Headline News

Lin Chuan appointed new premier

Former Minister of Finance Lin Chuan has been appointed by president-elect Tsai Ing-wen to serve as premier in her administration. Tsai stated that Lin is an excellent communicator and adept at clarifying the nature of an issue among disagreeing views in order to find a solution.

Lin previously served as Minister of Finance under former President Chen Shui-bian. He is currently the chief executive officer of think tank New Frontier Foundation and was a close aide to Tsai during her presidential campaign.

Aviation

Taoyuan airport ranked second best

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TTIA) has for the second consecutive year been ranked the second best airport in the 25 million to 40 million passenger service global category by the Montreal-based Airports Council International (ACI). The ACI report also ranked TTIA the third best airport in the Asia-Pacific 20 million-plus passenger category.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications revealed that TTIA served 38.47 million passengers in 2015, an increase of 7.45 percent compared with 2014. Future expansions are expected to make this number grow to 86 million passengers by 2042.

To meet this expectation TTIA will expand its second terminal. The airport is also set to inaugurate the TTIA metro line and construct additional terminals and an extra runway.

China Airlines to fly non-stop to Amsterdam

Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) is scheduled to conduct direct flights between Taoyuan Airport and Schiphol Airport starting December. CAL Chairman Sun Hung-hsiang stated that the airline is planning direct flights to all of its European destinations from Taoyuan Airport.

CAL has recently ordered a total of 14 A350 jets, Airbus’ newest wide-body airliners. The airline will receive the jets in July and they will allow CAL to elevate its competitiveness in Europe by offering direct flights to and from Taiwan, said Sun.

Technology

FORMOSAT-7 to be launched by year’s end

Taiwan is scheduled to launch the Formosa Satellite No. 7 (FORMOSAT-7) into space by the end of 2016. The satellite is to collect more detailed atmospheric data to enhance the accuracy of weather forecasts, stated the National Space Organization (NSPO).

FORMOSAT-7 is the product of a collaboration between the NSPO and the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is a follow-up to the successful FORMOSAT-3 program launched 10 years ago, which provided 83 countries with data for weather forecasts, climate change and research.

The new satellite consists of 12 microsatellites and is expected to be fully deployed in 2018, NSPO said. The satellite will improve the observation of typhoons and the accuracy of weather forecasts.

Society

Women surpass men in Taiwan

Women in Taiwan have made significant socioeconomic gains in the fields of education, labor participation and wages, stated the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics in a report released on March 4.

In 2015, 45 percent of women aged 15 and above held tertiary education degrees, compared with 39.3 percent for men. The average monthly salary of women in the industrial and services sectors also rose 2.9 percent to US$1,340, compared with a 2.3 percent increase for men. Labor participation rates for women also continued their upwards trend by reaching 50.7 percent.

Sports

Australian cyclist wins Tour de Taiwan

Australian cyclist Robbie Hucker has won the Tour de Taiwan championship. He won the fifth and final leg of the race on March 10, setting a cumulative completion time of 15 hours, 16 minutes and 2 seconds.

Dutch cyclist Peter Schulting placed fourth, but did manage to obtain the polka-dot jersey for being the best climber in the championship. He also won the third leg of the race held on March 8.

The Tour de Taiwan has been officially recognized by the Switzerland-based Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) as a 2.1-class race since 2012 and is part of the UCI Asia Tour.