More than 100 cases cracked by Thunderbolt 2018 Crackdown, state broadcaster CCTV says

South China Morning Post 
Date: 15 September, 2018
By: Zhuang Pinghui

Beijing has accused Taiwan of blackmailing visiting university students into gathering intelligence about the Chinese mainland and claims to have cracked more than 100 espionage cases involving the self-ruled island, the state broadcaster said on Saturday, as tensions between the two sides continue to rise.

The Thunderbolt 2018 Crackdown run by the Ministry of State Security has led to the identification of several Taiwanese spies and their agents, CCTV reported in the first of a two-part series on the subject.

“It has cut off the spy intelligence network set up by Taiwan and dealt a serious blow to Taiwanese intelligence agencies,” it said.

The state broadcaster also released photographs of people it claimed were Taiwanese spies who had made friends with or “seduced” mainland students at universities on the island.

The “spy network” has been trying to infiltrate the mainland using different means including bribery and “erotic enticement”, the report said.    [FULL  STORY]

Sea alerts expected to be lifted Saturday evening, but torrential rain to continue

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – As Typhoon Mangkhut (山竹) left the Philippines heading for China, a tornado and a waterspout hit different stretches of the Taitung County coastline Saturday afternoon.

A waterspout is a spinning column of air filled with water which forms over the sea, while a tornado is its land-based counterpart.

As the waves grew weaker later Saturday, a tornado moved ashore at the fishing harbor of Shangwu (尚武), throwing rafts on land which had escaped the worst of the waves earlier in the day and ripping apart the roofs of homes, the Central News Agency reported.

Near another segment of the Taitung coast, witnesses saw a waterspout move about off the town of Chenggong (成功), but no damage was reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/15
By: Chiang Chin-yeh and Frances Huang

Washington, Sept. 14 (CNA) U.S. Republican Representative Chris Smith on Friday

urged his country’s executive branch to fully implement the Taiwan Travel Act to bring about an increase in exchanges of high-level officials from Taiwan and the United States.

In a letter to U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo, Smith said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文)’s recent visit to the U.S. showed the positive development of bilateral ties between Washington and Taipei.

“Building on this, I urge you to fully implement the Taiwan Travel Act to allow regular and high-level exchanges between U.S. and Taiwanese officials,” Smith said to Pompeo in the letter.

Tsai made stopovers in two American cities, one in Los Angeles and the other in Houston, during her visits to Paraguay and Belize, two of Taiwan’s 17 diplomatic allies, in August.    [FULL  STORY]

‘UNEQUIVOCAL EVIDENCE’: Considering the state of the nation’s online ecology, China does not really need an Internet brigade to divide Taiwanese society, an academic said

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 16, 2018
By: Chien Li-chung, Chung Li-hua and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

The Chinese government is using online content farms to create fake news to manipulate

Taiwanese public opinion and polarize society, the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau said, citing a bureau analysis of several online articles that have stirred controversy in Taiwan.

The bureau has established a big-data and public opinion task force to monitor the spread of fake news on social media on instructions from the National Security Bureau, it said on Friday.

The probe found “unequivocal evidence” that Beijing was responsible for several fake news articles that aimed to manipulate Taiwanese public opinion, it said. [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-09-14

Morris Chang, the retired founder of chipmaker TSMC, received the First Order of

Propitious Clouds from President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday.

The award honor citizens or public sector workers who have made an outstanding contribution to Taiwan.

Chang founded TSMC, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, in 1987. The company has since grown to the largest independent semiconductor foundry in the world. Chang retired in June after 31 years at the helm.    [FULL  STORY]

Look to Jerusalem for a read on the significance of this summer’s opening of a new complex for Taiwan’s de facto embassy.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/09/14
By: By Simon Preker, Taiwan Insight

At first sight, Jerusalem and Taipei do not share much common ground. Sure, certain approaches in Taiwan’s official memory politics intersect with Israeli historiography, but today the two governments are not linked by particularly close ties. For example, Israel never formally recognized the Republic of China (ROC). Instead, in 1950, Israel extended recognition of the People’s Republic of China (PRC); a formal recognition followed in 1992.

The U.S. government, however, is a close ally to both Taiwan and Israel and maintains a diplomatic presence in both capitals. Given the fact that Israel is widely recognized as a sovereign nation whereas Taiwan is not, this raises the complicated and controversial question where and what the respective capitals are and where the U.S. government should maintain an official representation. Taipei or Beijing? Tel Aviv or Jerusalem?

It also touches upon the role of diplomatic missions in general and why they carry such a political weight. Yet, it is remarkable that diplomatic missions do not need to be in the capital and do not imply a formal diplomatic recognition as a sovereign nation. Subsequently, after the U.S. government’s 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act recognized Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, plans were made to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. However, the Act was not implemented for more than 20 years. It was Donald Trump, while campaigning for his presidential bid, who promised in his AIPAC speech to move the embassy. On May 14, 2018, the promise was fulfilled, and the embassy moved to Jerusalem, resulting in violent protests and numerous deaths.
[FULL  STORY]

China is offering ID cards to Taiwanese citizens living there, but to accept is a tacit acceptance of Chinese sovereignty and a potential threat to Taiwan’s national security

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/14
By: David Spencer, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is perhaps the only organization which still thinks it is going to be able to win over the Taiwanese people through a hearts and minds campaign.

There have been many clumsy efforts to try and lure the support of the Taiwanese people, although in more recent times these have evolved from political and ideological propaganda to blunt economic blackmail.

The most recent example is the 31 incentives which were announced earlier this year. Data already shows that these have had next to no effect on the Taiwanese people perceptions of China or the numbers willing to move there.

But still, the CCP keep on trying. And their latest attempt involves offering Taiwanese people Chinese ID cards.  Along with people from Hong Kong and Macau, those Taiwanese people living in China for more than six months can now apply for these cards.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/14
By: Chiang Chin-yeh and Elizabeth Hsu 

Washington, Sept. 13 (CNA) Security arrangements at the new American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) building will be the same as at AIT’s current location, a spokesperson for the United States Department of State said Thursday.

Since the de facto American embassy inaugurated its new building complex in Neihu District, Taipei on June 12, there have been news reports that Marines could be deployed at the facility, in accordance with standard U.S. practice at its embassies around the world.

In the wake of reports that the State Department asked the Pentagon to deploy a detachment of U.S. Marines to Taiwan to help provide security at the de facto embassy, CNN cited U.S. officials Thursday as indicating that the request had been rejected due to resource constraint issues and not for fear of irritating Beijing.

The decision to deny the request was made by Secretary of Defense James Mattis last month, CNN reported, citing one defense official that prior to the request being rejected, military planners had anticipated the Marines arriving in Taiwan as early as next month.
[FULL  STORY]

‘DEEPEST GRIEF’: Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh said that the nation’s offices in Japan have been doing their utmost to help and should be recognized for their efforts

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 15, 2018
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Su Chii-cherng (蘇啟誠), director-general of the Osaka branch of the Taipei Economic and

Cultural Office, committed suicide early yesterday at his residence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, just one week after his office was accused of indifference to the plight of Taiwanese stranded in the area in the wake of Typhoon Jebi.

The ministry issued a statement expressing its deepest grief and regret over the loss of Su, 61, who assumed leadership of the office in July.

He previously served as director-general of the office’s Naha branch and as deputy secretary-general of what is now called the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association.

“Director Su was a hardworking and responsible diplomat. He had done a remarkable job during his diplomatic career and was always willing to mentor the nation’s younger diplomats,” the ministry said. “We are extremely saddened by his passing.”

The ministry said it would do everything it can to assist Su’s family and urged the public to respect their privacy.

Local media have reported that Su’s suicide was linked to work pressure, presumably caused by an outpouring of criticism due to the office’s perceived lack of assistance for Taiwanese who were affected by Jebi.

The ministry declined to comment on the allegations.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-09-13

Cabinet Spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said Wednesday that the remarks leaked from the

Transitional Justice Commission are unacceptable and have damaged its reputation.

The Transitional Justice Commission was established under the Tsai administration to address historical injustices during the one-party era. It has passed a number of controversial laws since its inception, including ones that allow it to nominate members with no government supervision.

A recording of the commission’s deputy chair, Chang Tien-chin, was leaked on Tuesday. In the recording, Chang said he planned to spread negative information about Kuomintang candidate for New Taipei mayor Hou You-Yi. Chang also said the commission will become the “Eastern Depot”. That refers to the ancient secret police agency that spied on government officials and silenced political dissidents.

Chang has since offered to resign. Premier William Lai also publicly apologized for what happened and its damage to the public’s faith in the government.    [FULL  STORY]