MEETING EXPECTATIONS:It is not uncommon for the cost of US arms deals to increase, a source said, adding that this deal was first discussed in September 2011

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 17, 2017
By: Lo Tien-pin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Upgrades to the nation’s fleet of F-16 jets will cost the nation about NT$129.6 billion

(US$4.31 billion), more than NT$19.6 billion higher than the original estimate, a military source said yesterday.

The sudden increase in the cost of the upgrades includes US military demands that Taiwan shoulder more of the research costs associated with improving the jets’ capabilities and the cost of the anti-radiation missiles (ARM) that the US has agreed to fit to the aircraft, the source said.

Price rises during weapons procurement from the US are not uncommon, the source said, citing US requests for NT$10.1 billion over the original NT$30.8 billion cost of the purchase of a long-range radar warning system in 2012.

The two sides entered several rounds of negotiation before a final agreement was met on that deal, the source added.   [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 16, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI – Malaysian Friendship and Trade Center (“MFTC”) held a celebratory event

to mark the 60th Anniversary of Malaysia’s National Day at Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel in Taipei on Sept. 15.

Datuk Adeline Leong, President of MFTC, invited a Malaysian culture dance group from Sarawak and Malaysian singer to perform, and Taiwan representatives from varied industries and professions to celebrate. Francois Chih-Chung Wu, the Deputy Minister from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also attended the magnificent event and affirm the achievements in bilateral exchanges and cooperation between Malaysia and Taiwan in recent years.

The MFTC president said this year is a significant year for Malaysia, besides being the 60th anniversary of the National Day it is also ASEAN’s 50th anniversary. In addition, Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, in January this year initiated a new National Development Programme, called “Transformasi Nasional 2050” (“TN50”), which strives to make Malaysia amongst the top countries in the world in economic development, citizen well-being and innovation by 2050. Her Excellency congratulated Taiwan on its New Southbound Policy further strengthening the relationship between Taiwan and Malaysia in trade and investment, education and culture.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-09-15

A group of 25 Taiwanese demonstrators has held a protest outside the Chinese

embassy in Washington, DC.

The protest on Thursday morning featured calls for Taiwan to be accepted as a member of the United Nations. Protesters also called for Beijing to release the Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che. Lee was tried earlier this week for “subversion of state power” for seeking to share Taiwan’s experience of democracy with Chinese friends.

The head of the group said Beijing is the biggest obstacle to Taiwan’s accession to the UN and Taiwanese participation in international organizations. The group leader also said that the arrest of Lee Ming-che was intended to threaten Taiwan’s people.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan keeps monitoring situation

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/09/15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – No Taiwanese citizens have been reported injured in the

London Underground attack which hurt 22 people during the morning rush hour Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.

Police said an “improvised explosive device” was possibly detonated by a timer on a train at the Parsons Green station in southwest London. Many passengers suffered burns, but some were also trampled in the panic after the blast, when people rushed out of the train.

MOFA said it called the Taiwanese representative office in London immediately after news of the incident broke, but following contacts with local police, there were no reports yet of any Taiwanese nationals being injured.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/09/15
By: Christie Chen

“We are here to seek justice. We hope the Taiwanese government and police will find

out the truth about my son’s death so that he can rest in peace,” Nguyen Quoc Dong, father of the deceased Vietnamese worker, Nguyen Quoc Phi, said at a rally outside the Control Yuan attended by migrant workers and labor rights activists.

An emotional Nguyen Quoc Dong said he is a retired veteran who fought in the Vietnam War. Even during war time, soldiers do not shoot a fleeing enemy, he said, asking why the police fired nine shots at his unarmed son.

The police accused 27-year-old “runaway” worker Nguyen Quoc Phi of attempting to steal a car, but his father said he does not believe the accusation because his son did not know how to drive.

Nguyen Quoc Phi was shot dead by a police officer in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan on Aug. 31, after police said Nguyen attacked the officer and a community watch officer who tried to stop him vandalizing and stealing a car.  [FULL  STORY]

‘LENIENT’ SENTENCE:The former National Chengchi University student denied any involvement in espionage, saying he was coerced into making a false confession

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 16, 2017
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

The Taipei District Court yesterday convicted Chinese national Zhou Hongxu (周泓旭)

of violating the National Security Act (國家安全法), handing him a 14-month prison sentence.

It was the first ruling on the case and Zhou can still appeal.

The judges found him guilty of spying for China and trying to entice Taiwanese government officials to give classified material for financial rewards.

In particular, prosecutors said that Zhou had offered US$10,000 to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official to pass on classified government materials.

The judges gave Zhou what was considered a lenient sentence of 14 months, considering that “he had initially confessed to the crime” and that “he did not succeed in his espionage efforts.”    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-09-14

Premier William Lai is calling for stricter measures to cope with Taiwanese fraud

rings operating overseas. Lai was speaking on Thursday at a Cabinet meeting.

Lai said telecom fraud rings have seriously damaged Taiwan’s image abroad. Lai said authorities have achieved some success in dealing with crime committed by Taiwan nationals overseas. However, he said that the government should continue to learn from international and cross-strait agencies about effective preventative measures and put them into practice locally.

Lai called for the justice ministry to work on signing bilateral agreements with other countries to strengthen joint efforts in fighting international crime. The premier said he will continue to promote a joint agreement with China to fight crime. Cabinet spokesperson Hsu Kuo-yung spoke on behalf of the premier.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan needs new talent but Taiwanese people’s inability to market the country effectively is hampering its ability to attract the right people.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/09/15
By: Ketagalan Media

Discussions about Taiwan’s stagnant economy and how it causes countless young

Taiwanese to seek better opportunities overseas are no longer news these days. While most media outlets are quick to throw criticism at the government, not much about Taiwan’s potential to attract high-value foreign labor and creative talent has been mentioned in local media coverage.

Once dubbed one of the Four Asian Tigers alongside Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea, Taiwan’s glory days may be over and the country can no longer satisfy its own people.

At a time when the number of young Taiwanese people establishing their careers overseas is at a record high, it is critical to see how Taiwan can reverse its fortune through progressive mechanisms such as lowering the threshold for foreign talent to work in Taiwan, a move championed by several labor rights groups.   [FULL  STORY]

When Taiwanese makeup vlogger uses term ‘go abroad’ to describe trip to Beijing, Chinese netizens go bonkers

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/09/14
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — When popular Taiwanese makeup vlogger Mii Huang (黃小

米) on Tuesday posted a video on YouTube of her recent trip to Beijing, little did she know she would start an international incident when she inadvertently indirectly implied that China is separate country from Taiwan, thus incurring the wrath of hundreds of Chinese netizens.

At the 56 second mark of her video titled “Get Ready With Me,” she introduces a facial skin care product and makes the fatal mistake of calling it very convenient to “take overseas.” She then spends the next 10 minutes of the video documenting mundane tasks such as applying makeup, eating at a restaurant, and visiting a mall, all without making another “political statement.”

Despite the fact that YouTube has been continuously blocked by the Great Firewall of China since 2009, hundreds of Chinese netizens soon went on the attack for implying that the trip to Beijing was traveling overseas, and therefore to a separate country from Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]