GOOD SIGN: After reporting no domestic cases for 44 days, Chen Shih-chung said event rules would be relaxed, but people should still practice social distancing or wear masks

Taipei Times
Date: May 27, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced that its main strategy would now be to maintain strict border controls, but that it would start relaxing domestic regulations from Sunday next week.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that there were no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections yesterday, and a total of 416 infected patients have been removed from isolation after treatment.

While confirmed cases continued to increase globally, reaching more than 5.5 million yesterday, there have been no domestic cases in Taiwan for 44 consecutive days, he said.

Infection control measures would continue to be strictly implemented at national borders, while large-scale easing of domestic rules would begin on Sunday next week, Chen said, adding that by then, there would probably have been no domestic cases for eight weeks.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 25 May, 2020
By: Natalie Tso

President Tsai Ing-wen is showing her solidarity with the people of Hong Kong. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Tsai said that all democratic partners stand with the people of Hong Kong. The president said Taiwan has always supported the people striving to protect democratic values in Hong Kong.  

Taiwan has an act on the books called “Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong and Macao Affairs”, which promotes trade and other exchanges with the two special administrative regions. Tsai said that if the situation in Hong Kong changes, she will consider invoking Article 60 of that act.     [FULL  STORY]

Naval News
Date: 25 May 2020
By: Tso-Juei Hsu  

Taiwanese shipyard Jong Shyn Shipbuilding launched a new 600 tons patrol vessel for the Coast Guard on 27 April 2020. Based on the ROC Navy catamaran corvette, the new patrol vessel can be fitted with up to 16x anti-ship missiles.

Taiwanese media reported that Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai, Minister of the Ocean Affairs Council (OCA) Lee Chung-wei, National Security Council (NSC) Deputy Secretary-General York Chen, Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Company (JSSC) chairman Han Pi-hsiang and coast guard officials attended the ceremony.

However, because of the pandemic of coronavirus, the ceremony was scaled-down. No other government officials, local government officials, politicians or media were invited to attend the ceremony.    [FULL  STORY]

Even China-friend KMT warns of potential impact on cross-strait relations with passage of Hong Kong security legislation

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/25
By: Sylvia Teng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Political parties across the spectrum in Taiwan have expressed concerns over Beijing’s proposed national security legislation for Hong Kong, which many fear would further undermine the city’s already shrinking autonomy.

The ruling and independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) issued a statement the day after Chinese officials announced on Thursday (May 21) the plan to draft a national security law for the semi-autonomous territory while circumventing the Hong Kong government and regular legislative procedures. The proposed legislation, which is likely to proscribe secession, sedition, terrorist activities, and foreign inference, appears to take aim at the pro-democracy protest movement that had roiled Hong Kong for much of the past year.

The DPP strongly condemned the Chinese government's move that will “further trample over Hong Kong’s rule of law and freedoms,” said the party via a statement. The party also said that "one country, two systems,” a political arrangement that has guaranteed autonomy for Hong Kong and kept the city different from the rest of China, will come to an end with the passage of the proposed legislation.

"We urge the Chinese authorities…to stop sabotaging Hong Kong’s autonomy and Hong Kong’s future…and to start a dialogue with the Hong Kong people,” said the ruling party. It also pledged to protect the democratic way of life in Taiwan while standing in solidarity with the Hong Kong people.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 05/25/2020
By: Chen Wei-ting and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, May 25 (CNA) Taiwan is planning to lift a ban on surgical mask exports on June 1, but the decision will not be finalized until later this week, according to an official with the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Once the CECC has confirmed the volume of face masks it needs to requisition, it will finalize the plan to open up mask exports, likely later in the week, said Deputy Health Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元), who heads the CECC's medical response division, on Monday.

At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, face masks were in short supply, and the government had to requisition the entire national mask production to ensure that medical facilities and consumers around the country had access to the product.

Taiwan instituted a rationing system in February that allowed people to buy two masks per week, then three masks per week and then nine masks every two weeks as mask production increased from about 3 million per day to about 18 million per day.    [FULL  STIORY]

IMPLICATIONS: The council is concerned the proposed legislation could affect the personal freedom of Taiwanese, such as NGO workers or businesspeople

Taipei Times
Date: May 26, 2020
By: Chen Yu-fu and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Chinese government’s proposed national security law for Hong Kong could jeopardize the right to personal freedom of Taiwanese in the region, National Security Council (NSC) Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday.

China’s National People’s Congress on Friday last week unveiled a proposal to enact a Hong Kong security law.

The proposed “enforcement mechanisms,” which are expected to ban treason, subversion and sedition, are being introduced in response to last year’s pro-democracy protests in the territory.

If Beijing passes the controversial law, it would have broken its promise to respect the territory’s autonomy under its “one country, two systems” model, Tsai said in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) at a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee in Taipei.    [FULL  STORY]

Jimmy Lin, his mother and his wife, former model-actress Kelly Chen, all appear in Chinese variety series My Dearest Ladies.PHOTO: KELLYMERMAIDCHEN/INSTAGRAM

The Straits Times
Date: May8 25, 2020
By: Jan Lee

Taiwanese singer and actor Jimmy Lin's wife – former model-actress Kelly Chen – recently revealed the negative reception shehas received from his fans over their 10-year marriage.

Chen, 36, along with Lin, 45, and his mother are part of the cast of Chinese variety series My Dearest Ladies, a reality show which focuses on the relationships between women and their mothers-in-law.

Chen, who married Lin in 2010 after giving birth to their first son Kimi in 2009, broke down in tears on the show when discussing the pressures of being married to him.

Lin, with his boyish good looks, was one of Taiwan's most popular teenage idol singers in the 1990s.    [FULL  STORY]

MOFA says Taiwan is a democratic country, China has no right to make such irresponsible remarks

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/25
By: Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) mentioned the “one

China” principle on Sunday (May 24) during a televised press conference, prompting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to respond later that evening.

During a press conference for the third plenary session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing, Chinese media asked Wang if China was worried Taiwan-related issues would have a further negative impact on Sino-US relations, given that Taiwan-U.S. ties have improved substantially, CNA reported. Wang reiterated the “one China” principle and said that the Chinese government and the World Health Organization (WHO) have made proper arrangements for the “Taiwan area” to participate in global health affairs.

He added that Taiwan shared information on Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic prevention with the WHO and its members. Wang assured that channels for cooperation and professional exchanges are completely unobstructed and that there had never been technical hindrances or a gap in epidemic prevention.

In response to Wang’s comments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a press release in the evening, declaring that Taiwan is a recognized democratic country. It also stressed that only the people of Taiwan have the right to decide their future and only Taiwan’s elected government has the right to represent the Taiwanese.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 05/25/2020
By: Wang Shu-fen and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, May 25 (CNA) A plum rain front currently lingering over southern Taiwan is expected to bring afternoon thundershowers Monday and torrential rain over the next three days as it moves northward, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

On Monday, eastern parts of the country, the greater Taipei area and mountainous areas islandwide will see afternoon thundershowers, the CWB said.

Starting Tuesday, the plum rain front will move northward, lingering over Taiwan until Thursday and causing unstable weather throughout most of the country, the CWB said.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 25, 2020
By: Chung Li-hua and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The number of people from Hong Kong applying for residency in Taiwan last year rose 41 percent from a year earlier to 5,858, National Immigration Agency statistics showed.

The statistics also showed that 600 applications were filed by Hong Kong residents in the first quarter of this year — three times the number filed in the same period last year — with applicants apparently not deterred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just one day after it was reported that the Chinese government plans to enact new national security laws in Hong Kong, inquiries regarding immigration to Taiwan grew 10-fold, a Hong Kong-based immigration consultant was quoted as saying in a Hong Kong media report on Saturday.

Separately, a Taiwan-based immigration consultant, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a series of information sessions they held in Hong Kong in June last year were all filled to capacity.    [FULL  STORY]