A group of Chinese carriers sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday as presidential election campaigning on the island heats up. Taiwan says its voters will not be intimidated.

Deutsche Welle
Date: November 17, 2019    

China sailed a carrier group through the politically-delicate Taiwan Strait on Sunday, led by the communist country's first domestically-built aircraft carrier.

In a statement released Sunday, Taiwan's defense minister announced the military presence in the 112-mile-wide (180-kilometer-wide) strait between the island and mainland China. The naval group progressed from north to south through the strait, trailed by US and Japanese ships, it said.

Taiwan scrambled its own ships and aircraft in order to monitor the Chinese movements.

Hours before, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen named former Premier William Lai as her running mate in the 2020 presidential elections. Last year, Lai angered China when he expressed his view that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country. A major Chinese newspaper then called for his arrest.    [FULL  STORY]

Global Times
Date: 2019/11/17
By: Liu Xuanzun

China-US military relations have served as an important stabilizer for the overall relations between the

two countries since the start of the trade war despite the US' frequent provocations in the Taiwan Straits and South China Sea, and Chinese experts look forward to more exchanges and cooperation as the Chinese Defense Minister is expected to meet US Defense Secretary soon.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper will meet Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand this week, AFP reported on November 9.

Randall Schriver, US assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, said the US would like to strengthen military cooperation with China, including repatriating the remains of US soldiers killed in the country during World War II, according to the report.

China and the US still have much more room for military cooperation, such as disaster relief, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times.    [FULL  STORY]

Art and cultural performances will also take place at amphitheater on weekends throughout exhibition period

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/17
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 17-day 2019 Shilin Residence Chrysanthemum Show gets underway on Nov. 22 and will carry on until Dec. 8, according to a Friday (Nov. 15) news release on the Taipei Park and Street Light Office (PSLO) website.

The Public Works Department said that a cornucopia of chrysanthemum types will be on show, along with installation art pieces. PSLO added that art and cultural performances will take place at the amphitheater on weekends throughout the exhibition period.

PSLO spotlighted the Dec. 7 concert organized by the Everlight Cultural Foundation, featuring performances by soprano singer Chien Wen-hsiu (簡文秀), baritone Hsu Te-chung (許德崇), the Vintage Jazz Band (非比歐霸爵士樂團), and others.

For more information about the flower exhibition and the performances, refer to the flower show’s website or the C.K.S. Shilin Residence’s Facebook fan page.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/17
By: Flor Wang and Tsai Ming-chih

Taipei, Nov. 17 (CNA) Over 13,000 chickens raised on a farm in Yunlin County were culled Sunday after a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed a day earlier.

About 13,220 eight-month old chickens at the farm in Baozhong Township were culled and blanket disinfection operations conducted to prevent the virus from spreading further, said Liao Pei-chih (廖培志), a local government official responsible for animal and plant quarantine affairs.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/16
By: Sabine Cheng and Ko Lin

Taipei, Nov. 16 (CNA) A promotional mural of the popular rock band Coldplay in Taipei's Ximending area has become a big favorite with passing tourists and fans alike, who come specifically to take selfies with the British icons.

Initiated by Warner Music Taiwan, the artwork was hand-painted by legendary Taiwanese painter Yen Chen-fa (顏振發), one of the last few remaining film painters in the world who still practices the age-old tradition.

The image reproduces the cover of the band's latest album, titled "Everyday Life."

Scheduled to be released worldwide on Nov. 22, it will be Coldplay's eighth album release, after a four-year hiatus.    [FULL  STORY]

CALL FOR HELP: A new call center is to be established to help families affected by Alzheimer’s disease, as more people are developing early-onset dementia

Taipei Time
Date: Nov 17, 2019
By: Yang Mien-chieh and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Taiwan Alzheimer Disease Association are jointly

establishing a call center to help families of those with dementia, as use of an existing hotline has increased in recent years.

The call center, which would operate from 9am to 9pm from Monday to Friday, is intended to lessen the burden of families of the 280,000 people nationwide who have Alzheimer’s disease or other conditions that lead to dementia, the ministry said. In recent years, more people are developing early-onset dementia — when the condition arises in those 65 years old and under — and their family members are seeking help in caring for them, it said.

The jointly run call center would be available through the existing dementia hotline (0800-474-580), and would provide additional support for the families of younger dementia sufferers, it said.

The hotline, which has been in service for 10 years, has seen a four-fold increase in callers seeking help with early-onset dementia in comparison with six years ago, when the number of callers began to noticeably increase, association secretary-general Tang Li-yu (湯麗玉) said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 15 November, 2019
By: Paula Chao

A robot caregiver developed by Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute has won an innovation award at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show.

The show is a global stage for consumer technology innovation. The robot will be showcased at next year’s show.

Whether they’re getting up or eating, senior citizens living alone in the future can rest assured that they will be well looked-after. That’s thanks to a robot caregiver invented in Taiwan. The robot can monitor the well-being of senior citizens and analyze their eating and exercise habits. The robots will relay the information they collect to the adult children of their charges straight away.
[FULL  STORY]

Voice of America
Date: November 15, 2019
By: Ralph Jennings

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Taiwan and the United States have sent their first joint trade delegation to one of

Taiwan’s diplomatic allies as tiny, often impoverished countries keep turning instead to China, a source of aid for the developing world but a perceived threat to both delegation organizers.
 
In the first week of November, the delegation visited Saint Lucia, one of just 15 nations that recognize Taiwan diplomatically instead of China. They assessed ways offshore businesses could help the Caribbean country with infrastructure, trade and investment, the government-run Central News Agency in Taipei said.
 
“The way to consolidate diplomatic relationships is multi-dimensional,” Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou said. “It should be an effort across different domains, and investment is one of them. We hope that it will help. We do hope that through this joint delegation, it can play an important role.”
 
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry hasn’t announced plans for future visits to other Taiwan diplomatic allies but doesn’t rule out the idea.    [FULL  STORY]