Wed, Dec 27, 2023 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  IMPORTS

  Strawberry issues continue

  Fresh strawberries from Japan will remain subject to batch-by-batch border inspections after two more shipments of the fruit were found to contain pesticides, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. The shipments totaling 227.4kg supplied by Toyomarusyouzi Co and City Seika Narita Shuo Co would be returned to the country of origin or destroyed, it said. Sample testing on Dec. 2 found the strawberries from Toyomarusyouzi contained 1.2 parts per million (ppm) of acetamiprid, higher than the permitted limit of 1ppm, and acequinocyl-hydroxyl — a banned pesticide — was also detected in the fruit, FDA deputy head Lin Chin- fu (林金富) said. The strawberries from City Seika Narita Shuo were found to have excessive levels of flonicamid, an insecticide, Lin said. Of the 1,084 batches of Japanese strawberries inspected from Jan. 1 to Dec. 18, 19 failed to meet Taiwan’s safety standards, mostly because they were found to have excessive pesticide residues. Due to the ongoing problems, Taiwan will continue to inspect every shipment of strawberries from Japan until April 30, Lin said.

  

  Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration

  DIPLOMACY

  Somaliland official to visit

  Somaliland Electoral Commission chairman Musa Hassan Yousuf is to visit Taiwan next week to learn about the nation’s election process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The Somaliland delegation is to arrive on Wednesday next week for a six-day visit, Department of West Asian and African Affairs acting deputy director-general Chen Yung-po (陳詠博) said. The delegation is to meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and attend a banquet hosted by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Remus Chen (陳立國), Chen Yung-po said. It is also to visit the Central Election Commission, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice and the international affairs offices of major political parties to learn about Taiwan’s election process, regulations and the role of administrative departments, he said. The delegation is scheduled to meet with groups to learn about citizen participation and their efforts to supervise the government, he said. The trip can help enhance understanding between Taiwan and Somaliland and further deepen bilateral exchanges, he added.

  DIPLOMACY

  Czech Republic deal inked

  Taiwan and the Czech Republic on Friday last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in a bid to boost commercial operations between the two sides, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The MOU covered the Business Opportunities Enhancement Program and was signed by David Steinke, head of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, and Ke Liang-ruey (柯良叡), Taiwan’s representative to the Czech Republic, the ministry said. The MOU says that the Czech Republic will establish a “Czech Center” in Taiwan to better make use of the resources available in the country and deepen connections between the two sides. The two sides would also set up platforms to pursue more economic, technological and cultural exchanges, it said.
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