Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/01/02
By: Huang Li-yun, Matt Yu and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) Taiwan is participating in a search and rescue mission to find crew members of a Palau-registered general cargo ship still missing after the vessel capsized in waters east of China’s Wenzhou on Wednesday morning, the National Rescue Command Center (NRCC) said.

The center received a report at 7:05 a.m. that a Palau-registered boat with 15 crew members (one Taiwanese and 14 Myanmarese) on board capsized in waters 190 nautical miles (352 kilometers) northeast of Songshan District in Taipei, the NRCC said in a statement.

Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Bureau was later notified that the boat went down in waters 150 nautical miles (278 km) north-northeast of Taiwan-held Pengjia Islet and about 167 km east of Wenzhou in the East China Sea.

As of 3:30 p.m., two Myanmarese crew members were rescued by a South Korean fishing boat, while two others were rescued and one body found by a Chinese fishing boat but the other 10 are still missing.    [FULL  STORY]

STARK CONTRAST: The Chinese president defined the so-called ‘1992 consensus’ as both sides of the Taiwan Strait working toward unification under the ‘one China’ principle

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 03, 2019
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said he would not renounce the use of

force against foreign forces and pro-Taiwan independence “separatists” that interfere with China’s goal of peaceful unification as he announced plans to explore using the “one country, two systems” model with Taiwan.

Xi made the remarks in a closely watched speech in Beijing marking the 40th anniversary of the 1979 “Message to Compatriots in Taiwan,” which called for the unification of “China,” an end to military confrontation across the Taiwan Strait and expanded cross-strait interactions.

“The history of the development of cross-strait relations has proven that no individual or force can change the historical and de jure sense of facts that Taiwan is a part of China and that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same ‘China,’” Xi said.

“The motherland must and will be reunited,” he said, before listing five points for the promotion of peaceful development of cross-strait ties and peaceful unification.
[FULL  STORY]

For caregivers over 65 caring for another elderly person, help is out there. They’re just not taking it.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/01/01
By: If Lin

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of people who have become caregivers for their elderly relatives. It’s a stressful job, especially for those with little experience in caring for others. This is especially so when the caregivers are elderly themselves.

This kind of care, where an elderly person cares for an elderly spouse or relative, is becoming increasingly common. Among those over age 65 who needed long-term care, the percentage who named their spouse as their primary caregiver rose from 13.2 percent in 2005 to 21.5 percent in 2017, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s survey on the Health and Living Status of the Elderly.

According to the survey data, 49.1 percent of caregivers over 65 years old were looking after their spouses, and most of them were working over 14 hours a day. Of these elderly caregivers, nearly half (49.2 percent) said they had nobody who could help out and give them a break every so often.

These statistics point to the increasingly common occurrence of “elderly-for-elderly care” arrangements in Taiwan – and note that elderly caregivers are understandably getting stressed out.    [FULL  STORY]

Leftovers from incineration ended up in landfill inside plant area

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/01
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Waste from the third nuclear plant in Pingtung County erroneously dumped at a landfill poses no risk to the public, the Cabinet-level Atomic Energy Council (AEC) and the Taiwan Power Corporation said Tuesday.

The material’s radioactivity was extremely low, while the landfill was situated within the grounds of the nuclear plant, so the public would not be exposed, the Central News Agency reported.

According to media reports, Taipower moved radioactive, cancer-causing waste to the landfill several times over the past year.

At the origin of the practice was a tightening of regulations dating back to 2004, when the maximum level of radioactivity allowed in waste for the landfill was lowered, though Taipower still continued treating the waste according to the original formula, CNA reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/01/01
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Tuesday proposed for the

first time the “Four Musts” as the basis for moving relations between Taiwan and China in a positive direction, and she vowed to establish mechanisms to safeguard Taiwan’s national security.

China must recognize the existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan), respect the values of democracy and freedom Taiwan’s 23 million people hold dear, resolve cross-Taiwan Strait differences in a peaceful and equitable manner, and sit down with the government of Taiwan or an institution with a mandate from the government, Tsai said.

“These ‘Four Musts’ are the vital bases for positive development of cross-strait relations,” Tsai said in a New Year’s Day speech Tuesday.

New Year’s Day speeches have been a tradition for presidents in Taiwan, but this was Tsai’s first speech given at the beginning of a new year since taking office in May 2016.    [FULL  STORY]

THREE BULWARKS: President Tsai Ing-wen’s new formula appears to be an attempt to create a new starting point for cross-strait relations after criticism over her ‘status quo’

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 02, 2019
By: Su Yung-yao and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday proposed “four musts” as the basis for

moving cross-strait relations in a positive direction, vowing to establish mechanisms to safeguard Taiwan’s national security.

China must recognize the existence of the Republic of China; respect the values of democracy and freedom Taiwan’s 23 million people hold dear; resolve cross-strait differences in a peaceful and equitable manner; and engage in negotiations with the government of Taiwan or an institution with a mandate from the government, Tsai said in her New Year’s Day speech.

These “four musts” are the vital basis for positive development of cross-strait relations, she said.

The new formula appeared to be an attempt by Tsai to create a new starting point for relations with China, which have been at a standstill since her inauguration because of Beijing’s decision to cut off official communication with her administration.
[FULL  STORY]

Tourist numbers from the mainland have fallen dramatically since Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen took office. (

Channel News Aasia
Date: 31 Dec 2018

TAIPEI: A record 11 million tourists have visited Taiwan in 2018, the government said Monday (Dec 31), a boon for the island as it courts holidaymakers across Asia to make up for a shortfall from China.

The number of Chinese mainlanders visiting Taiwan has dropped dramatically since the 2016 election of president Tsai Ing-wen who has refused to acknowledge Beijing’s stance that the island is part of “one China”.

Beijing still sees Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified, despite the two sides being ruled separately since the end of a civil war on the mainland in 1949.

China has cut off official communication with Tsai’s government and stepped up military and diplomatic pressure.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 31 December, 2018
By: Paula Chao

Three little piggies feature prominently on the official Lunar New Year greeting card for President Tsai Ing-wen. The stacked piglets are not only a nod to the Year of the Pig, which begins in early February, they are also a symbol of good fortune and prosperity.

Spirals on the left and right of the card are a symbol of continuity. Designer Wu Yi-ting said she wanted to convey the message that “if the direction is correct, the path will continue ever forward; and with unity, the potential for great achievements is endless.”

The card and the envelop are both pink, which in an auspicious color in Chinese and Taiwanese culture.

The card is available for download, free of charge, on the presidential office website (http://www.president.gov.tw).    [SOURCE]

Taipei 101 ushers in 2019 in Taiwan with a spectacular fireworks and LED light display

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/01
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s iconic tower, Taipei 101, marked the entrance of 2019 with the most extravagant fireworks display and light show in the country.

According to the Taipei Financial Center Corp., this year’s fireworks extravaganza included 16,000 fireworks shells, which ran for 360 seconds, 60 seconds longer than last year. Taipei 101 had invited international experts from across disciplines to implement this year’s show.

This year’s animated light show played an even larger role, was more synchronized with the pyrotechnics, and featured nine themes. In the first theme, “Night Market, Famous Food,” images of Taiwan’s famous pearl milk tea, chicken cutlets, and xiaolongbao were displayed.

The animated light show was made possible by a lighting system consisting of 140,000 LED lights called the T-Pad, which was projected on the outside of Taipei 101 from the 35th to the 90th floors.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/12/31
By: CNA staff writer Elizabeth Hsu

Taiwan has always been wary of China’s efforts to annex it, especially as Beijing beefs up its military and maintains the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control.

But what Taiwan currently fears more than China’s missiles is the African swine fever (ASF) virus that has already spread to 23 of China’s 31 provinces and municipalities.

Since the first confirmed case of ASF infection in swine was reported in Liaoning Province in August, Taiwan has been on high alert, worried that an invasion of the extremely deadly virus could destroy a vital and valuable sector of the country’s economy — its pig-farming industry.

It has taken several unprecedented steps to keep ASF away from an industry that consists of 7,240 hog farms raising nearly 5.4 million pigs as of May and generates NT$80 billion (US$2.58 billion) in value directly and another NT$200 billion through peripheral businesses.    [FULL  STORY]