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Magnitude 5.7 earthquake rattles southeastern Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/19
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter Scale

(From the Central Weather Bureau website)

jolted southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County at 10:13 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located at sea about 23.8 kilometers east of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 20.4 km, the bureau said.

The strongest tremors, which had an intensity reading of 5 on Taiwan’s 0-7 seismic intensity scale, were felt in Donghe Township in Taitung County.

Taitung City had an intensity of 4, while an intensity of 3 was recorded in Taoyuan District in Kaohsiung City, Dapu Township in Chiayi County, Xinhua District in Tainan City, Caoling in Yunlin County, and Chiayi City, the bureau said. [FULL STORY]

Taiwan’s Other Big News: Is Taipei Getting U.S. Harrier Jets?

The National Interest
Date: January 19, 2016
By: Dave Majumdar

While much of the world was focused on Saturday’s election success of Tsai Ing-wen and what it might mean for cross-strait relations, another important development for Taiwan that directly impacts regional security slid by largely unnoticed.

It was reported late last week that Washington might offer Taipei surplus Boeing AV-8B Harrier II Plus strike aircraft as the U.S. Marine Corps retires the venerable jump-jets in favor the stealthy, supersonic F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. According to Defense News, the Harriers would be offered under the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.

Taipei desperately wants Lockheed Martin’s stealthy, short takeoff, vertical landing F-35B—which is currently operational with the U.S. Marine Corps. But the United States is very unlikely to sell Taiwan the advanced supersonic stealth strike aircraft for fear of antagonizing Beijing—which regards the island as a breakaway province. Indeed, in previous years, the United States declined to sell Taipei new Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons, even though the island’s supporters in Washington had lobbied hard for the sale. Given the F-35’s offensive potential and the sensitive nature of its technology, the Pentagon is likely to be even more reticent about supplying Taiwan with the Joint Strike Fighter. [FULL STORY]

S Korea website ‘hacked’ over Chou Tzuyu Taiwan flag row

BBC News
Date: 9 January 2016

A South Korean company at the centre of a row about a flag waving pop

Image copyright Youtube – JYP Entertainment
Image caption JYP has been accused of coercing the teenager into issuing an apology

star says its website has been hacked.

JYP Entertainment represents 16-year-old Taiwanese pop star Chou Tzuyu, who recently made a video apologising for waving a Taiwanese flag on S Korean TV.

The company denied coercing her into saying sorry to appease angered Chinese audiences, a key market for JYP.

The row erupted on the eve of Taiwan’s election, which was won by pro-independence Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan has ruled itself since breaking away from mainland China in 1949 – but China sees the island as a breakaway province which it has threatened to take back by force if necessary. [FULL STORY]

For U.S., Taiwan Vote Changes Calculus Over ‘One China’

Washington less likely to indulge Beijing over its policy after victory of island’s pro-independence party

The Wall Street Journal
Date: Jan. 19, 2016
By: Andrew Browne

TAIPEI—No dogma is more important to Beijing than “One China,” the

Honor guards marched in the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei this week. The Taiwanese increasingly believe they live in a sovereign state, not a ‘renegade province’ of China. Photo: EPA/JEROME FAVRE

concept that Taiwan is a part of a single Chinese nation—just temporarily estranged.

America and much of the rest of the world acquiesce to that position, denying the reality that Taiwan has set its course as an independent state. Last weekend’s vote, in which the Taiwanese electorate overwhelming endorsed a party that rejects Beijing’s “One China” formula, confirmed the direction in the most emphatic way to date. That not only puts China in a bind, but the U.S. too.

Like it or not, the political equation has changed, forcing Washington to look at Taiwan in a different light.

To be sure, an American challenge to the “One China” doctrine is unthinkable. It’s the one move that could realistically provoke a war between the world’s two strongest powers. Yet some diplomats and scholars think that a postelection Taiwan may get more sympathetic treatment in Washington. [FULL STORY]

Ko wants hotline with Tsai

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-19
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je said Tuesday he wanted to establish a hotline to talk to President-elect Tsai Ing-wen.

Tsai won a landslide victory in last Saturday’s elections, winning 56 percent of the vote while her Democratic Progressive Party won 68 seats out of 113 at the Legislative Yuan.

Ko was asked about his relations with Tsai Tuesday as he had not been seen in public for two days after the elections.

The outspoken mayor said he had suffered from a cold, but a representative of Tsai’s camp had been in touch with him since the election. He expressed the hope that a hotline could be established between him and the new president, as he was willing to cooperate with her. [FULL STORY]

First Zika virus case detected in Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/19
By: Lung Pei-ning and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) The Zika virus has arrived in Taiwan, the Ministry of

(From the website of the Pan American Health Organization)

Health and Welfare said Tuesday, after a Thai national coming to Taiwan to work was confirmed to be infected with the virus.

The 24-year-old man was detected with a fever when he arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on Jan. 10, and other symptoms later arose that led doctors to conclude that he had the virus.

He is now in stable condition at a hospital, the Centers for Disease Control said Tuesday.

The mosquito-borne disease is currently prevalent in Central and South America, especially Brazil, Southeast Asian countries, and some Pacific islands. [FULL STORY]

Ma extols robust Taiwan-US relations

Taiwan Today
Date: January 19, 2016

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said Jan. 18 that exchanges between Taipei

ROC President Ma Ying-jeou (right) welcomes William Burns, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, to the Presidential Office Jan. 18 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of Presidential Office)

and Washington are at the highest level since the Taiwan Relations Act took effect 37 years ago, with the two sides expanding cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas.

“Our low-key, surprise-free approach to Taiwan-U.S. ties has restored high-level trust to the relationship,” Ma said. “This healthy state of affairs is underscored by the 57 bilateral agreements concluded between the two nations, as well as the US$20.1 billion in arms sales approved by Washington over the past seven years.”

The president made the remarks while receiving William Burns, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, at the Presidential Office in Taipei City. Burns is in Taiwan to convey a message from Washington reaffirming its longstanding support for Taiwan and interest in cross-strait stability. [FULL STORY]

Prosecutors search Legislative Yuan

KICKBACKS PROBE:The probe into IT procurement contracts is motivated by bad blood between President Ma Ying-jeou and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, critics said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 20, 2016
By: Jason Pan and Alison Hsiao / Staff reporters

Prosecutors yesterday conducted searches at executive offices of the

An officer from Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office declines to comment to the media during a search of Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Hsi-shan’s office yesterday.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times

Legislative Yuan and detained Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Hsi-shan (林錫山) for questioning as part of an operation by the judiciary to investigate alleged corruption.

The prosecutors seized documents and gathered evidence at 19 locations, while taking in 33 people for questioning.

The investigation is focused on procurement contracts for computer software and hardware, networking system security and telecommunications equipment provided by Far Net Technologies Co (網遠科技), which won a series of public tenders over the past few years.

Including setting up online documentation and information services, as well as an Internet service platform, and providing network security upgrades, Far Net Technologies received close to NT$300 million (US$8.87 million) for the procurement contracts. [FULL STORY]

Abe congratulates Tsai on election as Taiwan’s president

Japan Times
Date: Jan 18, 2016

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday congratulated independence-leaning Tsai Ing-wen for her election as president of Taiwan.

“I would like to express congratulations from the bottom of my heart. I’m hoping that the cooperative relationship between Japan and Taiwan will advance further,” Abe told a session of the Upper House Budget Committee.

“Taiwan is an old friend of Japan’s,” Abe said. “Deciding on a leader through an election based on freedom of speech, the presidential election is a testimony to freedom and democracy in Taiwan.”

Tsai, leader of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party, won Saturday’s election with 56 percent of the vote against 31 percent for Eric Chu of the China-friendly Nationalist Party, which has held the presidency for the last eight years. [FULL STORY]

K-pop agency says did not force Taiwan star to apologize over flag

Reuters
Janury 18, 2016
By: Ju-min Park

A South Korean entertainment agency behind a 16-year-old singer who

A supporter of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen holds up a poster of Taiwanese K-pop singer Chou Tzuyu at their party headquarters as they wait for the results of the general elections January 16, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

triggered a fresh rift between China and Taiwan by holding a Taiwan flag said on Monday it did not force her to apologize.

Chou Tzuyu, the only Taiwanese member of South Korean K-pop girl band Twice, inadvertently shot to the top of Taiwan’s election agenda at the weekend.

In a video released late on Friday by JYP Entertainment Corp that quickly went viral, Chou said she felt proud to be Chinese and that there was only one China, fuelling suspicion that the agency may have pressured her to apologize to avoid upsetting fans in mainland China, a key market.

The video shows Tzuyu apologizing and bowing. She had held the flag in a TV show. [FULL STORY]

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