Taipei - Taiwan's newly-elected President Ma Ying-jeou, under fire for speaking English to foreign guests at formal occasions, on Thursday said it is more convenient for him to speak English to foreigners.

The 57-year-old Harvard law graduate and a fluent English speaker has displayed his linguistic skills since he was sworn in on Tuesday, receiving foreign dignitaries and briefing foreign reporters in English.

Taipei  - Two of Taiwan's 23 diplomatic allies have asked Taiwan's new President Ma Ying-jeou for aid, catching him by surprise the day after his inauguration, a newspaper said on Thursday.

Taipei  - Taiwan's new Defence Minister Chen Chao-min Wednesday said he plans to reduce the number of the island's military personnel from the current 270,000 to
200,000.

Taipei  - Taiwan's parliament on Wednesday voted to allow the exchange of China's currency to facilitate a government plan to open the island for holiday visits by Chinese tourists, officials said.

Taipei  - Taiwan's Evergreen Marine Corp confirmed Wednesday that it would change the registration of 11 of its container ships from Britain to Singapore if Britain changes its tonnage tax rules.

"If it is implemented, we will let our 11 ships which fly the UK flag to register in Singapore," an Evergreen Marine press officer said.

"But our operation in the UK will not change," she said. "Evergreen's subsidiary, Evergreen Marine UK, and our shipping agent in the UK will continue their operations as before."

Chang Jung-fa - chairman of Evergreen Marine, one of the world's leading container shipping lines - protested the proposed change to Britain's tonnage tax rules in a May