MAC ATTACK: The council condemned Beijing’s passage of a ‘malignant’ bill that disregards the will of Hong Kongers, and damages freedom and the rule of law

Taipei Times
Date: May 29, 2020
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter

“Taiwan will not sit by and watch democracy, freedom and human rights be degraded in Hong Kong,” and the Cabinet has plans to offer humanitarian assistance to Hong Kongers, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday after China’s National People’s Congress passed national security legislation for the territory.

All Taiwanese — regardless of their political affiliation and whether they are in the government or private sector — have united to back Hong Kongers as well as the universal value of democracy, Tsai wrote on Facebook in Chinese.

“Taiwan has the responsibility to work with partners of the global democracy alliance to support Hong Kong and its people,” she wrote.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a statement condemning the passage of the “malignant” legislation, saying that the move represented a blatant disregard for the will of Hong Kongers and has seriously damaged the freedom, democracy and rule of law of the territory.    [FULL  STORY]

NextShark
Date: ·May 27, 2020
By: Carl Samson·

MingDao University, located in Changhua County, recruited 47 students for the said program in 2018, promising four years’ worth of tuition, accommodation and a monthly stipend of $200 for living expenses.

In a Facebook post, the program was advertised as a “Taiwan Work/Study Scholarship” and offered applicants “hands-on practical and work experience,” which would lead to a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

But when the students finally arrived in the country, they were allegedly sent to a frigid factory to peel the skin of dead chickens off.    [FULL  STORY]

Arab News
Date: May 27, 2020
By: Dr. Theodore Karasik

The island nation of Taiwan is watching warily as China’s National People’s Congress implements stronger measures and a specific national security law on Hong Kong that threatens to rewrite important geoeconomic and security issues in this strategic space.

Taiwan’s nationalist President Tsai Ing-wen, who has just started her second term in office, accused Beijing of the “predation” of Hong Kong through fiscal extraction. Her use of the word predation is important in terms of Taiwan’s sovereignty issues. China sees Hong Kong as a national security priority based on ideas of secessionism, terrorism and foreign interference, which comes from what Beijing views as American and, more specifically, Taiwanese subterfuge. Tsai’s recent landslide election victory was driven by the Taiwanese youth vote against the mainland-friendly Kuomintang candidate Han Kuo-yu, making internal Taiwanese politics an important factor.

No doubt China’s national security law will prompt nationalist Taiwan to revoke the special status it extends to Hong Kong, thus establishing a wall between the mainland and Taiwan. This move could damage interconnectivity for Taipei, which is important for family connections and trade ties. More to the point, such a break in connectivity would bring to the forefront the sharpening divides between Taiwan and China.

Obviously, the ongoing fight between Beijing and Taipei over Hong Kong is not new, but it fits into a larger geostrategic problem. In January 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Taiwan “must and will be” reunited with China, and he meant it. In a speech marking 40 years since Beijing’s call to end the military confrontation across the Taiwan Strait, Xi warned that China reserved the right to use force to bring about a reunification.     [FULL  STORY]

Wu shares thoughts on Hong Kong’s new national security law, says Taiwan needs international support

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/27
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Wednesday (May 27) criticized the Chinese government for pushing its political agenda amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and warned that Beijing will likely pursue Taiwan after it takes away Hong Kong's autonomy.

During an interview with Fox News, Wu acknowledged the U.S. government's efforts to protect the freedom and democracy of Hong Kong citizens and said Taiwan is trying to do the same. He emphasized that the Taiwanese government is watching the situation closely and has continued to urge the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to give up its authoritarian tactics.

Wu said the CCP has continued its military pressure on Taiwan when most of the world is busy trying to contain the spread of the virus. He confessed that Taiwanese officials are concerned because the CCP could adopt stronger measures to take over the country, including military invasion.

The foreign minister pointed out that Taiwan's pandemic prevention success has made it a major threat to the CCP. He added that it is extremely vital for the country to establish more diplomatic allies and garner support from the international community to fully ensure its security, reported CNA.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: 05/27/2020
By: Chang Ming-hsuan, Wu Hsin-yun, Chen Wei-ting and Chaing Yi-ching

Taipei, May 27 (CNA) The border control measures implemented in Taiwan to prevent the

spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus will remain in place, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday, while announcing an easing of social distancing guidelines soon.

The announcement came as the country marked its 45th day of no new domestically transmitted coronavirus cases.

"Safety within Taiwan and the opening up of our borders are two different matters," said Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC. Taiwan cannot relax its border controls simply because the threat of contracting the disease domestically is low, he added.

At the CECC's daily press briefing, Chen reported no new domestically transmitted cases of COVID-19 for the 45th day and said the social distancing regulations pertaining to seating in cinemas, on trains and in other places will be lifted with effect from June 7.    [FULL  STORY]

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE: Over the past year, the number of Hong Kongers who have moved to Taiwan has increased 41% to more than 5,000, Tsai Ing-wen said

Taipei Times
Date: May 28, 2020
By: Yang Chun-hui / Staff reporter

The Executive Yuan is to prepare an action plan to provide humanitarian assistance to Hong Kongers, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, as Beijing seeks to push through a national security law for Hong Kong.

People have been paying close attention to the developments in Hong Kong over the past few days, Tsai told reporters before attending a Democratic Progressive Party meeting in Taipei.

Taiwan, like all other democratic nations, hopes the “status quo” in Hong Kong — its self-governance, freedom and human rights protection — does not erode further, she said.

Taiwan urges the Chinese government not to renege on its promise of not changing Hong Kong’s status for 50 years and of letting Hong Kongers administer the territory, and calls on it to allow Hong Kong society to return to peace and dialogue, Tsai said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 26 May, 2020
By: Natalie Tso

China has proposed a national security act for Hong Kong that would prevent and punish acts of sedition, secession, terrorism and foreign interference. The proposal came last Thursday during the National People’s Congress in Beijing. Analysts say that the act would lead to an erosion of Hong Kong’s freedom, and could prompt countries like Taiwan to cancel the special status that they afford Hong Kong. 

People in Hong Kong protested last weekend against Beijing’s national security act which criminalizes acts of sedition, secession and treason. They believe it will take away their freedoms.

On Sunday, President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on Facebook that all partners of democracy stand with the people of Hong Kong.    [FULL  STORY]

CBS News
Date: May 26, 2020
By: Holly Williams

The streets of Taiwan are bustling, restaurants are open to diners, schools only shut down for two weeks in February, and even the baseball season is in full swing — though one team temporarily relied on mannequin spectators. With a population of nearly 24 million, the island has had just 7 coronavirus deaths, and thanks to rapid contact tracing and testing, fewer than 450 total COVID-19 infections.

All that, despite sitting only about 80 miles from mainland China, where the pandemic began.

"We have been planning for any kind of pandemic that may affect Taiwan," Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told CBS News, "because back in 2003, Taiwan was hit very hard by SARS."

Taiwan already had a public health disaster command center ready to activate, generous stockpiles of protective gear, and Taiwanese companies have invested in high-tech solutions, including robotic testing machines.    [FULL  STORY]

B-1B bombers, refueling aircraft based in Guam

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/26
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two B-1B bombers and a refueling aircraft from the United States Air Force flew past south Taiwan and close to Hong Kong Tuesday (May 26), according to Aircraft Spots.

The flights came as tension in the region has been increasing due to China’s announcement of a national security law for Hong Kong and the frequent passage of Chinese warplanes and Navy ships close to Taiwan.

The two bombers and the KC-135R tanker aircraft left Andersen Air Force Base in Guam on their way to the South China Sea, according to Aircraft Spots.

Cable station SETN speculated that the aircraft having flown near Hong Kong might be a signal to China over its handling of the former British territory.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 05/26/2020
By: William Yen

Taipei, May 26 (CNA) The source of a cluster infection of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on board a Taiwanese Navy ship in March originated in Taiwan rather than Palau, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Tuesday.

CECC advisor Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said the earliest known confirmed case of the disease on board the Panshi fast combat support ship got sick on March 10, which was before the ship visited Taiwan's diplomatic ally Palau on a training mission from March 12-15.

That meant the infection was likely brought aboard the ship before it left Taiwan on March 5, Chang said, though the CECC's investigation did not find the original source of the virus and it has decided to close the case.

The crew of the Panshi and the two other ships in the flotilla visiting Palau actually boarded on Feb. 21 and were required to stay on the ships until they left, but it was later revealed that they were allowed to leave the ship for the Feb. 28 holiday, leading to speculation that the crew could have picked up the virus then.    [FULL  STORY]