Want China Times
Date: 2015-06-03
By: CNA

Taiwan and the United States are working toward holding the next round of talks

under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) before the end of the year, Charles Rivkin, US assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs, said Tuesday.

“We are trying hard to schedule a TIFA discussion before the end of the year with Taiwan,” Rivkin told the local media.

Earlier this month, Taiwan economic affairs minister John Deng also said that Taiwan was hoping the talks would be held by the end of the year.

Under TIFA, Taiwan and the US will address investment and trade-related issues, Rivkin said when asked about the progress of an investment agreement between the two countries.     [FULL  STORY]

VIOLENT SCUFFLES:Three Taiwanese and two South Koreans were arrested, while another South Korean had to receive medical attention after clashing with police

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 04, 2015
By: Lii Wen  /  Staff reporter

Two workers from South Korea’s Hydis Technologies were arrested yesterday after a

demonstration outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei to protest against their Taiwanese employers.

For the past 10 days, nearly a dozen South Korean union representatives have camped outside the personal residence of Yuen Foong Yu (YFY) Group chairperson Ho Shou-chuan (何壽川).

On the front steps of Ho’s residence, the workers set up a memorial shrine to former Hydis union leader Bae Jae-hyoung, who committed suicide last month after reportedly receiving legal threats from Hydis management.

Dressed in a black robe, Bae’s widow, Lee Mi-ra, carried a portrait of her husband as she marched toward the Presidential Office Building during yesterday’s demonstration.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/06/02
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) People who attend a vigil on the 26th anniversary of the

Tiananmen Square massacre in Taipei on Thursday will hold yellow umbrellas — a symbol of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement — to remember the tragedy that took place in Beijing in 1989, organizers said Tuesday.

Two hundred yellow umbrellas will be distributed to participants, who are also encouraged to bring their own umbrellas to the annual event, said Hsu Yu-ling (許鈺羚), a member of event co-organizer the Association of Taiwanese Students for the Democratization of China.

A large image showing Beijing’s Tiananmen Square will be erected at the site of the vigil and participants will be encouraged to open their yellow umbrellas in front of it as a symbol of resistance against China’s suppression of human rights, freedom and democracy, organizers said.

“This year we are holding up umbrellas to echo Hong Kong people’s call (for democracy),” said Yang Hsien-hung (楊憲宏), head of the Taiwan Association for China Human Rights, another of the organizers.     [FULL  STORY]  To see a video which was taken in 1989 in Tiananmen Square CLICK HERE

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/06/02
By: Chou Hui-ying, Chang Shu-ling and Frances Huang

Beijing, June 2 (CNA) China’s Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange (CSTE,海旅會)

confirmed Tuesday that no Taiwanese were on board a ferry that capsized and sank on the Yangtze River during a storm Monday night.

The confirmation was obtained by the Beijing office of the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association (TSTA, 台旅會), which asked the CSTE to check whether any Taiwanese travelers were involved in the accident, TSTA Beijing Office Director Yang Jui-tsung (楊瑞宗) said.

The TSTA and CSTE are the two groups that deal with tourism issues across the Taiwan Strait.     In Taipei, Chou Jih-shine (周繼祥), vice chairman of Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF, 海基會), Taiwan’s top negotiating body in cross-Taiwan Strait affairs, told reporters here that after a preliminary check, no Taiwanese travelers were affected by the accident.[FULL  STORY]

Agreements sparked protests last year among opponents of closer ties with Beijing

South China Morning Post
Date: 02 June, 2015
By: Agence France-Presse in Taipei

President Ma Ying-jeou warned Tuesday of damage to Taiwan’s economy if the

legislature does not pass controversial trade deals with mainland China, which have stalled in the wake of mass protests.

His comments come as tensions remain high over increased mainland influence on the island.

“I would like to voice my concern over related agreements with China still under deliberation in the legislature,” said Ma, speaking at the opening ceremony of Computex, Asia’s largest tech fair, in the capital Taipei.

The pacts are on hold after a service trade deal with Beijing sparked huge rallies and the three-week occupation of parliament last year, reflecting growing unease over Taiwan’s warming ties with Beijing.

Ma said the passage of the agreements should accelerate, particularly in the wake of a free trade deal signed between China and South Korea on Monday.

That agreement would impact Taiwan’s traditional industries, including textiles, said Ma.

“It took them only three years [to reach the agreement]. Look at our service trade agreement with the mainland, which is still lying in parliament,” he said.

The pact is on ice as a concession to protesters, who said it had been passed in secret.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/06/02
By: Hsiao Po-yang, Cheng Che-fon, Bien Chin-feng and Maubo Chang

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) About 1,500 local people have canceled trips to South Korea amid reports of 25 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) there, the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said Tuesday.

The bureau said the number was based on information provided by 20 leading travel agencies that organize tour groups to South Korea.

The bureau said it has urged the trade unions of travel agents to encourage their members to give generous refunds to those tourists who have dropped their planned trips to South Korea.

Shen Pen-li (沈本立), president of the Kaohsiung Association of Travel Agents, said many travel agents in the southern city have complained about cancellations of trips by their clients.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: 2015-06-02
By: CNA

The United States hopes to continue to deepen bilateral ties with Taiwan, which is an

important ally sharing common interests with the United States, Charles Rivkin, US assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs, said Monday.

The United States has a special affection for the Taiwanese people and admires their effort in achieving prosperity and democracy, Rivkin said during a meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou.

Rivkin said Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, has shown the world that it can become a very important economy.

Pointing to the close economic relations between Taiwan and the US, he said that Taiwan has surpassed India and Saudi Arabia to become the United States’ 10th largest trading partner and that the United States has also surpassed Japan to become Taiwan’s second largest trading partner.

This is Rivkin’s first visit to Taiwan in his official capacity.     [FULL  STORY]

TESTING RESOLVE?The encroachment took place when Jioupeng Military Base was test-firing US-made Patriot missiles on Wednesday and Thursday last week

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 03, 2015
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

China sent a surveillance ship and spy aircraft to waters and airspace near Taiwan’s

to gather intelligence last week during missile and air defense drills at a military base in Pingtung County, Ministry of National Defense (MND) officials confirmed yesterday.

The officials said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) used electronic surveillance to track missile testing at the highly restricted Jioupeng Military Base (九鵬基地) in southern Taiwan.

It came in the wake of reports that Chinese visitors were spying and taking photographs near the nation’s military bases and other sensitive facilities, some of whom were known to be PLA officers and agents posing as tourists.

The ministry monitored the Chinese ship and aircraft as they approached the nation during the two-day missile tests, it said in a statement yesterday.    [FULL  STORY]