Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/13
By: Lee Chin-wei and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) China’s recent move to sail an air carrier near Taiwan has highlighted the need for Taiwan to go ahead with a plan to build its own submarines, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) said Friday.

The indigenous submarine project will not only protect the country’s territorial security but also allow Taiwan to contribute to regional security, Feng said while addressing the opening of an exhibition on the history of the Navy’s submarine fleet.

In what was seen by many as sabre-rattling on the Chinese side, the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, sailed south in the Pacific Ocean off Taiwan’s eastern coast on Christmas Day before entering the South China Sea.

On Jan. 11, the Liaoning passed through the Taiwan Strait on its way back to its base in northeastern China after conducting training exercises in the South China Sea.    [FULL  STORY]

REMINDER:The head of a student group said honoring Chiang Kai-shek with statues constitutes an attack on students who are descendants of White Terror victims

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 14, 2017
By: Wu Po-hsuan, Hsiao Yu-hsin and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writer

National Chengchi University yesterday passed a motion at an administrative affairs meeting that called

for statues of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to be removed as part of efforts to promote human rights and transitional justice.

The decision was in response to protests last year, when students plastered a statue of Chiang with fliers containing the names of people killed in the 228 Incident and called for the statue’s removal.

The university was established in Nanjing, China, in 1927 to train people to serve in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and was moved to Taiwan when the party fled China.

Chiang was president of the institution from its establishment until 1947 and was given the honorary title of “perpetual president emeritus.”

Two large bronze statues of Chiang were erected at the university: one in a sitting position in the library and one on horseback at the rear of the school’s campus.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 14, 2017
By: James Lo

Steve Chan (詹啟賢) might announce his candidacy for the Kuomintang’s (KMT) top position on today —

just six days after resigning as vice chairman.

Chan’s resignation was widely reported to have been the result of him not seeing eye to eye with incumbent Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) — one of four contenders who have already thrown their hats in the ring.

Speaking during a book launch also attended by other prominent KMT members, Chan said he was indeed “seriously considering the possibility of running” but played down speculation he would announce his candidacy today.

The burden of leading the party was not to be taken lightly, he said, and promised to reveal his decision before Lunar New Year.

Chan also dismissed the claims of tension between him and Hung, saying their disagreements had always been civil.

The book being launched at the event was a glowing history of the KMT written by former Grand Hotel Chairman Lee Chien-jung (李建榮).    [FULL  STORY]

‘I think it is important that Taiwan knows we are going to live up to the commitments under the Relations Act and Six Issues Accord,’ Tillerson said.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/01/12
By: TNL Staff

The incoming United States Secretary of State has signaled a reaffirmation of U.S. support for Taiwan and compared China’s military build-up in the South China Sea to Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination for Secretary of State, on Jan. 11 testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the U.S.

The hearing took place hours after Taiwan scrambled jets as China’s sole aircraft carrier sailed near Taiwan’s territorial water on its return from exercises in the South China Sea.

During the hearing, Republican Sen. Cory Gardner asked the former ExxonMobil chief executive what the position on Taiwan and the one-China policy would be under the new administration. [FULL  STORY]

Five Taiwanese fishing trawlers approached by Japan near Okinotori

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/12
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Coast Guard said Thursday it was sending a patrol vessel to the Okinotori

area after reports that five Taiwanese fishing trawlers had been approached by Japanese coast guard ships the previous day.

Last year, during the final days of the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou, a dispute broke out over Okinotori, which the Japanese claim as an island so they can impose an Economic Exclusion Zone of 200 nautical miles around it, while Taiwan says it is merely a reef “the size of two beds.”

The Hsun Hu No.7 left Taiwan’s main island on Thursday afternoon for a 15-day mission centered on the protection of Taiwanese fishing vessels centered on the Okinotori area, the Coast Guard announced.

The government department said it would remain in close contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Council of Agriculture’s Fisheries Agency in order to adapt its work to the conditions in the area.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/12
By: Lu Hsin-hui

Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) The Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, completed its passage through the Taiwan Strait at 6:30 a.m. Thursday and continued its way back to China, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).

Although the passage of the Liaoning and its Chinese naval escorts was not expected to start a crisis between the two rivals, the MND has been on alert and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is visiting Central America, has stayed apprised of the latest situation.

The passage, which began early Wednesday, was seen by many as sabre-rattling on the Chinese side as the relations across the Taiwan Strait became strained when Tsai of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party took power last May.

In a press release, the MND said the Liaoning was on its way back to China. The aircraft carrier had reportedly conducted training exercises in the South China Sea earlier.    [FULL  STORY]

MISLEADING:The government said Abuja’s announcement that it would sever ties was meant to confuse the international community, as no formal diplomatic ties exist

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 13, 2017
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said Nigeria has decided to play along with a Chinese

“peremptory political scheme,” after the west African country announced that it would no longer recognize Taiwan as a nation and would cease all diplomatic relations in accordance with the “one China” principle.

The ministry in a news release accused Nigeria of seeking to confuse the international community by declaring that it would honor the “one China” principle and sever diplomatic relations with Taipei, as the two nations have never established formal diplomatic ties.

“The ministry strongly protests and deplores the Nigerian government’s cooperation with China to carry out a politically motivated, unreasonable, peremptory and brutal scheme,” it said.

The strongly worded statement followed a joint news conference by Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama and visiting Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) in Abuja on Wednesday, at which they said that Taipei’s office in the capital would be shut down and moved to Lagos, Nigeria.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 13, 2017
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan

The Cabinet on Thursday called for blood donors to keep on giving as the nation’s blood bank reported

an alarming drop in donations following a scandal over its financial ties.

The plea by spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) came hours after Taiwan Blood Service Foundation Chairman Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) resigned, claiming that the Cabinet had forced him to resign because he was a member of the Kuomintang (KMT).

Announcing his resignation, Yeh said that an acquaintance with high-level clearance at the Health Ministry, who was also a board director at the blood foundation, told him that “the Cabinet wants you to resign.”

Responding to the former health chief, Hsu said, “as much as we appreciate his contribution to the country as a minister in the past … we regret him hammering the Cabinet for no reason today.”

He described Yeh’s reasoning for resigning as “paranoid.”

The event came a day after tabloid magazine Mirror Media reported that the blood bank was among the KMT’s “ill-gotten” party assets and had been selling donated blood to hospitals at extravagant prices.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan looks set to open the door for its indigenous people to achieve some degree of autonomy. Will the rest of the population accept it?

The News Lens
Date: 2017/01/11
By: Edward White

A new vision for indigenous self-determination is expected to be detailed by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in the coming months. The policy may involve devolving significant decision-making power at local government level to the country’s 16 indigenous tribes.

“It will definitely be very controversial for non-indigenous people,” says Legislator Kolas Yotaka, a member of the East Coast Amis people and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Legislator Kolas, who has met with President Tsai in recent weeks, says that the plan may involve redefining the local government rules to allow Hualien and Taitung to be “autonomous districts.” The two counties cover much of Taiwan’s eastern mountain ranges and coastline and are home to the some of the largest groups of indigenous people, including the Amis.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/11
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Entertainer Helen Thanh Dao on Wednesday accused her husband of domestic violence and filed for an

order of protection days after her “true” personal background was revealed.

Thanh Dao, who has been often referred to as “Vietnamese Lin Chi-ling” for her attractive physical appearance, posted on her Facebook on Jan 8 morning that she has been married for 18 years. In the afternoon she appeared with her husband, Dai Fa-kuei, at a press conference, and acknowledged her marital status, but said the Facebook post was written by her husband.

During the press conference, she said that she and her husband conspired to lie about her ancestry, age and education to avoid being looked down upon in the Taiwanese society.

They also said that Thanh Dao’s mother had been threatening to tell the public about her daughter’s true background because she didn’t get the money she demanded from her daughter. That’s why they went ahead and revealed Thanh Dao’s true background, they added.    [FULL  STORY]