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Tsai addresses first Austronesian Forum in 10 years

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-08-01

President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday addressed the first Austronesian Forum in 10 years. She was joined by the visiting president of the Marshall Islands, Hilda Heine, in welcoming guests from the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, the Philippines, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Guam and Hawaii.

The International Austronesian Conference was set up in 2003 as a platform for exchanges between Austronesian peoples of the Pacific, which also includes Taiwan’s indigenous people groups. But the resulting Austronesian Forum was last held in 2008.

Tsai said Taiwan’s indigenous peoples share much in common with the peoples of Pacific island nations, including language, cultural and historical links. She said she hopes the revived forum can be a platform for Austronesian peoples to share their experiences of confronting historical issues, as well as joining knowledge and resources in pursuit of sustainable development.    [SOURCE]

Jibei Island of Taiwan’s Penghu unleashes a pack of activities in August

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/08/01
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

(By Taiwan News)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—A slew of activities revolving around the themes of beach and sport will take place in August on the island of Jibei (吉貝) in Taiwan’s offshore county of Penghu.

Penghu National Scenic Area Administration (PNSAA) director Chen Zhi-xian (陳志賢) said that Jibei is blessed with clean beaches with crystal blue clear water as well as rich seascapes with coral reefs. The PNSAA said the Jibei Yu Beach Carnival is a series of beach sports and interesting activities the agency has been organizing for August to cater to young people, students and families.

The series of events includes the concert on August 4, the beach volleyball contest on August 17 -19, the around the island beach running race (3.5k and 10k) on August 18, the Jibei night concert on August 18, the kite flying on the beach on August 18 and 19, and five trips to visit stone weirs, for which Jibei is well-known, the PNSAA said.

The beach volley ball contest and the beach running race have been open for registration, and there are preferentially- priced packages to choose from during the event period that include water activities, lodgings, car or scooter rental, and flights, with discounts up to 50% off.      [FULL  STORY]

Police crack illegal logging ring after tracing bank transfer slip

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/08/01
By: Hsiao Po-yang and Evelyn Kao 

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) An illegal logging ring in Taiwan was cracked recently after investigators followed the trail of a bank transaction slip found in a trash bag in a forest area between Nantou and Chiayi counties, police said Wednesday.

The trash bag was searched because it was an unusual find in the sparsely populated mountain area, said Chang Yu-chi (張育祺), a squad leader in the Seventh Special Police Corps that had been patrolling the area with workers from the Nantou Forest District Office when the bag was found.

The bank transfer slip was traced to a Vietnamese migrant worker who had been unaccounted for, Chang said, adding that further investigation led to a suspect who was known to hire illegal workers.    [FULL  STORY]

New immigrant growth slows: report

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 02, 2018
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Over the past few years, Taiwan has seen slower growth in the number of “new immigrants,” a category that predominantly refers to the foreign and Chinese spouses of Taiwanese.

The slowdown is largely attributable to a sharp decline in the number of Chinese spouses of Taiwanese, although there has been a slight increase in the number of spouses from other nations, Hong Kong and Macau over the past few years, a report compiled by the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center showed.

As of the end of March, the number of new immigrants in Taiwan totaled 533,159, including 338,940 Chinese spouses and 101,333 Vietnamese spouses, the report said, citing National Immigration Agency (NIA) statistics.

Over the past few years, the number of foreigners married to Taiwanese — a category that does not include spouses from China — has increased slightly from 3,277 in 2010 to 6,001 last year, with the number of spouses from Hong Kong and Macau rising from 308 in 2010 to 919, the report said.    [FULL  STORY]

Beijing angry over Taiwanese flag flown by firm in Vietnam

Hanoi granted permission for Taiwanese firms to fly the flag to distinguish themselves from mainland companies that were targeted by protesters

South China Morning Post 
Date: 31 July, 2018
By: Keegan Elmer

China is pressuring Vietnam to “correct the mistake” of allowing Taiwanese firms to fly the flag of the Republic of China at their factories, in its latest move to curb signs of the self-ruled island’s presence overseas.

The comments came after a Taiwanese furniture manufacturer in Vietnam began flying the flag, which Taipei claims as its national banner, at its factory gates to protect itself from anti-China protests.

“There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China,” said China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Monday, adding that Beijing resolutely opposed any form of Taiwan independence separatist activities.

“We have taken up the matter with the Vietnamese side, and they have already instructed the relevant companies to correct their wrong practices.”

Anti-China protests in Vietnam have embroiled Taiwanese companies on multiple occasions, most recently in nationwide strikes and demonstrations against a proposed new special economic zones law in June, which began at a Taiwanese-owned shoe factory.    [FULL  STORY]

Recycling expo charts route to a circular economy

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-07-31

The Taiwan Recycling Tour, a new exhibition on the country’s efforts to achieve a circular economy with zero waste, opened in Taipei on Tuesday.

Twenty years ago this year, the Environmental Protection Administration launched the Recycling Fund Management Board. To mark the anniversary, a new exhibition about recycling in Taiwan has opened in Taipei. The venue is a building constructed for the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition, which incorporated thousands of recycled plastic bottles in its design.    [FULL  STORY]

Air ambulances stationed in Taiwan’s Penghu inaugurated on August 1

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/07/31
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—A brand new AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter carrying part of its medical flight crew took off from Taichung Airport in central Taiwan on Tuesday (July 31) morning and arrived at Penghu Airport at 11:15 a.m. to get ready for the official inauguration of air medical services in the offshore county of Penghu the next day.

Penghu Public Health Bureau Director-General Chen Shu-chuan (陳淑娟), who went to the airport to welcome the air ambulance and its crew, said the county had completed 14 helicopter emergency medical service routes, including Penghu Airport, Wangan Airport, Qimei Airport and 11 helicopter landing pads on other offshore islands to provide prompt, convenient and highly accessible patient transport and prehospital and emergency care for the islanders.

Chen said when the air ambulance services receive a call or fax from the National Aeromedical Approval Center, the helicopter is required to arrive at the airport or helicopter pad most closely located to where the patient is within 60 minutes except for Qimei, where 80 minutes are allowed. The helicopter has to transport the patient to a domestic airport on the island of Taiwan within 50 to 95 minutes, depending on which hospital the patient is being sent, she added.

Emerald Pacific Airlines was awarded the emergency medical services contract for the Penghu archipelago, and the services will be inaugurated at 00:00 on August 1, when the same services are simultaneously launched for the other offshore islands of Kinmen and Matsu, Chen said.     [FULL  STORY]

Former president, premier endorse referendum on nuclear energy

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/31
By: Shih Hsiu-chuan

Taipei, July 31 (CNA) Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) called on the public

Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九, center) and former Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺, left)

Tuesday to support two referendum proposals that are seeking to override the government’s policy of scrapping the fourth nuclear power plant and making Taiwan a nuclear-free homeland by 2025.

Ma made the appeal at a press conference and was joined by former Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), who was serving in Ma’s administration in 2014 when the decision was taken to mothball the fourth nuclear power plant amid public concerns over nuclear safety.

One of the referendum proposals Ma and Jiang are now supporting will ask whether the power plant should be activated for commercial operations. The other referendum proposal is about whether Article 95-1 of the Electricity Act, which will phase out nuclear power plants by 2025, should be abolished.    [FULL  STORY]

Applications open for Taipei public housing units

SHIFTING FOCUS: Mayor Ko Wen-je said that as there are 36,000 units that have been vacant for more than a year, the goal might be changed to promote renting them out

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 01, 2018
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

The Taipei City Government yesterday announced that applications are to open today for

Reporters walk past the entrance of the Xinglong Public Housing project in Taipei’s Wenshan District yesterday.  Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

510 units of Xinglong Public Housing (興隆公共住宅).

Applications are to be accepted until Aug. 17 for the units in the D2 section at the intersection of Lane 138, Mushan Road and Lane 105, Xinglong Road in Taipei’s Wenshan District (文山), the city government said, adding that eligible applications would be decided through a lottery.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said that while people have often questioned the quality and aesthetics of public housing, the new projects that have been completed or are under construction would reverse that impression, as they incorporate new smart living technologies and urban aesthetics.

The new buildings have smart power meters, panels and grid systems, as well as security systems, he said, adding that lower floors would be reserved for elderly care centers, childcare centers and other social welfare facilities.    [FULL  STORY]

Chinese consortium to build fourth Panama Canal bridge

Reuters
Date: JULY 29, 2018
Reporting by Elida Moreno Writing by Christine Murray; Editing by Lisa Shumaker 

PANAMA CITY, July 29 (Reuters) – A group formed of China Communications Construction Co Ltd (CCCC) and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) won a $1.42 billion contract build the fourth bridge over the Panama Canal, Panama’s government said.

The 6.5-km (4-mile) bridge will have six car lanes and a two-way metro line. The Chinese companies initially won the contract in June but the award was postponed after rival bidders appealed the decision.

The construction is estimated to begin this year and will take three years.

Panama and China opened free trade talks earlier this month with the aim of crafting an agreement that could turn the Central American country into a hub for Chinese goods across Latin America. Panama established diplomatic ties with China in 2017 after breaking with Taiwan.     [FULL  STORY]