Focus Taiwan
Date: 10/16/2020
By: Wang Shu-fen and Ko Lin

Taipei, Oct. 16 (CNA) Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) on Friday disclosed a full transcript of the communications between Taiwanese and Hong Kong air traffic controllers, rebutting the latter's claim that one of its planes had voluntarily abandoned its flight plan, and insisted that it was the Hong Kong side that had denied permission for the plane to proceed to the disputed Dongsha Island claimed by both sides.

The incident happened on Thursday when a civilian aircraft from Taiwan chartered by the military was advised by Hong Kong air traffic controllers not to enter the airspace over a group of islands in the South China Sea because "dangerous activities" were in progress in the area, according to the CAA.

The Dongsha Islands, administered by Taiwan but also claimed by China, are located about 310 kilometers southeast of Hong Kong and are within its Flight Information Region (FIR).

It has been standard practice for Taiwanese air traffic controllers to inform their Hong Kong counterparts whenever a plane in the Taipei FIR is about to enter the Hong Kong FIR and is about 20-30 nautical miles away.    [FULL  STORY]

UNFOUNDED CLAIMS: Hong Kong air traffic controllers told a Taiwanese aircraft to leave due to ‘dangerous activities,’ but the military said it found no reason for the claim

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 17, 2020
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) yesterday called on Beijing to respect international aviation rules and refrain from undermining air travel after Hong Kong air traffic controllers on Thursday morning warned off a Taiwanese flight.

A military chartered supply flight operated by Uni Air (立榮航空) from Kaohsiung to the Taipei-controlled Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea was forced to turn back on its way to the disputed islands, where 250 Taiwanese coast guard personnel are deployed, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said.

Hong Kong air traffic controllers denied the Uni Air ATR2-600 aircraft authorization to enter the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (FIR) because of “dangerous activities” being conducted in the area, the CAA said.

The ministry did not find any Chinese military exercises being conducted in the region, Yen said.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 15 October, 2020
By: Paula Chao

Taipei Zoo’s anteater goes missing[/caption] Taipei Zoo’s anteater has been missing for a month and a half. The zoo is calling on Taipei-area residents to help find the mammal as soon as possible.

Footage released by Taipei Zoo shows its anteater carrying a six-month-old baby on its back. It runs along the barrier of its enclosure and then jumps into a moat. This footage was taken on September 1, and the anteater hasn’t been seen since.

Taipei Zoo spokesperson Eric Tsao says it’s obvious the electric fence did not stop the anteater from running away.

The anteater and its baby moved to Taipei Zoo in late August. Although the zoo found the baby on the same day of the escape, its mother has been missing for a month and a half.
[FULL  STORY]

A stern warning to US risky acts amid countdown to Nov election

Glo/bal Times
Date: 2020/10/15
By: Yang Sheng and Wang Qi

 "Don't say you have not been forewarned!" The Chinese phrase, which has been used by the Chinese mainland previously before going to war, reappeared on Thursday in a commentary posted on the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China, the People's Daily. The commentary demanded that Taiwan intelligence organs stand on the right side of history, and not to serve the Trump administration to create any "October Surprise" before the November US presidential election.

"People on either side of the Taiwan Straits are not willing to see war. But if one day war breaks out, Taiwan secessionists would be the chief criminal," reads the article bylined  "An Ping," who some observers believe represents the voice of the mainland's state security agency. 

The article was published online after the mainland state security agency revealed selected Taiwan espionage cases that it has cracked down recently.

Observers from the mainland said that as the Trump administration is likely to create the "October Surprise" by playing "the Taiwan card" to challenge China's bottom line to serve its reelection, and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwan with separatist stance is likely to use this as an opportunity to push secessionism, the article published on Thursday could be regarded as a solemn warning to not only the Taiwan authority but also the US.
[FULL  STORY]

RAND Corporation analyst says US wants to turn Taiwan into 'indestructible fortress'

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/10/15
By: Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank RAND Corporation, stated that he believes the U.S. has significantly changed its policy on arms sales to Taiwan.

Grossman stated that the U.S. has sold many different types of weapons to Taiwan in the past to enhance its asymmetric defense capabilities, and sometimes these included "iconic” arms such as F-16 fighters. However, he noted that the U.S. has clearly adjusted its approach to arms sales to Taiwan, Deutsche Welle reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 10/15/2020
By: Flor Wang, Stanley Cheung, Lai Yen-hsi

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council on Thursday reiterated its stance that Taiwan and Hong Kong must first clarify jurisdiction-related issues between the two sides before Taiwanese authorities accept a Hong Kong murder suspect who wants to turn himself in for allegedly killing his girlfriend in Taiwan in 2018.

Speaking at a regular news briefing, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) insisted that related issues must be settled first to allow Taiwan and Hong Kong to exercise their power under respective jurisdictions.

Only after pertaining key issues are adequately handled can the two sides begin to discuss whether murder suspect Chan Tong-kai (陳同佳) should be allowed to enter Taiwan and turn himself in to stand trial here, Chiu said.

The aim of Taiwan's government is to have the suspect receive due treatment and bring justice to the victim's family as soon as possible, he added.    [FULL  STORY]

REGISTRATION ROW: The online marketplace stopped taking new orders before noon yesterday and said that it would help sellers complete their deals before going offline

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 16, 2020
By: Staff writer, with CNA

E-commerce site Taobao Taiwan (淘寶台灣) yesterday announced that it would leave the Taiwanese market at the end of this year, after being told by the Investment Commission to register as a Chinese entity.

It made the “tough decision” to leave Taiwan, effective Jan. 1 next year, due to “market uncertainties” and was in talks with its employees over a redundancy scheme, the company said in a statement.

It would also help sellers on its site complete their outstanding deals to protect their rights and those of the buyers, it said.

The company said that it had decided to stop taking new orders before noon yesterday ahead of going offline on Dec. 31, and had also closed down some other functions on its Web site, which was launched in September last year.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 13 October, 2020
By: Shirley Lin

The economics ministry on Tuesday turned down suggestions from legislators to have additional labeling requirements for US pork imports. The issue was addressed in light of President Tsai Ing-wen’s announcement in August that Taiwan would open up its market to US imports of pork with ractopamine, a leanness enhancing drug.

Legislators were asking that a new classification code be added to distinguish ractopamine-added pork and pork offals from those without the additive for the sake of identification and tracking.    [FULL  STORY]

RT
Date: 13 Oct, 2020

China has threatened to make a legitimate response amid reports of US moving forward with new sales of advanced weaponry to Taiwan.

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing said on Tuesday that a “legitimate and necessary” response will follow further US arms sales to Taiwan. The United States should immediately halt all weapons sales to Taiwan, ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters.

China resolutely opposes the US plan to sell three weapons systems to the island, Zhao said. The response will depend on how the situation develops, the spokesperson added.

Beijing’s embassy in Washington also criticized late Monday the possible sale of the weaponry.
[FULL  STORY]

Indian travel photographer creates drone light painting over Taiwan's Vase Rock

Taiwan News
Date: .2020/10/13
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An Indian travel photographer took this photo of Vase Rock with a drone spiraling overhead in southern Taiwan over the summer.

The photographer, Mayank Tiwari (Instagram @makclickz), 31, told Taiwan News that he captured the photo on June 27th just off of Liuqiu Island in Pingtung County. He said that the swirling light overhead is the pattern flown by an aerial drone while he took a long exposure shot.

Tiwari said that he is staying in Taiwan with his wife, Neha Upadhyay, who is a scientist at Academia Sinica. He credits his wife with helping him set up his camera as he operated the drone.

When asked about his inspiration for the photo, Tiwari said that he was really excited to visit the beautiful island, which he had seen many amazing pictures of, but added as a content creator "I always try to stand out and try a different perspective." He decided to try drone light painting over the famous landmark, and he said that it took him and his wife over two hours to capture this image.    [FULL  STORY]