Taipei Times
Date: Sep 13, 2018
By: Staff writer with CNA, WASHINGTON

The US on Tuesday reiterated its support for Taiwan after summoning its top diplomats to

three nations in Central America and the Caribbean to discuss those nations’ decision to cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The US Department of State summoned Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Robin Bernstein, Ambassador to El Salvador Jean Manes and Charge d’Affaires to Panama Roxanne Cabral for “consultations related to recent decisions to no longer recognize Taiwan,” it said in a statement on Friday last week.

US Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Tuesday reiterated US support for Taiwan, saying that those chiefs of mission would meet with US government officials to talk about ways in which Washington can support strong, independent, democratic institutions and economies throughout Central America and the Caribbean.

“We see Taiwan as a democratic success story. It is a reliable partner to the US and a force for good in the world,” Nauert said at a regular news conference.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-09-11

President Tsai Ing-wen has welcomed a group of eight French lawmakers to Taiwan. The

lawmakers are members of a France-Taiwan friendship group within France’s National Assembly.

Meeting the visiting lawmakers Tuesday, Tsai spoke about recent progress in parliamentary ties between Taiwan and France. During a trip to Europe this summer, Legislature President Su Jia-chyuan became the first head of Taiwan’s legislature to enter the National Assembly.    [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2018/09/11
By: J. Zach Hollo

Taiwan rewards diplomatic allies with scholarships for students to study at Taiwanese universities. When those countries switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing, Taiwan cuts the funds, leaving students to scramble.

At the end of his fourth academic year at a prestigious university in Taiwan, Jeankarlos Almonte had only one credit to complete in order to graduate. The undergraduate senior from the Dominican Republic had been the recipient of one of many scholarships given by the Taiwanese government to citizens of its diplomatic allies.

But on May 1, Almonte awoke to the news that his country had cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, handing formal recognition of China to Beijing. He was soon notified that he would no longer receive scholarship funding. Almonte felt like his future was in free fall.

“My first impression was fear. I was afraid of what would happen now. What would I do?” Almonte says. His situation became even more complicated because his passport would expire in about two months, and the Dominican Republic suddenly had no embassy at which to renew it. “I was going to stay in Taiwan to try to find a job, but as soon as they cut relations, all the doors were closed to us.”    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/09/11
By:  By Matt Yu and Ko Lin, Central News Agency

A four-day national security exercise that simulates various emergency scenarios, including protection of the country’s key infrastructure, came to an end in Taipei on Tuesday.

President Tsai Ing-wen went to the Yuanshan Command Center in Taipei to oversee the last day of the drill, which was led by the National Security Council (NSC).

This year’s security drill, which began Aug. 8, included the simulation of a crisis that forces the president, vice president and important ministers to be escorted by security personnel to the command post no matter where they are.

According to Presidential Office spokesman Sidney Lin, the drill involving Cabinet ministries and the military tested how the core functions and operations of the government will continue to work in a military crisis and how well crucial infrastructure is protected.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/11
By: Tai Ya-chen and CNA intern Wang Szu-chi

London, Sept. 11 (CNA) Bosse Computers Ltd., founded by Taiwanese businesswoman

Tsai Hui-yu (蔡惠玉) in the United Kingdom and dedicated to wholesale of computer hardware, peripheral equipment and software, was awarded the Best Practice Representative in the technology sector in this year’s Parliamentary Review.

Bosse Computers is the first Taiwanese company selected to feature in the Parliamentary Review. Established in 1998 in Manchester, the company specializes in supplying computer hardware such as cases, monitors, printers, power supplies and other peripherals to the trade, system integrator and education sectors.

Tsai is from Taiwan, a country that manufactures a large percentage of the world’s computer components. The company’s close relationships with its suppliers has made it successful since the beginning and it has twice been ranked among the top 50 fastest-growing companies by Technology Fast 50.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 12, 2018
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

More than 570 people would die within 15 years once the proposed coal-fired Shenao

power plant in Yilan County begins operations due to the air pollution it would produce, a Greenpeace report showed yesterday.

Although the plan to rebuild the plant was approved by the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) Environmental Impact Assessment Committee, one criticism against the plan is that lacks a government assessment of the health risks posed to people living near the plant and farther away.

The Greenpeace health risk assessment was conducted by Lin Hsien-ho (林先和), an associate professor of epidemiology and preventive medicine at National Taiwan University (NTU), NTU College of Public Health dean Chan Chang-chuan (詹長權) and Tsuang Ben-jei (莊秉傑), a professor of environmental engineering at National Chung Hsin University.

Their assessment showed that between 2025 and 2040, 576 people would die of heart disease, strokes, lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to constant exposure to fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5) from the plant, with 145 of them dying before the age of 70.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-09-10

Taiwan is an aging society with one in seven persons aged 65 years or older. Some

retired folks are using their wisdom and life experience by volunteering to be tour guides.

Mr. Ho Liang Tsen knows countless stories of life in Taipei. After he retired, he trained to be a tour guide of historical architecture in Taipei. He takes visitors down well-known streets, such as the one nicknamed Book Street. That street near the Taipei Main Station got its nickname after many Shanghainese businesspersons opened bookstores there after they arrived in Taiwan. Ho explains how Shanghainese tend to have a good business mind. Ho also shows them the first western bakery and café called Astoria, where many famous artists and celebrities liked to meet in the past.    [FULL  STORY]

Amendment proposed would nullify citizenship for Taiwanese who adopt new Chinese residency permits

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/10
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to an announcement by Beijing that Taiwanese

living in China would be eligible for “smart residence cards” starting this month, an amendment is being proposed that would revoke the citizenship of Taiwanese who opt for such residence permits, reported Liberty Times.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) announced yesterday that he had put forward an amendment  to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) that would revoke citizenship from Taiwanese who apply for the new Chinese residence permits. However, if they choose to abandon these new Chinese residence permits, they will be eligible to restore their status as Taiwanese citizens.

Wang said that the amendment will be an extension of Article 9, Item 1 of the act, which states that Taiwanese who establish household registration in China or obtain a passport from China will violate the law and forfeit their status as a Taiwanese citizen and related privileges. The revised version of the law would extend this loss of citizenship to those who receive a Chinese residence permit, however, citizenship and rights can be restored if they renounce the Chinese residence permit.    [FULL STORY]