This could be a crucial issue which cements the view for many that the DPP has not proven sufficiently different from the KMT on key issues such as cross-Strait relations.

The News Lens
Date:\ 2017/03/22
By: Brian Hioe

The possibility of conflict breaking out between Taiwanese youth activists and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) seems quite likely in the near future, with discussion of an oversight bill for cross-strait trade deals scheduled for late next week. Namely, this bill was one of the significant demands of the Sunflower Movement, as a measure to prevent trade bills such as the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA) from being passed into law without due discussion once again. At the time of the withdrawal from the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s Parliament, Kuomintang (KMT) majority speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) also agreed to such a bill being passed into law.

As the CSSTA was passed into law after only thirty seconds of discussion by KMT legislator Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠), the convenor of the responsible committee for the bill, activists hoped to prevent such events from happening again in the future through the oversight bill. Chang’s actions were perceived as an undemocratic measure on behalf of the KMT aimed at forcing the bill into law, never mind what the consensus of Taiwanese society was.

However, though the DPP rode into power on a wave of support from and backlash against the KMT from post-Sunflower youth activists and civil society groups, the DPP waffled on the issue of a cross-Strait oversight bill quite quickly after the 2016 presidential and legislative elections. In particular, controversy broke out in April 2016 when it was found that the DPP’s version of the bill did not differ very much from the KMT’s version of the bill, and a clause within the bill would have automatically ratified trade agreements which legislature failed to discuss within a specified timeframe.

As this was the logic which Chang used to justify forcing the CSSTA into law in March 2014, this clause was dubbed the “Chang Ching-Chung clause,” and the oversight bill was seen as not substantially differing from previous law. More broadly, the bill was seen as failing to provide the Taiwanese public the means to have oversight over cross-Strait bills which they had been promised by both the DPP and KMT.   [FULL  STORY]

Because of the unique system, Taiwan’s recycling rate stands at an impressive 55 percent

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/22
By: Wendy Lee , Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s musical garbage trucks have been featured in a video

clip lately, which praises the island’s effective waste disposal system.

The clip, produced by ATTN, a California-based issue-driven media company, shows how a mundane and ordinary task of taking out the trash is being done in Taiwan.

The footage started out by showing Taiwan’s music garbage trucks, like ice cream vans, “blasts music by Beethoven and other classical composers, alerting residents it’s time to take out the trash.”

Taiwan also implements what is commonly known as the “trash doesn’t touch the ground” system, which requires citizens to deliver the trash directly to the trucks so the trash never touches the ground.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/22
By: Yu Kai-hsiang and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, March 22 (CNA) Prosecutors in an alleged corruption case against Former Academia Sinica President Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) said Wednesday that they were seeking to revise the charges, which could lead to a life sentence if Wong is convicted.

In a preliminary hearing at Shilin District Court in Taipei, prosecutors filed an application to change the charges, citing two distinctions in the act of bribery as defined in the Anti-Corruption Act.

Wong was first charged with accepting bribes to carry out an action within the scope of his authority.

However, prosecutors on Wednesday sought a revision to the charge, saying that Wong in fact had been bribed into using his position to persuade others to carry out an action.
[FULL  STORY]

PROCEDURES:The KMT accused the DPP of maneuvering to have the legislative oversight bill’s review moved to a joint committee so it would have control over the agenda

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 23, 2017
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

An initial review of supervisory articles to govern negotiations with China stalled in the

Legislative Yuan yesterday, as lawmakers clashed over procedural questions.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗), a coconvener of the Internal Administration Committee, adjourned the meeting after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers moved to send the draft legislation back to the general assembly for reassignment.

“No party caucuses or individual legislators raised objections when the bills were originally assigned,” Tseng said, adding that he was willing to allow lawmakers from other committees to speak and raise motions during the review.

“There are too many variables if the draft bill is sent back to the general assembly or the Procedure Committee [for reassignment] — it could end up being frozen completely,” he said, adding that he would continue to push for a review today.
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: March 23, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

Music fans, Taipei citizens and city government officials alike are getting ready after

Mayday (五月天), one of the Chinese-speaking world’s biggest bands, made the surprise announcement that they would hold a free concert at a city park next week.

On the last stop of their most recent tour Tuesday night, the band announced they would put on a free performance on March 29 at Taipei’s Daan Forest Park to mark the group’s 20th anniversary.

The gig marks a return to the venue where the band played their first major concert in 1997.

The news of the concert brought excitement on the blogosphere, but also concerns from local officials.    [FULL  STORY]

Dog destroys dough

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/03/21
By Keoni Everington,Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Breaking News Commune (爆料公社) user Wang Ming-sheng

(王明聖) posted an image on Monday of his puppy ripping up what appears to be about NT$6,000 (US$197) in Taiwanese paper currency.

When posting the image, Wang cryptically wrote “Don’t stop me, I want to eat meat tonight!”

I response to the image and his comment, other netizens then chimed in:

“This dinner is very expensive.”

“Oh, it turns out eating an NT$100,000 is this filling!”

“Don’t make me eat 100 cans, I only want to eat 1,000 clams”

“Make the owner eat canned food.”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/03/21
By: Scarlett Chai and Y.F. Low

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) The Executive Yuan said Tuesday it is planning to spend NT$46.06 billion (US$1.51 billion) over the next eight years on digital infrastructure in the country.

Under the plan, the government will expand Gbps bandwidth coverage to 90 percent, upgrade the quality of Internet connection in rural areas, develop digital culture, creativity and high-definition services, create open government services and build a next-generation environment for scientific research and smart learning, the Cabinet said.

Chen Tain-jy (陳添枝), head of the National Development Council, predicted that the plan will spur private-sector investment of up to NT$238 billion.   [FULL  STORY]

INDEPENDENT DEFENSE:The nation lacks experience building submarines, but is working on addressing those problems, shipbuilder CSBC’s chairman said

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 22, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The nation is hoping to build its first homegrown submarines within eight years and

commission them into service within a decade, the shipbuilder tasked with carrying out the program said yesterday.

CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) chairman Cheng Wen-lung (鄭文隆) said there were problems that needed to be worked out because Taiwan lacks experience in building submarines, but added that the difficulties were being addressed.

CSBC, the nation’s only listed shipbuilder, has built more than 100 ships for the navy and will use that experience in developing the local submarine program, he added.

Cheng’s comments came as CSBC and the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the navy earlier yesterday in Kaohsiung to jointly build submarines for the military.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: March 22, 2017
By: Kuan-lin Liu

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Premier Lin Chuan (林全) and his spokesman on Tuesday rebutted

claims that the government’s newly announced infrastructure plan had plagiarized proposals made by the preceding Ma Ying-jeou administration.

Lin defended the plan, known as the “Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Plan” (前瞻基礎建設計畫), against criticism from the Kuomintang (KMT) at the Executive Yuan on Tuesday, saying that it was different from former President Ma’s i-Taiwan 12 Projects (愛臺十二建設) and that there was no need for the comparisons.

“Some (of the projects) are new, while some of the projects were there originally,” Lin stated, adding that there would, of course, be overlaps when it came to national infrastructure development plans.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-03-20

Taiwan’s top China policymaker Katherine Chang is calling on the United States not to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip. The head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) was speaking Monday at the legislature.

Chang’s comments came ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in April.

Chang said Washington and Beijing should not mend fences at the expense of Taiwan.

“[Washington] should not use Taiwan as a bargaining chip, nor should it be used to [exchange] interests. Taiwan should never, ever be used as a pawn. We urge the United States to keep the pledges it made to us. We also call on China to communicate and hold talks with us even though the two sides across the Taiwan Strait have differing stances and points of view,” said Chang.   [FULL  STORY]