DISSENTING VOICES:Some participants called for a less drastic reduction in the income replacement rate of public servants, according to NTU sociology professor Fu Tsung-hsi

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 23, 2017
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

About 200 representatives from local industries and the political community yesterday attended a

closely watched national affairs conference on pension reform.

The conference, held at the Presidential Office Building, was the culmination of the government’s efforts to solicit opinions from all walks of life on pension reform, which has included 20 preparatory committee meetings and four regional forums over the past six months.

The conference was attended by 192 people, including representatives from various industries, lawmakers and political leaders.

Attendees were divided into three groups: group one focused on pension payments and eligibility; group two discussed issues related to the management and sources of pension funds; and group three concentrated on pension system structures, special insured status and the transferability of working years across sectors.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 23, 2017
By: Stephanie Chao

President Tsai Ing-wen said Sunday that if pension reforms were successful, it would signify that

any change could be achieved in the future.

Her remarks during the closing ceremony of a daylong conference on pension reform were a hopeful contrast to the differing opinions posited during the three individual group discussions throughout the day.

The highly anticipated event began amid protests at 10 a.m. Sunday and continued into the evening.

Participants, who passed through heavy security to enter the premises, discussed reforms in three groups that focused on key issues: payment and qualifications for receiving pensions; fund management and financial resources and system structure, special target groups and the transition to a new system.

Conclusions reached by the conference will serve as a basis for drafting amendments to the law, which will be presented by the Executive Yuan and the Examination Yuan to the Legislature for review.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-01-21

The National Federation of Education Unions has announced that it will not participate in a national

conference on pension reform scheduled for Sunday.

Fixing Taiwan’s deficit-ridden pension system is one of Tsai administration’s priorities. However public sector employees, including teachers, say they have been unfairly blamed for the pension system’s financial problems. The National Federation of Education Unions says that Sunday’s conference is being held so that the government can have the only say on what goes into draft legislation on pension reform.

The union has also criticized Vice President Chen Chien-jen, who heads the Presidential Office’s committee on pension reform. The union says Chen’s recently-released version of a pension reform bill fails to account for the special circumstances of workers in different fields. The union also says that Chen’s suggestions were neither mentioned during a series of twenty meetings on pension reform, nor brought up at any of the four regional forums held around Taiwan to gather local views on the issue. According to the union, not all members of the pension reform committee share Chen’s views, and union members say Chen’s proposals don’t reflect the will of Taiwan’s people.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/21
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Real estate tycoon Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the

United States Friday amid protests and controversy. In order to gauge reaction to him on the streets of Taiwan, a team of Taiwan News reporters went out and asked members of the public for their impressions of the new world leader.

University student Miss Chen, 22, described Trump as “a smart businessman” who would not fall under the influence of other politicians and business people because he had his own financial means, though she added that as he didn’t have to take other people into account, he was “sometimes rather crazy.”

As a student, Chen said she might prefer to eventually choose to study in Europe because in Trump’s United States, xenophobia might grow stronger.

High school student Sun said Trump might improve the U.S. economy, though it was still too soon to tell how that might influence Taiwan.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/21
By: Elaine Hou

Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) The Taiwan government said Saturday that it has extended its congratulations to

Donald Trump and Mike Pence on becoming U.S. president and vice president, respectively, and looks forward to working with the new administration to advance bilateral ties.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Taiwan has offered its congratulations to Trump and his vice president, who were inaugurated on Friday.

The ministry said Taiwan and the United States share common values such as freedom, democracy and respect for human rights, and have maintained cooperation based on the principles of mutual trust and reciprocity.

The two countries have established a close relationship in areas of politics, security, economy and culture, the ministry said, adding that Taiwan looks forward to working with the new U.S. administration to strengthen bilateral relations and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
[FULL  STORY]

SPLIT-SECOND:Outcomes in modern military conflicts are decided within seconds and the new systems would improve reaction times, the DPP’s Wang Ding-yu said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 22, 2017
By: Luo Tien-pin and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A deal to purchase an upgraded naval vessel communications system worth NT$2.15 billion (US$68.18

million) has been finalized with the US government, a high-ranking Taiwanese military officer said yesterday.

The officer, who declined to be named, said the deal secured the purchase of upgraded Link-16 and Link-11 systems, which would connect the Republic of China (ROC) Navy directly to the command center for the US’ Pacific fleet.

The system will give the ROC Navy the ability to share coordinates and other information with the US Seventh Fleet during combat operations, the officer said, adding that the move ties the two navies closer together.

The systems are already in use by NATO members and the US’ other allies in the Pacific, the officer said, adding that information can be shared among all allies during combat operations should the need arise.

The US can direct all of its allies in the field to coordinate operations, the officer said.

The officer said some of the ROC Navy’s ships would use the Link-16 system, which will connect those ships to other vessels, land-based radar systems and other military installations.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 22, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Around 30,000 demonstrators are expected to protest against pension reform outside

the Presidential Palace on Sunday morning, according to a pension reform supervision action alliance.

Lee Lai-hsi, deputy convener of the alliance, said Saturday morning that demonstrators would gather on the Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Palace at 2 p.m. Sunday so as not to affect a large year-end lunch event hosted by the government for homeless people.

Nevertheless, Lee said that there would be protesters outside the Presidential Palace to “welcome President Tsai Ing-wen” at 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning.

In addition, a hunger strike initiated by alliance organizer Huang Yao-nan on Jan. 16 to protest unreasonable pension reforms would continue in front of the Legislative Yuan, the alliance said.

President Tsai to open conference

To avoid clashes, police in Taipei employed traffic control measures, set up control areas and established roadblocks on Friday night to prevent protesters from accessing the Presidential Palace.

As many as 2,000 policemen are set to be deployed.

The national conference on pension reform will open at 9:00 a.m. Sunday, with President Tsai to speak at the opening session and Vice President Chen Chien-jen to deliver a report on the pension reform packages, according to Central News Agency (CNA).    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: January 20, 2017

The great majority of people in Taiwan support benign exchanges between Taipei and Beijing and urge

the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to reinstate dialogue and reciprocal official visits, according to the results of a poll released Jan. 19 by the Mainland Affairs Council.

A total of 86.2 percent of respondents said the rights and well-being of the people of Taiwan and mainland China should take priority when it comes to cross-strait engagement, while 83.1 percent believe political considerations should have no role in any such dealings.

Around 80 percent said the two sides share a responsibility to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, with upgraded oversight of arrangements governing people-to-people exchanges seen as helping maintain order in cross-strait interactions.

Concerning Taiwan’s international participation and cross-strait security, 83.4 percent said mainland China should not interfere in this regard. A total of 73.6 percent perceive tension and pressure caused by Beijing as not auguring well for the positive long-term development of cross-strait relations.    [FULL  STORY]

The new administration will not change policies, but focus on trade

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/20
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan should not worry about new United States President Donald Trump’s

policies as he would focus on trade issues, former White House official Stephen Yates said Thursday.

Yates, who visited Taiwan last month, was speaking at an event in Washington in the presence of former Premier Yu Shyi-kun, who will be attending the Trump inauguration at the head of an 11-member delegation.

The former adviser to ex-Vice President Dick Cheney emphasized he played no part in the new administration and could not speak on its behalf, but due to his frequent interactions with key members, he said Taiwan should not be worried about any changes in policy.

The Trump Administration would concentrate on trade and economic issues, and would discuss those topics with China, but also with Taiwan, Yates said. He repeated the president-elect’s assertions that nobody could tell him whom he could or could not speak with, a reference to the December 2 phone call from President Tsai Ing-wen to Trump.    [FULL  STORY]