Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

French delegates conclude Taiwan trip, return home

Taipei Times

Department of European Affairs Director-General Remus Chen, left, sees off a delegation of French senators at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Sunday following a five-day visit to the nation.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times

A delegation of French senators on Sunday departed Taiwan after concluding a five-day visit that included meetings with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other high-level government officials.

Tips for making Taiwan bilingual

Michael Riches

As Taiwan moves toward English-only instruction in 60 percent of elementary and high schools by 2024, with the goal of having a bilingual generation by 2030, the Ministry of Education is looking to ramp up the influx of foreign teachers. Hopefully the plans go beyond this simplistic road map, because some thorny matters need to be addressed.

One of these issues is a frustrating paradox that foreign English teachers in Asia often realize after putting in enough time in the classroom. Countries such as Taiwan, Japan and South Korea place great emphasis on English education, but their societies put up barriers that prevent the language from entering the culture.

The impact of AUKUS on Taiwan

Ou Wei-chun 歐瑋群

The leaders of the US, Australia, India and Japan met on Sept. 24 in Washington for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as “the Quad.” After the conference, they issued a joint statement that contained no reference to China.

However, the following day, huge naval assets from the US, the UK and Australia simultaneously sailed into the South China Sea from four directions, where China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy was conducting drills.

Vietnamese journalist Duan Dang, who specializes in reporting on military affairs, on Sept. 24 started posting updates on Twitter about the situation in the South China Sea and western Pacific.

Ministry urged to extend military service

Taipei Times

Troops conduct drills on the beaches of Bali District in New Taipei City during the Han Kuang exercises on Sept. 16.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times

The Ministry of National Defense should extend military service from four months to at least one year, defense experts said yesterday.

The four months of military service in Taiwan are divided into five weeks of basic training and 11 weeks of specialized training at a military branch training center, which is usually near where recruits live.

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