Proposed Taiwan-US trade deal would bring about benefits to Taiwan’s economy, but negotiations are problematized by Taiwan’s ban on US pork imports

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/18
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – After Taiwan’s envoy to APEC Morris Chang (張忠謀) raised

the idea of a free trade agreement with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Nov. 17, two academics told CNA a potential deal faces a significant obstacle in terms of restrictions on pork imports.

Liu Meng-chun (劉孟俊), head of the First Research Division at the Taipei-based Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research said that a prospective trade deal would bring about benefits to Taiwan’s economy, opening of Taiwan’s service industry, as well as pave the way for U.S. pork imports.

Pork imports are a sensitive subject for the Taiwanese government, with food safety and the economic wellbeing of Taiwanese pork farmers significant concerns for the government and public alike. Liu suggested the pork issue is an important factor in potential trade negotiations.

Liu went on to say that if Taiwan and the U.S. were to ink a trade deal, it would certainly be protested by China, but in the context of the U.S.-China trade war, China’s discontent may have reduced influence on U.S. decision making.
[FULL  STORY]

JUST BLAME HIM: The KMT leader said the key issue should be ensuring the polls are clean and free of ‘unethical moves,’ adding that Han Kuo-yu did not need to apologize

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 19, 2018
By: Lin Liang-sheng  /  Staff reporter

Chinese Nationalist Party KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday morning

apologized for referring to Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) as “a fat sow” and said that although he made an inappropriate comment on Saturday, he longs for clean and honest elections.

Wu made the remark about the former Kaohsiung mayor during an event for KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).

It was a “non-public event with about 10 or 20 people,” the former vice president and premier, who also served as Kaohsiung mayor from 1990 to 1998, said yesterday.

Wu said that he was an old friend of former Examination Yuan member Huang Chun-ying (黃俊英) and that several people at Saturday’s event had come from Huang’s hometown.    [FULL  STORY]

An enterprising Taiwanese grandpa almost certainly has considerably more rare Pokémon than you.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/11/17
By: Saigoneer

While many people spend their retired lives arranging flowers, playing chess, nurturing pet birds or yelling at cable news television, this Taiwanese man is devoting his golden years to catching Pokémon.

Seventy-year old Chen San-yuan (陳三元) has achieved internet fame for an elaborate 11-phone setup that lets him play Pokémon Go for up to 20 hours. He reportedly spends TW$10,000 (US$324) a month on the gear and in-app purchases.

Chen first learned of the game from his grandson in 2016 and has been hooked ever since, claiming “there’s a lot of fun [in this game]… I can connect with people [and] prevent Alzheimer’s disease.”

He first caught the world’s attention when a photo of him appeared on Reddit, garnering more than 75,000 upvotes. A series of memes and news stories quickly followed. One report shares that he doesn’t like to fight other trainers at gyms, but rather just collect rare Pokémon such as Snorlax, his favorite.    [FULL  STORY]

Verdict scheduled for November 19

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/17
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Ahead of a verdict expected on November 19, federal prosecutors in the United States wanted Taiwanese student An Tso “Edward” Sun (孫安佐) to serve between 15 and 21 months in prison for illegal possession of ammunition, reports said Saturday.

The son of celebrities Di Ying (狄鶯) and Sun Peng (孫鵬) was detained in late March after a fellow student reported a threat he made of planning a mass shooting at his school in Pennsylvania on May 1. Subsequent searches turned up 1,600 rounds of ammunition and a handgun he built himself, according to police statements.

As Sun, 18, has already spent eight months in detention, his attorney will ask for his release and deportation as soon as he finishes his prison term, the Central News Agency reported.

In August, he pleaded guilty to a federal firearm charge, and a judge later set the time and date for a verdict at 10 a.m. on November 19, which corresponds to 11 p.m. Taiwan time the same day.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/17
By: Liao Yu-yang and Frances Huang

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Nov. 17 (CNA) Morris Chang (張忠謀), Taiwan’s

representative to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders summit, met with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday.

At a time when the news media has paid close attention to whether Chang and Pence would meet with each other, officials from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the two met at around 1:30 p.m. PNG time and held a discussion.

The talks were held after Pence finished a speech at the APEC CEO Summit, which Chang also attended. The MOFA officials said both met on a cruise ship, where the CEO summit was held.

A U.S. administration official also told a press pool that Pence “is currently having a ‘pull-aside’ with the Taiwanese head of delegation to APEC Morris Chang.”
[FULL  STORY]

‘FORCED DISAPPEARANCE’? The AIT reportedly posted the interview with Moriarty to emphasize his point about external forces attempting to manipulate public opinion

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 18, 2018
By: Wang Jung-hsiang  /  Staff reporter

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Thursday posted on Facebook an interview

AIT Chariman James Moriarty did with Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS), after the channel pulled it from its programming lineup one day after airing.

TVBS conducted the interview with Moriarty in Taiwan last week.

During the interview, Moriarty warned about external forces attempting to manipulate public opinion ahead of the nine-in-one local elections on Saturday.

Unlike most of the station’s news reports, which are aired repeatedly throughout the day and sometimes the following day, TVBS broadcast the interview only once — during the 5pm segment on Nov. 9.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 16 November, 2018
By: Paula Chao

A steam locomotive named Dougal is set to go on display in Chiayi County at the 2018 Sugar Cultural Festival next month.

The locomotive, on loan from the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in the UK, will be a star guest at the festival organized by the Taiwan Sugar Corporation. The theme of this year’s festival is “Taiwan and British Railway Culture Exchange.”

Dougal was built in 1946 for gasworks in Glasgow. The Welshpool and Llanfair railway bought the locomotive in 1969 as a tourist attraction.

Dougal was introduced to the public at a sugar mill on Friday. The locomotive is still in working order though it has not run on its home railway since 2013.

The engine will be in Taiwan for six months, a great opportunity for train buffs.
[FULL  STORY]

As Taiwan gears up for referendum questions covering marriage equality and gender equity education in schools, Taipei’s only out drag couple to talk about their experiences growing up in New Taipei and Wisconsin.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/11/16
By: Cat Thomas

There is only one drag couple, Yolanda Milan and Elja Heights, who are a real-life item and occasionally perform together in Taipei. Outside of their drag life, Yolanda (Tenny Li, 李繼堯, 25) works as a makeup artist while Elja (Ellery Prescott, 29) is an indie musician.

Ellery moved to Taipei in 2012 and has made a name for himself on the acoustic scene. His latest single, “We’ll Keep on Fighting,” is an anthem for gay rights and has been released to coincide with the upcoming referendums. The News Lens caught up with the pair to talk about being openly gay in Taipei, drag as self-expression, their experiences growing up on either side of the Atlantic, and coming out to family.

TNL: How do you feel about the upcoming referendum questions on marriage equality and gender equity education?

Ellery: I’m frankly not very optimistic. I passed out pro-LGBT lit with a group of activists last Sunday at the Longshan Temple area night market. It was fairly disheartening. There were a lot of people who just didn’t care, and many more who were angry with us and threw the lit on the floor. There are some people we did reach, who knew of the referendum but had no idea how to vote on it. I don’t think there is enough action. It will probably be a really big blow to the LGBT community in Taiwan when the results come in. I hope I’m wrong though.    [FULL  STORY]

Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Solomon Islands, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and eSwatini have all voiced their support

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/11/16
By:  Central News Agency

TAIPEI (CNA) — Eight of Taiwan’s allies have voiced support for Taiwan’s participation in the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Friday.

The ministry said in a statement that Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Solomon Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and eSwatini have separately sent letters to Interpol Secretary-General Jurgen Stock asking the organization to arrange for Taiwan’s participation as soon as possible.

It did not say when the letters were sent.

The moves came after Interpol rejected a request from Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) to attend as an observer at Interpol’s 87th General Assembly, to be held Nov. 18-21 in Dubai.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/16
By: Chang Min-hsuen and Ko Lin 

Taipei, Nov. 16 (CNA) French pharmaceutical Sanofi Pasteur has reported that the change in color of one of its vials of flu vaccine distributed in Taiwan was caused by a defect in the vial’s rubber stopper, Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Friday.

Hung Kuo-teng (洪國登), section chief of FDA’s Division of Medical Devices and Cosmetics, said the Sanofi Pasteur report on the problematic flu vaccine suggested impurities from the defective stopper may have found their way into the vaccine.

The problem could have stemmed from the sulfur vulcanization process, make the rubber more durable and provide a tight seal, Hung said.

The French company believes the vulcanization process may have repeated itself or the temperature was too high during the process, generating sulfur compounds that may have come in contact with the vaccine and changed its color, the FDA official said.    [FULL  STORY]