Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/18
By: Chiu Po-shen and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Dec. 18 (CNA) Passengers headed to Taoyuan International Airport on the mass transit line from Taipei Main Station will be able to check in for their flights in Taipei when the new MRT line begins operating next year, the Customs Administration said Sunday.

Airport check-in counters will be installed in the area of Taipei Main Station serving the Airport MRT line, allowing outbound travelers to check in their luggage, confirm seat assignments and obtain boarding passes in advance.

The check-in service will be available every day from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. once the MRT line begins operations in March and passengers who want to use the service are advised to be at Taipei Main Station at least three hours before departure.   [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 19, 2016

Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobuo Kishi, a member of the Diet’s

House of Councilors and brother of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, called for the strengthening of Taiwan-US-Japan relations in an interview with ‘Liberty Times’ (the sister newspaper of the ‘Taipei Times’) staff reporter Tzou Jiing-wen in Tokyo on Nov. 30. He also said the proper solution to Taiwan’s ban on food product imports from five Japanese prefectures is key to furthering Taiwan-Japan economic and trade cooperation

Liberty Times (LT): Many observers believe that Donald Trump’s election as the US president will change international politics on a structural level, and for Japan, his attitude toward the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are of particular concern. What are your thoughts?

Nobuo Kishi: The election of Trump in early November was indeed a surprise to observers around the world, including Japan. It is possible that great changes will follow in Japan-US relations and the US grand strategy in Asia, according to some views.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 19, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — With Taiwan’s population aging rapidly, the Tsai administration faces

a rocky road ahead as it launches a new long-term care plan.

Health Ministry figures estimate that Taiwan will be home to 1 million senior citizens in need of long-term care services by 2026.

A look to Taiwan’s northern neighbor Japan demonstrates the the need for preparation when it comes to providing services for an aging society.

“Elderly Japanese citizens are seeking ways to pass away on their own,” a 72-year-old Japanese woman identified by the surname Mita, told the Central News Agency (CNA).

Mita, who lives alone, said many of her friends cannot rely on their children to care for them.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 18, 2016
By: Fabrizio Bozzato, Special to The China Post

Punctual and clean, the Taipei Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) boasts a customer

satisfaction rating of 94 percent.

As the MRT embarks on a process of expansion, procuring and utilizing the best engineering and technology available has become key to maintaining these high standards

Taipei’s metro system, and the international recognition that bestows, plays a crucial part in projecting a positive image of the nation on the world stage.

But while Taipei Metro strives to meet the highest standards, there is still room for improvement.    [FULL  STORY]

‘FULL CONFLICT MODE’The US president warned of a ‘very significant’ response if the US president-elect is not cautious in challenging China’s core policy on Taiwan

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 18, 2016
By: The Guardian and Reuters, WASHINGTON

US President Barack Obama has cautioned US president-elect Donald Trump against

allowing relations with China to slip into “full conflict mode” after Trump put Beijing’s nose out of joint with a succession of controversial pre-inauguration foreign policy interventions.

Speaking on Friday at what is likely to be his last White House news conference, Obama urged his successor to beware of provoking a “very significant” response from Beijing over Taiwan.

The past two weeks have seen Trump take a series of public swipes at China, accusing Beijing of manipulating the yuan, building “a massive fortress” in the South China Sea and not doing enough to pressure North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Most controversially of all, the billionaire has also hinted he might upend nearly four decades of US-China ties by offering greater recognition to the government of Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

The fifth annual LGBTQIA Pride Parade drew thousands on Saturday in the central Taiwanese city.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/17
By Central News Agency

Taipei — Thousands of people attended the Taichung LGBTQIA Pride Parade on

Saturday, waving rainbow flags in support of LGBTQIA rights in the central Taiwanese city.

The Taichung LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transsexual, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Allies) Pride Parade, now in its fifth year, began at the Taichung People’s Park.

Led by a giant rainbow flag, parade participants marched along Gongyi Road, Yingcai Road, Xiangshang Road and Zhongming South Road before returning to Gongyi Road and the Taichung People’s Park, where gender group representatives gave speeches and artists performed.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/17
By: Chu Che-wei and Elaine Hou

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Minister of the Interior Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮)
Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) New immigrants and their children showcased diverse cultures in Taiwan with a series of performances Saturday at an event organized by the National Immigration Agency to celebrate International Migrants Day.

The event, attended by more than 1,000 new immigrants, was opened by a traditional Indonesian dance performance and included other performances, including a drumming show by children of immigrants.

New immigrants refer to foreign nationals who move to Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese citizen or who come to study or work in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

REBUILDING TRUSTIf after the public hearings — to be led by civic groups — a consensus on the ban cannot be reached, it will remain in place, the Executive Yuan said

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 17, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The government is to put on hold a planned easing of a ban on food imports from five

Japanese prefectures amid public misgivings about food safety, Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said yesterday.

Hsu said at a news conference that the Cabinet has to establish a sound inspection and management mechanism before talking about easing the ban.

Hsu said that Premier Lin Chuan (林全) has stressed the importance of “rebuilding public trust in the government’s management of food safety,” after presiding over a cross-agency meeting on Wednesday.

“Without a sound inspection and management mechanism, there can be no question of such an opening,” Hsu quoted Lin as saying.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 17, 2016
By: CNA

KAOHSIUNG — Four men were detained after allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into

Indonesia, the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office said Friday.

The leader of the ring, whom prosecutors identified only by his surname Lin, instructed two men to make the journey to Indonesia with tablets of Nimetazepamts, better known as the hypnotic drug Erimin, taped to their bodies.

Another man accompanied the two “couriers” to Kaohsiung International Airport, but they were detained by security personnel at the airport Wednesday.    [FULL  STORY]