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More B-type flu cases suggest another outbreak: health minister

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/05
By: Chang Ming-hsuan and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, March 5 (CNA) Minister of Health and Welfare Chiang Been-huang (蔣

CNA file photo

CNA file photo

丙煌) said Saturday that the number of B-type influenza cases is on the rise, which could lead to another outbreak, while Taiwan has already been battling a severe A-type flu outbreak.

Chiang said the health authorities are paying close attention to the development of the new cases, which have accounted for some 20 percent of flu patients since the flu season peaked in early February.

The share of B-type flu patients has been unusually high this time, since they previously accounted for only less than 10 percent of the total cases, explained National Taiwan University Hospital pediatrician Huang Li-min (黃立民).     [FULL  STORY]

‘Status quo’ backed as Beijing postures

‘CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY’:Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China would ‘oppose separatist activities,’ and spoke of people on both sides as ‘the same family’

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 06, 2016
By: Loa Iok-sin and Abraham Gerber / Staff reporters, with AFP, BEIJING

Politicians in Taiwan backed the “status quo” yesterday after Beijing stepped

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks on a big screen at the opening session of the Chinese National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. Photo: AP

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks on a big screen at the opening session of the Chinese National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. Photo: AP

up its rhetoric against Taiwanese independence, with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) warning against “separatist activities” and pledging to safeguard China’s “territorial integrity.”

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) played down Li’s remarks that a peaceful and stable relationship across the Taiwan Strait should be developed under the so-called “1992 consensus” and that both sides are “part of one big family.”

“The DPP’s cross-strait policy is to maintain the status quo as president-elect Tsai [Ing-wen, 蔡英文] proposed,” DPP spokesperson Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) said.

“This is not only in line with mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, but would also maintain regional stability,” Wang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Ko to visit USA

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-04
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je will embark on an 11-6739126day tour of the United States beginning next week, reports said Friday.

It will be the outspoken city father’s first official trip to the US since being sworn in on December 25, 2014.

The voyage will take him to three of Taipei’s sister cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles in California and Phoenix in Arizona. He will leave Taiwan on March 8 and return on March 18, reports said     [FULL  STORY]

Opening of airport MRT line may be postponed until end of year

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/04
By: Wang Shu-fen and Lilian Wu

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CNA file photo

Taipei, March 23 (CNA) The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) confirmed Friday that the opening of a mass rapid transit (MRT) line between Taipei and the country’s main airport will once again be delayed, and it refused to provide a new target date.

But based on the schedule provided by the ministry’s Bureau of High Speed Rail, which is responsible for the project, the line could begin operations by the end of the year.

At a news conference on the progress of the MRT system, Deputy Transportation Minister Tseng Da-jen (曾大仁) and High Speed Rail Bureau Director-General Hu Hsiang-lin (胡湘麟) apologized for failing to open the MRT line at the end of March as announced last year.     [FULL  STORY]

Tsai proposes reforms for agricultural sector in Taiwan

Taiwan Today
Date: March 4, 2016

A raft of reforms aimed at spurring the profitability and sustainability of

The sales strategy employed by Taiwan’s lisianthus growers is worthy of emulation by all participants in the local agricultural sector. (UDN)

The sales strategy employed by Taiwan’s lisianthus growers is worthy of emulation by all participants in the local agricultural sector. (UDN)

Taiwan’s rural sector were recently proposed by ROC President-elect Tsai Ing-wen.

The initiatives include an agricultural land bank, farmers’ insurance scheme, labor brokerage system and new trading model. The bank enables the reassigning to young farmers of surplus or underused land, while the brokerage system assists in addressing labor shortages.

But it is the trading model that represents the greatest opportunity for achieving short- to mid-term improvements in the agricultural sector.

Tsai said during a March 1 visit to a lisianthus flower growing-marketing group at Singang Township in Chiayi County, southern Taiwan, that a government-backed export management company is necessary for pooling the resources of Taiwan’s predominantly small-scale farmers and delivering value-added products to market via upgraded packaging, promotion and sales processes.     [FULL  STORY]

Rules must uphold sovereignty: groups

PICKING TERMS:‘Cross-strait,’ ‘Taiwan and China,’ and ‘our nation and the People’s Republic of China’ were used to describe the nation’s ties to China in draft bills

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 05, 2016
By: Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

Proposed supervisory regulations governing negotiations with China should

Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang, center, speaks into a microphone at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, outlining three principles for a proposed cross-strait agreement oversight bill. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang, center, speaks into a microphone at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, outlining three principles for a proposed cross-strait agreement oversight bill. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

not include any language downplaying national sovereignty, civic campaigners said yesterday in a protest outside the Legislative Yuan.

“From the first character to the last, there should not be any expressions like ‘area’ or anything else that could create the misunderstanding that Taiwan belongs to China,” Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said, adding that his group would reject any version that used loaded words — such as “the mainland” (大陸) — that suggest Taiwan does not already possess full sovereignty.

Sovereignty-related wording differences have been in the spotlight as competing versions of regulations have been referred to the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee for review.

While the Executive Yuan version supported by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) uses “the Taiwan area” to refer to the nation, individual legislators have proposed using “Taiwan,” with pan-green camp political parties seeking to split the difference.     [FULL  STORY]

Class suspensions continue around Taiwan due to flu

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/03
By: Cheng Chih-chung and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, March 3 (CNA) Several schools throughout Taiwan are still

(CNA file photo)

(CNA file photo)

closing some of their classes as students continue to fall ill with flu, the Ministry of Education said Thursday.

It said 18 classes at 14 schools around the country had been suspended as of Thursday because of the influenza outbreak.

Most of the class suspensions were in Taipei, the ministry said, adding that the situation in southern Taiwan had improved recently.

In Kaohsiung, only two classes at a couple of schools remained closed, the ministry said.     [FULL  STORY]

MOFA relaxes visa requirements for Iranians

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-03
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Thursday it has relaxed visa 6738794applications to the Republic of China (Taiwan) for Iran citizens since March 1 to facilitate exchange between the two countries.

Noting that western countries have lifted economic sanctions against Iran since January this year, Chen Chun-shen, director general of MOFA’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs, said in a press briefing on Thursday that Iran, which has a vast domestic market and abundant natural resources, is very attractive to Taiwanese businesspeople as an important emerging market.

To help Taiwanese businesspeople expand to the Iran market and vie for business opportunities, the MOFA has relaxed visa requirements for Iranians, Chen said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan urges Beijing to ‘take pragmatic approach to ROC Constitution’

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/03
By: Chen Chia-lun and S.C. Chang

Taipei, March 3 (CNA) Taiwan urged China to look at the Constitution of the 201603030035t0001Republic of China in a practical manner, noting that the government’s China policy has always been made based on the “one China (ROC), two areas” principle

Yang Chia-chun (楊家駿), chief secretary of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), made the statement in response to a high-level policy report by Beijing stating that it will insist on continuing to promote the peaceful development of cross-Taiwan Strait relations based on the political foundation of the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwan independence.

The 1992 consensus refers to a tacit agreement between Taipei and Beijing that there is only one China, with both sides free to interpret what “one China” means. For Taiwan, that “one China” is the Republic of China that was formed in 1912, the first democratic republic in Asia, but was relocated to Taiwan in 1949.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Taoyuan airport wins global recognition

Taiwan Today
Date: March 3, 2016

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is the second best facility of its kind in

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s commitment to facility upgrades and service enhancements is winning ACI recognition in its latest Airport Service Quality survey. (Courtesy of TTIA)

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s commitment to facility upgrades and service enhancements is winning ACI recognition in its latest Airport Service Quality survey. (Courtesy of TTIA)

the 25 million to 40 million passenger service global category for the second consecutive year, according to Montreal-based Airports Council International.

TTIA is also the third best airport in the 20 million-plus passenger Asia-Pacific category as assessed by ACI in its annual Airport Service Quality survey released Feb. 29.

David Fei, president of facility operator Taoyuan International Airport Corp., said the recognition is a strong vote of confidence in TTIA efforts to deliver enhanced user experiences.

One example is the reopening in late December 2015 of the north runway, which can accommodate a fully loaded Airbus A380. Along with the south runway, TTIA’s handling capacity will increase from 30 to 50 flights per hour for an overall on-time ratio to 98 percent.     [FULL  STORY]