Taiwan Insight
Date: 16 March 2020
By: Yao-Hung Huang.

Image credit: Houlin Zhao, Secretary – General, ITU with Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO by ITU Pictures /Flickr, license CC BY 2.0

The tragedy that is the spread of the COVID 19 virus has dominated headlines around the world. While in Taiwan it has been a cause of considerable consternation, it has at the same time incited controversy about Taiwan’s relationship with the Chinese mainland. This has been most evident in the flair up of the so-called ‘face mask panic’ (口罩之亂), which saw furious anger at restrictions on China-bound facemask exports among prominent China-friendly business and entertainment figures. 

Yet it is on the other side of the political divide where concern has been greatest. There are worries that the very governance issues which arguably inhibited the early identification and containment of the epidemic forebode the bleak future of a Taiwan unified with the Chinese mainland, should this eventuate. A more immediate cause of consternation is how the global response to the disease has shown how China’s influence upon international organisations is contributing to the international marginalisation of Taiwan. An important case in point has been the organisation at the forefront of global efforts to respond to the coronavirus crises – the World Health Organisation (WHO).

When China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) two decades ago, Taiwanese experts anticipated that China’s economic opening up and increasing participation in international organs would hasten its transformation into a liberal democratic country, and prompt it to soften its stance on Taiwanese sovereignty. However, years of integration into the global order have not prompted China to rule out using military force to reunite Taiwan with the mainland. Rather than market forces constraining China, its growing market power and investment potential – manifest in its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative – have become instruments of power projection. And rather than submitting to a ‘rules based order’ and curtailing its regional ambitions, China’s widening presence in global forums has seen it increasingly use international bodies to strengthen its territorial claims and deny wider recognition of Taiwan’s sovereignty.    [FULL  STORY]

Map lists many female presidents but not Tsai, sparks netizen outrage

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/03/16
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's netizens blasted UN Women for its exclusion of Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in its female heads of state count in a map that presents information on women in executive and parliamentary positions as of January 1, 2020.

The map called “Woman in Politics: 2020" lists nations with female heads of state: Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bolivia, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago; but Taiwan is excluded.

A UN Women’s Facebook post showing the female heads of state count was inundated with Taiwanese users protesting, with one saying “Tsai has the wisdom, courage, and bravery to say #No to our neighboring dictatorship, China. Don't you think Dr. Tsai Ing-wen deserves to be acknowledged as a role model for many women in the world?”

Another user said, “An international organization that is supposedly dedicated to the empowerment of women has just rudely overlooked, or refused to recognize, the legitimacy of a female national leader who has been leading Taiwan for the past four years and was reelected. How respectful.”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/16/2020
By: Wang Hung-kuo, Ko Lin and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, March 16 (CNA) Students and teachers at senior and junior high schools as well as elementary schools around Taiwan will all be prohibited from overseas travel until the end of the current semester, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Monday, citing a Cabinet decision.

The decision was made after a high school student was confirmed Sunday to have contracted the coronavirus disease COVID-19, with the source of infection suspected to be in Greece, which the student had been touring with his family since January, returning to Taiwan on March 5.

The confirmed case, which occurred in northern Taiwan, resulted in the other students in his class ordered to be placed in home quarantine for 14 days.

The CECC announced the ban at a daily briefing, noting that the new ruling will be effective until the end of the semester, which started following a two-week delay on Feb. 25 and as a result, is scheduled to end on July 14.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 17, 2020
By: Shen Pei-yao and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), yesterday in a letter to TPP members shared his thoughts following an alleged extramarital affair involving two party members.

The party on Wednesday expelled Taipei Culture Foundation deputy chief executive Chang Yi-san (張益贍), who was allegedly having an extramarital affair with TPP caucus assistant Tsai Yi-fang (蔡宜芳).

The party in a statement said that Chang was expelled because it had evidence of him discussing “negative campaign strategies” with a representative of another political party “without the authorization of the TPP.”

A copy of a letter written to Taiwan People’s Party members by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, who is chairman of the party, is pictured yesterday.

Photo courtesy of Taiwan People’s Party

Chang in a separate statement said that he would resign his post at the foundation after a magazine published photographs of him being intimate with Tsai during office hours.
[FULL  STORY]

Townhall.com
Date: Mar 16, 2020
By: Katie Pavlich

During an interview with conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt Monday morning, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu pushed back on the Chinese Communist Party and explained how officials in his country have been accurately calling the disease, "the Wuhan Pneumonia Coronavirus."

"When the coronavirus started in Wuhan, we sent our CDC officials and experts to that area to make an investigation. And we knew that there was something wrong in that place. But the Chinese government officials were rather quiet about the real situation. And I think right now, the world already knows where it started, and that is the term that we use to describe this kind of coronavirus. We called it Wuhan Pneumonia Coronavirus," Wu said.

Last week, the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. was summoned to the State Department for a meeting after the Chinese foreign minister falsely claimed the American military started the virus. The Chinese Communist Party has also tried to tamp down criticism and responsibility for the world outbreak by claiming the classification of the virus as "Chinese" or from "Wuhan" is racist.

"The Chinese understand that its national reputation suffered tremendously in the last few months because of the coronavirus. And what it's trying to do is trying to overturn that kind of situation. Rather than blaming the United States or blaming American soldiers of carrying the virus into the Wuhan area, I think the Chinese are also coming out in a very strong way through its propaganda that it is the savior of the world right now," Wu continued.   [FULL  STORY]

Time
Date: March; 13, 2020
By: Laignee Barron/Hong Kong

Since she learned of the coronavirus outbreak, Amy Ho’s daily routine has gotten a bit more complicated. Coming home now involves sanitizing her shoes, washing her hands with soap and water, taking off her medical mask and changing her clothes.

The Hong Kong resident ventures outside only by necessity. She walks to and from work. Goes to the grocery store once a week. That’s it. Her teenage daughter has only left their apartment twice since the end of January.

“It’s annoying, sure. But our health is the most important thing,” she says.

Over Easter, the family looked forward to vacationing in the U.K. and Italy. But with the virus raging, they canceled.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan raised travel advisory for Dubai to Level 3 on Saturday, requires arrivals from the emirate to self-quarantine

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/03/15
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Dubai-based airline Emirates will suspend all flights between Dubai and Taiwan starting Monday (March 16) due to the growing spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced on Saturday (March 14) that it will raise the travel advisories for 27 countries in Europe as well as Dubai to Level 3. The measure will go into effect on Tuesday (March 17), CNA reported.

The Level 3 advisory means that travelers from the affected areas who enter Taiwan will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Emirates still operated flights to and from Taiwan on Sunday (March 15) but issued a press release in the afternoon stating that in light of the travel restriction and related quarantine requirement, the airline will suspend its Taipei-Dubai route on Monday until further notice.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/15/2020
By: Hsu Hsiao-han and Ko Lin

Taipei, March 15 (CNA) China Airlines (CAL), one of Taiwan's largest carriers, announced Saturday that overseas customers who have booked flights between Jan. 20 and April 30 but are barred from entering the country due the coronavirus disease COVID-19 are now eligible to apply for a full refund or reschedule their flights at no cost.

This also extends to customers of Mandarin Airlines, its subsidiary, CAL said in an official press release.

Travelers holding unused tickets during this period and those traveling to and from China, Hong Kong and South Korea, are eligible to apply for a full refund without having to pay any service charge or penalty, the company said, noting that the application deadline will be April 30.

Meanwhile, travelers holding CAL tickets to/from Singapore, Japan, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Iceland, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium and Denmark with the original travel date prior to April 30, but who wish to reschedule their flights, will not have to pay any charge for the service, CAL said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 16, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

People who are violent toward or threaten medical personnel could face a prison sentence under the Medical Care Act (醫療法), the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.

The Department of Medical Affairs said it strongly condemns any attempt to threaten, intimidate, insult, humiliate or obstruct the duties of medical personnel.

Article 106 of the act states that the use of violence, threats or other illegal behavior to obstruct the duties of medical personnel or emergency medical technicians can be punished by up to three years in jail or a fine up to NT$300,000, the department said.

The warning came after the media reported on a woman in Taipei who became angry that she had been given back the wrong National Health Insurance (NHI) card when buying masks and allegedly scolded a pharmacist surnamed Wang (王), telling her to kneel and apologize.   [FULL  STORY]

Country learned ‘harsh lesson’ from Sars and has kept infections under 50, despite being blocked by Beijing from being part of the WHO

The Guardian
Date: 12 Mar 2020
By: Michelle Yun in Taipei

 Taiwan has only had one death from coronavirus, having taken quick and aggressive action to contain the outbreak. Photograph: Ministry Of National Defense/EPA

Shawn Bryant knew he would be under quarantine for two weeks when he arrived in Taiwan from Daejeon, South Korea. The local police called every day and Bryant had told them he would be moving to a new Airbnb a few days into his stay. They said it was fine as long as he took a taxi.

So Bryant was alarmed when, in the taxi, he received a text warning that he had gone too far from his accommodation and would be fined if he didn’t return immediately. He quickly called his police contact, who assured Bryant he can just ignore the automated message.

“I’m glad they’re taking it very seriously and not letting people off the hook easily,” said Bryant, who is visiting Taiwan on his way back to Canada, his home country.

Using phone tracking to enforce mandatory quarantine is one example of how Taiwan has managed to contain the spread of coronavirus, with just 48 confirmed cases of infection to date, including one death. That’s despite the island located just 130km (80 miles) from mainland China, the centre of the virus outbreak which has reported more than 80,000 cases and 3,000 deaths.    [FULL  STORY]