Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-10

President Tsai Ing-wen says she will not escalate tension across the Taiwan Strait, nor

will she bow to pressure from China as either way will only make things worse. Tsai made the remarks in her National Day address on Monday.

President Tsai said the changing international landscape over the past year means the government is looking for opportunities within these challenges and for Taiwan’s optimal strategic position.

Tsai accused China of destabilizing the cross-strait status quo with a diplomatic offensive combined with military coercion. She said, “The best way to defend Taiwan is to make it indispensable and irreplaceable to the world. The people of Taiwan will never accept any attempt by external forces to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. And the international community will never approve of and support the violation of universal values.”    [FULL  STORY]

10/10 is a very KMT celebration.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/10/10
By: Stellina Chen

Happy National Day! Like you, I can’t wait to get down and national on my day off. But why does Taiwan’s day of national celebration fall on Oct. 10? The answer lies in the history of China and the 1911 Wuchang uprising, the movement that triggered the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.

As such, members of Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang (KMT) – the nationalist party – will look on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) presiding over today’s festivities with a certain degree of schadenfreude.

After all, President Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) advocates Taiwan’s independence from China, so having a national birthday celebration that commemorates the founding of the ROC – for many in the DPP and outmoded concept that Taiwan must move on from if it is to truly divorce itself from its neighbor across the Taiwan Strait – is a matter of some hilarity.

Not to be outdone by the parade that will grace Ketagalan Boulevard today, the KMT is gearing up to throw its own parallel party under the theme of “Love Your National Flag, Love Your Country.”    [FULL  STORY]

 

Taiwan government increases international drug cooperation in response to rise of drug-related cases in Taiwan’s courts

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/10/10
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In response to an increase in drug-related cases in Taiwan’s courts, as well as the changing nature of Taiwanese criminals relationship with international crime syndicates, the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (法務部調查局) has ramped up international cooperation, reported CNA.

The investigation bureau recently published its 2017 annual report, which says that Taiwan has seen an increase in Taiwanese involvement in international drug trafficking, and the expansion of international cooperation to fight this has become a main priority.

The report observes that Taiwanese drug crime is in a period of transition and internationalization. During this period, the style and route of drug importation has also changed away from traditional avenues.

Taiwanese criminals previously smuggled drugs for profit, but the report suggests that Taiwan’s participation in international drug shipping has expanding, making use of the island’s shipping and fishery industries. In this regard, the report suggests that Taiwanese criminals play an important role in drug transport across Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/10
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan

Taipei, Oct. 10 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in her National Day address

Wednesday that Taiwan must bolster its national strength in order to achieve sustainable survival amid a changing international landscape and challenges arising from China’s coercion.

In her speech titled “Democratic Taiwan Lights up the World,” Tsai said Taiwan will not act rashly to escalate confrontation with China, nor will it give in to pressure, but rather will seek to attain stability, adaptability, and progress.

“An effective response strategy must be rooted in national strength,” Tsai said on the 107th anniversary of the Republic of China (Taiwan). “So right now, our most important task is to strengthen national security, economy, and the social safety net. We will continue to make Taiwan stronger, and irreplaceable in the global community. This is Taiwan’s niche for sustainable survival.”

On the national security front, Tsai said her administration will continue to strengthen the country’s value-based diplomatic links and seek to establish irreplaceable strategic importance, in recognition of Taiwan’s geostrategic position.    [FULL  STORY]

ENSURING DEMOCRACY: Taiwanese would not move toward conflict due to momentary passion, but nor would they sacrifice the sovereignty of the nation, the president said

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 11, 2018
By: Su Yung-yao, Jake Chung and William Heatherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writers

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in her Double Ten National Day speech yesterday called

on China to act as a “responsible large nation” should — assuming a benign rather than quarrelsome role in the Asia-Pacific region and the world — as she vowed to maintain cross-strait peace and the democratic lifestyle of 23 million Taiwanese.

“Taiwan, at the forefront of the West Pacific, is under great pressure,” Tsai said.

China has in the past few years resorted to brow beating Taiwanese and restricting Taiwan’s international space, which has damaged cross-strait relations and is seriously challenging peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Tsai said.

The redistribution of labor along the international supply chain, resulting from the US-China trade war, has disrupted international trade and increased the geopolitical complexity of the Indo-Pacific region, as well as cross-strait relations, the president said.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-10-09

Excitement is building in Taiwan as National Day approaches. With the countdown to the

big day nearing its end, the organizers of the National Day event in Taipei have given the public a taste of this year’s parade.

Twenty-four floats set to appear in this year’s National Day parade have been unveiled.

Mascot bears will be a recurring theme at this year’s event. The Taipei City Government’s float features city mascot Bravo the bear. Meanwhile, the Tourism Bureau float features its own bear mascot, Oh Bear, taking a selfie.
[FULL  STORY]

It’s time for the Tsai administration to show some initiative in reinvigorating cross-Strait relations.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/10/09
By: Kelvin Chen

Cross-Strait relations have come to a stand-still since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in April 2016. China has been continuously pressuring her refusal to accept the so-called 1992 consensus (a tacit agreement between Taipei and Beijing that maintains the existence of ‘One China’, but with differing interpretations) and has rejected direct engagement with the Tsai administration unless it wholeheartedly embraces this ‘historic agreement’.

Beijing’s unilateral adamancy for this outdated framework has let relations in the Taiwan Strait to anguish in political limbo. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has rejected this consensus due to its lack of validity, and the party’s advocacy for Taiwanese independence. Furthermore, the oft proposed ‘One Country, Two Systems’ has been proven to be a false promise, as seen in Hong Kong; namely through the 2014 protests and their aftermath, as well as the recent ban of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party.

Despite unwavering diplomatic isolation and political pressure from China, Tsai Ing-wen has proclaimed her intention of strengthening cross-Strait relations, while upholding the status quo and preserving Taiwanese sovereignty. She has repeatedly voiced her progressive intentions for continued dialogue without accepting the so-called 1992 consensus, promising that any developments would be “in accordance to the Republic of China constitution.” China remains unconvinced of the DPP’s intentions and has closed all major lines of communication, leaving Tsai in a political quagmire. This complication spurs the question: What alternatives can Taiwan pursue in order to continue meaningful dialogue with China?    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to vote whether marriage equality will be legislated through amendments to Civil Code

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/10/09
By:  Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan is set to hold a referendum on whether legalization of same-sex marriage should be legislated through amendments to its civil law during local and regional elections on Nov. 24, after a petition was accepted by the Central Election Commission (CEC, 中央選舉委員會) today.

The CEC accepted a petition with over 300,000 signatures by a group generally seen as against marriage equality, who believe legalization of same-sex marriage should be done through creation of a new law, as opposed to amendments to the Civil Code.

In regards to marriage, the current Civil Code Article 972 states that “An agreement to marry shall be made by the male and the female parties in their own [con]cord.”

Groups in favor of same-sex marriage regard legalization through a separate law as a form of discrimination, and advocate amendments to the Civil Code.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/10/09
By: Liu Lee-jung and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Oct. 9 (CNA) The Central Election Commission (CEC) approved six referendum

proposals at a review meeting Tuesday, bringing the total number to seven, including one on whether Taiwan should apply to attend the 2020 Tokyo Olympics under the name “Taiwan” instead of “Chinese Taipei.”

The seven referendum proposals will be held alongside local government elections on Nov. 24.

In addition, the CEC said it will take legal action against those suspected of forging signatures on referendum endorsements, which the commission said were found in all approved referendum proposals.

The seven referendums include one that will ask eligible voters 18 years old and over the question: “Do you agree that Taiwan should apply to participate in all international sporting events, including the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, using the name ‘Taiwan?'”
[FULL  STORY]

SO DIFFERENT: The revised plan reduces the scope from 230 to 23 hectares and builds the harbor offshore to avoid damaging the algal reefs, Premier William Lai said

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 10, 2018
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The government’s plans for a third liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal are completely

different from those of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) when it was in power, as the current plans are smaller in scope and incorporate measures to prevent damage to ecologically sensitive zones, Premier William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.

Lai made the remarks during a question-and-answer session with KMT Legislator Sufin Siluko at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), after inspecting the algal reefs off the coast of Taoyuan’s Datan Borough (大潭) in 2013, vowed to make the area an environmental reserve to ensure that the reefs would be preserved, Sufin said.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) owes the public an apology for making a U-turn on the issue after so fiercely criticizing the KMT’s plans less than three years ago, he said.    [FULL  STORY]