The new Shanghai Ruidong Hospital, recently bought out by a Taiwanese company headed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) heavyweight Hsu Li-teh (徐立德), was inaugurated on Thursday as an institution providing upscale medical care mainly to China-based Taiwanese businesspeople and their families.
The hospital, formerly the Pudong branch of the Shanghai Ruijin Hospital, an affiliate of the Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, is the first Taiwanese-financed hospital in the Shanghai area to obtain a business license from Chinese authorities.
Addressing the opening, Hsu, who served as Taiwan’s vice premier between 1993 and 1997, said the hospital was an “invaluable product” of cross-strait collaboration and peaceful exchanges.
“I expect this hospital will not only provide sound medical services to Taiwanese people living in China, it will also kick start a new mode of cooperation between medical sectors across the [Taiwan] Strait,” Hsu said.
He said Taipei-based Global Investment Holdings (GIH), for which he serves as chairman, spent about NT$200 million (US$6.2 million) to acquire a 55 percent share in the hospital.
“No KMT funds were used in the investment,” Hsu said, dismissing speculation that he might be the KMT’s figurehead in the joint venture.
Hsu said that GIH received approval for the investment from the then-Democratic Progressive Party administration three years ago.
Hsu said that he hoped that in the future Taiwanese living in China would be able to use Republic of China national insurance cards at Taiwanese-financed hospitals in the country, such as the Shanghai Ruidong Hospital.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
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
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees