HIS RESPONSIBILITY? Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu said that as mayor he has come to understand that for things in Kaohsiung to be good, things in Taiwan must be good

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 24, 2019
By: Wang Jung-hsiang and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday said that he would be unable to

participate in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential primary as it is currently structured, but that he believes the nation’s development and defense is his responsibility.

Han, speaking to the media after a Kaohsiung City Government meeting in the morning, thanked his supporters “at home and abroad.”

“During my tenure as mayor, I have come to deeply understand that things can only be good in Kaohsiung if things in Taiwan are good,” he said. “At this time, I cannot join the primary under the existing system.”

Politics has long been influenced by “bigwigs” holding meetings in private, and has moved far away from the will of the general public, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 22 April, 2019
By: Paula Chao

President Tsai Ing-wen says taking care of the armed forces is her most important task. Tsai was speaking Monday while meeting a delegation of veterans from the United States. The delegation is led by Vincent B.J. Lawrence, the head of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Since taking office in 2016, Tsai said she has been paying particular attention to military issues. This includes soldiers’ benefits, the construction of indigenous warplanes, and upgrading soldiers’ personal gear.

Tsai said last year’s pension reforms are aimed at establishing a system that would keep servicemen longer in the military.    [FULL  STORY]

Comparisons between Terry Gou and Donald Trump go far deeper than their similar taste in headwear.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/04/22
By: Milo Hsieh

Milo Hsieh grew up in Taiwan and now studies international relations at American University in Washington, DC. He is most interested in the politics and identity of Taiwan.
Cover image by Stellina Chen

Terry Gou, the man behind the success of technology giant Foxconn and Taiwan’s most famous businessman, announced last week his intention to run for president by seeking the Kuomintang (KMT) nomination, saying the sea goddess Mazu had told him in a dream to seek the nation’s top office.

While Gou is known internationally for Foxconn’s role in supplying parts for Apple’s iPhones, his attempt to capture the presidency of Taiwan is reminiscent of the saga of U.S. President Donald Trump’s rise to power.

Credit: Reuters / TPGTerry Gou (R) holds a testimonial next to KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) as he announces his intention to seek the party’s nomination on April 17, 2019.
Terry Gou: A Brutally Efficient Businessman
Terry Gou founded Foxconn in 1974 with the help of NT$100,000 (US$3,250 at current exchange rates) obtained from a “bidding union” (標會), an informal network of capital holder traditionally used to fund personal needs before the establishment of legal credit systems. This amount of cash, significant in the pre-miracle Taiwan where private capital was scarce, draws a close resemblance to the “small loan of a million dollars” Trump used to start his real estate career.

Foxconn cooperated with major US firms such as Hewlett-Packard and Apple in supply chips as Taiwan’s largest and most successful Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). For several years, Gou was Taiwan’s richest man, but he has recently been displaced by Want Want Group’s Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明). Tsai, unrelated to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), is known for his influence and funding of the pro-China CTI Television Inc, recently in the spotlight for its fawning coverage of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).
[FULL  STORY]

Rising numbers of children and teenagers are underweight, says government

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/22
By: Iris Hsu, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Education revealed that, according to their survey figures from July 2018, an estimated 205, 000 K-12 and high school students in Taiwan are underweight.

Based upon survey results from school year 2013 to 2017, the ratio of underweight primary schoolers has risen from 6.9 percent to 8.2 percent, adding nearly 5,000 children to the category.

In the middle school section, underweight figures have also increased from 6.3 percent to 6.9 percent, making an estimate of nearly 45,000 middle school pupils underweight.

8.85 percent of the high school students who were surveyed were underweight, compared to 8.26 percent in 2013.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/22
By: Lee Hsin-Yin 

Taipei, April 22 (CNA) The case of a Mandarin Airlines passenger live-streaming a flight takeoff on April 18 has been handed over to prosecutors, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said Monday.

The administration said the passenger, surnamed Chen (陳), violated the Civil Aviation Act, which stipulates that “no person shall use any device that may interfere with navigation or telecommunications, unless these devices are approved by CAA, instructed by cabin crew with the consent of pilot in command.”    [FULL  STORY]

CLARIFICATION:MAC  Minister Chen Ming-tong said the government has not discussed some old proposals for Taiwan-China relations that he mentioned in a media interview

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 23, 2019
By: Chung Li-hua and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

While the nature of the cross-strait relationship could be discussed, the nation’s

sovereignty is not up for discussion, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said after he was pressed to expand upon comments he made in an interview published yesterday in the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times).

There have been suggestions in the past that Taiwan and China could consider an EU-type model, a pact between independent nations, or a “nations of brotherhood” (兄弟之邦) framework, Chen said.

While he respects these proposals, the Democratic Progressive Party government has not formally discussed them, he said.

“As long as our sovereignty, freedoms and democracy are preserved, there are many possibilities,” he said.    [FULL  STORY]

28 year old man killed after his body struck a highway guardrail early Sunday morning

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/04/21
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPE (Taiwan News) – Early Sunday morning, a horrific accident occurred on a national highway near Taichung’s Nantun District, involving a single car resulting in the driver’s death upon impact.

A 28 year old man, surnamed Shi (石), was reportedly driving at high speeds on Highway No. 74 around 4:30 a.m. and crashed his car into the guardrail on the side of the road. In the crash, Shi’s body was thrown through the driver’s side window and his right arm was dismembered.

The right arm of the victim was found some meters from the vehicle, shocking first responders. Officers said the driver suffered extreme head trauma in the accident, and that there was no need to dispatch an ambulance.

Shi reportedly worked as a vendor at a Taichung night market and was returning home from a night at work, according to Liberty Times.    [FULL  STORY]

‘LOOPHOLE’: If the amendment is passed, people caught colluding with China with the intent to subjugate Taiwan could be sentenced to death or life imprisonment

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 22, 2019
By: Huang Hsin-po  /  Staff reporter

A draft amendment to broaden the definition of treason to include collusion with China has

been submitted for legislative negotiations, with the first round of cross-caucus talks expected to begin tomorrow at the soonest.

Under the Criminal Code, treason through collusion must involve an “enemy state” and is therefore inapplicable to Taiwanese who spy for China.

The draft amendment, proposed by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), seeks to expand the definition of treason to include collusion with an “enemy” — described in the proposal as any “country, political entity or organization that engages in armed conflict or a military standoff with the Republic of China,” or “posing a military threat to the nation.”

If passed, individuals caught colluding with China with the intent to subject Taiwan’s territory to its rule could be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.    [FULL  STORY]

Star politician Han Kuo-yu or Foxconn leader Terry Gou could lead the country — if they can convince people they don’t work for China.

Foreign Policy
Date: April 19, 2019
By: Chiu-Ti Jansen

Forget Pete Buttigieg. The mayor with a real shot at a presidency isn’t in Indiana but Taiwan. Han Kuo-yu, the newly minted Kuomintang (KMT) mayor of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, attracted fervent crowds on his tour of the United States this month. He was topping the polls for the 2020 presidency at home, where political watchers saw a U.S. grand tour to be a precursor to a presidential campaign.

But just as Han’s momentum seemed unstoppable, Terry Gou, Taiwan’s richest man with an estimated net worth of $7.6 billion, announced that he would join the KMT’s presidential primary. Since Han has indicated that he won’t join the primary, the KMT will have to decide between a coronation for Gou or resorting to a special procedure for enlisting Han.

Gou is taking a page out of the playbook of Donald Trump, with whom he maintains a personal relationship, and was reportedly inspired by Han’s surprising electoral victory in Kaohsiung in November 2018. If either Gou or Han leads the KMT to a victory at the presidential election, it could have big implications for Taiwan’s relationship with China—and with the United States. But will the intricate Gou-Han dynamic give the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) a window to curtail a resurgent KMT?

Han is good at selling pineapples—one of his city’s main exports—while Gou wants to sell semiconductor chips. Han is an expert in mobilizing support on the ground, while Gou commands from the top down.

Han’s welcome parties in Boston, Los Angeles, and San Jose, jammed with his fans and reporters from Taiwan and the United States, ran like political rallies with hundreds of supporters chanting, “Han Kuo-yu! Han Kuo-yu! Run for president and save Taiwan!” Han asked the audience to return home to cast their votes because the 2020 presidential election is “a matter of life and death” for Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]