Chinese Taipei is a standard nomenclature used internationally, said a person familiar with the development, listing one of the factors.

Hindustan Times
Date: Jul 07, 2018
By: Jayanth Jacob 

At least four factors prompted the government to advise Air India to refer to Taiwan as Chinese Taipei on its website, two people familiar with the development said. One of the two insisted it was just advice and not an instruction and that the move to change the name was the airline’s alone.

The people spoke in the backdrop of the move being interpreted by some analysts as a capitulation to China.

“Chinese Taipei is a standard nomenclature used internationally,’’ said the first person, listing one of the factors.

Taiwan represents itself at international organisations such as Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, the World Health Organisation, World Bank and International Monetary Fund under the name of Chinese Taipei.    [FULL  STORY]

After a public opinion poll suggested that the Philippines was the second most disliked country among Taiwanese people, Taiwan News decided to ask people their thoughts on the country

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

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) –Following a recent poll conducted by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation released on June 17 reported that Taiwanese people’s second most hated country was the Philippines, some local journalists decided to take a survey and conduct interviews to determine if people really felt that way.

When the Public Opinion poll last month suggested that 52.9 percent of respondents listed Philippines as the country they liked the least, ranking the Philippines between North Korea at No. 1 and China at No. 3, many people were surprised. The MECO office in Taipei expressed dismay that perceptions of the Philippines among Taiwanese could be so bad.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/07
By: Matt Yu, Yeh Su-ping and Ko Lin

Taipei, July 7 (CNA) Two U.S. Navy vessels crossed into the Taiwan Strait from the south

and were continuing on a northeasterly course, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed late Saturday.

The ships were identified as Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, the MND said.

The last time a U.S. Navy ship transited the Taiwan Strait was in 2007, during the administration of George W. Bush.

The possibility of such a move had been mooted in statements by U.S. officials in early June.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-07-06

Three local hospitals have been awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their

medical assistance to Taiwan’s allies.

At ceremony on Friday, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu handed awards to representatives from E-Da Hospital, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, and Chi Mei Medical Center. Wu thanked the hospitals for providing medical assistance to people from El Salvador, Haiti and Belize. All three nations are diplomatic allies of Taiwan.

Wu said that these hospitals have shown Taiwan is capable of making a contribution to public health on the world stage.

“I have seen the work of our medical staff , and how much assistance they have provided to other nations. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in expressing the highest level of gratitude. International medical assistance benefits the public of Taiwan’s allies and it also helps voice Taiwan’s case for joining the World Health Organization,” said Wu.     [FULL  STORY]

Could a revitalized airport bring a new lease of life to Taiwan’s south?

The News Lens
Date: 2018/07/06
By: Eryk Smith

If a proposed flight from Myanmar does actually land at Hengchun Airport on July 28, 2018 – as a report in the Chinese-language Liberty Times in early July claims, “has a decent chance of happening” – a new lease of life could be on the cards for both Kenting’s

currently unused airport, and perhaps Kenting tourism as well.

But, of course, the Kenting airport has been promised “new leases on life” before.

I flew into Hengchun (Kenting) Airport from Taipei in 2010. It was for a DJ gig and the organizers wanted me there in a rush so they shelled out for the faster, but more expensive way to get to south Taiwan’s beach resort. I was excited as it was a first for me. As the propeller-plane landed, however, I understood why news reports about Taiwan’s most southern airport all seemed rather negative.

Hengchun Airport should be a winner. Take the High-Speed Rail (HSR) from Taipei and you’ve still got to endure another two hours on a bumpy bus before you arrive at the famous Kenting Strip. Friends of mine in the north tell me after assessing transport time and transport and hotel costs, they find it’s cheaper or comparable to fly from Taipei to Japan or some other nearby Asian location.    [FULL  STORY]

 

Shopping, enjoying delicacies at night markets, visiting historical remains are the top three most popular activities among foreign travelers. 

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/07/06
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Kenting in Southern Taiwan, better known for its white sandy beaches and azure sea among foreigners but also for its insanely high-priced smoked assorted stew and expensive hotel/hostel rooms among local travelers, was ranked the No. 1 most loved attraction among international travelers in a recent government survey.

7,320 international travelers participated in the survey between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2017.

In a survey by Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau, Kenting jumped to No. 1 among the top 10 most popular attractions for foreign travelers, followed by Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County (2), Taroko Gorge National Park in Hualien (3), Jiufen in Keelung (4), Ali Mountain in Chiayi (5), Yehliu in New Taipei City (6), Pingxi in New Taipei City (7), Tamsui in New Taipei City (8), the National Palace Museum in Taipei City (9), and the Ximending Youth Shopping District in Taipei City (10).

However, the most popular tourist attractions do not translate into equivalent number of visitors. Among the top 10 most popular places, the decommissioned gold mining hill town Jiufen, a popular destination for Japanese and Korean tourists, is the No. 1 most visited attraction in the country, followed by the National Palace Museum and Ximending. Jiufen is a one-hour drive from downtown Taipei, and the other two are in downtown Taipei. Kenting and Alishan were the least visited among the top 10 most loved attractions probably because of their remote locations.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/06
By: Wang Shu-fen and Elizabeth Hsu 

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) Tropical Storm Maria has developed into a typhoon and is now packing winds of up to 162 kilometers per hour, with a good chance of strengthening, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Friday.

The storm was upgraded to a typhoon in the wee hours of Friday and was still on a north-northwesterly track, moving at a speed of 7 kph, the bureau said.

As of 8 a.m., Typhoon Maria was located about 2,340 kilometers east southeast of Eluanbi on Taiwan’s southernmost tip and was moving toward the Ryukyu island chain, which lies between Japan and Taiwan, the weather bureau said.

It was carrying maximum sustained winds of 162 kph, with gusts of up to 198 kph, according to the CWB.    [FULL  STORY]

FAILING GRADE:NPP  Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang said that an amendment to Article 22 was too lax and would result in Taiwan again ‘flunking’ an APG evaluation

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 07, 2018
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed amendments to the Company Act (公司法) aimed at

improving corporate governance and salvaging the nation’s score in a year-end Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) evaluation.

An amendment to Article 9 stipulates that if the owner, proxy or an employee of a company is convicted for breaching the Criminal Code by providing falsified information, stakeholders may apply with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to revoke the company’s registration.

However, firms that registered false information, but corrected it before a court ruling is issued would not see their registration revoked, the amendment says.

That means the act, dubbed the “Sogo clause,” would not retroactively apply to Far Eastern Group (遠東集團) chairman Douglas Hsu (徐旭東), who has been embroiled in a shareholder rights dispute for more than a decade with former Pacific Distribution Investment Co (太平洋流通) chairman Lee Heng-lung (李恆隆) over Hsu’s controversial acquisition of the shares and proprietary rights to what was formerly Pacific Sogo Department Stores Co (太平洋崇光百貨).    [FULL  STORY]

Chinese military newspaper says decades of peace has affected combat readiness

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/07/05
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – After a Chinese military newspaper published an editorial attacking a culture of “peace disease” at the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), speculation has been mounting again that China might try to attack Taiwan in 2020.

The PLA Daily said Monday that the decades without a war since clashes with Vietnam in the late 1970s was threatening to undermine the Chinese military’s fighting capabilities.

The editorial said a pervasive “peace disease” would make China pay a heavy cost in the event of a war.

The most likely scene for a war would be Taiwan, which China has been threatening to annex with force for decades. The piece in the official military newspaper also rekindled earlier reports that China might seek to attack Taiwan in 2020, cable station Sanlih E-Television reported Thursday.    [FULL  STORY]

The reaction comes a day after national carrier Air India changed the name of Taiwan to Chinese Taipei on its website on instructions from the government. China had raised concerns about Taiwan being described as a separate region by various airlines worldwide.

News18.com
Date: July 5, 2018
By: Aishwarya Kumar | News18.com

New Delhi: Taiwan on Thursday said that it was deeply disappointed with Air India for

changing ‘Taiwan’ into ‘Chinese Taipei’ on its website.

The reaction comes a day after national carrier Air India changed the name of Taiwan to Chinese Taipei on its website on instructions from the government.

In a statement, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India (TECC) said that India was succumbing to pressure from China.

The statement came as the Ministry of External Affairs said that Air India’s position on the name is consistent with international norms and also with India’s stand on Taiwan since 1949. Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, however, added that it was for the airline to clarify why it decided to make the change now.

The TECC statement further said that the move by the state-owned airline can be seen as “gesture of succumbing to the unreasonable and absurd pressure from China.”
[FULL  STORY]