A daily breakdown of Taiwan’s top stories and why they matter.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/01/09
By: TNL Daily News

Tsai: Rejecting ‘one country, two systems’ is this year’s ‘Taiwan consensus’
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday that the “Taiwan consensus” stands in opposition to the “one country, two systems” framework proposed by China for Taiwan.

Speaking at a meeting with Nauruan President Baron Waqa, Tsai once again rebuked comments made last week by Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying: “Rejection of the ‘one country, two systems’ framework is the most important ‘Taiwan consensus’ of this year.”

Tsai has enjoyed domestic and international support for her response to Xi’s Jan. 2 speech, in which the Chinese leader adopted a conciliatory tone towards the people of Taiwan (and their new KMT local leaders) while heavily deemphasizing the aggressive language of his March 2018 speech. Xi did explicitly reiterate his refusal to rule out using force in his quest for “unification” of China and Taiwan, which drew the ire of Tsai and international observers alike.    [FULL  STORY]

Cho Jung-tai assumed his tenure as chairman of the party today

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/090
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Executive Yuan secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) assumed his tenure as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman today (Jan. 9), saying the party must start again from scratch.

Tsai Ing-wen stepped down as DPP chairperson after defeats in last year’s nine-in-one local elections, which saw a landslide victory for the Kuomintang (KMT) and many former DPP strongholds handed over. Tsai was temporarily replaced by Keelung mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌).

The results of the party chair by-election were announced on Jan. 6, and Cho beat off rival You Ying-lung (游盈隆) with 72.6 percent of the vote.

The DPP’s central advisory committee held the 16th chair handover ceremony this afternoon, CNA reports. The ceremony was completed under the supervision of party arbitration commission chairman Chang Cheng-hsiung (張政雄), and Cho was given the official seal of approval by Lin.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/011/09
By: Huang Li-yun and William Yen

Taipei, Jan. 9 (CNA) A total of 67 of the 148 Vietnamese tourists who “went missing” shortly after entering Taiwan in four tour groups in December have been located, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Wednesday.

The agency said that as of 5 p.m., it had located 41 men and 26 women from the tour groups, 34 of whom had been arrested.

The other 33 had voluntarily reported to authorities, the NIA said, adding that it was still trying to locate the other 81 people — 57 men and 24 women.

The agency said 152 of the 153 Vietnamese nationals who entered Taiwan on Dec. 21 and Dec. 23 broke away from their tour groups shortly after arrival and did not make contact again with the groups.    [FULL  STORY]

WANTED FUGITIVES: It could be difficult to have the suspects extradited, as Taiwan does not have a cooperation deal with Canada, prosecutors said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 10, 2019
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Taipei prosecutors on Tuesday made an extradition request to the Canadian

government for two Taiwanese wanted as suspects in a financial fraud case — prominent cosmetic doctor Paul Huang (黃博健), 38, and his wife, Internet celebrity Su Chen Tuan (蘇陳端), 44, better known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈).

Prosecutors issued an international notification for the couple, as well as Huang’s father, Huang Li-hsiung (黃立雄), saying that they have fled the nation and are wanted fugitives in a criminal case, in which their wanted status lasts for 25 years.

Judicial officials made the extradition request after receiving reports that the three were briefly detained by airport officials after arriving at a Canadian airport, although the date was not specified.

However, the trio presented their Canadian permanent residency documents and Canada Border Services Agency officers did not have sufficient reason to hold them, as they did not have any criminal record there, according to the reports.    [FULL  STORY]

A daily breakdown of Taiwan’s top stories and why they matter.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/01/08
By: TNL Daily News

Six arrested for alleged tech leaks to Chinese company
Six current and former engineers of German chemical maker BASF SE have been arrested by Taiwanese police for allegedly leaking company technology to Chinese rival Jiangyin Jianghua Microelectronics Materials Co., Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau said Monday.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which is the world’s largest independent chipmaker, denied reports that some of its confidential information may have been leaked to Jianghua by employees of BASF, according to CNA. TSMC is one of BASF Taiwan’s clients.

Criminal Investigation Bureau official Lu Sung-hao (呂松浩) said on Monday Jianghua allegedly offered direct payment for BASF technology, including 40 million RMB (about NT$200 million or US$5.8 million) for assistance building a factory in eastern China’s Jiangsu province.

It is an especially elaborate case of alleged intellectual property theft, which the U.S. and Taiwan frequently accuse Chinese companies of engaging in despite repeated Chinese denials, according to Bloomberg.    [FULL  STORY]

Indigenous people of Taiwan issue message to Xi Jinping that ‘Taiwan is not part of China’

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/08
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech mentioning the “1992 consensus” and “one China principle” given last week, the representatives of Taiwan’s indigenous people issued a joint statement today in the Presidential Office saying that Taiwan is a traditional area of the aboriginal peoples and is not part of China’s territory.

On Jan. 2, Xi gave a speech commemorating the 40th anniversary of a policy message from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entitled “Message to Compatriots in Taiwan,” made on Jan. 1, 1979. During the speech, Xi insisted that Taiwan “must and will be” united with China based on the “1992 consensus” under the “one China principle.”

Today, representatives of the Presidential Office’s Indigenous Historical Justice and Transitional Justice Committee issued a joint statement entitled “Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples Message to Chairman Xi Jinping of China.”

According to the statement, the Aboriginal people have lived in Taiwan for more than 6,000 years, and they are not ethnic minorities of the Chinese nation.
[FULL  STORY]

STANDARD PRACTICE: The KMT’s proposal to cut the assets committee’s budget by half was opposed by the DPP and would be discussed in a plenary session today

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 09, 2019
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

Lawmakers yesterday reduced the central government’s general budget for fiscal year

2019 by 1.19 percent, or NT$24 billion (US$778.31 million).

The general budget earmarked for this year is NT$2.2 trillion.

Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) on Monday called a round of cross-caucus negotiations over the budget, which continued past midnight.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) suggested that the amount trimmed from the budget — a standard practice during budget reviews — should be larger than the average of the amount cut over the past three years.
[FULL  STORY]

A daily breakdown of Taiwan’s top stories and why they matter.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/01/07
By: TNL Staff

Tsai calls on allies to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called on allies and like-minded democratic nations to protect Taiwan and defend its sovereignty, closing out a week of tempestuous cross-Strait rhetoric between the leaders of Taiwan and China.

Tsai, speaking to foreign reporters on the morning of Jan. 5, reiterated her stance that the Taiwanese people would never accept a “one country, two systems” model of governance, as proposed in a Jan. 2 speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Credit: Taiwan Presidential OfficeTsai Ing-wen fields questions from foreign reporters on the morning of Jan. 5.
She added that Xi’s equivalence of the so-called “1992 Consensus” to a “one country, two systems” framework leaves no room for ambiguity and called upon all Taiwanese political parties to stop using the term, reemphasizing her “Four Musts” framework for cross-Strait relations.

Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) reiterated that Tsai was wrong to deny the “1992 Consensus,” but said Xi’s interpretation of the alleged agreement was also incorrect.    [FULL  STORY]

The museum and research group website published an article detailing Taiwan’s story in Jan. 3

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/07
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s successful recycling industry is no secret to the international community, and the island’s story made it on to the website of the world’s largest museum and research complex, the Smithsonian Institution, on Jan. 3.

The article describes Taiwan’s ecological journey, from its notorious past as the infamous “Garbage Island” to the world-renowned recycling haven it is today. As well as expounding the country’s unique garbage collection system for international readers, the article discusses the innovative upcycling projects carried out by Arthur Huang (黃謙) and his team.

Huang is the CEO of Miniwiz Co. Ltd.; a circular economy design solution powerhouse that was recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in 2015. His company was started in 2005 and has been responsible for numerous acclaimed green projects and products, including sunglasses made from recycled CD cases and a portable power generator made from recycled thermoplastic polymer.

Miniwiz were also responsible for the polyethene modules (Polli-Bricks) that make up Taipei’s EcoARK Pavilion building—a nine-storey construction in the city center designed by Huang.    [FULL  STORY]