A slew of new measures and regulations are to come into effect on Wednesday, covering the Executive Yuan’s Triple Stimulus Voucher program, vehicle licensing, a Green Living campaign and an expansion of the food allergens required to be listed on labeling.
As of Wednesday, people can order their NT$3,000 vouchers online, and link their order to either their credit card or a mobile payment service.
A range of domestic travel subsidies would also be available until Oct. 1, with tour group members eligible for NT$700 per person per night at a hotel and NT$1,200 at a hotel on Kinmen, Matsu or Penghu, while independent travelers would receive NT$1,000 per night.
Taiwanese born after July 1, 2001, are eligible for free entry to amusement parks until Aug. 31, and Taiwan Tour Bus passengers on half-day or full-day trips would get “buy one, get one free” offers.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that drivers of all vehicles would be allowed to apply for license plates, examinations or other services at all motor vehicle offices nationwide, not just their local offices, while the age limit for professional drivers of large passenger vehicles is to be conditionally expanded to 68 years.
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is to be licensed as food additive under the Application and Limitation of Food Additives (食品添加物使用範圍及限量暨規格標準) and the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), the Food and Drug Administration said.
Mandatory food allergen labels would now cover 11 allergens: shellfish, mangoes, peanuts, cow or goat milk, eggs, nuts, sesame, gluten-containing grains, soybeans, fish and fish products, and sulfites, it said.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is to launch a Green Living campaign to encourage people to eat at eco-friendly restaurants to earn “green points” that can be exchanged for discounts.
Stricter standards in the Drinking Water Quality Standards (飲用水水質標準) covering nickel, mercury, chloride, vinyl chloride, toluene and xylene take effect on Wednesday, the EPA added.
Businesses with more than 200 employees must implement a respiratory protection plan, the Ministry of Labor said.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS