ECONOMY
Taiwan 14th on rich list
Taiwan ranked 14th among the world’s 100 wealthiest economies in terms of GDP per capita, Forbes magazine said in a report on Monday. With a GDP per capita of US$76,860, Taiwan sat one spot above Hong Kong’s US$75,130. The magazine’s list of the richest economies in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation’s wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to compare economic productivity and standards of living between countries. Luxembourg topped this year’s rich list with a GDP per capita of US$143,740, followed by Macau with US$134,140, Ireland with US$133,900, Singapore with US$133,740 and Qatar with US$112,280. Rounding out the top 10 list are the United Arab Emirates (US$96,850), Switzerland (US$91,930), San Marino (US$86,990), the US (US$85,370) and Norway (US$82,830).
AIRPORT
Airshow may affect flights
Flights in and out of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are to be suspended during three intervals of up to 14 minutes this morning to avoid conflicting with airshows during Double Ten National Day celebrations. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement yesterday that all arrivals and departures today would be suspended from 8:29am to 8:42am, 8:56am to 9:06am and 11:36am to 11:50am. The service suspensions, combined with the possibility that neighboring flight information regions would impose air traffic flow controls due to poor weather, might cause flight delays this morning, the airport operator said. People traveling to the airport to take a flight or pick up arriving friends or relatives are encouraged to check their flight’s status beforehand on the Taoyuan airport Web site, the company said. The main National Day celebration is to take place in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei from 9:05am to 11:40am. The event is to open with a flyover by Taiwan’s indigenous Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer aircraft and is to close with a performance by the air force’s Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team, the event program says.
AIRLINES
Hualien flights to resume
Low-cost airline Hong Kong Express Airways on Tuesday said it would resume direct flights to Hualien County on Dec. 12. The carrier said it would offer four round-trip services each week, ending a six-year hiatus. Hualien would be the carrier’s fourth main destination in Taiwan — after Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung — bringing a total of 144 weekly flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan, the airline said in a statement. “Travelers can embark on a journey of discovery for the mind and body in a city exalted by natural beauty and vibrant culture in just two hours,” Hong Kong Express said of Hualien. The airline launched direct flights between the two destinations in 2016, with average occupancy rates exceeding 95 percent, the Hualien County Government said on Tuesday. However, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Hualien in 2018 led to a sharp decline in tourism demand, resulting in the airline suspending the route on Oct. 27 that year. During a visit to Hualien on Monday, Nicolas Wong (黃 柏燊), general manager of the carrier’s ground services, told Hualien County Commissioner Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) that the Hualien market is well-positioned because younger travelers increasingly favor destinations with “unique tourism resources” instead of large cities.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Celebrations marking Double Ten National Day are to begin in Taipei today before culminating in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on the night of Thursday next week. To start the celebrations, a concert is to be held at the Taipei Dome at 4pm today, featuring a lineup of award-winning singers, including Jody Chiang (江蕙), Samingad (紀曉君) and Huang Fei (黃妃), Taipei tourism bureau official Chueh Yu-ling (闕玉玲) told a news conference yesterday. School choirs, including the Pqwasan na Taoshan Choir and Hngzyang na Matui & Nahuy Children’s Choir, and the Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra, flag presentation unit and choirs,