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.
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
As Taiwan celebrated its baseball team’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 on Sunday, how politicians referred to the team in their congratulatory messages reflected the nation’s political divide. Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei (中華台北隊), made history with its first-ever Premier12 championship after beating Japan 4-0 at the Tokyo Dome. Right after the game, President William Lai (賴清德) congratulated the team via a post on his Facebook page. Besides the players, Lai also lauded the team’s coaching and medical staff, and the fans cheering for them in Tokyo or watching the live broadcast, saying that “every
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