Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/17/2020
By: Tang Pei-chun and Matthew Mazzetta

Brussels, July 17 (CNA) The European Union (EU) reiterated its strong opposition to the death penalty in annual human rights talks with Taiwan on Wednesday, as part of an agenda that also included LGBT issues, migrant workers and the rights of Taiwanese arrested abroad.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the third annual Human Rights Consultations were conducted via video conferencing, in what the two sides described in a joint press release as a "friendly, open and constructive atmosphere."

Aside from providing updates on their respective policies to advance human rights, the two sides also raised areas of ongoing concern with each other.

The EU registered its opposition to an execution carried out by Taiwan on April 1, and "called on Taiwan to reinstate a de facto moratorium and pursue a policy towards the abolition of the death penalty," the statement said.    [FULL  STORY]

YOU ACCUSED: The legislative speaker had rigged a vote for Chen Chu, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang said, adding that it was a ‘scandal’ for a democratic nation

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 18, 2020
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter

Amid chaotic scenes, former Presidential Office secretary-general Chen Chu (陳菊) was yesterday approved as Control Yuan president, despite Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators attempting to disrupt the vote.

After Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) announced the start of a vote on the president’s Control Yuan nominees at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, KMT legislators pushed over the two voting booths set up in the main chamber.

The move triggered a melee, but that did not stop DPP legislators from voting to approve the nominees, while KMT legislators attempted to obstruct the proceedings.

KMT caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said that there had been wrongdoing in Thursday’s vote on a motion that marked the end of a review of the nominees and set the rules for yesterday’s vote.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 16 July, 2020
By: Paula Chao
 

[Are you prepared for takeoff?]

With no sign of the global pandemic abating, it might be impossible to put off air travel until the situation improves. In today’s Taiwan Insider, we get a first-hand account from a woman who recently flew from New York to San Francisco to see her parents. Also, find out the latest rules about who can and cannot visit Taiwan.      [SOURCE]

Daily Mail
Date: 16 July 2020
By: AFP

Taiwan on Thursday warned China could use the sweeping national security law it imposed on Hong Kong for "hostage diplomacy", urging democratic countries to unite against Beijing's "autocratic" expansion.

The Hong Kong security law has rattled nearby self-ruled Taiwan, which China regards as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize, by force if necessary.

A provision within the law claims global jurisdiction and allows China to prosecute especially serious cases instead of semi-autonomous Hong Kong's independent judiciary.

The law would enable Beijing to carry out "hostage diplomacy", Chen Ming-tong, head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's top China policy body, told reporters.   
[FULL  STORY]

Incursion marks 20th time Chinese warplanes have entered Taiwan's identification zone this year

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/07/16
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the Taiwanese military was holding a live-fire artillery exercise, a Chinese warplane entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Thursday (July 16).

During Thursday's Tien Lei Drill (天雷操演), which is part of the ongoing Han Kuang exercises (漢光演習), the Taiwanese military at the Fenggang shooting range in Pingtung County fired heavy artillery into the waters off the southwest coast of Taiwan. In the midst of the drills, the Chinese military aircraft suddenly entered Taiwan's ADIZ, at one point coming within 333 kilometers of the shooting range, reported Liberty Times.

The latest incursion marks the 20th time this year that Chinese warplanes have penetrated Taiwan's ADIZ. The Taiwanese military emphasized that it was closely monitoring all movements by China's armed forces.

During the drill, F-16 fighter jets and attack helicopters also demonstrated their prowess. In addition, joint arms battalions staged anti-landing operations at Jialutang Camp in Fangshan Township with a crowd of military buffs in attendance.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/16/2020
By: Ching Yi-ching and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, July 16 (CNA) A fire that broke out Wednesday at a refinery in an industrial compound operated by Formosa Petrochemical Corp. (FPC) in Mailiao, Yunlin County, injuring three workers, has been initially determined to be caused by human negligence, an official said Thursday.

A preliminary investigation showed that the fire was caused by hydrogen leaks, which were likely the result of human operational errors and negligence, according to Lee Chun-hsing (李俊興), chief of the county's Economic Affairs Department.

The blaze broke out after an explosion occurred at the second refinery of FPC's sixth naphtha cracker complex. The fire affected an area of about 2,000 square meters, causing damages to metal pipe lines, factory sinks and other facilities.

The refinery has been closed and investigations into the cause of the fire are underway.
[FULL  STORY]

HAN KUANG DRILLS: The pilot and copilot of a Kiowa Warrior died while trying to make an emergency landing at a Hsinchu base. The rest of the fleet has been grounded

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 17, 2020
By: Aaron Tu, Tsai Chang-sheng and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

This year’s Han Kuang military exercises were marred yesterday afternoon by the crash of an army helicopter at Hsinchu Air Force Base that killed the pilot and copilot.

A Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior crashed at 3:28pm, the third crash of a Bell OH-58D in the past two years, although the first incident, in March 2018, and the second on May 10 did not result in any injuries or deaths.

The helicopter had made a provisioning stop at the base and then left at 3:25pm to return to Longtan Air Force Base in Taoyuan’s Longtan District (龍潭), Army Command Headquarters said.

The pilot, Major Chien Jen-chuan (簡任專), reported that the rotor speed was too low and he needed to make an emergency return to the Hsinchu base, Commander of the Army General Chen Pao-yu (陳寶餘) said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 15 July, 2020
By: Natalie Tso

The government is now letting citizens bring in children who hold Chinese nationality provided the children are no older than two years of age. The government had previously barred entry for these children due to the COVID-19 pandemic and because the children lack residency status.

The Central Epidemic Command Center announced the decision to allow in those aged two years and under on Wednesday.    [FULL  STORY]

More people in Hong Kong say they are ready to emigrate to Taiwan amid Beijing's new draconian security law. Taipei has laid out a welcome mat, but there is uncertainty over how many immigrants will be accepted.  

DW
Date: 15.07.2020
By: William Yang (Taipei)

Over the last year, Hong Kong-Taiwan relations have grown closer as both find themselves in the crosshairs of more aggressive policies from Beijing. On July 1, Beijing imposed a so-called national security law on Hong Kong, triggering a sense of urgency among many Hong Kongers who are now considering leaving and are looking for immigration destinations.  

Hong Kong is an autonomous Chinese territory under the principle of "one country, two systems," which recognizes Beijing's sovereignty while allowing the territory a level of civil and legal autonomy.

However, there is widespread concern that the new law puts that principle in jeopardy, and some experts consider it Beijing's final piece in the puzzle to fulfill "one country, one system" in Hong Kong.

The law criminalizes "subversion" against the Chinese government and "collusion" with foreign forces, along with having a wide interpretation of "terrorist activities."    [FULL  STORY]

Trump willing to sacrifice small allies: Ghitis

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/07/15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Democrat Joe Biden in the White House is a safer bet than incumbent President Donald Trump to protect Taiwan against China, according to an opinion piece in the Washington Post published Wednesday (July 15).

The challenger in the November presidential election is “committed to the status quo in Taiwan,” wrote Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, in an opinion piece titled “Can Taiwan survive a second Trump term?”

He has spoken out “forcefully” against China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority and in favor of Taiwan’s “thriving democracy,” Ghitis wrote. She added that Biden’s determination to hark back to the pre-Trump foreign policy of “safeguarding U.S. alliances and valuing democracy” alone would be enough to “give Beijing pause before acting against Taiwan."

The island stands at the “intersection of two ominous trends," she wrote, pointing to China’s aggressive international behavior and Trump’s isolationism and disregard for allies. She referred to comments from former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s recent book about Trump’s apparent willingness to give up on small allies as a possible risk for Taiwan’s position.
[FULL  STORY]