KEEPING CLEAN: The sharp drop is likely due to people following disease prevention measures such as frequent handwashing, wearing masks and social distancing

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 10, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported a significant drop in the case numbers of several types of infectious diseases in the first half of the year, attributing it in part to more people wearing masks and practicing personal protective measures to prevent COVID-19 infection.

The number of cases of flu-like illness and enterovirus infection reported from May 31 to Saturday last week fell 71.1 percent and 88.2 percent respectively from the same week last year, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Liu Ting-ping (劉定萍) said.

Taiwan regularly enters the peak season of enterovirus infections in May or June, with weekly reported cases exceeding the epidemic threshold (11,000 hospital visits in a week) in week 22 last year, while there were only 1,360 hospital visits last week (week 23), she said.

The number of cases of respiratory infectious diseases also declined significantly, with zero cases of measles or rubella reported so far this year, compared with 100 cases of measles and 17 cases of rubella in the same period last year, Liu said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 08 June, 2020
By: Natalie Tso

Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai says the new Kaohsiung mayor should love and know the city very well. He made the remarks in Kaohsiung on Monday. He is rumored to be the DPP candidate for the Kaohsiung mayor by-election on September 12. 

Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu was voted out of office in a historic first for a Taiwan mayor on Saturday. He will officially step down this coming Friday and, if there are no court challenges to the recall, the Cabinet will appoint an acting mayor to serve until the September election. 

Han was the first KMT mayor for the southern city in 20 years.

On Monday, when asked about the possibility of running for Kaohsiung mayor, Vice Premier Chen said, “No matter who runs, I believe that person must love Kaohsiung and have a deep understanding of the city. I believe this is what the people of Kaohsiung hope for.”     [FULL  STORY]

Politicians friendly towards the mainland are looking increasingly unelectable

Global Voices
Date: 8 June 2020

A rising politician and former presidential candidate who favoured stronger relations with Beijing has been recalled as mayor of Taiwan's second largest city, creating a fresh irritant in strained relations with China.

Han Kuo-yu's recall marks the first time a mayor was jettisoned by this method prior to completing a term.

The pretext was a June 6 recall vote that saw 939,090 voters vote in favor of Han’s removal and only 25,051 votes against.

Under Taiwanese law — revised in 2016 — over a quarter of Kaohsiung's nearly 2.3 million-strong electorate needed to vote for the recall and outnumber dissenters in order for the move to go through.
[FULL  STORY]

China has kept ignoring Australia’s requests to talk

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/08
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —Simon Birmingham, Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism, and Investment,

said on Monday (June 8) that he felt disappointed at China's unwillingness to ease the Australia-China trade tensions following Australia's calling on the international community to investigate the origins of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Birmingham said that for weeks Australia has been calling for China to discuss the relationship between the two countries, but China has kept ignoring Australia's requests, per Liberty Times.

The Australian government has emphasized that independent investigations do not target Beijing. However, China has been criticizing Australia for "playing little tricks." Chinese Ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye (成競業) even warned that if Australia conducts an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, Chinese consumers will boycott Australian products.

After the Australian government proposed the investigation, China imposed high tariffs on Australian barley and banned beef imports from four large meat processing plants in the country. China is Australia's largest export market, accounting for 30 percent of its total exports.

Birmingham said that the Australian government is willing to conduct a peaceful discussion with China on differences between the two countries, but China has not made any response or shown any gestures of goodwill.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/08/2020
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, June 8 (CNA) Taiwan faces increased threats from Beijing through the expanded deployment of "gray zone conflict" tactics, a Taiwanese security analyst has said.

Using this approach, Beijing wants to apply "extreme pressure" on Taiwan through non-peaceful means that are short of a conventional war, said William Chung (鍾志東) of the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR).

Beijing is also attempting to unilaterally change the cross-Taiwan Strait status quo as part of its preparations for "reunification," he argued.

Chung made the observation in a paper titled "The Cross-Strait Grey Zone Conflict and Taiwan's Security," published on June 5 in the latest issue of the INDSR's Defense Situation.   [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 09, 2020
By: Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that after border controls are eased, it would screen all foreign visitors to Taiwan for COVID-19 upon arrival and permit them entry only if they test negative in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Visitors would also be required to receive follow-up testing and perform self-health management, based on their activities in the nation, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center.

A mass screening of all foreign visitors at the airport would not be sufficient, as some confirmed cases did not test positive until they were already under home quarantine, he added.

The center would not implement mass screening on all returning Taiwanese because the government is obligated to treat infected citizens, but it is not obliged to treat foreign visitors, and carelessly allowing infected people to enter might cause a local outbreak, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Global News
Date: June 7, 2020
By: Matthew Fisher, Special to Global News

COMMENTARY

China is confronting a damning investigation published by the Associated Press this week that confirms Beijing withheld information about the novel coronavirus from the global community and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Sensing an opening, Taiwan — which the Chinese dictator Xi Jinping regards as a province that must be brought to heel — has been quietly making diplomatic moves to win allies.

READ MORE: China frustrated WHO by delaying coronavirus info, despite public praise, sources say

Much closer ties with Canada have clearly been one of the plucky Asian island state’s leading priorities. To try to thaw what has been a frosty relationship on Canada’s side, Taiwan is sending 1.1 million high-quality surgical and N95 face masks and 100,000 protective and isolation gowns to Montreal this week. The federal government is expected to give the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Canadian Red Cross to distribute to front line health-care workers and Indigenous communities.    [FULL  STORY]

Forbes
Date: Jun 7, 2020
By: H I SuttonContributor

Scenarios involving China taking military action against Taiwan have been a hot topic for decades. The most dramatic one would be a full-blown invasion involving amphibious landings. Back in the 1990s it was derided as the ‘million man swim’ because it was not believed that China had the naval means to pull it off. Some may still make that joke, but it may no longer reflect reality.

Reuters recently reported that the Chief of China’s Joint Staff, General Li Zoucheng, stated that the country could attack Taiwan to stop it becoming independent. The island has been de facto an independent country since the Communists took control of the mainland in 1948, but Beijing views it as a wayward province. The threat of force has always been there, but this latest comment is seen as an escalation of rhetoric.

The Modernized Chinese Navy

The Chinese Navy, officially known as the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), is unrecognizable compared to twenty years ago. The most visible change is that it now has two aircraft carriers, and more are being built. These are escorted by modern air-defense destroyers generally modeled on the U.S. Navy’s AEGIS warships.    [FULL  STORY]

Upcoming flights will be carried out by 2 test pilots who conducted previous taxiing tests

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/07
By: Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer\

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) has announced that its new Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer will make its first series of flight trials before the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on June 25.

The Brave Eagle previously completed its first runway taxiing test on Tuesday (June 2) at Qingquangang (清泉崗) Air Force Base. Prior to its first flight mission at the end of the month, several more taxiing tests will be conducted.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/07/2020
By: William Yen

Taipei, June 7 (CNA) The Ministry of Health and Welfare has launched a website to share with the world the successful policies that Taiwan has implemented in its prevention efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Sunday.

The website, titled "Taiwan Crucial Policy for Combating COVID-19," provides information about major developments and policies in Taiwan relating to its battle against the coronavirus since Dec. 31, 2019, CECC administration department chief Cheng Shun-ping (鄭舜平) said at a daily press briefing.

Taiwan has been praised by countries around the world for its swift and successful coronavirus prevention efforts, which have kept its confirmed COVID-19 cases at only 443, with seven deaths, since the outbreak started late last year, he noted.

Some of the main factors behind Taiwan's success are its universal health care system, its adequate medical supplies and its public health resources, Cheng said.    [FULL  STORY]