Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/18
By: Elaine Hou and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) A recently declassified White House document published by the American

Institute in Taiwan (AIT) provides evidence that American arms sales to Taiwan do not flout the terms of a joint communique issued by the United States and China in August 1982, despite Beijing's strong protest against such deals.

The declassified memo, dated Aug. 17, 1982, was sent by then U.S. President Ronald Reagan to his Secretary of State George P. Shultz and Defense Minister Caspar Weinberger, detailing the president's interpretation of the communiqué, which was signed the same day.

In the memo, Reagan said he had agreed to "the issuance of a joint communique with the People's Republic of China (PRC) in which we express United States policy toward the matter of continuing arms sales to Taiwan.

"The talks leading up to the signing of the communique were premised on the clear understanding that any reduction of such arms sales depends upon peace in the Taiwan Straits and the continuity of China's declared 'fundamental policy' of seeking a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue," according to the memo, which was published on the AIT website.    [FULL  STORY]

FISHER KILLING: The family of Hung Shih-cheng said it does not care about the prison terms and compensation, but instead hopes that other fishers’ safety can be guaranteed

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 19, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday lauded a Manila court’s conviction of eight members of a

Philippine Coast Guard vessel for their killing of a Taiwanese fisher aboard the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 in 2013.

On May 9, 2013, 65-year-old fisher Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成) was shot to death by Philippine Coast Guards officers in the Balingtang Channel, where the exclusive economic zones of Taiwan and the Philippines overlap.

The killing brought attention to the long-term conflict over fishing rights in the area, sparking a diplomatic row between Taiwan and the Philippines.

The Philippine Government in August 2013 released a report on the incident and the suspects were prosecuted by the Philippine Department of Justice in March 2014.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 17 September, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

Former Vice President Annette Lu is running for president as an independent. Her running mate is former Nantou County Magistrate Peng Pai-hsian. They registered on Tuesday, the deadline for candidate registration.

Lu is backed by the Formosa Alliance, a pro-independence political group that split off from the Democratic Progressive Party in 2018.

She said that Taiwan’s land mass is 136th in the world, but its competitiveness is ranked 17. Taiwan is not a weak country but the polarized political scene have left young people without hope. Lu shared her vision for Taiwan:    [FULL  STORY]

• Warning comes as Solomon Islands becomes the sixth country to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei
• US can’t help settle cross-strait issues at the core of deteriorating relationship, former Taiwanese leader says

South China 
Date: 17 Sep, 2019
By: Sarah Zheng  

Beijing has warned Taipei that it will lose all of its diplomatic allies if Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is re-elected in 2020.

The ominous message from Xiakedao – a social media account run by the overseas edition of Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily – was part of an article posted on Monday after the 

Solomon Islands [1]

 became the sixth country to cut ties with Taipei for Beijing during Tsai’s presidency.

The article blamed Tsai and her independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party for the chill in relations between Taiwan and mainland China.

“As long as the DPP is in power, sooner or later Taiwan will have zero diplomatic allies left,” it said. “Only by first improving cross-strait mutual trust can Taiwan open up its ‘international space’. If the Tsai administration still refuses to come to its senses, then there will only be more ‘diplomatic crises’ to come.”    [FULL  STORY]

The 2020 election will see the incumbent Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP facing off against the KMT’s Han Kuo-yu

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/17
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Now that Foxconn tycoon Terry Gou (郭台銘) has dropped out of the picture,

the 2020 presidential race will be a duel between the two main political parties, said an unidentified Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) campaign member, according to a CNA report on Tuesday (Sept. 17).

Gou on Monday night said he would not participate in the presidential election. In a video on Tuesday he explained that he did not want to participate in a political farce and could not bear to see his supporters being bullied.

Gou’s exit from the presidential race has reduced the election next year to a face-off between the green camp (DPP and its supporters) and the blue camp (KMT and its supporters), represented by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).

The unnamed DPP campaigner was quoted as saying Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) will not register as a candidate. Furthermore, even if former Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) passes the threshold for signatures, her influence on the election will be very limited.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/17
By: Tang Pei-chun, Ku Chuan, Matt Yu, Elaine Hou, Shih Hsiu-chuan and
Joseph Yeh

Brussels, Sept. 16 (CNA) China's ongoing money diplomacy to snatch away Taiwan's diplomatic

allies is not merely a diplomatic competition between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait but also a competition between China's model of authoritarian government and Western-style democracy, according to Taiwan's top envoy to the European Union.

The country's top envoy to the EU, Tseng Ho-jen (曾厚仁), made the remarks when asked to comment on the severing of ties between Taiwan and the Solomon Islands, in the wake of the Pacific country's decision Monday to switch allegiance to Beijing.

The switch has led to concern in the western world, which has gradually found that cross-strait competition does not concern Taiwan and China only.

In fact, it reflects a bigger picture of the competition of different political systems — namely, China's model of authoritarian government and Western-style democracy, Tseng said.
[FULL  STORY]

FALSE EXPECTATIONS: The US said that countries hoping that closer ties with China would help stimulate domestic growth often find themselves worse in the long run

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 18, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday expressed the US’ disappointment over the

Solomon Islands’ decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing and promised to continue supporting Taiwan.

Taiwan on Monday announced that it was severing relations with the South Pacific nation after Honiara decided to switch its political allegiance to Beijing.

The government also condemned attempts by Beijing to suppress Taiwan’s sovereignty and international presence.

Solomon Islanders in Malaita Province yesterday staged a peaceful protest against cutting ties with Taiwan, with demonstrators holding banners that read “Malaita for Democracy, Forget the $ Think, Leadership,” images posted on the “I am from Honiara, Solomon Islands” Facebook page showed.
[FULL  STORY][

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 16 September, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

Taiwan is set to hold its own demonstrations showing support for the people of Hong Kong on September 29. The theme for the protests is “Taiwan-Hong Kong demonstrations: Support Hong Kong, Oppose Totalitarianism.”  Entertainers recently made an open call for public support in Taiwan.

A group of high-profile musicians is calling on people in Taiwan to take to the streets on September 29 to show support for the people of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong singer Denise Ho says the people of Hong Kong have been protesting for almost 100 days against an authoritarian government.

The protesters have five demands, including: amnesty for protestors, HK Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s resignation, universal suffrage and an independent inquiry into police brutality.
[FULL  STORY]

Global Times
Date:  2019/9/16

The Solomon Islands has cut its "diplomatic relations" with the island of Taiwan and switched to Beijing.

This is the sixth country Taiwan has lost as a "diplomatic ally" since Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen took office. There are only 16 "allies" left for Taiwan. 

The island of Taiwan is not a country. No major powers in the world recognize that it has sovereign status. A few small states as its "diplomatic allies" have also abandoned it. 

The Tsai authority soon accused the Chinese mainland of engaging in "dollar diplomacy." It was extremely ridiculous. It is the Taiwan authority that has relied on money to maintain improper foreign relations. They have not yet figured out the world's general trend, believing that money can settle everything.

It is worth noting that the US Congress and the Trump administration in 2018 repeatedly warned that countries breaking "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan may lose Washington's assistance and even face US sanctions. Solomon's move fully demonstrates the limitations of US pressure.
[FULL  STORY]

Vietnamese masseur charged with raping female college student while boyfriend was on other side of curtain in Taipei spa

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/16
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An unaccounted for Vietnamese migrant worker has been charged with allegedly sexually assaulting a female college student while her boyfriend was being massaged on the other side of the curtain.

On Sept. 9, the woman and her boyfriend went to a spa on Taipei City's Kaifeng Street to receive massages. According to local reports, the woman was then allegedly sexually assaulted by a male Vietnamese masseur, unbeknownst to her boyfriend, who was on the other side a curtain while receiving a massage from another worker.

The woman arrived at the massage parlor with her male companion at 10 p.m. that evening, and she opted for a full-body oil massage. The suspect led the woman to a bed in a separate compartment from her boyfriend and pulled the curtain closed.

Halfway through the massage, the suspect allegedly forced the woman to engage in a sexual act with him, reported UDN. At the moment the assault occurred, the woman did not shout for help and did not tell her boyfriend until the next day, reported the Liberty Times.    [FULL  STORY]