MILITARY
China sanctions companies
Beijing yesterday said it was sanctioning two US defense companies, Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman Corp, over their roles in supplying arms to Taiwan. Last month, Washington for the first time approved direct US military aid to Taiwan under an assistance program aimed at foreign governments. “Despite China’s firm opposition, the US government is determined to provide weapons to Taiwan ... seriously harming China’s sovereignty and security interests, and going further and further on the wrong and dangerous road of arming Taiwan,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) told a regular press briefing. She said that Lockheed Martin was the prime contractor in US arms sales to Taiwan that took place on Aug. 24, and that Northrop Grumman had taken part in sales “many times.”
TRAFFIC
Bridge to open on Oct. 7
Motorists would be able to travel from Taipei to New Taipei City over the new Zhongzheng Bridge that connects the two cities on Oct. 7, the New Taipei City Government said on Thursday. Lanes running from Zhongzheng District (中正) in Taipei to Yonghe District (永和) in New Taipei City are to open to traffic that day, the city’s Public Works Department said in a news release. Construction of the bridge, which began on May 6, 2019, is nearing completion, it said. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), who toured the site with New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) in the morning, thanked everyone for their efforts, and said he looks forward to the bridge’s anticipated completion in August next year.
TRAFFIC
Pedestrian scramble opens
A pedestrian scramble is to be implemented at a busy Taipei intersection starting today, the Taipei Traffic Engineering Office said on Thursday. Located near Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT Station and two branches of the Sogo Department Store, the Zhongxiao E Road and Fuxing S Road intersection is a high-traffic area, the office said in a news release. To ensure smoother traffic flow and enhance pedestrian safety, a pedestrian scramble — a type of traffic signal that allows pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction at the same time by stopping all vehicles — would be implemented at the intersection on weekends from 11am to 8pm, the office said, adding that adjustments would be made as needed. There were 244 pedestrian scrambles in Taipei as of Aug. 21, according to office information.
SOCIETY
Air base to host party
A night party open to the public is to be held at Tainan Air Base on Oct. 8 as part of Double Ten National Day celebrations this year, the Tainan City Government said on Tuesday. The event is to host a concert featuring performances by a slew of artists and bands, including Taiwanese rapper Aquaman, singer Enno Cheng (鄭宜農) and Musou Band, who combine traditional Chinese instruments and pop music. There would be a display surrounding the concert area of Taiwan’s Indigenous Defense Fighter jets, C-130H Hercules transport aircraft and other military weapons and hardware, it said. Tainan Air Base is normally off-limits to the public, therefore the party would be an opportunity for people to visit the military site, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) was quoted as saying in the release. The number of visitors would be limited to 1,500, with online registration open until Saturday next week, the city government said.
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
ENROLLMENT STRATEGIES: NTNU focuses on English instruction to attract foreign students, and helps them with employment and internships, its president said The number of foreign students in the nation’s colleges and universities hit a five-year high last year, with National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) topping the list with the most international students, Ministry of Education data showed. Last year, 123,188 international students attended Taiwanese colleges and universities, 3,259 more than the previous academic year, the data showed. NTNU had the most international students, with 7,648 students, followed by the National Taiwan University’s 6,249, it showed. NTNU yesterday said that international students accounted for 12.05 percent of its degree students last year. The percentage of overseas Chinese students at the university has also been the highest
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