Deseret News
Date: Sep 26, 2019
By: George F. Will, Columnist  For The Washington Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Now only 15 flags in the Foreign Ministry’s foyer represent the nations that have not yet succumbed to Beijing’s financial blandishments — targeted at governments and individual politicians — and other pressures to sever diplomatic relations with this island nation. There were 17 flags a few weeks ago.

The last time many Americans thought of the Solomon Islands (population 650,000) was the 1942-43 Battle of Guadalcanal. It is one of the two Pacific island nations whose flags have recently been removed. The other is Kiribati (population 116,000), site of the Battle of Tarawa. China’s growing dominance in the South Pacific is a defeat for an America in retreat: China might now gain access to deep-water ports in the Solomons and to a Kiribati satellite-tracking station that was closed when that nation changed its recognition from China to Taiwan in 2003.

America’s flag is not in the ministry’s foyer because diplomatic relations with Taiwan ended in 1979, to serve what has become an increasingly untenable fiction: The Beijing regime that suppresses the mainland’s 1.4 billion people is the legitimate government of China, and Taiwan, although separated by the 110-mile wide Taiwan Strait and by yawning and widening cultural differences, is somehow part of “one China.”

However, the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act obligates America to help Taiwan (the Republic of China) maintain its defenses against the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan is as inconvenient to people eager to propitiate Beijing as is America’s founding document, which says governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.”    [FULL  STORY]

“Cape No. 7” and “The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful” among films selected for program

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/26
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A New York television channel will broadcast widely-acclaimed Taiwanese

films every weekend next month starting Oct. 5.

City University of New York’s CUNY TV will broadcast five award-winning Taiwanese films next month, as well as interviews with the directors, on its Saturday evening prime-time program “City Cinematheque, which plays classic and foreign films.

The special program, which is called “An Island of Stories: Recent Films from Taiwan,” will kick off its first week with Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng’s (魏德聖) “Cape No. 7,” so far the highest-grossing Taiwanese film in history. It will be followed by the horror film “Soul,” directed by 2013 Golden Horse Awards Best Director Chung Mong-hong (鍾孟宏), and filmmaker Gilles Yang’s (楊雅喆) “The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful,” which was named the Awards' Best Feature Film in 2017.

Chang Tso-chi’s (張作驥) “Thanatos, Drunk,” which snatched Grand Prize at the Taipei Film Awards in 2015, and Midi Z’s (趙德胤) “The Road to Mandalay,” with which the Myanmar-born Taiwanese filmmaker made his name, have also been selected for for airing. CUNY TV is a non-commercial educational TV channel that reaches viewers throughout the New York metropolitan area.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/26
By: Tang Pei-chun and Ko Lin

Brussels, Sept. 26 (CNA) Taiwan jumped three places to become the 13th most digitally competitive out of 63 countries evaluated this year, according to a report published Thursday by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

Taiwan was also fourth among Asia-Pacific economies, behind Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea, but ahead of China, Japan and Malaysia, the IMD World Digital Competitiveness Rankings 2019 report showed.

The top five countries this year were unchanged from 2018: the United States, Singapore, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland.

The World Digital Competitiveness Ranking measures economies using a variety of sub-indicators based on three major factors: knowledge, technology and future readiness.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 27, 2019
By: Agencies, SYDNEY and TAIPEI

Nauru will retain long-standing ties with Taiwan, Nauruan President Lionel Aingimea said yesterday, a

welcome boost for Taipei after two Pacific states switched diplomatic recognition to China this month.

The small developing nations lie in strategic Pacific waters dominated by the US and its allies since World War II, where Beijing’s moves to expand its influence have angered Washington.

“Nauru considers its relationship with Taiwan as that of family and we stand with Taiwan,” Aingimea said in an e-mail, dispelling fears of a switch after he defeated his predecessor, Baron Waqa, in last month’s election.

Taiwan cut diplomatic ties with the Solomon Islands and Kiribati on Monday and Friday last week respectively after they switched allegiance to Beijing.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan should define itself as Pacific nation rather than as one side of the Taiwan Strait: DPP official

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/25
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – At its 33rd anniversary congress Saturday (September 28), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will adopt a motion clearly stating its opposition to China’s “One Country, Two Systems,” according to party officials.

The same motion will also emphasize cooperation between generations and solidarity between all people in Taiwan, the Central News Agency reported Wednesday (September 25).

The document was approved by the party’s Central Standing Committee at its regular weekly meeting Wednesday, but the weekend congress will still have to ratify it.

Deputy DPP Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) explained a key element of the motion would be the defense of Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy with a clear mention of opposition to “One Country, Two Systems.”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/25
By: Stacy Hsu and Frances Huang

Washington, Sept. 24 (CNA) Cory Gardner, a pro-Taiwan American senator, said Tuesday that he will

continue his efforts to push for a visit by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to Washington.

In an interview with CNA, Gardner said he has asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to invite President Tsai as "a leader of democracy " to visit the U.S. and address a joint session of Congress, but has not yet received a response.

"We will continue that effort to request Speaker Pelosi to do that," said Gardner, who is from Colorado.

Due to pressure from China, Taiwan's presidents, vice presidents, premiers, foreign ministers and defense ministers have not be able to visit Washington since the U.S. cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979, as such a visits would be seen as having political significance.    [FULL  STORY]

DEMONS OUT! One official said the rescued members believed they had ‘demons,’ which had to be removed by beatings, resulting in bruises covering their bodies

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 26, 2019
By: Hsu Kuo-chen and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Police last month raided the premises of a religious cult in Taichung, where members were allegedly

severely beaten and held against their will, officials said yesterday.

The Chunghwa Daily Good Deed Association (中華日行一善學會) allegedly lured people into leaving their homes to live in a commune in the mountains, where it promised to “purify their spirits,” police told a news conference.

Members were closely monitored and encouraged to report each others’ “offenses,” such as saying that they wanted to leave, police said, adding that those who complained were beaten, with victims ranging from two to 80 years old.

A 61-year-old woman surnamed Lin (林), allegedly the founder of the cult, was detained along with five other suspects in the raid, they said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 24 September, 2019
By: Paula Chao

The foreign ministry says Taiwan’s bid to join the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has

received support from its allies and G7 foreign ministers. That’s the word from Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Joanne Ou on Tuesday.

In a joint communique issued in April, G7 foreign ministers urged the ICAO to include all aviation authorities in its membership. Ou said this sign of support was an unprecedented move.

Taiwan has been barred from attending ICAO because of pressure from China. But Ou said Taiwan plays a crucial role in aviation safety in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.

“The ICAO shouldn’t be manipulated by any single member country. It should insist on its neutrality and professionalism and find an appropriate way to accept Taiwan as soon as possible on the basis of aviation safety and international passengers’ rights. Only [by doing so] will it be able to guarantee that the global aviation security system does not have any loopholes," said Ou. 
[FULL  STORY]

Shuanglong (Twin Dragons) Waterfall one of Taiwan’s most spectacular falls

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/24
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The construction of a new suspension bridge parallel to the existing one near Shuanglong Waterfall (雙龍瀑布), a popular tourist attraction in central Taiwan, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The Nantou County Government has acquired NT$55 million (US$1.8 million) in funds to build the suspension bridge, which is slated to be more tourist-friendly, CNA reported on Monday (Sept. 23). The bridge's deck, which has been painted with the colors of the rainbow, is nearing completion, and the county government has been working diligently toward its goal of inaugurating the bridge by the end of this year.

Nantou County Commissioner Lin Ming-chen (林明溱) said the Shuanglong rainbow suspension bridge is 342 meters in length and stretches 110 meters above the valley with a 20-meter difference in elevation between each end. When visitors walk across the bridge, they will be able to enjoy a view of both the upper and lower falls. In full spate, Shuanglong Waterfall is one of Taiwan’s most spectacular sights.    [FULL  STORY8]