The Council for Hakka Affairs has projected the Hakka population in Taiwan to be at least 4.19 million, or 18.1 percent of the total population. The projection is based on a survey in which 65,000 valid questionnaires were collected. According to the Hakka Basic Act passed last year, Hakka is defined as a descendant of an ethnic Hakka or as a person related to the community and identifying themselves as part of it. Under the latter, broader definition, Taiwan’s Hakka population stands at approximately 5.75 million.
Taiwan saw a net outflow of foreign capital amounting to US$2.148 billion for February, ending five straight months of net inflows, the Financial Supervisory Commission’s Securities and Futures Bureau said March 3. Since Taiwan opened up to foreign investment at the end of 1990, accumulated net inflow of foreign capital stood at US$166.942 billion as of Feb. 28, down from US$169.090 billion at the end of the previous month.
A Taiwan-US project to help reduce poverty and remove unexploded ordnance in Vietnam is proceeding smoothly, winning accolades from the Southesat Asian nation. Wu Jung-chuan, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who visited Vietnam’s Quang Tri Province to check on progress, said the program has been carried out by the ROC government and U.S.-based Humpty Dumpty Institute since 2009. HDI President Ralph Cwerman expressed his appreciation for Taiwan taking the initiative in contributing funds to launch the project. (SB)