Headline News
Measures to evacuate nationals from South Korea if needed
Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan said that measures are in place to evacuate Taiwanese expatriates from South Korea if necessary.
Aircrafts and ships are available and talks held with other related agencies, the Ministry of Defense said.
Taiwan’s Air Force Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Fan Taa-wei, said that eight planes will be available for evacuation of expats.
According to Vice-Adm. Lee Chung-hsiao, the Navy’s Chief of Staff, the navy has two options in place: To take expats directly to Taiwan or to a third country for shelter.
Donation of mine sweeping equipment to anti-IS coalition
As member of the anti-IS coalition, Taiwan will donate US$500,000 worth of demining equipment as part of its humanitarian assistance to the coalition, said Vice Defense Minister Cheng De-mei.
The equipment includes protective gear and precision instruments.
Taiwan has experience in demining resulting from clearing Kinmen of 100,000 landmines, laid in 1949 against a Chinese communist invasion.
Economics
Exports in first quarter highest in 6 years
Taiwan exports rose for the sixth consecutive month in March by13.2 percent from last year to US$25.71 billion, the Ministry of Finance reported. Cumulative exports for the first quarter of 2017 amounted to US$72.15 billion, a 15.1 percent increase over the same period in 2016.
The cumulative imports for the first quarter of this year amounted to US$61.32 billion, a 21.6 percent increase from the same period of last year.
Taiwan’s trade surplus for the first quarter stood at US$10.79 billion.
Taiwan 22nd richest country in the world
U.S. magazine Global Finance ranked Taiwan in a survey of 189 countries and territories as the 22nd richest country in 2016.
The ranking is based on the per capita GDP, adjusted for purchasing power parity, consumer prices, exchange rates and inflation.
Taiwan scored a higher per capita GDP than Canada, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea and the UK.
The Washington-based think tank the Heritage Foundation had also described Taiwan in its 2017 Index of Economic Freedom as one of the richest countries in Asia.
Taiwan’s needle wins 2017 Red Dot Design Award
Taiwan’s “nickel-titanium alloy liposuction needle” was awarded the 2017 Red Dot Design Award, a global product and communication design prize awarded in Germany.
The needle solves many problems of the traditional needle by its ultra-elasticity. It offers a firm grip via its ergonomic design, allowing doctors to exert force in an easier more controlled way.
The award winning needle is produced by the Metal Industries Research and Development Centre in Kaohsiung.
Travel and Aviation
Eva Air Best in Taiwan, seventh in Asia-Pacific
TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, ranked EVA Air the best airline in Taiwan and seventh on the Asia-Pacific top 10 list.
In January, EVA Air was ranked sixth among the top 10 safest airlines in the world by the German-based Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC). It is also one of the nine airlines worldwide to earn SKYTRAX’s 5-Star rating for highest global quality.
China Airlines receives Air Cargo Excellence Award
Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) received the 2017 Air Cargo Excellence Award from the US Air logistics magazine Air Cargo World.
CAL won the gold prize in the 1 million-or-more-tons category. It had previously won the diamond and platinum prize in the same category.
The awards are decided based on the rating of airlines by forwarders on customer service, performance and value.
Taiwan 7th most tourism friendly country in Asia
The World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked Taiwan the 7th most tourism friendly country in Asia in its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017.
In global rankings, Taiwan took the 30th place, the 16th spot in ground and port transportation facilities, 26th in cultural resources and business travel and 28th in terms of safety.
The WEF rankings are based on tourism friendliness, business environment and infrastructure, as well as human, cultural and natural resources.