Country may have to brace for water shortages in early 2021

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/18
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese are urged to conserve water as the nation's three major reservoirs report alarmingly low storage levels.

The Tsengwen (曾文), Shihmen (石門), and Feitsui (翡翠) dams are experiencing their lowest water levels in 17 years, with less than half of their capacity, according to Weather Taiwan (天氣即時預報), a Facebook page providing real-time weather information.

The drop can be attributed to a lack of rainfall and typhoons this year, a rare situation for the oceanic country. Not a single tropical storm or typhoon has landed in Taiwan, which usually braces itself for the weather events in summer that bring heavy rain and winds.

Autumn front rains and afternoon thunderstorms appear to be the main source of precipitation in Taiwan, which is insufficient. A water shortage can be expected in the first half of 2021 if declining rainfall continues.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 09/18/2020
By: Hung Hsueh-kang,
Hou Wen-ting and Matthew Mazzetta

Kaohsiung, Sept. 18 (CNA) Kaohsiung's Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) said Friday that it will fine and pursue criminal charges against the renter of an industrial warehouse for allegedly ignoring demands to clean up an ethyl acrylate spill that spread an acrid odor over the city's Niaosong District the previous day.

According to Hsieh Tang-chin (謝唐欽), chief of the district's Niaosong ward, residents of the area awoke Thursday to the sharp, chemical smell, which causes breathing difficulties and a burning sensation in the eyes and throat.

Although the source of the odor was soon found to be coming from a nearby warehouse, Hsieh said the renter, who had previously claimed to be running a solar energy business, had "avoided and ignored" calls to do something about it, forcing environmental authorities to force their way into the property later that day.

The EPB said it responded to reports of the smell early on Thursday and arrived at the site to find piles of chemical mixtures and barrels leaking a pungent, viscous substance that was later determined to be ethyl acrylate, a compound used in paint and textile production.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 17 September, 2020
By: Katherine Wei

The defense ministry says it is keeping a close eye on any naval movements from China in nearby seas. That’s after recent Chinese military drills off Taiwan’s southwest coast. 

The large-scale air and naval drills began on September 9th, and were conducted a mere 166 kilometers from Taiwan. The defense ministry slammed China for what it called an “extreme provocation”.    [FULL  STORY]

The trip by Undersecretary of State Keith Krach reportedly to discuss new weapons sales comes amid heightened tensions between Taiwan and the much larger military on the mainland.

U.S. News & World Report
Date: Sept. 17, 2020
By: Paul D. Shinkman, Senior Writer, National Security

CHINA ON THURSDAY issued thinly veiled threats against Taiwan and the U.S. ahead of what it considers a provocative visit to Taipei by an American undersecretary of state to discuss new arms sales.

"Once the People's Liberation Army dispatches troops to reunify the island of Taiwan, the military equipment from the U.S. will be nothing but decorations," China's Global Times wrote in an early morning article. It also made references to America's "throwing stones" into the contentious Taiwan Strait, the site of increased militarization in recent months, adding, "once they go too far, the stones may become torpedoes, increasing the uncertainties in the entire region, as well as the risks of drastic changes in the Taiwan Straits."

The news outlet is not considered a direct mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party but is aligned with its views.    [FULL  STORY]

National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology says drone development proceeding smoothly

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/17
By: Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) issued a press release Wednesday evening (Sept. 16) to clarify the second-generation Teng Yun unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is not a new configuration.

Liberty Times recently reported that NCSIST has developed a new configuration of its Teng Yun UAV and the drone had experienced engine troubles during trial flights. The article said the institute initially carried out tests at the Air Force’s Chihang ((志航) base in Taitung but later switched to the base in Hualien, where it successfully launched the drone.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 09/17/2020
By: Wu Jui-chi and Frances Huang

Taipei, Sept. 17 (CNA) Taoyuan International Airport has launched a driverless shuttle service on a trial run basis as part of the government's efforts to push for a "smart airport," Taoyuan International Airport Corp. (TIAC), which operates the main gateway in Taiwan, said Thursday.

In a statement, TIAC said the first phase of the trial service started Thursday and will continue until Sept. 22 in Section C of the large P4 car park in the airport's second terminal. During the period, a driverless shuttle bus will take passengers to where their cars are parked.

Amid COVID-19, airport passengers now have to take vehicles designated by the government or have to be picked up by relatives or friends to avoid the virus spreading instead of taking regular public transport.

TIAC said the company has assigned airport staffers and invited students and teachers from nearby schools and employees from local institutions to participate in the first stage of trial.
[FULL  STORY]

Eurasia Review
Date: September 16, 2020
By: Jack Kai Yui Wong*

President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan continues to reject Beijing’s sovereignty claims as well as the offer of “one country, two systems.” In response, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called the possibility of Taiwanese independence a “dead-end.”

Verbal hostility from Beijing towards Taiwan is not unusual. However, in July and August this year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched various military drills, a lot of which took place near the Taiwan Strait. The PLA drills occurred between mid-July and mid-August near the Taiwan Strait. It included live-fire maritime target attack drills, a beach assault in Hainan Province, and coordinatedcommand and sea-crossing assault drills off Fujian Province. This commentary evaluates the possible intentions behind those provocations.

Diplomatic Outreach

Two broad motivations can be discerned. First, China wants to deter Taiwan from formally establishing more diplomatic relationships as well as strengthening its combat readiness. Second, China hopes to deter the US from conducting any freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) near the Chinese coast.

Taiwan has achieved some diplomatic breakthroughs in the past two months. On 1 July, it established a formal diplomatic relationship with the self-claimed East African state, Somaliland. Somaliland has hitherto lacked any international recognition, while Taiwan only has official diplomatic relations with 15 countries. This unconventional bonding met with firm opposition from China.    [FULL  STORY]

Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsang wants to keep focus on his city

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/15
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) on Tuesday (Sept. 15) admitted in an interview that he had once dreamed of becoming president.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politician’s second and final four-year term as mayor of Taoyuan will end in 2022, while the next presidential election will take place in January 2024. Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) is considered a frontrunner for the DPP candidacy, but Cheng has also attracted attention due to his consistently high polling numbers for his performance in Taoyuan.

Responding to questions from YouTuber Alizabeth, Cheng said he had dreamed about the presidency, adding that most people’s dreams never come true. He emphasized that he would instead focus on his work as mayor of the northern Taiwan city, which includes the country’s main gateway: Taoyuan International Airport.

If Taiwan wants to make progress, the president, premier, and mayors have to do a good job, CNA cited him as saying.    [FULL  STORY]