Asked whether restrictions imposed by Russia on “unfriendly nations” would affect Taiwan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) yesterday said that the government would monitor the situation closely as Russia is still drafting the details.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov on Monday said that Moscow is drafting regulations to ban the entry of people from countries on its “unfriendly” list.
The Russian government released a list of 48 countries and territories that have taken “unfriendly actions against Russia and its companies and citizens” on March 9.
The list includes Taiwan and other Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Singapore, as well as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK, the US and EU countries, among others.
“The government is drafting an executive order to use visa policies as a vengeance on several foreign governments for their unfriendly actions. The order will put restrictions on their entries to Russia,” Lavrov said on TV.
The order might affect Taiwanese visiting Russia for business or study, Ou said.
There are about 180 Taiwanese in Russia, all of whom are keeping in touch with the representative office in Moscow, she said, adding that they have so far not reported any issues concerning their personal safety.
In August last year, Russia suspended visa applications from Taiwan and other countries to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Ou said.
No visa denial cases had been reported to the ministry, she added.
Any impact on Taiwan should be limited, as Russia is not a major supplier of industrial materials to the nation, and Taiwan has diverse sources of petroleum and natural gas, Ou said.
Taiwanese can still leave Russia if they want to, as several international airlines continue to operate in Russia, she added.
The ministry said that people planning to travel to Russia should prepare sufficient rubles and US dollars before their trip to avoid being affected by Russia’s trade policies.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS