Several permanent representatives to the UN of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies arrived in Taiwan yesterday at the start of a six-day visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
The delegation comprises permanent representatives to the UN Lois Michele Young of Belize, Aunese Makoi Simati of Tuvalu and his wife, Carlos Enrique Garcia Gonzalez of El Salvador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Jose Blanco of the Dominican Republic. The diplomats were invited by the government, the ministry said.
“The four visiting ambassadors have considerable diplomatic experience, are acquainted with the UN and have been friendly toward the ROC [Republic of China]. Their countries have lent strong support to increased ROC participation in the international arena and helped promote Taiwan’s bids to participate in UN specialized agencies,” the ministry said.
The ministry said the delegation would offer advice and exchange views on the government’s endeavors to secure meaningful participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as on approaches to enhancing interaction between Taiwan and the UN.
The ambassadors will meet President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂), Department of Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) and Minister of Environmental Protection Stephen Shen (沈世宏), the ministry said.
They will also tour the International Cooperation and Development Fund, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, the National Palace Museum, Kaohsiung Harbor and the fishery museum in Pingtung County, the ministry said.
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
STAY VIGILANT: When experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as dizziness or fatigue, near a water heater, open windows and doors to ventilate the area Rooftop flue water heaters should only be installed outdoors or in properly ventilated areas to prevent toxic gas from building up, the Yilan County Fire Department said, after a man in Taipei died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday last week. The 39-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), an assistant professor at Providence University in Taichung, was at his Taipei home for the holidays when the incident occurred, news reports said. He was taking a shower in the bathroom of a rooftop addition when carbon monoxide — a poisonous byproduct of combustion — leaked from a water heater installed in a poorly ventilated