while the Istanbul office would have two or three.
Ou said that the idea to open new offices stemmed from frequent people-to-people exchanges between Taiwan and the two countries.
EL SALVADOR
Ou also commented on Taiwan’s ties with El Salvador, which recently elected a president from a party with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party, leading to speculation that the Central American country could cut ties with Taiwan.
Ou, who recently concluded a visit to San Salvador, said Salvadoran president-elect Mauricio Funes welcomed President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to attend at his inauguration on June 1.
In an interview with the Central News Agency, Ou said the ministry was making arrangements for Ma to lead a delegation to the ceremony. Ministry spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said the ministry had yet to receive a final decision from the Presidential Office regarding the trip.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
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