A special task force has been created to help promote President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) “new southbound policy,” with an emphasis on using existing city-to-city relations to encourage bilateral visits and economic cooperation agreements, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
China’s efforts to marginalize Taiwan in the international community remain the nation’s greatest challenge, but non-traditional solutions, such as the “new southbound policy,” might provide alternative opportunities to enhance cooperation with other nations, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) said.
Regional missions have been asked to submit plans to establish city-based channels of communication between Taiwan and Southeast Asian nations on issues such as mutual visits, multilateral diplomatic visits involving the legislatures of each nation, setting the groundwork for economic cooperation agreements, stepping up medical interaction and expanding mutual training programs, the ministry said.
Taiwan’s advantage lies in its emphasis on democracy, freedom and human rights, Lee said, adding that since his appointment he had met with officials from nations that share the same values as Taiwan and found that they were sincerely interested in pursuing further cooperation.
Lee said he is “more optimistic than ever” about the policy and he has revised his views toward several nations with which Taiwan might pursue further ties.
In response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang’s (江啟臣) concerns that the policy is vacuous, Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-General Winston Chen (陳文儀) said the ministry plans to enhance existing sister-city ties.
Many local governments have sister-city relationships with Southeast Asian cities, but lack the motivation for further interactions, Chen said, adding that the ministry’s missions in the region could help bridge the gap between city governments.
On the ministry’s plans to shutter some of its missions, Lee said the ministry has decided to consolidate the nation’s diplomatic resources, adding that it would reallocate any freed-up resources to Southeast Asian nations.
In related news, Sports Administration Secretary-General Wang Han-chung (王漢忠) said the government has allocated NT$72.7 million (US$2.2 million) to encourage sports as a medium for international exchanges, particularly in Southeast Asia.
The agency is increasing its funding to local sports organizations for training and applying to join international competitions, while looking to invite Southeast Asian nations to Taiwan to participate in international friendlies, Wang said.
The agency plans to invite both private and government representatives from Southeast Asian nations to participate in meetings on sports policies in the hope of increasing bilateral talks between sports organizations, Wang said.
Additional reporting by Lin Tsung-wei
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
ENROLLMENT STRATEGIES: NTNU focuses on English instruction to attract foreign students, and helps them with employment and internships, its president said The number of foreign students in the nation’s colleges and universities hit a five-year high last year, with National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) topping the list with the most international students, Ministry of Education data showed. Last year, 123,188 international students attended Taiwanese colleges and universities, 3,259 more than the previous academic year, the data showed. NTNU had the most international students, with 7,648 students, followed by the National Taiwan University’s 6,249, it showed. NTNU yesterday said that international students accounted for 12.05 percent of its degree students last year. The percentage of overseas Chinese students at the university has also been the highest
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS