The Interpreter 
Date: 19 November 2018 
By: Lauren Dickey

On Saturday, the people of Taiwan will head to the polls to cast ballots for more

than 11,000 officials. Taiwan’s citizens will vote for the mayors of the “big six” special municipalities of Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. Also up for election are 13 county commissioners, about 900 councillors, 56 indigenous district representatives, nearly 2,300 local representatives, and over 7,700 borough wardens.

Despite the scale of candidates and positions in this year’s local elections, Taiwan’s domestic political environment is unlikely to change overnight. Much like midterm elections in other democracies, these elections are a barometer for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) under President Tsai Ing-wen and a prelude to presidential and legislative elections in 2020.

This year’s elections are likely to provide a clearer sense of how satisfied the general public is with the DPP.
The local elections are the first test for the DPP since it stepped into power following the 2016 presidential and legislative elections. This year’s elections are likely to provide a clearer sense of how satisfied the general public is with the DPP. Domestic issues – ranging from the economy to marriage equality and energy supplies – are likely to influence how the people of Taiwan choose to vote.

While the outcomes of the election may have implications for Taiwan’s relationship with China or foreign policy issues, it is worth remembering that local elections tend to focus primarily on local and national issues.    [FULL  STORY]

KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih apologizes for referring to Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu as a ‘fat sow’

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/11/19
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —  Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) on

Saturday (Nov. 18) apologized for referring to Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) as “a fat sow.”

While attending a non-public event held to support KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Friday (Nov. 17), Wu indirectly referred to Chen when he said that his late friend, former Examination Yuan member Huang Chun-ying (黃俊英), lost the 2006 Kaoshsiung mayoral race to a woman who used a tricky way to win. Chen defeated Huang in the 2006 Kaohsiung Mayoral race after he was unable to shake rumors that he sent people to pay bribes for votes.

He then said, “I won’t say who this person is, very fat, the really fat one, walks like a big fat sow.” That same day Presidential Office spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said that it was a pity to see a political leader use such vulgar language. Lin said the Presidential Office believes that the opposition chairman should apologize to the nation for this and called on the opposition to stop this kind of verbal bullying.

Wu rushed to write a written statement that evening, but the rumors continued to spread. After receiving criticism from netizens, Wu held a press conference on Saturday (Nov. 18) to apologize and said, “I misspoke, this is a fact, but I should not talk about the teammates.” Wu went on to say that in every game there is the pitcher, batter, and defensive team, but that he had let the team down.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/18
By: Liao Yu-yang and Joseph Yeh

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Nov. 18 (CNA) Taiwan’s special envoy to the Asia-

Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit Morris Chang (張忠謀) said he had accomplished everything with which he was tasked by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) before the trip, as the summit concluded in Papua New Guinea on Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference to mark the conclusion of his trip, Chang, founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), told reporters that he had successfully completed his mission at the summit.

However, Chang said he was unable to provide any details on his mission.

When asked to rank his performance at the APEC summit on a scale of 0-100, Chang said “That is for President Tsai to decide.”    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 19, 2018
By: Lin Chia-nan and Su Meng-chuan  /  Staff reporters

Taichung’s air quality did not improve as much as the government has claimed, as it

only ranked eighth among all municipalities with regard to its reduction of airborne particles last year, Air Clean Taiwan chairman Yeh Guang-perng (葉光芃) said at a march in Taichung yesterday, where protesters demanded clean air.

The group said that about 4,000 people attended the event, which was the last of three large-scale demonstrations against air pollution this month.

Participants marched in the afternoon from Taichung Civic Square to the plaza in front of the Taichung City Hall.

Demanding an environment with no coal, the group urged the government to decommission Taichung Power Plant’s 10 coal-fired units and not to interfere with environmental impact assessment procedures as it said Premier William Lai (賴清德) had done last month by pushing through CPC Corp, Taiwan’s plan to build a third liquefied natural gas terminal in Taoyuan.    [FULL  STORY]

President Daniel Ortega seeks support from allies to help manage the political crisis in the country

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/17
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The National Assembly of the Central American nation of Nicaragua this week passed a measure that requests and invites the militaries of several foreign nations, including Taiwan, to dispatch contingents to the country on a joint “humanitarian mission.”

According to reports, the measure, put forward by the country’s president Daniel Ortega, passed on Wednesday (Nov. 14 )and calls for military personnel from the United States, Taiwan, Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia to visit the country.

The measure is viewed as a signal from the Ortega administration that it is seeking help from countries that it considers dependable allies. The beleaguered Ortega government has been under serious pressure since April this year after it cut social security and pension programs.

The continuous unrest caused violent protests to flare through mid-July, when a tenuous truce was brokered by the country’s Catholic Church.    [FULL  STORY]

• Island’s dependence on the mainland economy has exposed it to the twists and turns of the tit-for-tat trade battle
• US president’s global tariffs have hurt steel exports to US

Date: 16 November, 2018
By: Jun Mai

Numerous Asian economies linked to China’s fortunes are caught in the crossfire of the US-China trade war. But none might feel as voiceless as Taiwan.

The self-ruled island’s heavy dependence on the mainland economy has exposed it to the twists and turns of the tit-for-tat trade battle launched by US President Donald Trump months ago. But as a steel producer, it also is feeling the impact of Washington’s global steel and aluminium tariffs, which target China’s excess capacity in its steel sector, in particular.

Despite being a close military and security partner of the United States by law, Taiwan has limited diplomatic relations with Washington, mindful that any such exchange would anger Beijing, which considers the self-ruled island a breakaway province to be brought into line by force, if necessary.

A 24-year-old goods and services trade deal that is Taiwan’s only framework for an economic dialogue with the US was suspended last year amid problems filling vacancies for officials to administer the deal at the United States Trade Representative’s office as the trade war escalated.   [FULL  STORY]

Li Wan-Yu’s new campaign posters, which include a National Geographic logo, have been confusing voters in Banqiao

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/11/17
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In the well-established tradition of Taiwanese campaign posters as a source of humor in the country, a candidate in New Taipei has run afoul of the National Geographic company.

Running for city council in Banqiao district , Li Wan-Yu (李婉鈺) began displaying some new campaign posters recently, which curiously included the National Geographic logo in the upper left corner.

The National Geographic trademark also appeared along with another recognizable symbol, the olive leaf logo often used to indicate cinematic honors. These little details were no doubt included to give the candidate’s poster a bit of stylistic flair.

However, in her haste to grab voters’ attention, Li apparently overlooked copyright law, and National Geographic quickly took notice. But not before some confused members of the public began to wonder if Li’s campaign had been officially endorsed by the company.    [FULL  STORY]