00:00The war in the Middle East has sent energy prices soaring, raising fears over what that
00:04means for consumers worldwide, including in Taiwan. On Tuesday, Premier Zhou Rongcai spoke
00:10to lawmakers about how the country is responding. Our reporter Alan Liu has been following developments
00:16in the story and joins us now from our Taiping newsroom. Alan, what did Zhou say the government
00:20is doing about these surging prices?
00:25Hi, Tiffany. The Premier Zhou Rongcai today says that the Cabinet has put together a price
00:31stabilization tax force and has also brought out several response measures, including
00:36emergencies, price control on gas and diesels for consumers. He also said that they are also
00:42providing fuel subsidies for the farming and fishing industries. These would cover about
00:47up to 14% of costs to help ease the burden for the industries that are heavily reliant
00:54on imported fuel. And he also said that there's more to be done. Let's take a listen.
01:05強化跨部會民生商品價格的監測機制。
01:09隨時觀察市場的變化,隨時做機動的調整。
01:14那最後一項是持續關注供應鏈與產業的各項影響。
01:16Now, Taiwan depends heavily on natural gas imports from the Gulf states of Qatar. About
01:23a third of its LNG supply comes from the nation. But Qatar's decision to suspend gas production
01:29last week has prompted Taiwanese officials to think of in alternative ways. That's why
01:34the government today says that it has just now signed a new LNG supply contract with the
01:39U.S. and will start importing more from the country beginning in June. So far, there hasn't
01:45been more details provided on the case, Tiffany.
01:48Alan, besides energy, the war has raised concerns about Taiwan's defense too, right?
01:56Yes, Tiffany. We've been seeing reports that Taiwan's purchases of U.A.'s made Reaper drones
02:02could face pushback. Those who are seen as key elements in fighting off a potential Chinese
02:08military attack and were originally scheduled to arrive in Taiwan later this year. Defense
02:14Minister Wellington could today, however, said in the legislature that there's no such delay on the weapons. He basically denied
02:22the reports and any
02:23other kinds. Some reporters were also asking if Taiwan could potentially supply any weapons to the front
02:30line of the Iran conflict as its retired air defense missiles have been used previously to support Ukraine in a
02:38war
02:38against Russia. The defense minister also said today that there's no such plan to do so. Back to you, Tiffany.
02:45Thanks, Alan. That was Alan Liu reporting from our Taipei Newsroom.
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