Representative office in Munich designed the cartoon to illustrate Taiwan’s plight

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/11
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A bear with a Winnie the Pooh mask is pushing a Formosan black bear away from a door marked “World Health Organization,” according to an illustration made by Taiwan’s representative office in the German city of Munich.

The image refers to the nickname for Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平), which has driven the communist authorities so far as to censor any references to or pictures of Winnie the Pooh from social media.

For the past three years, China has succeeded in blocking any invitation by the World Health Organization (WHO) for Taiwan to attend the annual World Health Assembly (WHA), scheduled for May 20-28 in Geneva this year.

In an effort to spread Taiwan’s message, the island’s office drew up the cartoon to accompany the message in Chinese, German and English on its Facebook page that it should be part of the WHO, the Central News Agency reported Saturday (May 11).
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/11
By: Elaine Hou and Ko Lin

Taipei, May 11 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday encouraged high

school students to step out and have the courage to speak out and let the world know more about Taiwan.

Speaking at a forum held by Business Today magazine for the fourth year in a row, Tsai told around 600 attending students that young people in Taiwan must be able to go global in the face of the country’s difficult international situation, and tell the world about Taiwan and the values it pursues.

They need to do this not because Taiwanese lack a global vision, but because of the country’s limited international space, she said, explaining that Taiwan has a special political environment that prevents it from participating in many international events.

“The political situation is what makes us isolated,” she said, adding that it is the duty of every Taiwanese to step out and have the courage to let the world know more about Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: May 10, 2019

President Tsai Ing-wen broke ground May 9 on an indigenous submarine production facility in Kaohsiung City, southern Taiwan.

The government is beefing up national defense capabilities to safeguard cross-strait and regional peace and stability, Tsai said. Development of homegrown weapons systems is a core component of this undertaking, she added.

According to Tsai, promoting Taiwan’s defense industry also pays dividends in terms of heightened activity in related sectors. No stone will be left unturned in protecting the nation and its 23 million people, as well as creating new opportunities for local R&D talents, she said.

Given Taiwan is an island country, Tsai said, the government is working tirelessly to bolster and integrate the military’s asymmetric combat capabilities.    [FULL  STORY]

The Daily Signal
Date: May 10, 2019
By: Anthony B. Kim

The Senate last week passed a bipartisan resolution by unanimous consent that reaffirms America’s commitment to Taiwan and to the Taiwan Relations Act.

The Taiwan Relations Act, passed in 1979, set up a unique relationship with Taiwan whereby the U.S. engaged Taiwan politically and economically. China has claimed Taiwan as its own territory since Taiwan became a republic in 1947.

The April 30 resolution, which “urges the president to explore opportunities to expand and deepen bilateral economic and trade relations with Taiwan,” was submitted by Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy. Co-sponsors were Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Ed Markey, D-Mass.

Passage of the resolution was a timely act of Congress, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act.    [FULL  STORY]

Identity of the woman, between 30 and 40 years old, remains unknown

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/05/10
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The body of a young woman was spotted off the coast of Hualien on the afternoon of May 10.

The woman was reportedly already dead when her body was noticed floating off shore near Qixingtan (七星潭) beach in Eastern Taiwan around 4:30 p.m. The body was brought ashore with the help of a fishing boat that was nearby.

The woman, who appears to be at least 30 years old, was carrying no form of identification. Authorities are seeking the help of local residents to identify her.

According to report from United Daily News, the woman is average sized, about 160 cm tall and between 45 and 50 kg, with hair past her shoulders. She was wearing a black jacket and brown or possibly dark maroon pants, judging by a picture published by UDN.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/05/10
By Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, May 10 (CNA) A magnitude 3.9 earthquake occurred off the coast of Yilan County on Friday, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

The quake, which occurred at 9:49 p.m., was centered 31.7 kilometers southeast of Yilan County Hall and struck at a depth of 40.3 km, the bureau’s Seismology Center said.

The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Yilan County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan’s 0-7 intensity scale.     [SOURCE]

MORE POLLUTION: The Control Yuan’s Chang Wu-shou said that the Cabinet must improve collaboration among agencies to help tackle waste entering the oceans

Taipei Times
Date: May 11, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

The Control Yuan yesterday said that the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA)

has failed to reduce plastic pollution, despite reduction policies since 2002, and asked it to improve its waste disposal scheme.

Marine garbage affects nearly 80 percent of water around the nation, with plastic making up 66.3 percent of the waste, Control Yuan member Chang Wu-shou (張武修) told a news conference in Taipei.

While the EPA in 2002 began implementing policies to limit the use of plastic, in 2006 it loosened regulations for catering businesses, delaying a ban on plastic bags, Chang said.

Recycling of plastic bags has been inadequate due to a lack of firms able to dispose of them and a shortage of incentives to promote a circular economy, he said.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 09 May, 2019
By: John Van Trieste

Taiwanese and Swazi flags. (Photo Courtesy Presidential Office)
Swazi trade minister Manqoba Khumalo is set to lead a delegation to Taiwan beginning May 19.

While in Taiwan, Khumalo will sign an agreement government a bilateral committee that will communicate on trade issues. The committee is being set up as part of an economic cooperation agreement between Taiwan and eSwatini that took effect in December.

The foreign ministry says that Taiwan and eSwatini enjoy frequent high-level exchanges. The ministry says that three Swazi officials have already visited Taiwan this year. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s foreign minister traveled to eSwatini in April for a celebration of the Swazi king’s birthday.

A foreign ministry official says eSwatini has spoken out on Taiwan’s behalf in multiple international settings, and that bilateral ties remain friendly and stable.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: May 09, 2019

The second Taiwan-EU Labor Consultation meeting was held May 8 in Taipei City, underscoring the commitment of both sides to strengthening cooperation in areas spanning employment rights and talent cultivation.

Jointly staged by the Ministry of Labor and European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), the one-day event focused on such issues as job market development, vocational training systems and labor adjustment assistance to address the impacts of globalization.

Taiwan’s delegation to the meeting included MOL Minister Hsu Ming-chun and Deputy Foreign Minister Kelly Wu-chiao Hsieh, while the five-member EU group was led by DG EMPL Deputy Director-General Andriana Sukova.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Hsu said that Taiwan and the EU enjoy close and friendly relations based on their shared commitment to the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Robust ties are highlighted by expansive business and investment links, with Taiwan the EU’s sixth largest trading partner in Asia and the EU Taiwan’s fifth largest export market globally.    [FULL  STORY]