DIPLOMACY
US criticizes Beijing
The US Department of State on Thursday expressed concern over changes to China’s M503 flight path, saying the US was opposed to any unilateral changes to the cross-strait “status quo” by either side. In an e-mail response, a department spokesperson said the US urged Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in “meaningful dialogue” with Taipei. “Issues related to civil aviation and safety in the Taiwan Strait should be decided through dialogue between both sides,” the spokesperson said. The Civil Aviation Administration of China on Tuesday announced that it was canceling an “offset” of its north-south M503 flight path agreed with Taiwan in 2015. As a result, the flight path, used mostly by Chinese airlines, but also some foreign airlines on flights between China and Southeast Asia, would revert to its original status, coming as close as 4.2 nautical miles (7.8km) to the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
WEATHER
Cold weather to remain
Taiwan is forecast to see cooler weather continue through today due to strengthening northeasterly winds, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Northern Taiwan can expect highs of 20°C to 23°C, a major drop from about 30°C in Taipei and New Taipei City on Thursday, CWA forecaster Chang Cheng-chuan (張承傳) said. The cold air is expected to be relatively mild, with lows of 17°C to 19°C forecast nationwide through today, Chang said. Brief showers can be expected in parts of northern Taiwan and the eastern half of the country, as well as the Hengchun Peninsula today, he said. Temperatures are forecast to begin to rise as the wind system weakens tomorrow, while brief showers are forecast to continue in some areas, he added. Cool weather is expected to return next week with the arrival of a cold front, Chang said. The mercury is forecast to plummet to as low as 13°C to 14°C in central and northern Taiwan in the early morning on Thursday, while other areas could see lows of 16°C, he said. The cold front is expected linger until Saturday next week to Sunday, during which time lows of 11°C to 12°C could be experienced in the north.
CULTURE
Sheeran arrives in Taiwan
British singer Ed Sheeran on Thursday arrived in Kaohsiung for his concert scheduled for today. The concert at the National Stadium is part of the singer’s ongoing “Mathematics Tour” to promote his sixth album, -, and seventh album Autumn Variations, according to organizers Kuang Hong Arts. After his arrival, Sheeran spent some time sightseeing in the city and posted Instagram stories of various locations, including the Pier-2 Art Center (駁二藝術特區) and the inflatable yellow ducks at Love River Bay. His last performance in Taiwan was his 2019 “Divide World Tour” show in Taoyuan. Today’s concert is to be opened by British singer Calum Scott at about 7pm, and Sheeran is to take the stage at about 8pm, according to the Kuang Hong Arts Web site. Eyeing the economic boost the concert could bring, the Kaohsiung City Government has launched a program whereby fans can receive coupons by showing their concert tickets. The coupons, worth NT$50 each, can be picked up until tomorrow at six metro stations — Formosa Boulevard, Zuoying, Kaohsiung Main Station, Sanduo Shopping District, Kaohsiung Arena and Yanchengpu — and can be used until April 30, the Kaohsiung Economic Development Bureau said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
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