WEATHER
Storm not a worry: CWA
A low-pressure system in the northwestern Pacific that was early yesterday upgraded to a tropical storm named Jongdari would not affect Taiwan directly, but might bring heavy rain to the south, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system had been over waters east of the nation and south of Okinawa before it intensified into the ninth tropical storm of the year in the region at 2am yesterday, it said. The storm would have no direct impact on Taiwan as it drifts northward toward the East China Sea and South Korea, it said. Jongdari was 450km east of Taipei at 8am, moving at 17kph to 30kph in a north-northwesterly direction. It had maximum sustained winds of up to 65kph, with gusts reaching up to 90kph, CWA data showed. The storm’s movement might bring heavy rain to central and southern Taiwan as the southwesterly seasonal winds strengthen today, the agency said. Taiwan is currently influenced by the intertropical convergence zone and southwesterly seasonal winds, which could cause rainfall in Taiwan’s southern areas, CWA forecaster Chen Pei-an (陳姵安) said. With Jongdari moving northward, precipitation is expected to expand to Yunlin County today, she said. Meanwhile, the country would experience exceptionally high tides from yesterday to Friday, the CWA said. People in low-lying areas near the coastline from New Taipei City to Chiayi County should be on guard against seawater intrusion, Chen said.
DIPLOMACY
Francois Wu takes new post
Former representative to France Francois Wu (吳志中) on Sunday officially assumed the post of deputy minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Wu, who became the representative to France in 2018, was previously deputy minister of foreign affairs from May 20, 2016, to July 2018 during the administration of then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). Immediately after his inauguration on May 20, President William Lai (賴清德) named Wu deputy minister of foreign affairs following six years in Paris. However, Wu remained in his post until the conclusion of the Paris Olympics before returning to Taiwan, the ministry said. His successor is Hao Pei-chih (郝培芝), former head of the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission. Hao is the first woman to serve as Taiwan’s top envoy to France. She was a member of the advisory committee at the Mainland Affairs Council from 2007 to 2009.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS