Epoch Times
Date: November 17, 2019
By: Frank Fang, Epoch Times

TAIPEI, Taiwan—A giant world map appeared at Taiwan’s Liberty Square in Taipei on Nov. 16 after three days of intensive labor and preparation.

The map and seven Chinese characters were assembled by about 6,500 adherents of the Buddha-school spiritual discipline Falun Gong, some of whom traveled to Taiwan to join in the spectacle.

Dressed in either blue, yellow, or white, they took up seats on color-coordinated mats that made up an outline of the image.

About 6,500 adherents do a meditative exercise together following a character formation in Taipei, Taiwan, on Nov. 16, 2019. (Gong An-ni/The Epoch Times)

Above the map were the words “truthfulness,” “compassion,” and “forbearance” in traditional Chinese characters. The words summarize the moral teachings of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. Above the characters were rays of yellow light.    [FULL  STORY]

A theater play in Taiwan about the anti-extradition bill protests raises awareness of Hong Kong’s plight

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/17
By: Alex Wu , Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwan NGO and acting troupe performed a re-enactment of the Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests on the streets of Taipei, at Chianti Avenue Plaza, on Saturday (Nov. 16).

Citizen Front Taiwan (台灣公民陣線) spokesperson, Chiang Min-yen (江旻諺), explained the goal was to raise awareness about the situation in Hong Kong and the threat posed by China.

“Time-Lapse of Hong Kong: Raising Awareness of the Atrocities of Communist China (香港縮時：一起喚醒對中共暴行仍無所知的人),” was performed by Citizen Front Taiwan and the Three and Four Participatory Theater (三語事劇場). The show included a re-enactment of police firing tear gas at the demonstrators and was a reminder the fight for democracy in Hong Kong has not ended.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/17
By: Ku Chuan, Yeh Su-ping and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Nov. 17 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party

announced Sunday that former Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) will be her running mate in her re-election bid in January 2020.

The Tsai-Lai ticket will face challenges from Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), Kaohsiung's mayor and the presidential candidate of the main opposition Kuomintang, and his running mate former Premier Chang San-cheng (張善政), as well as People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and his running mate, Sandra Yu (余湘), the former chairwoman of advertising firm United Communications Group, in the presidential race on Jan. 11.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan needs a new approach to counter China's campaign to isolate it internationally.

Al Jazeera
Date: Novembe 16, 2019
By: Gary Sands

In the past few weeks, the US Senate and the House of Representatives passed similar versions of an act aiming to strengthen Taiwan's standing in the world and curb China's attempts to further isolate the island, which has been de-facto independent since 1950.

Beijing considers Taiwan a wayward province that must return to the mainland fold, by force if necessary. It insists that nations cannot have official relations with both China and Taiwan, with the result that Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with only a small number of countries.

The Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, which is expected to be finalised in Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in the coming days, is calling for Washington to increase "its economic, security, and diplomatic engagement with nations that have demonstrably strengthened, enhanced, or upgraded relations with Taiwan;" while reducing its engagement with "nations that take serious or significant actions to undermine Taiwan".

With the act, Taiwan's allies in the US Congress are hoping to convince the remaining 15 countries that maintain official diplomatic ties with the island to resist Beijing's attempts to woo them with economic incentives and continue their support for Taipei on the international arena.
[FULL  STORY]

• If hypersonic boost-glide missiles can penetrate US shields in Indo-Pacific region, they could prevent warships coming to island’s aid
• Military experts say HGV technology may be added to other DF family missiles

South China Morning Post
Date: 16 Nov, 2019
By: Minnie Chan  

China’s DF-17 hypersonic boost-glide missile may be powerful enough to penetrate US missile shields in the region, transforming Beijing’s previously defensive strategy of containing independence-leaning forces in the Taiwan Strait.

Observers were surprised to see 16 DF-17s on their launchers during the October 1 National Day parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, with its wedge-shaped payload very different from the other member of the DF family.

An early version of the payload was first flagged in 2017 on state broadcaster CCTV, at that time described variously as a DF-ZF and WU-14. Seven hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) technology tests were conducted from 2013, according to state media.

China fires up new hypersonic missile challenge to US defences

Zhou Chenming, a Beijing-based military expert, said the DF-17 missile had extended China’s range from the Taiwan Strait to the US military base in Yokosuka, Japan. While the primary aim was to deter an independence movement taking hold in the self-ruled island, China was now in a position to prevent a possible intervention by the US aircraft carrier strike group, should Beijing decide to take back the island by force.    [FULL  STORY]

NTUT student Lai Chih-kai reported missing in August after failing to show up for first day of classes

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/16
By:" Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The body of Taiwanese exchange student Lai Chih-kai (賴致愷), who went missing in August, was found in a shed near Auburn University in the U.S. state of Alabama on Nov. 10.

Auburn police confirmed the identity of the body as the 22-year-old Lai after an autopsy. Police said that the body appeared to have been in the shed for a few days and that so far, there is no evidence of foul play.

According to Liberty Times, Lai was a computer science student at the National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT). After applying to be a foreign exchange student at Auburn University, Lai arrived at the school dormitories in the company of his father on Jul. 24 but did not show up for the first day of classes on Aug. 19.    [FULL  STORY]

‘DEFENSE FIRST’: Han Kuo-yu said that a rewarding career is impossible if people’s safety is not certain, so he puts the security of Taiwan before wealth for the people

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 17, 2019
By: Wen Yu-huang and Huang Chung-shan  /  Staff reporters

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday urged voters to demonstrate to the world their resolve to

keep Taiwan a nation that values equality and justice.

In her speech at a National Christian Prayer Society event in Taichung, Tsai, who is seeking re-election as the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate, said she could feel that Christian sisters and brothers have a strong passion for the nation, as well as their insistence on equality and justice.

Taiwan has earned respect in the international community for standing tall in the face of China’s verbal and military threats, and in turn has become stronger, she said.

She vowed to make the nation more secure, introduce more economic policies on the back of a rebounding economy and provide more comprehensive social welfare.    [FULL  STORY]

CHIU GOES, WU REMAINS: Former lawmaker Chiu Yi withdrew from the at-large list after criticism, while retired lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai stayed in fourth

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 16, 2019
By: Shih Hsiao-kuang and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, staff writer

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday published its revised list of legislator-at-large nominees following a provisional KMT Central Standing Committee meeting.

The party convened the meeting after the initial list, which was approved by the committee at a meeting on Wednesday and included former KMT legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) and retired lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), was met with broad criticism.

Chiu was a controversial pick because of questions about his loyalty to Taiwan, while Wu was criticized for attending an event celebrating the 150th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen’s (孫逸仙) birth in Beijing in 2016 and standing for the Chinese national anthem.

Chiu yesterday said on Facebook that he would withdraw his name from the list if its inclusion made some party members unhappy.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 15 November, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

President Tsai Ing-wen has called on Beijing to honor its promise of democracy to the people of Hong Kong. On Friday, Tsai said she believes this is the best way of dealing with the ongoing tensions in the special administrative region.

Tsai also reacted to a statement posted on Facebook by her rival in the 2020 presidential election, KMT candidate Han Kuo-yu. Han called on Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities to listen to the people. He also called for universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

Tsai said that Han had finally said what all politicians who represent Taiwan ought to say. She said that Taiwanese politicians must represent all Taiwanese people in expressing Taiwan’s resolve to do all it can to support Hong Kong’s pursuit of freedom and democracy.    [SOURCE]