The Ministry made a statement after the Japan government approved a plan to introduce high school textbooks next year that claim the islands belong to Japan 

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/07/19
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) made a press release on July 18 asserting sovereignty over the Dioayu Islands (釣魚台), which Japan refers to as the Senkaku Islands(尖閣諸島).

The statement was made in response to the news that the Japanese government will be speeding up the timeline for the publication of new high school textbooks as part of its controversial “national territory education” policy, which will educate Japanese students that Taiwan’s Dioayu Islands and South Korea’s Dokdo Islands are historically part of Japanese territory.    [FULL  STORY]

PUSHBACK: A US assistant secretary of defense urged Beijing to renounce the use of force and underlined the US’ commitment to supplying Taiwan’s security needs

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 20, 2018
By: Lu Yi-hsuan and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday reiterated its support for

freedom of navigation in open seas, after US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver told a Washington forum that the Taiwan Strait is international waters and the US has the “right” to transit through and engage in activities there.

Schriver made the remarks on Wednesday during a question-and-answer session following his keynote address at an event titled “The Opportunities and Challenges of Cross-Strait Relations” organized by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the Heritage Foundation.

He was asked by reporters whether the US would continue to send aircraft carriers through the Taiwan Strait as Beijing increases its military activity in the region.

However, Schriver said he would not discuss the US’ plans in the Taiwan Strait.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-07-18

A new recycling initiative aims to cut down on Taiwan’s electronic waste. The goal

is to bring waste levels down to zero by making recycling easier.

Taiwan is no stranger to the problem of dealing with electronic waste. To help combat this waste, the Environmental Protection Administration has brought together leading makers and sellers of electronics and home appliances.

Representatives from a number of these companies came together Wednesday for a press conference with the environment minister, Lee Ying-yuan. They gathered to spread the word about a program encouraging people to recycle old appliances and unwanted electronics. The program seeks to make recycling more convenient, and it also includes incentives for those who participate.
[FULL  STORY]

Your daily bulletin of Taiwan news, courtesy of ICRT.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/07/18
By: International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT)

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has said the commissioning of Taiwan’s first Apache attack helicopter brigade is an important milestone in meeting the military’s “multiple deterrence” strategy in the event of invasion.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony at the Army Aviation and Special Forces Command base in Taoyuan, Tsai said the new helicopters will play an important role in the military’s “multiple deterrence, resolute defense” strategy.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) shifted Taiwan’s defense policy from “effective deterrence, resolute defense” to “multiple deterrence, resolute defense” in 2017, indicating a new focus on being able to attack and defend on all fronts.

Taiwan purchased 30 AH-64E Apache helicopters from the U.S. in 2008, costing NT$59.31 billion (US$1.94 billion) in today’s money, and took delivery from November 2013 to October 2014.    [FULL  STORY]

 

A batch of audio files are believed to give more details on the land deal too and might get Ma into hot water

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/07/18
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is likely to have

played a decisive role in a controversial land deal in which a large parcel of land in Taipei City originally owned by the Kuomintang was traded far below market price when Ma chaired the party, according to a media report on Wednesday.

Following a recent indictment and a prison sentence issued last May for leaking classified information from a judicial investigation, Ma is in hot water for involvement in two legal cases. They include a sale of land for the National Development Institute and the takeover of a Taipei City-owned bank by the Fubon Financial Holding while Ma served as mayor of the capital.

On Wednesday, a man familiar with the matter was quoted by Mirror Media as saying that up to 300 compact disks with numerous voice recording files seized in 2017 by prosecutors from a house of an employee from the Central Investment Co. for Ma’s alleged involvement in the sale of KMT-owned media companies, would shed light on the land deal too. The disks are believed to contain evidence and audio files to prove Ma’s lead role in the deal that probably cost the party a loss of NT$2 billion (US$65 million).

The person familiar with the matter told the media that the prosecutors office began questioning a few key persons in connection with the case this year and is going to make explosive progress soon.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/18
By: Chen Wei-ting and William Yen

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) A middle-aged woman and a student who live in New Taipei have been confirmed as this year’s first indigenous cluster case of dengue fever in Taiwan, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Wednesday.

The woman, aged 50, who lives in the city’s Xinzhuang District, was reported to be one of the cluster of infections after she developed symptoms of fever and muscle aches July 14 and was confirmed to be infected with dengue fever Tuesday, the CDC said.

An investigation showed that the woman did not go overseas during the incubation period of the disease and that she lives some 50 meters away from the student who was confirmed July 10 as the country’s second indigenous dengue fever case of this year after developing symptoms July 7, the CDC pointed out.

The woman and the student showed onset of symptoms no more than 14 days apart, the CDC said, adding that they are considered to be this year’s first cluster of indigenous infections in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

FINANCIAL LOSSES: Since Beijing’s no-fly restrictions against Palau, the nation has seen a 16 percent decrease in Chinese tourists, a report to the Palauan Congress said

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 19, 2018
By: Jake Chung  /  Staff writer, with CNA

Eight months after China instructed its travel agencies and airline companies to

halt flights to Palau, Palau Pacific Airways has announced that it plans to drop its flight path from Koror, Palau, to Hong Kong due to significant financial losses.

Sea Passion Group — owner of Palau Pacific Airways and the Sea Passion Hotel — made the statement to the Palauan Congress in a report last week, the Palauan Island Times reported.

Palau Pacific Airways is the only local airline in Palau.

While Palauan President Tommy Remengesau in November last year said that China’s no-fly restriction against Palau would not hurt Palau’s economy, but would instead offer diversity for its tourism market, things are looking grim from the Pacific island nation, the newspaper said.

China applied the restrictions in an attempt to pressure Palau to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-07-17

After Typhoon Maria brought heavy rain to northern Taiwan last week, the central

county of Changhua is leading the way in showing how to avoid flooding in urban areas.

President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday paid a visit to Yuanlin Park in Changhua County. The park, designed as a retention basin, opened in January and has already proven its value, preventing flooding in the surrounding area amid heavy rain earlier this month.

The park covers an area of 2.5 hectares and its basin is able to hold up to 30,000 cubic meters of water – or 12 and a half Olympic swimming pools – and can drain the water out in under two hours. It was built at a cost of nearly US$6 million.

President Tsai hailed the park as one of a number of successful environmental projects overseen by Changhua County magistrate Wei Ming-ku. These also include installing solar panels on close to 200 schools in the county and developing offshore wind power. The county already accounts for more than half of Taiwan’s wind farms.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan may not be renowned for its scuba diving, but the island is hiding some beautiful sites for divers of all levels. That is, if citizens and officials do their part to protect them.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/07/17
By: Jules Quartly

An island nation surrounded by the bounty of the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan doesn’t merit a mention in the world’s top 100 diving lists. This omission comes despite Taiwan’s considerable natural advantages, diverse array of fish species and corals, plus the establishment of three marine parks. The island tends to be viewed from afar merely as a stopover point to more glamorous diving sites in Asia.

It’s easy to understand why. First, Taiwan is known for industry, not nature. Second, the country’s coastal areas have been overfished since the 1950s, while the rapid development of tourism, plus divers collecting specimens for aquariums and damaging coral, have had a detrimental impact on the environment.

Even so, locals and those in the know believe Taiwan deserves greater recognition for the diving opportunities it offers. They are also quick to point out that its relatively low profile means the best diving sites are uncrowded most times of the year.    [FULL  STORY]