Protecting Taiwan is in the US’ national interest, because Taiwan plays a critical role in maintaining peace in its region, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said yesterday.
Yen made the remarks at a legislative session when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) to comment on US journalist Bob Woodward’s new book titled Fear: Trump in the White House, in which US President Donald Trump is quoted as asking the National Security Council: “What do we get from protecting Taiwan?”
Asked why Deputy Minister of National Defense Chang Guan-chung (張冠群), and not Yen, is to attend the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference from Oct. 28 to 30, in Annapolis, Maryland, Yen said the decision was made after taking into account the rank of participating officials and the topics to be discussed at the meeting.
Given the frequent military exchanges between the two nations, he would have many other opportunities to interact with US military officials, he said.
Taiwan’s plan to acquire M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks from the US is proceeding smoothly, Yen said.
Regarding China’s military activity in the region, Yen said that although the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has suspended long-distance combat training exercises at sea since June 20, it has continued to hold short-distance marine patrols and military drills targeting certain countries and areas in the region, including Taiwan.
The military closely monitors the PLA’s actions, Yen said, adding that the armed forces would continue efforts to maintain regional peace and security.
Foreign tourists who purchase a seven-day Taiwan Pass are to get a second one free of charge as part of a government bid to boost tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. A pair of Taiwan Passes is priced at NT$5,000 (US$156.44), an agency staff member said, adding that the passes can be used separately. The pass can be used in many of Taiwan’s major cities and to travel to several tourist resorts. It expires seven days after it is first used. The pass is a three-in-one package covering the high-speed rail system, mass rapid transport (MRT) services and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services,
Drinking a lot of water or milk would not help a person who has ingested terbufos, a toxic chemical that has been identified as the likely cause of three deaths, a health expert said yesterday. An 83-year-old woman surnamed Tseng (曾) and two others died this week after eating millet dumplings with snails that Tseng had made. Tseng died on Tuesday and others ate the leftovers when they went to her home to mourn her death that evening. Twelve people became ill after eating the dumplings following Tseng’s death. Their symptoms included vomiting and convulsions. Six were hospitalized, with two of them
DIVA-READY: The city’s deadline for the repairs is one day before pop star Jody Chiang is to perform at the Taipei Dome for the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend. The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL. The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity. However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the
BIG collection: The herbarium holds more than 560,000 specimens, from the Japanese colonial period to the present, including the Wulai azalea, which is now extinct in the wild The largest collection of plant specimens in Taiwan, the Taipei Botanical Garden’s herbarium, is celebrating its 100th anniversary with an exhibition that opened on Friday. The herbarium provides critical historical documents for botanists and is the first of its kind in Taiwan, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute director Tseng Yen-hsueh (曾彥學) said. It is housed in a two-story red brick building, which opened during 1924. At the time, it stored 30,000 plant specimens from almost 6,000 species, including Taiwanese plant samples collected by Tomitaro Makino, the “father of Japanese botany,” Tseng said. The herbarium collection has grown in the century since its