Incoming minister of transportation and communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) is to attend the APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting in Peru if he receives permission from premier-designate Lin Chuan (林全).
If Hochen is given leave of absence to attend the meeting, which is held every two years, on May 28 and May 29, he would be the second Cabinet member to attend a major international meeting after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration takes office following the May 20 handover.
Minister of Health and Welfare-designate Lin Tzou-yien (林奏延) is scheduled to attend the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) on May 23 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Hochen said that he would brief the delegates at the meeting on the status of Taiwan’s tourism industry and its development strategies.
The Taiwanese delegation would also include Tourism Bureau Director-General David Hsieh (謝謂君) and six other representatives. They are scheduled to leave for the meeting on May 26 and return late on May 31.
Lin, along with the other members of the Cabinet, is to brief lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan on the policy plans of the incoming DPP administration. Following the presentation, a question-and-answer session is to be held.
If Chen attends the APEC meeting, he would need to be excused from the briefing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military