Postal companies in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam will not attend the PhilaTaipei World Stamp Championship Exhibition in Taipei because of stalled cross-strait relations and sovereignty disputes over islands in the South China Sea, Chunghwa Post said yesterday.
The exhibition, which is to be held from Oct. 21 to Oct. 25, is to be attended by more than 80 countries around the world.
This is the first time that Taiwan has been selected to host the international event.
Chunghwa Post said postal companies in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam were registered, but China and Hong Kong have canceled because of stalled cross-strait relations since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government took office on May 20.
Chunghwa Post spokesperson Wang Shu-ming (王淑敏) said that Vietnam Post lodged a protest against Chunghwa Post after the latter on May 5 published a set of stamps advocating peace in the South China Sea in a bid to defend the nation’s sovereignty over Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), adding that the company has no further details from the Vietnamese postal company.
Chunghwa Post chairman Philip Ong (翁文祺) said that Taiwan was awarded hosting rights of the Asian International Stamp Exhibition last year, which is considered the precursor to the World Stamp Championship Exhibition.
He said that the nation qualified to host the exhibition after securing approval from the members of Federation Internationale de Philatelie.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
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Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although