2024/05/20

Taiwan Today

Taiwan Review

The month in Free China

October 01, 1971
Two hundred and fifty thousand people massed in the Presidential Square October 10 - the 60th anniversary of the Wuchang Revolution which led to establishment of the Republic of China - and thundered back their answers to President Chiang Kai­-shek's cheers of the day. It was a message heard loud and clear by the Chinese Communists in .

Foreign dignitaries, including Governor Ronald Reagan of , and 8,000 overseas Chinese were on hand as the President saluted, then waved military cap and gloved hand at the vast throng. Madame Chiang was at the chief executive's side.

President Chiang said the prevailing "age of agony" would not affect the dedication of the Republic of China to freedom and righteousness. He declared the nation will "meet changes with a heightened alert­ness and adaptability to change and fight on in terms of will power and calm determination."

The text of President Chiang's message will be found in the Documents section of this issue. See also the separate article on President Chiang, whose birthday was celebrated October 31.

Observance of the Double Tenth was worldwide and enthusiastic. In Hongkong, the display of ROC flags dwarfed the showing made by the Chinese Communists on October 1.

Governor Reagan told the American University Club in that President Nixon would maintain friendship with the Republic of China and keep American commitments. He said Nixon had not departed from his basic anti-Communism.

Vice President and Premier Yen Chia-kan report­ed on the state of the nation at the first meeting of the 48th session of the Legislative Yuan. These were among the important points:

- Facing international appeasement, the ROC will remain calm and unafraid in the face of adversity and not be disquieted by unsettling changes.

- Every effort will be made to preserve 's position and the Charter of the United Nations.

- Chinese Communism cannot endure and this is borne out in the "new and serious struggle which is building up within the ranks of the Maoists."

- Despite tides of appeasement, "many countries are prepared to offer us their precious friendship and moral support."

- Steady progress is being made in the third year of the fifth four-year economic plan, including (for the first half of 1971): Growth of 7.2 per cent in agriculture and 21.7 per cent in industry. Power genera­tion of 7,261 million kilowatt hours, a gain of 16.8 per cent. Capacity was raised to 2.32 million kilowatts. Gains of 8.3 per cent for land passenger traffic and 8.2 per cent for land freight traffic. Harbor cargo up by 19.4 per cent. Foreign trade of US$1,932 million, a climb of 36.2 per cent. Exports were up 39.8 per cent to US$993 million and imports 32.5 per cent to US$938 million. By September 18, exports stood at US$1,476 million and imports at US$1,365 million for a favorable balance of US$111million. The budget showed a favorable balance of more than US$13.7 mil­lion. Money supply was up 15.5 per cent from the end of 1970 but was subsequently reduced. Prices were stable with the wholesale index down 0.54 per cent and the consumer index up 3.42 per cent. Consumer prices rose only 2.06 per cent from August of 1970 to August of 1971.

- In a period of international monetary fluctua­tion, the ROC "must carefully analyze the effect of external changes on our own economic development and find the right measures of response." He said the ROC supports a new system to be established through inter­national organizations.

- "Armed strength has been maintained and activities increased behind the enemy's lines so as further to encourage the people of the mainland to revolt against Communist tyranny and the Communist forces to defect to our cause. We have designated various units on around-the-clock alertness; they could join in operations on the mainland at any moment."

- Nine-year education has raised the number of primary school graduates going on to junior high from 62.29 to 79.81 per cent. A total of 542 junior high schools has been opened in three years. Additional stress is to be placed on vocational training, improved teaching, augmented materials and smaller classes. Employment opportunities are being provided for junior high graduates who do not go on to senior high school.

- Science development has entered its fourth year and research facilities and achievements have been materially advanced.

- More than 6,000 convicted criminals were released in connection with the ROC's 60th an­niversary.

- Public health work has been expanded and further steps taken to control population growth.

- Progress is being made toward administrative renovation and increased efficiency.

The text of Premier Yen's report will be found in the Documents section.

Yu Kuo-hua, governor of the Central Bank of , called for restoration of exchange parity among the currencies of the free world. He said economic moves had led to disorder and instability in the international monetary system and dealt a blow to trade.

Remedial measures should be discussed by the developing nations as well as the developed, he said, and not manipulated by the economically strong. He said the Republic of China will review the relationship between the New Taiwan and U.S. dollars as soon as monetary chaos is ended.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs will make US$37.5 million available during the next year for the development of the energy, chemical, metal and machinery industries. Most of the money (81.7 per cent) will go to the Taiwan Power Company and Chi­nese Petroleum Corporation. Chemicals will get 6.6 per cent, metals 6.4 per cent and machinery 5.3 per cent.

The Taiwan Machinery Manufacturing Corpora­tion will increase its capital by more than US$7 million to build new plants and expand old ones. With government approval, the Central Bank of will ex­tend long-term loans to machinery plants to help them increase the sophistication of their production.

Some 15,000 jobs are open in manufacturing industries, according to a labor force survey. More than a third of the openings are in textiles and garment making. The average manufacturing wage has risen to over US$ month. Total employment stood at April, an increase of a year. Unemployed were counted at 77,000.

Four trade associations asked the government to withhold the commodity tax on imported industrial sewing machines and levy duty at 15 per cent. The Taiwan Garment Exporters' Association, Federation of Taiwan Knitted Outwear Exporters, Taipei Imports and Exports Association, and Taiwan Knitting Industry Association said that newly imposed taxes total 45.75 per cent, an increase from 32.50 per cent. has been importing about 20,000 industrial sewing machines annually from , the and .

Newly opened in downtown was the Chinese Handicraft Mart, which has exhibition space of 20,000 square meters for 500 display booths. The Mart offers information, import and export services, and retail sales. Located at , it is open from .m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

New export products were placed on display at the from September 30 to November 14. The items included textiles, chemicals, metals, electrical appliances, processed foods and handicrafts.

The dock strike on the West Coast struck a blow at exports and sent many shippers looking for air cargo space. The Taipei Air Cargo Terminal was jam-packed with goods awaiting shipment. Cargo handling doubled from July to August.

Wong Yi-ting, director of the Board of Foreign Trade, led a trade mission to , , and . exported US$354.8 mil­lion worth of goods to in 1970 while importing US$151.9 million worth.

Trade talks with are slated for in December with Economic Affairs Minister Y. S. Sun heading the delegation.

Talks on trade and cooperation were held with delegates at a meeting in . The Republic of China agreed to provide assistance in weaving, farm demonstration and hog raising. Help also will be given in establishment of an export processing zone. hopes to buy more sugar, cement and fertilizer from . A standing committee is being set up to promote industrial cooperation.

The Chinese Petroleum Corporation has signed a contract for the import of crude oil from . Most of CPC's supply previously has come from the . Indonesian oil has low sulfur content and this will help reduce pollution.

A trade agreement was signed with . Most favored nation treatment is assured the goods of both countries.

Stainless steel tableware exports to the have been placed under control in accordance with a five-year quota.

One unusual export to the continues on the rise. Canary sales totaled 90,000 last fiscal year and are expected to reach 1971-72. Earnings will exceed US$500,000. About 2,000 families are raising canaries. Production can be raised to half a million birds annually.

Toy exports will reach US$30 million this year. Volume exceeded US$16 million in the January-June period.

President Chiang Kai-shek called on 120 bankers and financiers meeting at in the Fourth World Chinese Banking Amity Conference to intensify eco­nomic warfare against the Chinese Communists. Dele­gations came from Hongkong, , , , , , , , , , and .

Rice output was 1,280,000 metric tons for the first crop of 1971, or an increase of /t over the equivalent crop of last year. The year's total is expected to exceed 2.5 million m/t. Because of drought, paddy plantings were 7,000 hectares under target at a total of . Plantings for the second crop will be about 445,000, a decrease of 20,000.

Dr. T. H. Shen, chairman of the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction, said unit agricultural production has been increased sharply through improved techniques, better irrigation and use of more fertilizer. Rice output rose from 1,998 kilograms per hectare in 1952 to 3,188 kilograms in 1968. Farming area increased scarcely at all (786,000 hectares to 790,000) in the same period.

Dr. Shen cited the importance of the Asian Vegetable Research and in as the cooperative organization held a two-day meeting in . Dr. Robert F. Chandler, head of the International Rice Research Institute in the , was named director of the Center at Shanhua, , in southern . C. L. Luh, chief of the JCRR plant industry division, will be deputy director.

The seven cooperating nations will share the US$7.5 million cost of the first five years' operation on a basis of 40 per cent from the United States, 30 per cent from the Republic of China, 10 per cent from the Asian Development Bank, and 5 per cent each from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand. is contributing US$2,000 for the first year.

Provincial Government plans for farm modernization call for increased investment with low-interest gov­ernment loans. Guaranteed prices will be extended for export crops.

JCRR is sponsoring several agricultural modernization and improvement projects. They include:

- Demonstration truck farms of 20 hectares using tractors. Locations will be in , Hsinchu, , and counties.

- Feed corn production utilizing increased mechanization on 1,200 hectares of land in Yunlin, Chiayi and counties. The goal is increased integration of feed corn production, processing, purchase and use.

- Assistance in promoting the silk industry. Training will be given and a new pattern of intensive sericulture developed. Improved mulberry plants arc being set out on 100 hectares in southern .

- Showing of model farm houses in towns and hamlets throughout the island.

Twenty-nine land reform workers began eight weeks of training at the Land Reform Institute. Coun­tries represented were , , , , , and . Five classes totaling 138 specialists have been graduated since LRTI was opened two and a half years ago.

Foreign and local teams are studying coral reefs between Maopitou and Oluanpi in southern and will report on extent, conservation and use of the coral.

Outgoing Dominican Ambassador Jose Villannueva received the Order of Propitious Clouds with Grand Cordon from Foreign Minister Chow Shu-kai. The ambassador's tenure exceeded seven years.

From came Vice President Eduardo Rafael Caceres Lehnhoff, who visited central and southern during a week's stay.

Expanded relations between the ROC and were urged by Mahamaya Prasad Sinha, president of the Save Democracy Front of India, and Tao Yung, president of the China-India-Burma Cultural and Economic Association. They recommended diplomatic relations, easy access to visas, negotiation of a trade t agreement, opening of an Air India office in , exchange of students and teachers, participation in trade fairs and ROC assistance to refugees in .

President Chiang Kai-shek led the nation in paying tribute to the war dead on Armed Forces Day. He went to the Martyrs Shrine at Yuanshan together with Vice President C.K. Yen and more than 1,000 other civil and military leaders. The chief executive spoke to the children of war heroes after the ceremony.

More than 200 model soldiers and civilians were cited by General Kao Kuei-yuan, chief of staff to the President, at the Presidential Office. They also called on General Lai Ming-tang, chief of the general staff.

General Lai visited the for 12 days at the invitation of the Pentagon. He was given full honors in by his counterpart, Admiral Thomas H. Moorer. Also visiting the was General Chen I-fan, commander of the Chinese Air Force, who was invited by General John D. Ryan, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force. He received the Legion of Merit, Degree of Commander.

Economic Affairs Minister Y. S. Sun told the Taipei American Chamber of Commerce that free world business men should not delude themselves into thoughts of wealth from trade with the Chinese Communists.

Minister Sun quoted the London Observer: "'The fact is that the image of a market on the mainland is based on the self-deceiving thinking, which also tends to deceive other people as well, that hundreds of millions of potential customers exist on the mainland, and also on the complete lack of consideration of the exist­ing conditions. For example, the mainland is still a rural society where utmost poverty prevails and only one single buyer and seller exists.

"'The masses of people on the mainland neither have the means nor the freedom to buy imported goods. The policy of the Communists continues to emphasize support and self-sufficiency, etc. In this particular respect, all the countries which have entertained hopes in market on mainland when they established normal relations with the regime, are inevitably and totally disappointed.

"'Among the 10 non-Communist countries which are trade partners of Peiping, only England and France had established diplomatic relations with Peiping before the end of October, 1970. However, trade between the two countries and mainland China has remained static, and compared with other countries which have not established formal relations with Peiping, there has been a reduction in trade between the two countries and mainland China in recent years.'"

Sun continued: "For more than a decade, the total external trade of the Chinese mainland has ranged be­tween US$2,600 and US$4,300 million per year. The highest volume ever recorded was US$4,300 million in 1970. Moreover, mainland trade with non-Communist contries has been no more than US$3,200 million in any year. On the other hand, 's external trade is year will definitely exceed that amount. It is clear, therefore, that the external sector of the mainland economy is neither one that has shown much growth nor one to which the Chinese Communists intend to attach much importance.

"Nevertheless, the Chinese Communists have been using trade as a bait in their 'smiling-face diplomacy' to achieve political aims and objectives. Like and , many countries have taken the bait, only to find themselves brushed aside and completely ignored soon afterward. The Chinese Communists then use the same bait, which is not really large or beneficial, to lure other countries. To the Chinese Communists, and the are the two largest fish they are trying to catch.

"In the case of , its two-way trade with the Republic of China during the first six months of this year was more than US$495 million. This is an increase of 32.8 per cent from a year ago. The balance of trade in favor of amounted to some US$226 million. During the same period, despite the threats and allurements of the Chinese Communists and the changes in the attitude of some Japanese business leaders, the total trade volume between and main­land was merely US$411 million or 3.4 per cent below the corresponding period of last year. The balance of trade in favor of was a little over US$107 million, or less than half of the trade surplus generated from trading with . It is inconceivable and regrettable that some Japanese businessmen should entertain false hopes for developing an extensive export market on the Chinese mainland and submit themselves to Chinese Communist insolence, completely disregarding the friendly relations they have enjoyed with the Republic of China over the past years."

Minister Sun said the Republic of China will continue to develop and expand the economy. "The greater the difficulties, the more we must apply ourselves to the domestic economic front," he said. "We continue to welcome foreign investment as a means of supplementing our own resources for economic development and of strengthening our own economic ties with the free world. My government will not only firmly abide by all the commitments it has made to foreign investors but will also redouble its efforts in seeking a continued improvement of Taiwan's investment climate so as to attract more foreign capital to Taiwan."

Vice President C. K. Yen presided at the opening of a 52-day exhibition on Chinese Communist atrocities. Sponsors of the materials displayed at the National Science Hall were the Second and Sixth Sections of the Kuomintang, the General Political Warfare Department of the Ministry of National Defense, the Military Intelligence Bureau, the Bureau of In­vestigation and the Free China Relief Association.

Sixteen thousand citizens from all walks of life rallied in to denounce the Communist conspiracy to seat the regime at the United Nations. The meeting adopted a resolution and sent messages to the president of the and delegations attend­ing the General Assembly session.

Foreign Affairs Spokesman Dr. Wei Yu-sun said that has no desire to negotiate and will con­tinue its "talk-talk, fight-fight" tactics in any discussions with President Nixon.

Dr. Wei said the pledge of Chou En-lai to support "national liberation" movements the world over showed the Chinese Communists' intentions to augment their aggressions. Reports of the increasing exodus of mainland refugees into Hongkong should have a "sobering effect," he said, on those who argue that the United Nations cannot deny membership to a regime which claims to represent 700 million people.

Although escaping young people were brought up under Communism and thoroughly indoctrinated, the Maoists have not been able to put the "flames of liberty In their hearts," Dr. Wei said.

Twenty-two Christians, representing all churches of that faith on , went to for an anti-Communist rally in front of United Nations head­quarters. Visits were made to and other American cities. The group was led by the Rev. Chang Chi-tang of the .

The Free China Relief Association was compiling materials for a report to the U.N. High Commissioner of Refugees on the large-scale exodus of mainland young people into Hongkong and . FCRA urged international organizations to provide relief assistance. Most escapees are between 16 and 25 years old. The number was estimated at more than 12,500 for the first eight months of 1971.

Plans to reverse the brain drain at higher levels are under study by the National Science Council upon instruction of the Executive Yuan (Cabinet). NSC ay recruit 300 Chinese scientists and specialists abroad annually for assignments in . The Executive Yuan said that economic and scientific de­velopment has reached a point where a massive infusion f new ideas and know-how is required.

Writers, editors, scholars and teachers held a six-day research meeting preparatory to revision of junior middle school textbooks. Mistakes have been found in some of the texts, which had to be turned out quickly to get the nine-year education program going in 1968.

Winners of 1970 academic awards were an­nounced by the Ministry of Education. Each receives a gold medal and cash award of US$1,000. They are Huang Chang-chien, 52, of Hunan, research fellow of the Institute of History and Philology of the Academia Sinica, in literature; Kui Yu, 69, of Chekiang, profes­sor at National Taiwan University, in law; Huang Chung-ming, 43, of Taiwan, professor at National Tai­wan University, in engineering; Wang Yi-tao, 71, of Chekiang, professor at National Taiwan University, in agriculture; and Chang Chuan-chung, 43, of Taiwan, professor at National Taiwan University, in medicine.

Education Minister Lo Yun-pin said women were not placed at unfair advantage in assigning quotas by sex in the college joint entrance examination. Of the 366 subjects, 10 were open only to men and 29 were open only to women. Men made up 63.1 per cent of successful applicants.

will acquire its second nuclear reactor next year for research in the peaceful uses of atomic energy. Dr. Hsu Hsien-hsiu, president of the university, said a will be established next year along with Colleges of Science and Engineering. Nuclear services to industry and re­search institutions will be stepped up after installation of the new reactor.

The Educational Testing Service and College Entrance Examination Board announced that the Test of English as a Foreign Language will be changed each time it is given. Memorization will no longer suffice for passable scores.

TOEFL is given in October, January, March and June. Some 800 colleges and universities in the require or recommend it for foreign applicants. The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy considers TOEFL results in approving or rejecting student visa applications. More than 55,000 students have taken TOEFL since 1966.

Reformatory education will be improved by the Provincial Social Affairs Department so as to prepare graduates for entry into senior high school. A new school will be opened in and the three others expanded. Training is offered for electricians, welders, auto mechanics, carpenters," painters and blacksmiths and in other trades and crafts.

Reports to the American Chemical Society noted the use of beetles and grasshoppers from in cancer research. Doctors said they yielded "pteridines," the same type of material found in but­terfly wings and related to the drug methotrexate, one of the first to be found useful against cancer.

A million people signed a pledge to consult a doctor in case of suspected cancer and to have a physical examination at least annually. The campaign honors the memory of S. Y. Dao, who died of liver cancer while serving as minister of economic affairs. Vice President C. K. Yen presided at a ceremony marking establishment of the S. Y. Dao Memorial Fund to fight cancer.

Funds have been earmarked for Chinese herb medicine projects of the National Health Administration. Names of herbs will be standardized and research materials published.

The Provincial Health Bureau is undertaking its second four-year tuberculosis prevention campaign. Three million will receive vaccine, 2.6 million will be given X-rays and 800,000 will have sputum tests. The goal is reduction of incidence from 2.8 to 2 per cent.

Opened at the was 's first nuclear medical center. The isotope technetium will be used in the examination of brain, liver, lungs, kidneys, heart and other organs.

The incidence of glaucoma is on the rise in . The disease is responsible for about a quarter of the island's blindness. Cases number 100 among people in their 40s, 100 for those in their 60s and 100 for those 70 and over.

Filariasis is a health threat on the offshore . Of 11,446 people living in 33 Kinmen villages, 1,078 are infected. The disease is carried by the Culex mosquito.

Pharmacies have been urged to get rid of old drugs. Those on hand more than a year should be returned to manufacturers, the Bureau of Medical Affairs, National Health Administration, told the trade. By the end of 1981, pharmacies will be employing only graduate pharmacists.

Typhoon Bess took a toll of 30 dead and 149 injured, 26 of them seriously. The toll was and . Houses destroyed totaled 2,260, while 3,845 were damaged.

Damage to bananas in the area totaled 650,000, accounting for 56 per cent of plantings. Utilities were interrupted for several days in some parts of . There were no foreign fatalities but d3mage was heavy in suburbs where most foreigners reside.

's housing shortage is a growing problem. The need is estimated at 377,440 units in the next 10 years. Since 1968, the City Government has been able to provide only 12,000 houses annually compared with the goal of 20,000.

About 135,000 houses are adjudged too small. Most have only two or three rooms and only half are equipped with lavatories.

Prefabricated housing will make its first appearance in with 80 units on .

Mayor Henry Kao said squatters living in un­licensed houses built over canals and drainage ditches must be evicted as quickly as possible. Some 1,000 such structures have been counted.

Land prices have raised the price of city housing. Business land prices range up to nearly US$4,000 per ping (36 square feet). Cost of prime residential land ranges up to US$550 per ping.

's firemen have asked for more hydrants. Installations total 2,335 on pipelines of 75 to diameter. At least 1,000 additional hydrants are needed.

Pan Tun-yi, chief of the Municipal Department of Environmental Sanitation, said 's environmental sanitation compares favorably with that of cities and Hongkong. Pan, who visited the United States and Southeast Asia, said Taipei ranks ahead of New York, Washington and Hongkong but behind· Los Angeles, San Francisco and Singapore. He said is a model of cleanliness.

Of 59 factories which dump wastes in the Hsin­tien River, 36 have reduced pollution as a result of representations by a committee set up under the Na­tional Health Administration. The 15 most serious polluters are engaged in the manufacture of electrical apparatus, textiles, plastics, steel cable and leather goods. The river is a source of domestic water.

Standby generators will be installed by the Taipei Water Works. By next typhoon season, the system will not be out of action in the event of power failure.

has a new Business and Industry Survey Department. It will make surveys every five years to ascertain trend, of business and industrial development.

Five vocational assistance centers have helped find 340,000 jobs in the last eight years. The centers work with industry in training job seekers.

Seismographs are to be installed on tall buildings in , and .

Three-wheeled trucks will be phased out by the Provincial Government by September of 1974. About 40,000 such vehicles are still on the road but only some 13,000 are properly licensed.

The Taiwan Railway Administration will spend US$ the next five years to modernize cargo handling. Machinery will handle four-fifths of loadings and unloadings when the program is completed.

's air has been polished up. Dust fall was cut from 108 tons in May of 1970 to 47.38 tons in May this year. Suspended particles were cut from 677.02 micrograms per cubic meter in February of 1969 to 340.92 micrograms last May. Smog density was 3 COH in February of 1969 and 2.1 COH in May.

The Bureau of Cultural Affairs hopes to encourage Mand3rin movie making by allowing producers to distribute money-making foreign films. Ninety films from the foreign quota of 275 may be allocated to studios. Mandarin feature production is down to a point where exhibitors showing Chinese pictures do not have enough material to fill their schedules.

One of Chinese moviedom's perennial favorites, Li Li-hua, announced her retirement after a career of 30 years. She made her first movies in at the age of 16.

's third television network, CTS, began test broadcasts October preparation for regular programming October 31. China Television Service was established by the Ministries of Education and National Defense. It plans to accept advertising. However, the Television Program Research and Screening Commit­tee of the Chinese Television Institute has recommended that the new station be operated on a non-profit basis. The committee also urged prohibition of exaggerated advertising and clear stipulation of standards by the Bureau of Cultural Affairs.

The Central Committee of the Kuomintang agreed that TV commercials should be cleaned up. The ruling party suggested that there is too much violence and "ghostly nonsense" in TV programming. More pro­grams of social education were asked for in prime time. Clean-up pressure persuaded TTV and CTV to remove wrestling from their programs.

The United Daily News, which claims 's biggest circulation of 420,000 daily, marked its 20th anniversary. The paper moved into a new nine-story building and started printing ROP color.

Azusa Fujita, one of 's leading pianists, gave a recital in Hongkong. A review said: "Miss Fujita has a fluent technique and a flair for the dramatic. She has a winning stage manner and the stamina and energy to sustain a long and demanding program. Miss Fujita has an individual style of play­ing, which sometimes makes her interpretations of the familiar concert pieces veer away from the traditional ideas of style and period of the different works. Her personality and musical ideas are strongly projected. She is an .attractive musician to watch at work." Born in , Miss Fujita is the wife of Teng Chang-kuo, violinist add conductor.

Hady Young, 19, of Szechwan war 's Miss Tourism title. The Chinese literature major at in will enter the Miss Orient contest and visit the . Runners-up will go to Asian countries.

American GIs will continue R&R flights to . Flights to Hongkong have been terminated. Remaining centers are , , and . The number choosing once reached month. Troop withdrawals from have cut the number to about 1,000.

is opening to passenger service at the end of October. China Airlines has announced service to Hongkong via 's second largest city.

Based on a poll conducted in April and May, the Public Opinion Association said night club facilities of are up to international standard. Some 1,270 tourists were questioned about experiences at the President, Central, First and Mandarin Hotels, the , First and Golden Dragon Theater-Restaurants and the Yunhai Restaurant.

The Tourism Council of the Ministry of Communications urged the government to simplify visa procedures. Tourism showed a decline of 8.9 per cent in July, the first drop in 13 years. American visitors declined by 9,000 to the first seven months of the year.

Popular

Latest