Typhoon Krosa slammed into Taiwan with strong winds and heavy rains on Saturday forcing hundreds to evacuate and cutting power to thousands as it headed toward mainland China. In China, authorities in the eastern province of Zhejiang ordered officials back to work from their National Day vacation to prepare for the storm, the China Daily reported.
On this all but forgotten Pacific isle ruled by Taiwan, villagers have carved a traditional wooden fishing boat to teach their culture to an ethnic Chinese majority largely unaware of their existence. Twelve men will row the boat more than 65km eastward to Taiwan’s main population centres where they will show off their way of life to locals.
Taiwanwill choose its top China negotiator as its next premier for lack of other job candidates as the former premier leaves to ease tension in the ruling party ahead of the 2008 presidential race. Chang Chun-hsiung, chairperson of the Straits Exchange Foundation, will replace Su Tseng-chang, who announced on Saturday he would step down.
China hit back on Friday at Taiwan’s refusal to admit the Olympic torch, saying the island’s Olympic Committee had reneged on an earlier agreement to let the relay pass through. Beijing, host of the 2008 Summer Games, unveiled the torch relay schedule on Thursday and included self-governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own, as the stop before Hong Kong.
There could be a few strangers at the party when the China-Africa Summit opens on Friday — a rebel group of five countries with formal ties to Beijing’s diplomatic rival, Taiwan. China has invited representatives of the five — Gambia, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Swaziland and São Tomé and PrÃncipe — to attend the summit as observers, although it is still not sure if they are coming.
Typhoon Saomai moved closer to Taiwan’s capital on Wednesday, with landfall expected on Thursday morning, as a tropical storm fizzled at the south end of the island and another changed its course, veering toward the east of Japan. Saomai approached from the east with sustained winds of 155kph and gusts up to 191kph.