Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/01
By: Joseph Yeh

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) The United States on Monday called on China to stop its coercion

against Taiwan and resume official cross-strait dialogue after two Chinese Air Force planes crossed the Taiwan Strait median line Sunday, a rare move that violated a long-held tacit agreement between the two sides.

According to Taiwan’s defense ministry, two J-11 fighter planes from the People’s Liberation Army of China crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern airspace at 11 a.m. Sunday.

The aircraft finally returned to China’s side of the median line after receiving multiple radio warnings.

Government officials said the intrusion triggered a 12-minute standoff between Taiwanese and Chinese warplanes when the latter flew 43 nautical miles into Taiwan’s airspace, despite repeated warnings.    [FULL  STORY]

Date: March 31, 2019

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan on Sunday condemned what it called a “provocative” move by China after two Chinese fighter jets crossed a maritime border separating the two sides amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing.

Earlier on Sunday Taiwan scrambled aircraft to drive away the two Chinese planes, the self-ruled island’s defence ministry said.

China’s move had “seriously impacted regional safety and stability”, the ministry said in a statement.

There was no immediate reaction from Beijing, which views Taiwan as a renegade Chinese province.    [FULL  STORY]

Stuff
Date: Mar 31 2019
By: Catrin Owen 

Taiwan is often referred to as one of Asia’s best kept secrets and having spent five days there I’d have to agree.

The island is about a third the size of the North Island which makes travelling around easy with the high speed rail if you don’t want to hire a car.

The cities are bustling with thousands of scooters, traditional temples, polite locals and endless rows of delicious street food stalls. Once you venture further out of the cities you’re surrounded by beautiful mountains, gorges, seaside towns and plenty of greenery.

As a first-timer to Taiwan, it’s a country that I’ll definitely be going back to.
[FULL  STORY]

Straits Times
Date: March 31, 2019

TAIPEI (REUTERS) – Taiwan on Sunday (March 31) condemned what it called a

“provocative” move from China after two Chinese fighter jets flew past a maritime line amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing.

Earlier on Sunday, Taiwan scrambled aircraft to “drive away” two Chinese fighter jets which it said flew past a maritime border in Taiwan Strait, the self-ruled island’s Defence Ministry said in a statement late on Sunday.

The ministry said China’s move had “seriously impacted regional safety and stability”.

There was no immediate reaction from Beijing.

China has repeatedly sent military aircraft and ships to circle Taiwan during drills in the past few years and worked to isolate the island internationally, whittling down its few remaining diplomatic allies.    [FULL  STORY]

Both drivers rescued from wreckage with broken bones

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/31
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Around 8:00 a.m. March 31, on Taiwan Highway No. 9 in Pingtung County, a Lamborghini and a CPC Corp. semi-tanker collided in spectacular fashion, flipping the semi off the road.

Fortunately, the drivers of both vehicles survived, although the driver of the semi-tanker reportedly broke a bone in his left leg, and the driver of the sports car suffered a fracture of his left fibula and in his right arm.

The local fire station dispatched 11 vehicles to the scene to check on the wounded drivers who were quickly freed from the wreckage where they were trapped.

In a photo taken at the scene, the driver of the Lamborghini can be seen stunned in the driver seat looking out upon his wrecked vehicle.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/31
By: Matt Yu, Emerson Lin and William Yen

Taipei, March 31 (CNA) Taiwan’s Air Force scrambled several fighter jets Sunday when two military aircraft from China crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

The Taiwan Air Force jets intercepted two J-11 fighter planes from the People’s Liberation Army of China when they crossed the median line, MND spokesman Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said.

The Chinese fighter planes entered Taiwan’s southwestern airspace at 11 a.m. and retreated to the west side of the median line after they were issued a radio warning, according to a statement issued by the MND.

According to local media, the incident triggered a 10-minute standoff between Taiwan and China warplanes.    [FULL  STORY]

Cult of Mac
Date: March 29, 2019
By: Luke Dormehl

As countries, it’s fair to say that China and Taiwan aren’t exactly BFFs. For evidence of this, look no further than the recently released macOS 10.14.4. Eagle-eyed users in China have noticed that their Mac devices can no longer display the Taiwan flag emoji.

The flag ban can’t even be circumvented by changing the region in your Mac’s System Preferences.

Macs bought in China can no longer display the Taiwan Flag Emoji, no matter which region is set in System Prefs

Seems like macOS 10.14.4 has lifted its region lock to a new level: with the latest version of macOS, all Mac devices that sold in China cannot display no matter what region are set in System Preferences.    [FULL  STORY]

Travel Weekly
Date: Mar 29, 2019
By: Eric Moya 

When a top airline for a destination flies planes that are adorned with cartoon-themed livery, it’s a good bet that the destination is family-friendly.

Case in point: Taiwan’s EVA Airlines has a long-standing partnership with Sanrio, owner of Hello Kitty, and Taiwan’s infatuation with the character goes back decades. Capital city Taipei, for example, has been home to a Hello Kitty Cafe since 1976.

I visited that cafe four years ago, when I spent nearly a week in Taipei. It wasn’t on the agenda for my return to Taiwan late last summer as a guest of the country’s tourism bureau. Still, our group experienced a number of family-friendly sites and attractions during the eight-day trip, which included stops in Tainan and Kaohsiung, two of Taiwan’s other major cities.

After I arrived at Taipei’s Taoyuan Airport (aboard one of EVA’s non-Hello Kitty aircraft, alas), our group spent two days in the capital, including a stop at Taipei 101, which at nearly 1,700 feet high was the world’s tallest building when it opened in 2004. The first five levels house a number of high-end clothing retailers, and a basement-level food court offers a wide range of Asian- and Western-style venues to please most any palate. Its outpost of Din Tai Fung, the international dim sum chain that started in Taipei in 1958, always draws a crowd, but diners generally don’t wait long, thanks to the efficient servers and kitchen staff, who serve about 9,000 soup dumplings on a slow day.   [FULL  STORY]

Chen Shui-bian took to Facebook again to claim he may be in danger of becoming a ‘suicide’ victim

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/03/30
By: Duncan Deaeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – After a recent message from former President Chen Shui-bian

(陳水扁) disparaging Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) this past week, Chen took to Facebook again to tell the public that he may be under threat.

In a message shared on social media, Chen Shui-bian said he has received threats and may be in danger if he leaves his home to attend public events. He insinuated that if any sudden accident results in his death, people should not believe it is a “suicide.”

The alarming statement from the former president follows a 25 minute message posted on March 28, in which the he warned against Han Kuo-yu as a potential threat to Taiwan’s national security.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/30
By: Yeh Su-ping and Ko Lin

Taipei, March 30 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked visiting Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib for his staunch support of Taiwan and said she hoped the relations between the two sides would continue to grow and strengthen.

While receiving Hrib at the Presidential Office, Tsai thanked him and his political party for speaking out on behalf of Taiwan in the international community.

Hrib, a Czech Pirate Party member who was elected mayor of Prague last November, arrived in Taipei earlier this week to attend the Smart City Summit & Expo that was held March 26-29.

In January, he entered the media spotlight after he announced his intention to abolish a clause in the Partnership Agreement signed by Prague and Beijing during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to the city in 2016, which required Prague to adhere to a “one China” policy and acknowledge Taiwan as an inalienable part of Chinese territory.    [FULL  STORY]