PROTEST SENT: Despite a wave of international support Taiwan did not receive an invite, which means that it and all WHO members would lose out, the two ministers said

Taipei Times
Date: May 19, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

Taiwan deeply regrets and is very dissatisfied that it was not invited to attend the annual World Health Assembly (WHA), which began a virtual meeting yesterday, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said.

During the Central Epidemic Command Center’s daily news conference, Chen, who heads the center, said that as of 2pm, Taiwan had not received an invitation to the meeting, which was to begin at 6pm Taiwan time.

“We put in our efforts [to get invited] up until the last moment, but it seems that we are unlikely to be invited, so we want to express our regret and dissatisfaction for the situation, as well as protest against it,” he said.

He said a letter of protest was sent yesterday the WHO Secretariat, which is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
[FULL  STORY]

STAYING AHEAD: TSMC’s planned 5 nanometer US plant would not start producing chips until 2024, when its Taiwan-based plant would be making 2 nanometer chips

Taipei Times
Date:  May 18, 2020
By: Staff writer, with CNA and Bloomberg

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) plan to build an advanced wafer foundry in Arizona would not undercut its technological edge in Taiwan, economists said.

“When the planned Arizona plant using the 5 nanometer process starts production in 2024, TSMC will have advanced to the 2 nanometer process [in Taiwan],” Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) research fellow Arisa Liu (劉佩真) said.

“Even if the US has the plant run by TSMC, Taiwan is expected to remain competitive as the Taiwanese semiconductor sector will own advanced technologies,” Liu said.

On Friday, TSMC announced plans to invest US$12 billion to build the 5 nanometer fab, saying that construction is scheduled to start next year.     [FULL  STORY]

Opinion: Despite Taiwan's successful management of its outbreak, Taiwanese ambassador to Israel writes that it remains barred from global health meetings due to political reasons, unable to share its valuable knowledge with the rest of the world

Ynet ews
Date: 05.17.20
By Ambassador Paul K. Chang|

Taiwan is a beautiful democracy with a prosperous economy, located in

Southeast Asia.

More than 10,000 Israeli tourists travel each year to welcoming Taiwan and enjoy the abundance it has to offer.

Taiwan has made headlines lately after it successfully reined in the spread of coronavirus.

While Taiwan was supposed to become a major hotspot of the virus outbreak due to its extensive economic ties with China, geographical proximity (only 100 miles from mainland China), and hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese living in the neighboring country, Taiwan has successfully managed to stop the epidemic, without locking down the economy and without stopping the school year.    [FULL  STORY]

The Province
Date: May 17, 2020

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health

Organization (WHO), answers questions at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on Feb. 7, 2018. Canada, the United States and six major allies have told the World Health Organization that Taiwan's continued exclusion has created a serious public health concern during the COVID-19 crisis. Martial Trezzini / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OTTAWA — Canada, the United States and six major allies have told the World Health Organization that its ongoing exclusion of Taiwan has created a serious public health concern during the COVID-19 crisis.

That sharp message was delivered in a letter, a draft of which has been viewed by The Canadian Press, that tells WHO director general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus to allow Taiwan to be given observer status at a major meeting of the organization on Monday.

Geneva-based diplomats from Canada, Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Britain, Japan and the U.S. issued the demand orally in a May 7 meeting with two other senior WHO officials, with the envoys from Washington and Tokyo taking the lead.

Canadian health officials also took part Friday in a videoconference that was hosted by Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, said a senior government official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue due to its sensitivity.    [FULL  STORY]

32-year-old man, 21-year-old woman die in separate mountaineering accidents

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/17
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A 21-year-old college student surnamed Chien (簡) fell more than 60 meters into a ravine and died Saturday (May 16) on a two-day mountaineering trip to Mt. Bilu (畢祿山) in central Taiwan.

The Nantou County Government Fire Station received a report that Chien, a member of a National Taipei University mountaineering team consisting of 16 people, fell into a gully, which caused her to suffer grave injuries and rendered her unable to walk, CNA reported.

After her fall, the college student went into cardiac arrest. When a team of 30 rescuers arrived at the scene around 10 a.m. Saturday, attempts to resuscitate Chien failed; subsequently, they carried her body up the steep terrain to the trailhead.

According to the Taroko National Park Administration’s website, the 8-km 820 Forestry Road, which connects the Mt. Hehuan Tunnel with the trailhead of Mt. Bilu, is the main route for climbing the mountain. Mt. Bilu, with its summit situated at an altitude of 3,371 meters above sea level, is listed as one of the Taiwan 100 Mountains (百岳).    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 05/17/2020
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, May 17 (CNA) The Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR) and several same-sex couples on Sunday urged Taiwan's government to allow same-sex marriages between couples from different countries.

Taiwan's government legalized same-sex marriage in May 2019, becoming the first Asian country to do so.

According to the Act Governing the Choice of Law in Civil Matters Involving Foreign Elements, however, a cross-national same-sex marriage can only be recognized in Taiwan if the countries of which the two partners are citizens both recognize same-sex marriage.

The restriction discriminates against the LGBT community in Taiwan as marriage is a constitutional right, Pan Tien-ching (潘天慶), a lawyer from the TAPCPR, said at a press conference held near Taiwan's Presidential Office Building.    [FULL  STORY]

‘WORKLOAD’: The nation’s medical system is efficient, but operating at peak performance at all times creates problems when extra challenges arise, the minister said

Taipei Times
Date: May 18, 2020
By: Jennifer Huang, Wu Liang-yi and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the nation’s medical system must be bolstered to shoulder disease prevention duties ranging from border controls to aiding local communities, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.

Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center, made the remarks in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday.

Disease prevention efforts should not have to erode the provision of medical resources to the public, Chen said.

A majority of Taiwan’s medical industry is in private hands and benign competition keeps the industry at peak efficiency, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 15 May, 2020
By: Natalie Tso

[When will Taiwan reopen its doors to the world?]

There hasn’t been a single domestic COVID-19 case in Taiwan for over a month, and officials are beginning to ease restrictions on daily life. Find out how that could pave the way for summer weddings! Also, in Taiwan Explained, a look at what it’s like to eat at a restaurant in a post-lockdown world. 

The easing of restrictions may not be apparent at the nation’s borders, though. We’ll tell you what the health minister had to say about when cross-border travel can resume.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan is hoping that it would help Taipei regain the 'observer' status that it had for eight years between 2009 and 2016.

India Today
Date: May 17, 2020
By: Geeta Mohan 

India is slated to take over the chair of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board for three years soon after its annual meeting later this month.

Meanwhile, Taiwan is hoping that it would help Taipei regain the 'observer' status that it had for eight years between 2009 and 2016.

Even though India has largely honoured the 'One China policy' of Beijing, it still has good relations with Taiwan.

Despite the fact that there are no formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India is the representative office of Taiwan in India, functioning as a de facto embassy since 1995.    [FULL  STORY]

As Tsai Ing-wen is about to start new four-year term her Cabinet emphasizes stability and continuity

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/16
By: Chris Chang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will start her second and final four-year tenure on Wednesday (May 20), with most ministers in her Cabinet remaining in their posts, including Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).

Following a minor reshuffle, the departure of Minister of Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), Koo Li-shiung (顧立雄), and his mooted reappointment as secretary-general of the National Security Council has drawn the most attention. Kuomintang legislator, Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) commented she was not surprised about the ascent of Koo as he is firmly ensconced in the Tsai camp and held in high regard, the cable station Formosa TV reported.

On the other hand, Democratic Progressive Party legislator, Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) believes Koo's solid background in law and finance could transfer well to international finance, an oft-ignored but crucial function of the security council.    [FULL  STORY]