Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) arrived in Shanghai yesterday to attend tomorrow’s annual Taipei-Shanghai City Forum.
He met with Taiwan Affairs Office Director Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) soon after his arrival and later held talks with Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong (楊雄) on direct flights between Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, which began in 2010.
Hau said that thanks to the direct flights, people could travel between Taipei and Shanghai in less than a day.
“For example, I left Taipei at 12:30pm today and arrived in Hongqiao at 2pm, ready for talks with friends,” he said.
The first Taipei-Shanghai City Forum was held in Taipei in April 2010. The two cities have taken turns to host the annual meeting.
This year, the forum will focus on issues related to the development of education, senior citizen services, sports and the media, Hau said.
Hau’s delegation includes Sean Lien (連勝文), deputy convenor of the Taipei City Economic Development Commission, and several prominent businessmen, such as Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) and Want Want China Times Group chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明).
During this year’s forum Hau and Yang are scheduled to sign four memorandums of understanding on issues concerning district administration, libraries and a citizen service hotline.
Hau will leave for Russia on Friday to attend the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first