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.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is