■ LANGUAGE
Dispute rages over ‘Chinese’
The Presidential Office yesterday said it was not against calling Chinese “Huayu (華語)” or “Huawen (華文),” but said that the Executive Yuan must explain the government’s position to the public. Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said “Guoyu (國語)” refers to the national and official language of a country, a principle that should be reflected in school textbooks. Chinese courses for elementary and junior high schools next year will still be called “Guoyuwen (國語文)” but be changed to “Huayuwen (華語文)” in guidelines for teachers and textbook writers and editors. Huang Kuang-kuo (黃光國), a national policy advisor, threatened to resign should the Ministry of Education decide to change “Guowen” to “Huawen.”
■ HEALTH
Kids stay home, get myopia
Nearly 90 percent of the school children visiting ophthalmology clinics recently have been diagnosed with worsening myopia because of excessive eye strain suffered during the summer break, an eye doctor said, adding that television and computer games could be to blame. Most students prefer indoor activities during the summer vacation, which tends to cause worsening of any existing eye problems, said Liao Chang-bin (廖昶斌), director of the Shu-tien Urology and Ophthalmology Clinic.
■ TRADE
Taipei, Manila talk pact
The Philippines is likely to sign a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan within a year on the basis of the recent trade pact between Taiwan and China, Philippine Deputy Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal said yesterday. Although the Philippines is a member of the ASEAN plus one grouping, which includes China, and has an economic agreement with Japan, it will benefit from an FTA with Taiwan, Cristobal said. “We hope to start formal FTA negotiations with Taiwan within a year,” Cristobal said. However, the Philippine government will have to consult with the country’s parliamentarians, academics and business leaders on the issue and close internal divisions before it could hold discussions with potential FTA partners, he said. In late June, then-Secretary of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry Jesli Lapus said that because the Philippines adheres to the “one China” policy, the issue of an FTA with Taiwan was quite sensitive.
■ RETAILING
Post office moves online
Chunghwa Post said yesterday it was considering branching out into online shopping. The company said in a presentation at the Ministry of Transportation and Communications that the move was part of a strategy to increase revenue as its mail delivery service shrinks because of the increased use of electronic mail and documents. Trumpeting the advantage of having 1,320 outlets nationwide and a comprehensive logistics network, the company said it was ready to compete with the main players in the market, including Yahoo-Kimo, PC-Home and PayEasy. To distinguish itself from competitors, Chunghwa Post said it would focus on the sale of health-related products, produce and special snacks in different localities. Based on preliminary plans, sellers would pay between 4 percent and 5 percent of the closing price as well as a NT$10,000 guarantee. The company said it would waive the annual NT$12,000 fee to use Chunghwa’s online shopping network for the first year, for those vendors that use the postal company’s boxes to package their products.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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