MOFA also intends to donate 2,0200 tonnes of rice to Taiwan’s Caribbean ally Haiti

Taiwan Newqs
Date: 2020/01/14
By:  Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is reportedly planning to donate 100,000 masks to Australia, which has been struck by massive bush fires due to protracted heat and drought.

MOFA Spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) said at a press briefing on Tuesday (Jan. 14) that Taiwanese authorities plan donate 100,000 medical masks to those affected by smoke and ashfall, reported the Liberty Times. Details of the donation are being discussed, added Ou.

The report said the first batch of donations would be 6,000 N95 masks.

Australia has been experiencing its worst ever bush-fire season, with dozens of people killed and thousands more evacuated from their homes. It is estimated the number of animals affected by the devastation could reach half a billion.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 01/14/2020
By: Yu Hsiang, Liu-Kuan-ting, Lai Yen-his and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Jan. 14 (CNA) National Taiwan University Professor Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), who is seeking the leadership of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), said Tuesday that the party should continue to uphold the "1992 consensus" as the basis of its policy toward China.

In a radio interview, Chang said the "1992 consensus" is the foundation of the party's cross-Taiwan Strait policy, and if the KMT abandons the consensus, it will be moving away from its traditional stance.

"If the KMT ditches its basic stance, it might as well disband and form a new party," said Chang, a political science professor who is also chairman of the pro-unification Chinese Integration Association.

The KMT, therefore, should stick to the "1992 consensus" instead of ditching it as some younger party members have suggested, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 15, 2020
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

Thai authorities on Monday confirmed that a visitor from Wuhan, China, has been infected with a new

coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that the possibility of human-to-human transmission cannot yet be ruled out.

Chinese health officials in the middle of last month reported a pneumonia outbreak linked to Huanan Seafood City market in Wuhan. The WHO on Monday named the virus novel coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV).

The visitor is a 61-year-old woman, who was found to have a fever upon her arrival in Thailand on Wednesday last week and quarantined, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said, adding that test results on Sunday showed that she was infected with 2019-nCoV.

Her respiratory symptoms and fever have since improved, and she is likely to be discharged from hospital in a few days, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 13 January, 2020
By: Natalie Tso

Foreign minister Joseph Wu is set to attend the inauguration of the new Guatemalan president on Tuesday. Wu will lead a delegation to attend the ceremony for Guatemalan President Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei and Vice President Guillermo Castillo.

In addition to attending the inauguration, Wu will also meet with the incoming president and vice president, as well as Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo.    [FULL  STORY]

In Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen, who favors independence, won a landslide victory. This will pose a challenge for both China and the United States, as the tense relationship between Tapei and Beijing could worsen.

FX Empire
Date: Jan 13, 2020
By: Kenny Fisher

Taiwan went to the ballot boxes on the weekend and handed President Tsai Ing-wen a resounding re-election victory. Tsai won 57% of the vote, compared to 38% for Han Kuo-yu. The choice was crystal clear for Taiwanese voters, as Tsai favors independence for Taiwan, while Han, who ran on a pro-China platform.

China has long viewed Taiwan as a renegade province and threatened to take severe action if Taiwan formally declares independence. This means that Tsai must walk a delicate balancing act, and avoid any provocative steps that would poke giant China in the eye. In her election speech, Tsai called on Beijing to drop its threats to take over the island by force, and reminded China that “democratic Taiwan, and our democratically elected government, will not concede to threats and intimidation.”

China has offered Taiwan a “one China-two systems” political system, but Taiwan has steadfastly refused. The violence in Hong Kong likely contributed to Tsai’s landslide victory, as Hong Kong, which has been under the “one China-two systems” setup since 1997, has erupted in protest over China encroaching on democratic rights of Hong Kong citizens. Tsai has dismissed this system outright, calling it “non-viable”.

The U.S. was quick to congratulate Tsai on her victory, which drew condemnation from Beijing. The U.S. will also have to trade carefully, as it supports a pro-Western government in Taiwan, but is also looking to end the bitter trade war with China. The sides are scheduled to sign the “Phase 1′ trade agreement this week in Washington, and President Trump will want to capitalize on that achievement and reach another limited agreement with China. If U.S. support for Taiwan and Hong Kong is too blatant for China’s taste, this could hinder future trade progress with China.    [FULL  STORY]

A historic trail along a century-old irrigation ditch in Shilin District displays beauty of season

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/01/13
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer\

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei residents should make the most of the short cherry blossom season and hike a historic trail along a century-old irrigation ditch in Shilin District.

Cherry blossoms are currently in full bloom along Lane 42 of Pingjing Street (平菁街). To get there, take Taipei City Bus 303 from MRT Jiantan Station to Lunziwei stop (倫仔尾).

While admiring the blossoms, look for an alley marked by a wooden sign directing visitors to Gongping Bridge (公平橋). The alley entrance is the trailhead for Gouyingqin Historic Trail (狗殷勤古道), which for the most part runs along the picturesque irrigation ditch.

After passing the wonderful display of blossoms, the trail goes down some long stairs flanked by tall and thick bamboo trees on either side to reach Gongping Bridge. A pavilion can be seen in front of the bridge, under which is Qingxue Creek.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 01/13/2020
By: Huang Hui-min and Evelyn Kao\

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) Jincheng Township in the island county of Kinmen has been selected as one of Taiwan's 30 classic towns for 2020, the county government said Monday.

Jincheng is the second town in Kinmen to have received the designation after Lieyu was selected as a classic town in a poll conducted by Taiwan's Tourism Bureau in 2019, said Lee Cheng-chih (李誠智), the head of the township.

The poll is part of the Small Town Ramble 2.0 campaign which comprises 20 mountainous communities and 10 small towns with unique cultural and lifestyle characteristics.

Jincheng is home to numerous historic military sites and traditional villages but it also has an abundance of natural resources, Lee said, and it was picked this year mainly because of its traditional and innovative cultural characteristics.    [FULL  STORY]

GROWTH OF ART: Organizers said that the lantern is a continuation of artist Lin Shuen-long’s ‘A Seed Fallen From the Sky,’ with the seed growing into a tall tree

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 14, 2020
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

The main lantern at this year’s Taiwan Lantern Festival features a 15m-tall giant tree design that

symbolizes the nation’s cities and its 23 million people, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.

A model of the lantern, titled The Guardian of the Forest — Tree of Light (森生守護-光之樹), was unveiled at the Grand Hotel Taipei.

The main lantern would be displayed at the Houli Horse Ranch and Forest Park Area in Taichung, which is hosting the festival this year, the bureau said, adding that it would be illuminated for the first time at the opening ceremony on Feb. 8.

Shows featuring the main lantern would be presented on the hour while the festival is open from Feb. 8 to Feb. 23, the bureau said.    [FULL  STORY]

EXCHANGE DELEGATION: A CDC official said it had received permission to send healthcare professionals to exchange information about the situation in the city

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 13, 2020
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

No case linked with the outbreak of a viral pneumonia in China’s Wuhan has been confirmed in

Taiwan, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

Since Dec. 31, onboard inspection for respiratory diseases have been conducted on 20 flights that arrived from Wuhan, covering 2,199 passengers and crew, with 10 people showing symptoms indicating possible infection, CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said.

Two among them showed symptoms matching the conditions for required reporting, but were excluded from possible cases after further examination, while the other eight have since improved, so there is no confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in Taiwan, Chuang said.

A pneumonia outbreak of an unknown cause in the city in Hubei Province was reported in the middle of last month, with the main symptom being fever, with a few of them reporting difficulty breathing and examinations showing lung lesions.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 01/11/2020
Full text provided by the Democratic Progressive Party

Friends from the domestic and international media, thank you for your patience.

To begin, I would like to thank everyone who voted today. Regardless of how you voted, by taking part in this election you have put democratic values into practice. With each presidential election, Taiwan is showing the world how much we cherish our free, democratic way of life, and how much we cherish our nation: the Republic of China (Taiwan).

I would also like to offer my respect to Mayor Han and Chairman Soong for completing this democratic journey with me. I will take your constructive criticism with me into my next term. I am confident that although our parties may have different views, we will have many opportunities to cooperate in the future.

Today, the Taiwanese people voted to keep the Democratic Progressive Party in office and maintain our majority in the legislature. This result signifies that our administration and legislators have been moving in the right direction over the past four years.

I want to thank each and every person who voted for the Tsai-Lai ticket, as well as everyone who supported our DPP candidates. Thank you for choosing democratic and progressive values, and for choosing the path of reform and unity.