Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/07/10
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, July 10 (CNA) A program launched by Chinese Christian Relief Association

(CCRA) to tutor underprivileged children has helped many students advance their education, including helping an Indonesian immigrant’s child get into college, the CCRA said Monday.

Since the program was launched in 2004, it has provided assistance to more than 30,000 children, including Hsiao-yu, a girl living in Chiayi County who was born to an Indonesian mother and was recently admitted to National Tsing Hua University’s Department of Music, the organization said.

Hsiao-yu and her brother and sister have been raised by their mother single-handedly because her father has been sick in the hospital for a long time, leaving the family financially strapped.    [FULL  STORY]

PLAIN LANGUAGE:Courtroom transparency features in the plan, including directives to write legal documents and reference books in modern, comprehensible Chinese

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 11, 2017
By: Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday outlined the key areas of focus for

judicial reform, including increasing courtroom transparency, improving the selection and discipline of judges and prosecutors, bolstering judicial neutrality and professionalism, and establishing “trials with civic participation.”

Tsai made the comments at the sixth general meeting of the preparatory committee for the National Congress on Judicial Reform held at the Presidential Office, calling the items necessary to meet the public’s expectations.

“The courtroom must become more transparent by various means, including issuing verdicts that are comprehensible to the average person. The process for selecting competent judges and prosecutors and for weeding out incompetent ones must be improved. The professionalism and political neutrality of the judiciary must be bolstered. A system for civic participation in trials must be instituted,” Tsai said.

She also instructed agencies to make detailed proposals and set a clear timetable for their implementation.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 10, 2017
By: The China Post with dpa

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday the U.S. had apologized for a statement

from the White House that confused the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China had made diplomatic representation to the U.S. and had asked for an explanation, the Associated Press reports.

“As far as I know, China has already made a representation to the U.S. side in this regard,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a briefing, according to Sputnik News.

“They apologized for this technical error and made the corresponding correction,” he added.

The White House made the faux pas on Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, with the White House issuing a transcript of Trump’s comments after they appeared together.

But the document sent to reporters referred to Xi as president of the “Republic of China,” which refers to Taiwan, while China is officially known as the “People’s Republic of China.”

There’s also been grumbling from Chinese scholars about the mix-up. Fox News quoted Renmin University professor Shi Yinhong as saying that the mistake was indicative of how the White House was being run under Trump that it was not conducive to Chinese-U.S. relations.   [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-07-09

President Tsai Ing-wen has sought to impress upon the public the importance of

water management. The issue forms a major part of the government’s so-called forward-looking infrastructure plan.

On Sunday, the president posted on her Facebook page about the government’s water management project, with the message “take care of water, take care of your family.”

The post said that Taiwan receives abundant rainfall every year, from the “plum rains” in spring to typhoons in late summer and autumn. Excess of rain can be a problem, bringing the danger of flooding and landslides. But at other times the country has problems of water shortages. Siltation in the country’s reservoirs is also a serious issue, the post said.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2017/07/09
By: TNL Staff

Good Eye Taipei’s recommendations for places to taste fruits in Taipei.

All photos are courtesy of Good Eye Taipei.

Taiwan is known by many as the “Kingdom of Fruit.” The subtropical island-nation produces fruit all year round, from strawberries and peaches to pineapples and mangoes.

Spring to summer is the best period to taste the fruits of Taiwan, especially guavas, bananas, lychees, watermelons and sugar-apples.

Fruit is sold at markets, street stands, small and large grocery stores, and also convenient stores.    [FULL  STORY]

The released transcript mislabeled the leader of People’s Republic of China as the president of Republic of China (Taiwan).

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/07/09
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Shortly after the U.S. President Donald Trump and the

leader of China, Xi Jinping, held a meeting at the Group of 20 summit Saturday, the White House issued a transcript of Trump’s statement, in which Xi was mislabeled as the president of the ROC, reports said.

The president of Republic of China is the official title of Taiwan, but Xi is actually the president of People’s Republic of China.

 

The gaffe soon caught the attention of the U.S. media.

“On the surface, this may seem to be just a minor oversight, but considering Trumps’ previous wavering on the one-China policy long held by Washington, this could be taken as an offense by Beijing,’ said Washington Post reporters.

The meeting between Trump and Xi took place in Hamburg and spanned 90 minutes, with the threats of North Korea’s nuclear program and bilateral trades between the two countries being on the agenda, reports said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/07/09
By: Huang Huei-ming and Ko Lin

Taipei, July 9 (CNA) Earlier this week, Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen County welcomed a newly-installed mailbox, made in the shape of a Wind Lion God.

Statues of the local deity, believed to hold special powers that protect local inhabitants from devastating sand storms and monsoon winds, have long been one of the biggest tourist attractions as a symbol of the island.

Found outside a souvenir shop in Shanhou, a folk cultural village in Jinsha Township, the mailbox is part of the post office’s efforts to showcase the distinctive culture of Kinmen.

The wind lion mailbox has attracted a lot of tourists who have flocked there to mail their post cards, said Wang Chien-sheng (王建生), operator of the souvenir shop.
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Datew:\ July 9, 2017
By: Alan Fong, The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — If you want to learn about the most widespread dilemma facing

Taiwanese workers, look no further than the convenience stores around you.

It is not easy to find any convenience stores worldwide that provides a wider range of innovative services than those in Taiwan. You can pay your bills, buy plane tickets, mail or receive packages, and get your laundry done while enjoying freshly brewed coffee, freshly made ice cream, hot dogs, tea leaf eggs and boiled Japanese snacks (oden). Some stores are even introducing handmade bubble tea and ramen.

All these products and services are handled by the clerks, who become jack of all trades and juggle with increasingly complex and time-consuming tasks.
[FULL  STORY]

Good Eye Taipei’s recommendations for tea houses to check out in Taipei.
All photos are courtesy of Good Eye Taipei.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/07/08
By: TNL Staff

From Oolong tea to green tea and black tea, Taiwanese tea delights the palates of locals and

foreigners alike.

Taipei is known for its production and export of tea, especially in the Dadaocheng area where a few hundred-year-old tea shops still remain. And tea leaves are still a popular gift or souvenir.

In the past few years, new brands of tea have also been rejuvenating the tea culture among the younger generation with either packaging or tea-drinking experiences different from traditional shops.

Tea houses are worth visiting any time of the year, and “Good Eye Taipei,” a new bilingual Taipei city guide, shares six of the best tea houses in the city.    [FULL  STORY]