Radio Taiwan International
Date: 30 October, 2019
By: Jake Chen

Taiwan is willing to build technological infrastructure with all countries without taking sides. That was the word from Science Minister Chen Liang-kee on Wednesday.

Chen was speaking at the opening of the 2019 Global Science & Technology Forum in Taipei. The forum is organized by the science ministry. This year’s forum is welcoming tech leaders from 18 countries to discuss key topics in the fields of science and technology.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2019/10/30
Words and Photos by Ryan Hong
Translation by Joe Henley

One of the best places to get a taste of authentic Taiwanese food? Right around the temples.Faith gathers people together. Just as temples in Taiwan are centers of prayer and divination, they also allow people to gather and chat over a cup of tea. But faith also serves as a beacon. There are different tastes in different parts of Taiwan, and you can always find the most authentic snacks by walking through the grand temple entrances. Following in the footsteps of the faithful, you are sure to find the best local delicacies.

There is perhaps no place like Taiwan, where religion and food are so deeply connected. In Taiwan, there’s an old saying: “tsē lâng hó-tsiah mih” (濟人好呷物), which means “foods taste better when shared.” The temple entrance and square are where large numbers of people come and go, and, understandably, become a place bustling with not only people but also all kinds of delicious street snacks, Oolong tea flavored melon seeds and noodles. If you want to eat authentic, cultural, humanistic, and local delicacies, the temple entrance is the best place to go.

Cisheng Temple is favored by the local faithful, making it one of the three biggest temples in Dadaocheng.

From the south to the north, the temple entrance in every city acts as a kind of food distribution center. The flavors of local gourmets are rooted in the snack stalls in such places as Kaohsiung Guandi Temple (高雄關帝廟), Lugang Mazu Temple (鹿港天后宮), and Hsinchu City God Temple (新竹城隍廟). These places are also where local customs are always on full display.
[FULL  STORY]

Potential US envoy to Marshall Islands vows to strengthen relations between Taiwan and its Pacific ally

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/10/30
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Roxanne Cabral, the nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Marshall

Islands and current representative to Panama, promised on Tuesday (Oct. 29) to protect Taiwan and its Pacific ally against China's predatory economics.

During her Senate nomination hearing, Cabral emphasized that the Marshall Islands is an important diplomatic partner of Taiwan and serves a critical role in stabilizing Taiwan-China relations. She also pledged to help the U.S. improve its partnership with the Marshall Islands once her nomination is confirmed.

Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO), Mitt Romney (R-UT), and Todd Young (R-IN) expressed their concern for Taiwan's diplomatic situation after it recently lost two Pacific allies: the Solomon Islands and Kiribati. When asked about practical ways to prevent Taiwan from losing another Pacific ally, Cabral remarked that Marshallese President Hilda Heine just visited Taiwan last week and that the friendship between the two countries remains stable, reported UDN.

Cabral added that China has no real "allies," only countries that give in to its economic threats. She said she believes the U.S. has more to offer with the help of tools such as the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/10/30
By: Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) Taiwan's military officially decommissioned all of its remaining six UH-1H utility

helicopters, which have been in service for nearly five decades, in a ceremony held Wednesday at a Taichung military base.

In the event held at the Army's 602nd Aviation Brigade, the UH-1Hs were officially retired and their responsibilities handed over to a fleet of UH-60M Black Hawk choppers bought from the United States.

Speaking during the ceremony, Army Commander General Chen Po-yu (陳寶餘) said that with nearly 50 years in service, the choppers had logged a total of seven million flying hours in three million sorties.

The aircraft has performed well in both military exercises and during disaster relief and humanitarian rescue missions, Chen said.

The retired choppers will be handed over to the Air Force and aviation academies for educational purposes, he added.    [FULL  STORY]

INTO ACTION: If signed into law, it would authorize the US Department of State to reduce economic and diplomatic engagements with nations undermining Taiwan

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 31, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA, Washington

The US Senate on Tuesday passed legislation asking the government to help Taiwan keep its remaining 15 diplomatic allies, while supporting its international presence.

The legislation titled Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act of 2019, or TAIPEI Act 2019, was unanimously passed.

The act, initiated by US Senator Cory Gardner, was introduced in May to express US support for Taiwan’s diplomatic alliances.

In September last year, Gardner initiated TAIPEI Act 2018, but it failed to clear the Senate.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 29 October, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

Another mainland Chinese tourist has been deported after he was caught destroying a Lennon Wall in Taichung. Lennon Walls have become a part of Taiwan’s landscape as a way for people to show their support for Hong Kong protesters.

The 35-year-old Chinese man, surnamed Hu, was arrested after he was caught taking down posters on the Lennon Wall at an underpass in Taichung on Sunday. He was in Taiwan on a business visa and was planning to stay in Taiwan for a week. But he got deported by the authorities on Monday and is banned from returning for five years.

Hu was also ordered to pay NT$30,000 to charity and receive instruction on the rule of law before he left. He received the 30-minute instruction and admitted his wrongdoing before he was deported on Monday.    [FULL  STORY]

The National Interest
Date: October 29, 2019 
By: David Axe

The U.S. State Department has signed off on the sale to Taiwan of more than 100 M-1A2 Abrams main battle tanks and other weapons.

The $2.2-billion sale, if Congress approves it, could significantly improve Taiwan’s army, which has not acquired new tanks in several decades. U.S. lawmakers historically have approved weapons deals with Taiwan.

“This proposed sale of M-1A2 tanks will contribute to the modernization of the recipient’s main battle tank fleet, enhancing its ability to meet current and future regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency stated.    [FULL  STORY]

COA spending too much money on purchasing excess rice: legislators

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/10/29
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Council of Agriculture (COA) on Tuesday (October 29) rejected

allegations that it was wasting public money on the purchase and storage of wheat products to help farmers.

The government spent NT$15 billion (US$491 million) a year over the past five years on support systems for wheat products, including NT$10 billion on rice, leading to excessive spending while accumulating large reserves, the United Evening News reported Tuesday.

Legislators have been demanding an explanation by the COA as well as proposals to improve the situation.

The law prescribes that the government keeps 300,000 tons in storage as a safety measure. Similar systems overseas separated the storage of a safe reserve from influencing market prices, COA officials said, adding that problems with the method in Taiwan had led to the current way of helping to prop prices up.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/10/29
By: Chen Chun-hua, Elaine Hou and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Oct. 29 (CNA) An amendment to the Fire Service Act that cleared the Legislative Yuan on

Tuesday will give firefighters the right to call off dangerous missions for their own safety as they fight fires.

The amendment was passed in response to the death of two young firefighters in Taichung in early October who were killed when trying to put out an early morning blaze in a factory.

It stipulates that firefighters and other rescuers can choose not to carry out a dangerous firefighting mission should they deem that no one is trapped at the scene.

National Fire Agency deputy chief and spokesman Chiang Chi-jen (江濟人) told CNA that the agency already gives firefighters the power to make the final call on whether or not to carry out a mission because they are on the front lines and are most qualified to determine how dangerous a mission is.    [FULL  STORY]

FIGHTER JETS: The legislature also approved motions urging the US to facilitate tech transfers, such as allowing Taiwan to manufacture key F-16V parts and components

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 30, 2019
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Lawmakers yesterday passed the Special Act on the Procurement of Updated Fighter Jets (新式戰

機採購特別條例), which caps the budget for the purchase of 66 F-16Vs at NT$250 billion (US$8.19 billion).

The act aims to respond to enemy threats and urgent national defense needs by gradually acquiring updated high-performance jets, to strengthen the air force’s combat abilities, improve the nation’s preparedness for joint operations, and ensure national and regional security, the act states.

It also seeks to enable the nation to attain autonomy regarding defense and drive domestic economic growth, it says.

The procurement plan covers the acquisition of the jets and their equipment, as well as the acquisition, maintenance, development and manufacture of ancillary systems, the act says.

The cost is to be covered by a special budget of up to NT$250 billion, which would come from loans and surplus revenue from the previous fiscal year, it says.    [FULL  STORY]