Taiwan emerged as the biggest winner at the 2020 IDC Smart City Asia Pacific Awards (SCAPA), according to the organizer, U.S.-headquartered International Data Corp. (IDC). The Taipei, New Taipei, Tainan and Kaohsiung city governments won awards in the education, civic engagement, smart water, public health and social services categories, respectively, according to IDC.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) gave its assurance Tuesday that the country's health will remain a priority amid the COVID-19 pandemic when the government discusses mutual relaxation of border restrictions with other countries.
Indonesia's state-owned Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) will issue special student debit cards to Indonesian students in Taiwan to help minimize administrative fees and promote discounts within businesses in the Indonesian community, according to the bank.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) announced a stimulus voucher program Tuesday that allows users to buy NT$3,000 worth of vouchers for NT$1,000 (US$33), in an effort to boost consumption. All 23 million Taiwanese citizens and 150,000 foreign and Chinese spouses who hold residency permits, regardless of age or income level, can purchase the vouchers which will be issued from July 15, in both paper and electronic form, Su added.
There are four overseas Taiwan schools in Southeast Asia. During this epidemic prevention period, all four schools have suspended classes in compliance with local government regulations. In addition, they have also implemented online teaching courses through e-learning platforms such as ‘EDU Cloud’ and ‘Taipei CooC-Cloud’ according to the regulations of ‘suspend classes but keep learning online’ in our nation.
Premier Su Tseng-chang announced a stimulus program aimed at boosting consumption in Taiwan June 2 as part of ongoing government efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the local economy. Under the NT$50 billion (US$1.67 billion) project, all 23 million Taiwan nationals—including those residing overseas and babies born during the project’s implementation period—plus over 150,000 foreign spouses of Taiwan citizens with residency are eligible to receive the benefits.
Premier Su Tseng-chang and his Cabinet officials called a press conference Tuesday to announce a “triple stimulus” voucher program that allows people to purchase NT$3,000 (US$100) worth of vouchers for just NT$1,000. By encouraging spending and stimulating the economy, the program will help Taiwan to turn crisis into opportunity and safely weather the coronavirus pandemic, the premier said.
According to Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of late May 2020 more than 5 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 340,000 deaths from the disease have been confirmed worldwide.
