MILITARY EXCHANGES: A Chinese envoy’s threat of ‘unification’ by force had no real impact on US policy and might even have generated a US backlash, lawmakers said

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 14, 2017
By: Jonathan Chin and Lu Yi-hsuan  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US after US President Donald Trump on

Tuesday signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018, which contains provisions favorable to Taiwan’s defense, while China voiced opposition to Taiwan-US military exchanges.

The signing of the NDAA was highly anticipated in the nation, as Section 1259 — Strengthening the Defense Partnership of the US and Taiwan — lists the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the “six assurances” as continuing US legal commitments.

The “six assurances,” issued in 1982 by then-US president Ronald Reagan, stipulate that the US will not set an end date on arms sales to Taiwan, will not alter the TRA, will not hold consultations with China over arms sales to Taiwan, will not mediate between Taiwan and China, will not pressure Taiwan to negotiate with China and will not formally recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-12

A Cabinet spokesperson on Tuesday blamed China for recent poor air quality in Taiwan.

Hsu Kuo-yung was speaking after Premier William Lai met with a number of mayors from central and southern Taiwan who are concerned by air pollution in their districts.

Hsu said the recent poor air quality was more to do with pollution drifting over from mainland China than with the Taichung Power Plant. The plant is the largest coal-fired power station in the world.

“In the winter the plant’s output is reduced to two-thirds capacity. So if our air quality is not good, it is not a lie to say what the cause is, namely pollution from mainland China. It is not to do with the Taichung Power Plant and it is a mistaken connection if we continually blame [the plant],” Hsu said.
[FULL  STORY]

Wang Hong-ren argues that Taiwan’s labor laws are regressing below those of its southern neighbor.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/12/12

Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) Cabinet last month revised the Labor Standards Act on the

grounds of “giving more flexibility to employees and employers” in terms of working hours. It is obvious, however, that this was only intended to give more flexibility to employers.

Under their logic, these new rules will push forward an economic model of long hours and low wages in order to save some businesses from their death throes. This represents a continuation of the same labor-punishing policies of previous administrations. One must wonder if people really want lower wages and more “flexible” working hours in order to compete with nations like Vietnam, whose labor conditions are already better than Taiwan’s in some aspects.

Who has more miserable laborers, Taiwan or Vietnam? It is shameful to even ask the question, as Taiwan should theoretically be so far ahead.    [FULL  STORY]

Credit: Wang Hong-ren
Vietnamese workers can be compelled to work up to six days per week, eight hours per day with 11 national holidays. Including overtime hours, this is 2,616 – 2,716 hours per year, compared to 2,552 hours for Taiwan. After one year of work at a company, there is hardly any difference between the two countries: the maximum is 2,520-2,620 hours in Vietnam and 2,496 in Taiwan.

The threshold to start and pass referendums in Taiwan has been lowered as well as the voting age to 18

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/12
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In a major advancement for Taiwan’s democracy, the Legislature

today passed new provisions to the Referendum Act (公民投票法) which will lower the percentage of turnout to enact a referendum, reduce the number of signatures to initiate a plebiscite, and drop the referendum voting age to 18, reported CNA.

Under the newly amended law, an initiative to launch the first stage of a referendum will only require 0.01 percent of total eligible voters who participated in the most recent presidential election, as opposed to the 0.1 percent that was required to pass this first hurdle. In the case of the 2016 presidential election, that would be 1,879.

For the second stage of such a plebiscite to succeed, it now only requires 1.5 percent of those eligible to vote in the presidential election, as opposed to 5 percent previously. This translates to 280,000 people from the 2016 presidential election.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/12
By: Chiu Po-sheng and Frances Huang

Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) Taiwan’s hiring outlook for the first quarter of next year is the most

optimistic in the world, with the local financial and manufacturing sectors showing strong willingness to recruit new talent, according to U.S.-based human resources advisory firm ManpowerGroup.

The advisory firm said the high willingness of Taiwanese enterprises to hire in the first quarter of 2018 reflects an upbeat mood about the economy, which is on the road to recovery.

Citing the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, which collected 1,018 valid questionnaires in Taiwan, the firm said the net hiring outlook of the country stood at 25 percent, the highest level among 41 countries and regions in the world, ahead of Japan’s 24 percent and India’s 22 percent.    [FULL  STORY]

IN ABSENTIA: The amended act includes a provision allowing referendum signature drives to be conducted online, but absentee voting failed to obtain a majority vote

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 13, 2017
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Lawmakers yesterday approved amendments to the Referendum Act (公民投票法) to

lower the legal voting age and slash the thresholds for initiating, seconding and passing referendums.

The Legislative Yuan yesterday reviewed several motions concerning seven disputed draft amendments.

A proposed amendment to Article 2, which states that issues stipulated in the Constitution — such as the nation’s official title and territory — are not to be decided through referendums, was passed with the support of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party caucuses.

The New Power Party’s (NPP) motion to extend the scope of the act to cover the Constitution’s contents and to allow a new Constitution to be written was struck down.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-12-11

President Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan desperately needs a better structured cybersecurity

system. She was speaking on Monday at the opening ceremony for “Cybersecurity Week”.

The effort marks the first-ever collaborative event held by Taiwan’s Presidential Office and the National Security Council.

Tsai said digital technology has not only ushered in new challenges such as hacking, Internet fraud, and online extortion, it has also posed a threat to Taiwan’s national security. Therefore, she said, cybersecurity has been elevated to a national security level issue ever since she took office last May.
[FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2017/12/11
By: Jay Lin

Taiwan’s LGBT community has an easier time than many, but more needs to be done for

such progress to receive international recognition.

Taiwan, with its commitment to be the first Asian country to legalize gay marriage, should have been the star of the 2017 ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) Asia conference in Phnom Penh. In reality, it was hardly a blip on the radar.

A previous speaker at the 2015 Taipei conference, I came as a participant to find possible partners to ally with for our GagaOOLala [LGBT streaming movie] service and to research which subjects we might use for an upcoming documentary web series. The issues that were explored – 23 sessions concerning 25 nations – were a bit daunting and overwhelming, but there are three observations that I would like to share:
[FULL  STORY]

Shih Hsin University student slashes female student’s neck after she rejects his advances

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/12/11
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Just as she was headed to class, a female Shih Hsin University

(SHU) student was suddenly slashed in the neck by a male student in the hallway at 10 a.m. this morning (Dec. 11), after she rejected his advances, reported Liberty Times.

After an initial police investigation, it is believed that a male third year English major at SHU surnamed Chen (陳) had an ongoing crush on a female second year Business student surnamed Shih (石). When Shih approached Chen and she rejected his advances this morning, out of anger, it is believed that he grabbed a fruit knife he had concealed and slashed her neck.

During the course of the assault, Shih sustained a three-centimeter knife wound to her neck, and though this caused continuous bleeding, she retained consciousness as she was sent to Wanfang Hospital. Shih’s wounds were not deemed life-threatening, and she has already been sent home to recuperate.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/12/11
By: Chen Wei-ting and Frances Huang

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) Three importers of French-based Lactalis’ baby milk claimed on

Monday that their products are untainted and have passed safety inspections.

Orient EuroPharma Co., one of the three Taiwanese importers of products made by French baby formula maker Lactalis, said Monday its baby formula — “Babycare” HA3 hydrolyzed protein formula — is safe.

Worries over the possible contamination of baby formula made by Lactalis and sold in Taiwan have risen in the wake of an international recall of its products announced on Sunday over fears of salmonella contamination.

In a statement, Orient EuroPharma said after the news broke in France it launched an investigation based on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and the report from Lactalis.    [FULL  STORY]