British Representative to Taiwan John Dennis yesterday planted a tree in Taipei to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee and Arbor Day, saying that it symbolized Taiwan and the UK’s friendship.
The queen and Prince Charles last year launched the Queen’s Green Canopy program to plant trees in honor of the jubilee, which coincides with Arbor Day, Dennis said in Mandarin at the event held jointly by his office and the Taipei City Government at the Yuanshan Scenic Area.
The queen is an advocate for planting trees as part of environmental conservation, having planted about 1,500 trees worldwide, he said.
Photo: CNA
The Chinese ash is one of the most numerous and iconic British trees and makes a fitting symbol for the friendship between Taiwan and the UK, he said, adding that Taiwan and the UK are united by common values and a commitment to be a force for good in the world.
Taipei Commissioner for External Affairs Tom Chou (周台竹) said that the UK is an important partner to Taiwan and a popular destination for Taiwanese studying abroad, adding that the planting of the tree represented the bilateral friendship.
Regarding Taiwan-UK ties, Dennis said that they should work toward deepening economic cooperation, especially in financial technology, pharmaceuticals and wind energy, while he anticipates an expansion of ties after the easing of COVID-19 measures.
Last month’s cancelation of a visit by a delegation of British lawmakers due to the COVID-19 pandemic is a temporary setback, and the lawmakers have expressed their wish for the exchange to resume later, he added.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Dennis said the situation is a humanitarian tragedy and called the Russian invasion “a blatant contravention of international laws, international customs and the UN Charter.”
The UK is glad to see the rush of support from Taiwan to Ukraine, particularly in sending humanitarian aid, he said, adding that Britain is committed to alleviating the humanitarian crisis caused by the war and empowering Ukrainian resistance.
“This difficult time calls for the world’s democracies to unite in solidarity,” he said.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
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