Chinese pair wins Four Continent Figure Skating Championships

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) Olympic silver medalists Qing Pang and Jian Tong of China won their fifth pairs title in the 2011 Four Continent Figure Skating Championships Friday with a convincing victory.

The 2010 world champions had a season-best 128.04 points Friday night in the free skating category for a total of 199.45 points to win the prestigious event after previous victories in 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009.

The Chinese pair also led the short program Thursday with 71.41 points.

Tong told reporters that the duo were happy with the win despite committing some errors and their next goal would be to win the World Championships next month, to be held in Nagano, Japan.

Canadian duo Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford were second with a total of 181.79 points after finishing second in the long program while compatriots Paige Lawrence and Rudy Swiegers were third with 171.73 points despite finishing fourth in the long program.

Daisuke Takahashi of Japan, the 2010 world champion, enjoyed a comfortable lead in the men's short program with 83.49 points. Jeremy Abbott of the Unites States was second with 76.73 points while Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu was third with 72.71 points.

Takahiko Kozuka, who beat Takahashi in last year's Japan national championship, finished a disappointing sixth with 66.25 points.

Takahashi said the setback at home last year motivated him to be more dedicated to the sport so he could be in peak form at the World Championships.

(By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Taiwan-Canada working holiday quota raised to 1,000: CTOT

Taipei, Dec. 7 (CNA) More Taiwanese will be able to take a working holiday in Canada in 2011 after Canada raised the quota for Taiwanese participation in the program from 700 to 1,000, the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) said in a statement Tuesday.

"The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei is pleased to announce that we have increased our quota for the 2011 International Experience Canada initiative to 1,000 for Taiwan, " the office said.

Taiwan and Canada signed an agreement earlier this year to launch the working holiday program on July 1. Under the program, people aged 18-35 from the two countries are allowed to travel and work in each other's territory for up to one year.

The original annual quota of 200 was raised to 700 on July 27 because of an enthusiastic response from local youth.

The CTOT said it will be accepting applications for the program postmarked on or after Jan. 10, 2011.

Taiwan has signed working holiday agreements with six countries -- Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Germany and Japan. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Canada to facilitate trade with Taiwan: Canadian representative

Taipei, Oct. 7 (CNA) Canada is trying to facilitate stronger business exchanges with Taiwan through a "block-building" process and to take advantage of the favorable environment following the signing of a cross-Taiwan Strait trade pact, Canada's representative in Taiwan said Thursday.

Canada has "re-positioned Taiwan as an ideal partner in light of the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) , " said Scott Fraser, Executive Director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT), the North American country's representative office in Taiwan.

With direct flights and liberalized trade across the Taiwan Strait, "a lot of people are taking a second look at Taiwan's regional relevancy... (the ECFA) certainly makes Taiwan a much more attractive investment location for Canadian companies and a good base for doing business with China, " Fraser said at a media briefing.

Responding to a reporter's question about the possibility of a free trade agreement (FTA) between Canada and Taiwan, Fraser said neither side has ever raised the issue. He added, though, that Canada is pursuing FTAs with several other countries, including the European Union, South Korea and Singapore.

Speaking on the issue of visa-free privileges for Taiwanese entering Canada, he said that "consultations in Canada are still continuing and we hope a final decision will be made fairly soon." He also noted that the issue is not linked to Taiwan's ban on imports of Canadian beef.

In terms of the beef ban, Fraser said that since the Canadian authorities have provided data and scientific evidence that guarantees the safety of the beef, his office does not understand the ban.

He said Canada hopes to foster closer collaboration with Taiwan, particularly on energy, which could help reduce Taiwan's dependence on foreign energy imports.

Fraser added that Canada also hopes to see positive results on negotiations for avoidance of double taxation and for customs cooperation. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Canadian office in Taiwan to be relocated

Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT), Canada's representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official bilateral diplomatic ties, said in a press release Tuesday that its office will be closed Aug. 19-23 due to relocation.

No visa or passport services will be available during the relocation period, the CTOT said, adding that its office will reopen Aug. 24 at No. 1, Songzhi Rd., Xinyi district, located in Taipei's busiest commercial district.

"The new CTOT represents a significant re-investment for Canada and demonstrates the value we place on Canada-Taiwan relations. Over the next year, as the CTOT celebrates 25 years in Taiwan, we will be announcing a number of new initiatives which will make Canada an even more attractive and convenient place to visit, work, study or to do business, " said CTOT Executive Director Scott Fraser. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan, Canada to play for 5th place in world baseball tourney

Tokyo, Aug. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's national university baseball team bounced back from a disappointing loss and its worst finish in the World University Baseball Championship to rout Sri Lanka 21-0 in five innings Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

The Taiwan team is scheduled to play Canada for the fifth place Friday in Tokyo's Meiji Jingu Stadium. But whether Taiwan wins or loses that game, this year will be its worst showing at the tournament. Taiwan finished third in 2008, second in 2006 and fourth in 2004 and 2002.

In the quarterfinal game against Japan Wednesday, Taiwan was blanked 0-13 in seven innings.

The defeat dealt a devastating blow to the team but also served as a great lesson, said team manager Yeh Chih-shien, who has participated in all five championships.

"These players are among the best at the college and amateur level in Taiwan, " he said. " We've learned from the loss that Taiwan still has a long way to go to compete with the best teams in the world," he added.

By Thursday, the team had reorganized and it blasted 19 hits against Sri Lanka. Newcomer Huang Yi-kun had three hits, including two home runs, and drove in six runs.

Yeh, who was not happy with Taiwan's inconsistent offense, said that the key against Canada will once again be the team's offensive performance.

The semifinalists in the tournament are Cuba, South Korea, the United States and host Japan.

The tournament will end Saturday. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Taiwan's technology success underappreciated: Canadian scientist

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) The success and degree of sophistication of Taiwan's science and technology development is much better than the credit it receives, a Canadian scientist said in a recent interview.

"Taiwan's strength sometimes is not recognized by others... perhaps because it lives in the shadow of a large neighbor (China), " said Arthur Carty, who was appointed as a science adviser to Taiwan's premier and a member of the board of Taiwan's Executive Yuan Science and Technology Advisory Group (STAG) in September 2008.

Taiwan has almost all the elements of a technologically advanced country, including fine universities, innovation and leading companies, said Carty, who is also the executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

Carty jokingly said Canada has been suffering from the same lack of attention because of a powerful neighbor -- the United States.

Most people don't recognize Bombardieur, the world's No.1 air and railway technology company, as a Canadian enterprise, and the same goes for Blackberry smartphone developer Research in Motion (RIM), he added.

As an observer of Taiwan's technology development and a scientist who has collaborated with Taiwan's universities and research institutes for over a decade, Carty said Taiwan's investment in science and technology in the past 10 years has been "by and large very wise" and the vast investment has paid off.

Taiwan's decision to focus on computer and information technology development 20 years ago has turned out to be a brilliant policy as a number of its companies have had global success, he said.

Taiwan's investment in nanotechnology will also pay off in the future and will benefit all sectors, he said.

However, the development of biotechnology in Taiwan has been "largely unsuccessful" despite the resources and investment the government has poured into it, Carty said. This is probably because the basic research is "not solid enough," he said.

Another impressive aspect of Taiwan's development in the field of science is its integrated approach and formulation of national policy, he said.

For example, at a one-week STAG meeting, government officials, industry professionals, research and development experts and academics reviewed and discussed a number of proposals before throwing out the bad ones, he said.

"We don't have anything like that in Canada, " said Carty, who served as the first science advisor to the prime minister and the government of Canada from 2004-2008.

He said that Taiwan and Canada will be able to complement each other in the area of nanotechnology. In Taiwan's case, it can carry out clinical trials of nano medicine to help Canada in related research fields and provide expertise in solar cell development, he said.

The University of Waterloo, one of the top Canadian universities in nanotechnology, has signed partnership agreements with two Taiwanese universities and will seek to do the same with three others, he said. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Taiwan-Canada working holiday program launched

Taipei, July 7 (CNA) A total of 200 young Taiwanese were selected Wednesday as the first participants in a working holiday program between Canada and Taiwan.

"I had expected the applications would be overwhelming, " said Scott Fraser, Executive Director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) , after a draw to pick 200 names from a pool of 516 applicants.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that took effect July 1, the administrative process will be simplified for people aged 18-35 from Canada and Taiwan who wish to travel and work in each other's territory for up to one year. Each side has offered a quota of 200 of multiple entry visas in the first year of the program.

Toby Schwartz, CTOT's deputy director of general relations, encouraged the Taiwanese whose names were drawn to take advantage of the range of travel opportunities Canada offers.

"It's a big place with different specific characters in each area, such as the west coast and the east coast, " she said.

Schwartz said she hopes the Taiwanese who take part in the program would make friends with Canadians and "go back to study in Canada, taking short courses or learning either English or French."

The 200 candidates selected in the draw will be screened further and 20 standby names have been drawn in case of any of the candidates fail to meet the requirements, Schwartz said.

Canada was the fourth country to sign a working holiday agreement with Taiwan, while Taiwan was the 22nd country to do so with Canada.

"This is a great opportunity for Canadian and Taiwanese youth. Canadians can travel and work in Taiwan for up to a year, gaining valuable work and professional development experience. Taiwanese young people can do the same in Canada, " Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said in a press release earlier in the day.

Taiwan also has working holiday agreements with Australia, New Zealand and Japan and was the fourth country in the Asia-Pacific region to make such an arrangement with Canada, after Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

In 2009, the number of Canadians who traveled abroad under the working holiday program was 19,000, while Canada hosted 53,000 youth from other countries.

With regard to Taiwan's hope of being included in Canada's visa waiver program, Fraser said the relevant authorities in her country looked at the technical aspects of the issue several months ago and found no problem, but a final decision has not yet been made.

"It would be a good thing if Taiwan is included, but there's no schedule yet at this point," she said. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Taiwan, Canada ink working holiday MOU

Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Canada has become the fourth country to sign a working holiday agreement with Taiwan, allowing young people to travel and work in each other's country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced at a press conference Friday.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on youth mobility, which aims to simplify the administrative process for young people aged 18-35 from Canada and Taiwan who wish to travel and work in each other's territory for up to one year, was signed in the Canadian capital of Ottawa earlier in the day by the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada (TECO) early Friday, said MOFA spokesman Henry Chen.

CTOT represents Canadian interests in Taiwan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic ties, while TECO functions as Taiwan's representative office in Ottawa.

"Through this arrangement, Canadian and Taiwanese youth can gain a unique travel, work and life experience abroad, enriching their understanding of each other's culture, " said CTOT Executive Director Scott Fraser in a press release. "Such exchanges will also further strengthen the longstanding people-to-people ties between Canada and Taiwan," he added.

Taiwan signed similar agreements with Australia and New Zealand in 2004 and with Japan in 2009. It is the fourth country in the Asia-Pacific region to have made such arrangements with Canada, following Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, according to Chen.

He said the MOU is expected to come into effect July 1. Each side will offer a quota of 200 of multiple entry visas in the first year of the program, increasing the number over the next few years depending on the popularity of the program.

The program is expected to boost bilateral tourism. According to statistics provided by Taiwan's Tourism Bureau, the number of Taiwanese nationals traveling to Canada plummeted from 112,413 in 2004 to 61,893 in 2009.

The existing working holiday programs are going smoothly, Chen went on, with more than 12,000 applicants -- 600 for New Zealand, 2,000 to Japan and more than 10,000 to Australia -- last year.

Meanwhile, Winston Chen, deputy director-general of MOFA's Department of North American Affairs, said the ministry has been working hard toward Canada's granting of visa-free privileges for Taiwanese nationals and will continue to do so.

In terms of Taiwan's potential filing of a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Canada over its refusal to allow generalized preferential tariffs on Taiwan-made textile products, he said this will not have a negative impact on the visa negotiations.

"Bilateral relations between Taiwan and Canada are on the right track and are too good to be damaged by a trade dispute, " he said, adding that Taiwan will still do its best to protect its own interests once the case is in the WTO. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Ex-Latvian president offers political insights

Taipei, April 13 (CNA) Former president of the Republic of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga shared her observations on various political topics from her unique point of view as a psychologist Tuesday before concluding a week-long visit to Taiwan.

All countries are advised to use referendums cautiously because in some cases people tend to be misinformed, she told reporters, adding that her training in psychology gave her an advantage as "a good listener" in comparison to other politicians.

Vike-Freiberga, 72, visited Taiwan amid heated local debate on whether to hold a referendum on a proposed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and China aimed at lowering tariffs and relaxing trade regulations.

Citing the example of a failed ratification of the European Constitution in France in 2005, Vike-Freiberga said French voters did not vote for the Constitution not because they did not support the treaty but because they did not like the government led by then-President Jacques Chirac.

The failed first referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland in 2008, she added, was a classical case of misinformation because under Irish law the government is not allowed to promote its policy. The opposition gave the electorate false information and successfully prevented the passage of the referendum.

"This is the danger in referendum... It's very easy to mislead them (the voters) . Psychologically this potential of misinformation of the issue of referendum makes referendum, I think, an insecure instrument for finding out the true position of the people, " she said.

Vike-Freiberga was elected president of Latvia in 1999. In 2003, she was re-elected for a second term. During her tenure, she played a crucial role in leading Latvia to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the EU.

Vike-Freiberga, who has previously been nominated to run for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations and for President of the European Council, declined to comment any further on Taiwan's political relations and economic initiative with China.

However, she said she saw nothing but a promising economic future for Taiwan because the country has always been at the forefront of innovation, development of high technology, and re-orienting itself to an economy of high value-added products, which she described as "the only way of survival in a modern world of free trade." In a free trade world, "you cannot protect yourself the way you did before, " but at the other end of the spectrum Taiwan is able to gain the access to the huge China market and create a huge opportunity, she said.

In terms of the sensitive agriculture issue, she acknowledged that it has been a complicated issue and "one of the thorniest problems in the world, which everyone has to face." "Any country has to think about having enough food to feed its people in case something happens. To some extent, each country has to produce some food, " she said, adding that this is why farmers in the EU are so heavily subsidized. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

MOFA addresses traveler's Canadian border incident

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) A Taiwanese traveler's problems with Canadian officials were caused by cultural and language differences, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Saturday, but added that the government had called for better attitudes from Canadian border officials.

Lee Chun-hua, 50, was denied entry at Vancouver International Airport March 10 and repatriated to Taiwan, where she wrote a letter to the MOFA and several media outlets complaining about the incident.

Bombarded by local media and legislators, the ministry called a press conference Saturday hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy C.T. Yang.

Yang said that his ministry had handled Lee's complaint promptly, contacting Canadian authorities in Taiwan and ordering Taiwan's representative offices in Ottawa and Vancouver to look into the matter.

Meanwhile, Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang told the media that President Ma Ying-jeou had called Yang to voice his concern over the issue.

Lo said Ma instructed the MOFA to seek more information from the Canadian authorities about what really happened and ordered that efforts must be made to safeguard the dignity and human rights of Taiwan's people.

Ma said the MOFA should file a protest if the Taiwanese national received unfair treatment at the Canadian airport and if the Canadian side could not give a reasonable explanation for treating the traveler in such a way, Lo noted.

According to media reports, Lee was traveling alone to Canada and had planned to stay 15 days. Upon arrival, she was told by immigration officials that her visa had expired and she would be deported. Lee was asked to sign a document agreeing to voluntarily leave Canada or face detention for two to three days pending further investigation.

After Lee said she was worried the incident would cause her problems traveling in the future, the ministry negotiated with the Canadian border and immigration agency and requested that no records of the visit be kept, Yang said.

Yang said that the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) , Canada's authority in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, agreed to the request and said Lee was welcome to visit Canada again. The office also promised to help Lee with her visa application process should she wish to reapply.

Yang urged Canadian law enforcement officials to adopt a better attitude when dealing with foreign visitors and advised Taiwanese travelers to honestly and correctly answer questions from foreign immigration officials when traveling abroad.

Yang said he didn't believe the case would have an impact on Canada's decision on visa-free privileges for Taiwan's citizens, which reports have said will be granted this year.

"There are 150,000 Taiwanese who visit Canada every year. Cases and misunderstandings like this happen once in a while in every country, " he said.

Yang said that if needed, the ministry will help Lee -- who is reportedly seeking compensation from the Canadian government -- with further negotiations. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

MOFA to protest treatment of Taiwanese traveler in Canada

Taipei, March 17 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday it plans to lodge a strong protest with Canadian authorities against a reported case of mistreatment of a female Taiwanese traveler by Canadian immigration officials.

According to local media reports Wednesday, Lee Chung-hua, 50, was denied entry at Vancouver International Airport March 10 and questioned by Canadian immigration officials about why she was traveling to Canada on an one-way ticket and an expired visa, and was carrying more than a dozen underwear items in her luggage.

"We will file an official protest with the Canadian government once the facts of this case have been confirmed, " said Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang. "The MOFA will fulfill its responsibility of protecting our nationals." The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT), the official Canadian authority in Taiwan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic ties, said that Canada's Privacy Act prohibits sharing an individual's personal information with third parties. "Canada welcomes millions of visitors from around the globe each year. Over 275,000 Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs) were issued to Taiwanese from 2005 through 2009. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the entry process is very smooth, " the CTOT said.

According to media reports, Lee was traveling alone to Canada and had planned to stay 15 days. Upon arrival, she was told by immigration officials that her visa had expired and she would be deported, the reports stated.

She was asked to sign a document, agreeing to voluntarily leave Canada or else face detention for two-three days pending further proceedings, it was reported.

Citing Article 42 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Canadian officials asked Lee to leave the country, the report said. They prohibited her from contacting her family in Vancouver and confiscated her mobile phones, notebooks and personal belongings, Lee was quoted as saying.

The MOFA has contacted Lee and notified the Taiwan representative offices in Ottawa and Vancouver about the case, MOFA spokesman Henry Chen said. Taiwan's representatives in Canada have also contacted the Canadian foreign ministry and immigration to express concern over the matter and to request an investigation into the case, he added.

He urged Taiwan nationals to call the toll-free international phone number 800-0885-0885 in case of emergency during travel abroad. Relatives of Taiwan citizens who are on overseas trips can also call the domestic toll-free number 0800-085-095 for assistance, he said. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc 

Canadian Trade Office to host high definition surveillance seminar

Taipei, March 4 (CNA) The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) will host a seminar March 5 on high definition surveillance systems and their benefits to correctional facilities, transportation systems, corporate and academic campuses as well as manufacturing plants and energy-related facilities, the office said Thursday.

"There is no doubt in the world that video surveillance has come a very long way in the past few years, " said CTOT Executive Director Scott Fraser.

He noted that since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, there have been major changes in the security infrastructure in North America.

"The United States has introduced security measures at its seaports, airports, in public spaces and along its borders to guard against potential attacks," he said.

He added that this reality has led to significant advances in the information technology security industry in Canada to the point where corporations and governments worldwide now rely on Canada's expertise in biometrics, cryptography and encryption, mobile authentication, cybersecurity, public safety and product certification.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng and Kuo Yi-Chun, an industry analyst at the Industrial Technology Research Institute, will be two of the key speakers at the seminar.

The event, titled "High Definition Surveillance Seminar: Benchmark for the Future," will be held March 5 from 9: 30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m at the Westin Taipei, which is located at 133 Nanjing East Road, Section 3.

Canada-Taiwan forestry management workshop to be held Thursday

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) A workshop will be held Thursday to study and share forestry management experience and development in Canada and Taiwan, with the goal of maintaining a sustainable and livable environment, organizers said Wednesday.

The "Sustainable Forestry Management Workshop", organized by the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) and Forest Products Association of Canada, will be a one-day event to discuss sustainable forest management in Canada and study the development of a forest product industry in Taiwan.

"With 10 percent of the world's forests, Canada accepts the reality that its forest management has global implications, " CTOT Executive Director Scott Fraser said. "Every year, Canada regenerates close to 700,000 hectares of forest -- more than all other countries combined." Fraser said he hopes the workshop will provide both countries with an opportunity to share that experience.

Taiwan is currently one of Canada's biggest trading partners and imports about C$60 million (US$56.8 million) worth of lumber from Canada every year. Taiwan, once a lumber exporter, has 72 percent forest coverage, according to the CTOT.

Bombardier officials visit Taiwan to promote new plane

Taipei, Feb. 11 (CNA) Officials from Canadian transport manufacturer Bombardier wrapped up a two-day visit to Taiwan Thursday in which they gave demonstrations aimed at promoting the company's lower-emission and fuel-efficient airliners.

Bombardier Aerospace arranged two demonstration flights of its Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner at Taipei's Songshan Airport for representatives from almost all Taiwan's air carriers, many of which expressed interest, said Kelvin Hung, a representative of Bombardier's commercial agent in Taiwan.

"The demo tour received positive responses from the representatives but they will conduct reviews before making decisions," Hung said.

The visit to Taiwan, part of an Asia-Pacific tour, presented an opportunity to showcase one of the world's most technologically advanced turboprops optimized for the short-haul regional market, said Trung Ngo, the company's Asia Pacific vice president of sales.

Taiwanese carriers are looking to replace older airliners in their fleets and, after the Taiwan High Speed Rail began operating in 2007, have changed their operating strategies to focus on flights serving outlying islands such as Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu instead of other domestic flights, Hung said.

They are expected to use their jet planes for direct flights between Taiwan and China and to use turboprop airliners with a capacity of between 56 and 80 passengers for flights to the outlying islands, he added.

The planes could also be used for the "mini three links" that allow for limited postal, transport, and trade links between China's Fujian Province cities of Xiamen, Mawei and Quanzhou, and Taiwan's islands of Kinmen and Matsu.

Taiwan must handle any beef talks with Canada carefully: MOFA

Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) Taiwan would have to carefully handle any negotiations with Canada on lifting a ban on Canadian beef imports, as the controversy over U.S. beef is still raging, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Thursday.

Canada would welcome a reopening of the Taiwan market to Canadian beef, but because of the political storm over U.S. beef imports, Canada is probably hesitant to discuss the issue right now, said Harry Tseng, Director-General of MOFA's Department of North American Affairs.

Canada has not brought up the beef issue recently, Tseng said in response to a question from the media, adding that on the basis of the recent amendment to the Act Governing Food Sanitation, Taiwan would love to sit down with Canada to talk about the issue.

However, a risk assessment would have to be carried out before any such negotiations, he said. The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei declined to comment on the issue. In comparison with the U.S. beef trade issue, Tseng said, the reopening of the Taiwan market to Canadian beef imports would be a "relatively simpler issue" because the bilateral discussions would involve only bone-in beef. Ground beef and offal -- beef parts that are considered at risk of spreading bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease -- would not be included, he added.

Taiwan reopened its market to Canadian boneless beef in June 2007, almost four years after it imposed a ban when the first case of mad cow disease was reported in Canada.

Currently import of Canadian boneless beef from cattle aged under 30 months is allowed in Taiwan.

According to the Australian Trade Commission, Australia holds the biggest market share of 46 percent in Taiwan for beef and beef products, while New Zealand ranks second with 27 percent, the U.S. third with 17 percent, and Canada fourth with 2 percent.

The Canadian beef import issue is separate from Taiwan's request for visa-free entry of its citizens to Canada, Tseng said, adding that the negotiations will be parallel.

David Lee, Taiwan's representative to Canada, "has been working tirelessly on the visa-waiver program, which is now in the final phase of discussion," Tseng said.

"Hopefully there will be some good news soon," he said.

Also on Thursday, Reuters reported that four senior U.S. Congressmen -- Charles Rangel, Sander Levin, Dave Camp and Kevin Brady -- said in a letter to U.S. trade representative Ron Kirk that the U.S. should not resume trade and investment talks with Taiwan unless Taiwan reverses its ban on certain U.S. beef products.

"We do not believe that the United States should move forward with these talks until Taiwan is once again compliant with its obligations," the congressmen said in the letter.

"Our president was right to suspend the trade and investment framework (TIFA) talks, and I don't see how those could resume until this matter is resolved," Camp said in a separate statement.

Taiwan's legislature voted earlier this month to abrogate a beef agreement reached with the U.S. last year and resume a partial ban on U.S. beef, amid a political controversy in which the opposition accused the administration of ignoring the public's health.

MOFA has asked Taiwan's representative to the U.S. to talk to the lawmakers, especially Rangel who has visited Taiwan almost 30 times, Tseng said.

The banned ground beef and offal would account for only 2 percent of total U.S. beef imports, he noted.

Noting that the first batch of U.S. bone-in beef has arrived in Taiwan, Tseng said the beef market is expected to gradually settle down. Taiwan hopes that the controversy will ease after U.S. beef importers begin to see profits, he added.

Taiwan loses to South Korea, finishes third in baseball qualifiers

Taipei, March 14 (CNA) A hard-fought 4-3 loss to long-time Asian rival South Korea Friday did nothing to diminish Taiwan's third-place finish in the 2008 Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament, at least not in the eyes of a sellout crowd of 15,000 in Taichung.

Taiwan battled to the last at-bat before falling, but the team no one expected to do well 10 days ago has regained the confidence of skeptical home fans by gaining an Olympic berth with its surprising 5-2 record in the tourney.

Trailing by one with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Chiang Chih-hsien's double gave Taiwan a last chance to send the game in extra innings.

But after Korean closer Chong Tae-hyon intentionally walked Chang Chien-ming, he got Lin Che-hsuan on a pop up that was caught in foul territory in front of the Koreans' dugout.

In last night's other game, Canada beat Germany 2-1 to draw even with South Korea at the top of the standings with a 6-1 record, but the Canadians finished as tournament champion on the strength of winning their head-to-head battle 4-3 on Thursday.

Canada, Taiwan and South Korea will join five other five teams -- host China, Asian champion Japan, European title holder the Netherlands and two teams from the Americas, Cuba and the U.S. -- in the 2008 Olympics in August.

Although Taiwan and South Korea had clinched Olympic berths prior to last night's tournament finale, neither wanted to lose the "meaningless" game, broadcast live in both countries.

Taiwan jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Lin Che-hsuan smashed an RBI-double off the centerfield wall and scored on an error when South Korea failed to convert a double play.

It didn't take long for the Koreans to retaliate. They capitalized on two Taiwanese errors and two hits from their power hitters, including Lee Seung-yeop's double, off Taiwan's surprise starter Lee Chen-chang to take a 3-2 lead in the second inning.

Korea made it 4-2 an inning later when Kim Joo-chan stole second and third and scored on Ko Young-min's single.

Taiwan cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth when Chang Chien-ming scored on Peng Cheng-min's single after having walked and advanced to second on Lin Che-hsuan's sacrifice bunt.

Reliever Chang Chih-chia showed his best form since 2001, when he came out of nowhere and led Taiwan to the bronze medal in the Baseball World Cup. Chang allowed five hits in 6.1 shutout innings and twice picked off runners on first base.

"We didn't win this game but we did our best, " Chang said, also telling his fans that "the old Chang is coming back. I'm almost there."

Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun, a 19-year-old lefthander, struck out five and gave up five hits before being relieved by Hwang Doo-sung in the sixth.

-- Final Standings: (* - clinched Olympic berths)
1. Canada 6-1*
2. South Korea 6-1*
3. Taiwan 5-2*
4. Mexico 4-3
5. Australia 4-3
6. Germany 2-5
7. Spain 1-6
8. South Africa 0-7

Heartbreaking loss for Taiwan in Baseball qualifiers

Taipei, March 10 (CNA) When Taiwan qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympic baseball tournament, it broke Korean hearts by rallying to oust South Korea after being one out away from defeat.

More than four years later, Taiwan may soon find out how the Koreans felt.

One out away from a victory that would have almost certainly qualified it for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Taiwan stumbled against Canada 6-5 in extra innings Monday night in the 2008 Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Taichung.

Up 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, Taiwan seemed poised for a huge victory against one of its key rivals in the eight-team tournament, but 21-year-old reliever Lo Chia-jen could not close the deal.

With two out and Canadian Stubby Clapp on first, Lo threw a disastrous wild pitch that advanced Clapp to second.

The right-hander then made a good pitch, a tough breaking ball on the outside part of the plate than an off-balance Michael Saunders pulled through the right side of the infield to send home the tying run, with Clapp just beating the throw home.

In the top of the 10th, two consecutive hits off one of Taiwan's few big name pitchers, Yomiuri Giants hurler Chiang Chien-ming, put Canada ahead for good.

The loss left Taiwan tied with Canada at 3-1 for second place in the standings, with South Korea still undefeated at 4-0. The top three finishers in the tournament will advance to the Olympics.

The impact of the defeat was somewhat cushioned by Australia's 7-4 loss to Mexico last night that left the Australians 2-2.

Taiwan plays Australia Wednesday night in a must-win game for both teams.

Taiwan jumped to an early lead against Canada in front of a raucous capacity crowd at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, with three first inning singles and some shaky Canadian defense staking the home side to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Canada tied the score at 2-2 with four hits in the top of third and added one run apiece in the fourth and sixth innings to take a 4-2 lead. Nicholas Weglarz had a solo home run off Taiwanese starter Ni Fu-te, who allowed three runs and nine hits in 7 2/3 innings.

But Lo Kuo-hui looked set to be the hero when he popped a three-run home run just over the centerfield fence off Canadian starter Jonathan Lockwood with two outs in the bottom of sixth to give Taiwan a 5-4 lead.

Taiwan preserved the lead in the bottom of the eighth when Taiwan catcher Yeh Chun-chang took a throw from right field and tagged out Canadian runner James Van Ostrand shoulder first in a collision at the plate.

Van Ostrand and Yeh then clashed, causing both benches to clear and setting off heated arguments between the two managers and the umpires.

During the 20-minute delay, the home crowd threw mineral water bottles on the field, nearly leading to a Canadian boycott of the game.

In other games Monday, South Korea beat Spain 14-5 to go 4-0 and Germany edged South Africa 4-3.

Standings:
South Korea 4-0
Taiwan 3-1
Canada 3-1
Australia 2-2
Germany 2-2
Mexico 1-3
Spain 1-3
South Africa 0-4

Birders optimistic, confident about Taiwan's ecotourism development

Taipei, Dec. 5 (CNA) Taiwan has nearly all it takes to develop top quality ecotourism, which is expected to be a niche industry in the future, although there are still some areas requiring work, a senior birder and ecotourism guide said Wednesday.

"Bio-diversity richness; a well-developed transportation system; safety: these three elements explain why Taiwan has been a popular destination for eco-tourists from abroad, " said Simon Liao, Vice Chairman of Taiwan International Birding Association (TIBA) who also works as a guide for eco-tourists.

Liao, freshly back from a mission to Saint Lucia, Taiwan's diplomatic ally in the Caribbean, to help it develop ecotourism and birding infrastructure, took time to reflect on Taiwan's own ecotourism on the sidelines of a press conference.

Not too many people are aware of that Taiwan has been doing well in ecotourism, attracting mostly foreign birders, Liao said.

The average expenses for a foreign birder for a 10-11 day stay in Taiwan are an astonishing NT$ 230,000 (approximately US$7,094), Liao said, adding that he once received a group of British birders who were charged 5,220 pounds (approximately NT$348,000) each for the trip.

"If you knew the business well enough, this would not be a surprise because there are 'three highs' among common ecotourists: an advanced age, a high level of education, and a high consumption capacity, " Liao said.

Hardly anyone he has received in the past has complained about his experience in Taiwan, Liao said, adding that most ecotourists came from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and the Netherlands.

"Of course, the most impressive thing they found in Taiwan was the extreme friendliness of our people, which has long be known, " he noted.

However, the bilingual services in cheaper hotels did need to be upgraded and more professional guides were needed to develop a stronger ecotourism industry, he said.

Taiwan, Canada renew sci-tech MOU

Taipei, Nov. 12 (CNA) Taiwan and Canada renewed a science and technology Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Monday for an additional five years of bilateral collaboration, hoping to strengthen a relationship that will result in future scientific, technological and commercial gains.

The MOU extension, which will run 2007-2012, was jointly signed by Ron MacIntosh, Director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) and Dr. Pierre Coulombe, President of National Research Council (NRC) Canada along with their Taiwanese counterparts: David Lee, Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Canada, and Minister of National Science Council (NSC) Chen Chien-jen.

"The NSC and NRC have made significant commitments to building bilateral science and technology cooperation. The collaboration between the two organizations is expanding in a productive and rapid manner, " Chen said in the signing ceremony.

Taiwan has been collaborating with Canada on energy, health and the environment and working on fields such as fuel cells, biomass, solar, wind and nuclear energies, biophotonics and medicine, Chen said. Most of these technologies, he added, aim at reducing Taiwan's carbon dioxide emissions.

In 1997, the NSC and NRC formally inaugurated the first MOU, which was extended for another five years in 2002.

The relationship between Canada and Taiwan is expanding on all fronts, MacIntosh said, noting that both sides have extended MOUs on education and information and communication technology (ICT) earlier this year. Since 1997, bilateral trade has grown by 30 percent, he said.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung was also impressed by the collaboration, saying that Taiwan and Canada have worked together over the past 10 years and produced research results that have benefited both countries.

The MOU signing was held in conjunction with the 2007 Canada-Taiwan Innovation Week, which included a series of workshops and speeches by Dr. Arthur Carty, National Science Advisor to the Government of Canada, at universities in Taipei, Hsinchu and Tainan.

Festival celebrates lifting of import ban on Canadian beef

Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) A Canadian beef festival opened in Taipei Friday to officially celebrate the lifting of an import ban of more than four years on Canadian beef out of concern over mad cow disease.

The Taiwan government's decision to lift the ban is very much appreciated, said George Groeneveld, minister of agriculture and food of the government of Alberta, the province from which 95 percent of Taiwan's imported Canadian beef came from prior to the ban.

Taiwan re-opened its doors to Canadian boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age in a partial lifting June 23, more than four years after an import ban on beef from Canada, the United States, Japan, Britain and several other European countries was announced Dec. 31, 2003 amid fears over the threat of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease.

"The safety of meat products is ensured by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency of the government of Canada, based on scientific principles and consistent with applicable international standards and rules, " said Ron McIntyre, director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei.

In 2003, Taiwan was Canada's fifth-largest export market for beef. Overall, Taiwan is Canada's fourth-largest market in Asia for agriculture products, said McIntyre.