■POLITICS
APEC envoy to be revealed
The Presidential Office said yesterday it would announce the name of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) envoy to the 2009 APEC summit once host country Singapore has been informed of the selection. Sources close to the president said former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) will be chosen as Ma’s special envoy to the summit, which is scheduled for Nov. 12 to Nov. 14. In keeping with past practice, the Presidential Office will announce the name only after notifying the host country via a special envoy, Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said. In August, Singapore sent a special envoy to Taipei to deliver Ma’s invitation to the summit. The Singaporean envoy is expected to return to Taiwan soon to be told who will represent Taiwan. “This procedure shows respect for the host country,” Wang said.
■EARTHQUAKES
Temblor strikes off Yilan
An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale struck in the east at 5:05am yesterday, but no immediate damage was reported. The Central Weather Bureau said the epicenter of the earthquake was located 1.8km northeast of Nanao (南澳), Yilan County at a depth of 43.8km. The temblor, with an intensity of 3.0 in Yilan and Hualien counties, was followed by a 4.8 quake at 9:16pm whose effect was felt only in Yilan and Hualien counties, the bureau said.
■ECONOMY
Council, Kansas sign deal
The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) yesterday signed a bilateral agreement with the Kansas Department of Commerce to boost trade between both sides. The signing was held at the Taipei Guest House and was witnessed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) and Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson, who will also attend the Taiwan International Green Industry Show. This year marks the 20th year since Kansas and Taiwan became “sister states” in 1989, the MOFA said in a press release. Yang thanked Kansas for the state’s long-standing support for Taiwan’s bid to sign a free-trade agreement with the US and its participation in various UN agencies. Parkinson said the agreement was not geared toward a specific industry but was a comprehensive agreement that he hoped would benefit both sides.
■CULTURE
Museum may change hands
The government is considering a transfer of responsibility over the National Palace Museum from the Executive Yuan to the Presidential Office, Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday. Wang said Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) broached the issue at yesterday’s weekly luncheon with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) at the Presidential Office. Wang said Wu said that while some felt the National Palace Museum should be supervised by the Presidential Office, others proposed making it an incorporated administrative agency. Wang said all participants at the meeting agreed that there was room for discussion regarding whether the head of the National Palace Museum should attend the weekly Cabinet meeting. Wang said they welcomed the input of art and culture circles and would not make a decision until a consensus had been reached.
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,
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