Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/01
By: Rita Cheng and Lee Mei-yu

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) The United States might sell arms to Taiwan at the end of this year,

said Mark Stokes, executive director of the Washington-based think tank Project 2049 Institute.

Stokes made the remarks after attending a seminar that was centered on how Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to the United States would affect Taiwan, an event which was organized by the Washington-based think tank, the Hudson Institute.

With presidential elections in both the U.S. and Taiwan looming, Stokes said it would be better for America to sell arms to Taiwan sooner rather than later. He predicted that it could be possible that U.S. President Barack Obama will notify Congress of plans for a new arms sale package to Taiwan between now and the end of this year.

Earlier this month, Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, said that it was unlikely that Obama will announce a new arms sale package to Taiwan before the fourth quarter of next year. The new package, however, will consist of little more than second-hand equipment, upgraded equipment and munitions.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/01
By: Tsai Pei-chi and Lee Mei-yu

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) The Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced Chao Yu-chu (趙玉柱), father of former President Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) son-in-law Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘), to a jail term of one year and two months for embezzling NT$4.5 million (US$137,000) donated to the Taiwan Table Tennis Association.

Chao, the head of the association at the time, was accused of using the money donated by Eslite Book founder Robert Wu (吳清友) to speculate on the stock market.

Considering the legal case against Chao has languished for over eight years, the Supreme Court decided to reduce the 20-month penalty. Chao will have to serve a 14-month reduced sentence, which cannot be appealed.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-01
By: CNA

Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology will do its best to help enterprises and

Shyu Jyuo-min gives an interview, April 8. (Photo/ Hung Hsi-lung)

employees facing challenges amid reports that workers at the country’s three major science parks have been put on furlough, a ministry official said Wednesday.

Reports said the Hsinchu Science Park, the Central Taiwan Science Park and the Southern Taiwan Science Park had a combined 264 employees on furlough in September, with the number expected to fall to 97 in October.

Science and Technology minister Shyu Jyuo-min said unpaid leave will not only hurt the employees but their families as well and the science park administrations will prepare measures to help the employees. Enterprises in the parks are required to report their intent to put workers on furlough to the park administration before doing it, Hsu said at a legislative hearing.

Opposition Democratic Progressive Party legislator Cheng Li-chun said companies in the parks account for a large share of Taiwan’s electronics sector, and urged the ministry to address the unpaid leave problem because of the sheer number of companies.     [FULL  STORY]

TWO-HANDED PLAY:The KMT said the DPP is trying to attract both swing and ‘deep-green’ voters by having Tsai and William Lai advocate contradictory policies

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 02, 2015
By: Stacy Hsu and Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporters

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus yesterday accused Democratic

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Tainan City Councilor Tsai Yu-hui yesterday chastises Tainan Mayor William Lai during a question-and-answer session at the Tainan City Council after Lai declared his support for Taiwanese independence on Wednesday. Photo: Tsai Wen-chu, Taipei Times

Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of playing a two-handed strategy to deceive voters into supporting her by pledging to maintain the cross-strait “status quo,” while letting Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) advocate Taiwanese independence.

“Lai [of the DPP] said on Wednesday that he supports independence, but not the use of force. Given that his stance is contradictory to that of his chairperson, the caucus demands that Tsai gives the public a clear explanation on the matter,” KMT deputy caucus whip Lin Te-fu (林德福) told a morning press conference in Taipei.

Accusing Tsai and Lai of collaborating to cheat voters, Lin said that the KMT’s definition of the “status quo” is based on the “three noes” policy of “no independence, no unification and no use of force,” as well as the so-called “1992 consensus,” referring to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having their own interpretation of what “one China” is.     [FULL  STORY]

China Post
Date: October 2, 2015
By: John Liu

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The latest round of trade talks between Taiwan and the U.S. under the

Deputy Economics Minister Cho Shih-chao (卓士昭), second left, and Ministry of Economics Affairs officials attend the ninth Taiwan-U.S. trade talks under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), in Taipei, yesterday. (CNA)

bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) made much ground in a number of areas on its first day, yesterday, but both sides have yet to reach consensus on issues such as U.S. pork imports, said a U.S. trade official.

The talks reached agreement on several issues and enhanced economic ties between the two nations, said Robert Holleyman, a deputy U.S. trade representative and the head of the U.S. delegation, in a joint press conference issued with his R.O.C. counterpart, Deputy Economics Minister Cho Shih-chao (卓士昭).

The TIFA meeting is a very important platform for dialogue, and good progress was made in yesterday’s meeting, Cho said. “Through this platform, both sides were able to discuss certain important issues and resolve items that concern both sides.”     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/01
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) The number of dengue fever infections reported in Taiwan since the

A residential area in Tainan being fumigated.  PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

start of summer in May has reached 18,879, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Thursday.

That compared with a total of 15,492 cases recorded for the whole of last year.

The latest figure represents an increase of 514 cases from the previous day, the CDC said.

As of Wednesday, 16,211 cases had been reported in the southern municipality of Tainan and 2,356 in neighboring Kaohsiung, the two worst hit areas of the country, according to CDC figures.

In Tainan alone, the number of infections increased by 418 from the previous day, CDC official said.     [FULL  STORY]