Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics on Saturday hosted its first Taiwanese Heritage Day event at the Oakland Coliseum with a performance by Taiwanese cheerleading squad the Rakuten Girls and a video message from Vice President William Lai (賴清德).
The Rakuten Girls, who are the cheerleaders for the CPBL’s Rakuten Monkeys, performed in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 people, followed by a prerecorded address by Lai about Taiwan’s baseball culture and democratic spirit.
Taiwanese pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸), who was signed by the Athletics earlier this year, was also present.
Photo: CNA
Mizuki Lin (林襄), considered a “baseball cheerleading goddess” by Taiwanese fans, and EVA Airways vice president Andrew Su (蘇偉仁) threw out the ceremonial first pitches.
Ula Shen (壯壯), squad leader of the Rakuten Girls, said she was proud to bring Taiwan’s cheerleading culture to the World Baseball Classic and MLB stadiums.
Shen said she was surprised that some foreign baseball fans not only knew about the cheerleading squad, but also the name of every member.
Photo: CNA
The cheerleaders also interacted with fans during the event.
Fans Laura Power and Shadaj Laddad said they were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the cheerleaders.
Laddad said he did not expect them to perform, and was happy to have a chance to take selfies with them.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami via CNA
The Oakland Athletics lost 6-3 to the Houston Astros in their game after the event.
In Florida, the City of Miami Beach has designated May 22 as “Taiwan Day” to acknowledge and commend Taiwan’s outstanding achievements in democracy, freedom and economic development.
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber presided over a meeting on Monday last week, during which Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami Director General Chou (周啟宇) received the proclamation on behalf of the government.
With a population of 23 million, Taiwan is a country that enjoys democracy, freedom of speech and economic freedom, Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez said at the meeting.
Despite being constantly threatened by China, Taiwan is committed to promoting public and grassroots diplomacy, she added.
Taiwan is not only an important strategic partner of the US, but also the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, the proclamation says.
The city supports Taiwan’s international participation in the WHO, the Interpol, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it says.
‘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
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS