The two countries are set to begin annual trade talks in autumn

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/09/05
By: Sylvia Teng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The U.K. is looking forward to strengthening its trade relationship with Taiwan, a senior trade official said this week.

“I take a very strong interest in our superb bilateral trade relationship with Taiwan,” said Greg Hands, minister of state at the Department of International Trade, during a parliamentarian session Thursday (Sep. 3). He mentioned that both sides will commence bilateral trade talks in autumn, which have been held almost annually since 1991.

“Taiwan through its membership of the World Trade Organization is committed to the same values of free trade and free markets as we are, and we look forward to deepening our relationship with Taiwan in the coming trade talks,” said Hands. He also commended Taiwan for providing assistance to the U.K. during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In a statement issued on Friday (Sept. 4), Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed appreciation for Hands’ remarks. “Taiwan looks forward to furthering cooperation with the U.K. and together promoting more trade and economic exchanges” in the post-COVID era, stated MOFA Spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安).    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 09/05/2020
By: Huang Kuo-fang, Yu Hsiao-han,
Wang Shu-fen and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) Pig farmers in Taiwan said they hope the rules on the amount of ractopamine residue allowed in imported U.S. pork, as well as related inspection and labeling, can be implemented strictly in the wake of the government's announcement Saturday that it will set ractopamine standards for the meat.

Hsu Yu-tsung (許裕聰), director of the Yunlin County Pig Farmers Association, urged the government to stick to the standards it has set and carry out complementary measures as promised, including inspections of the labeling of the origin of pork and pork products.

On labeling, he added, pork importers, distributors and retailers that introduce the products should make clear the point of origin.

The farmers will take to the streets to protect against the government if their voices are not heeded, Hsu said.    [FULL  STORY]

FACEBOOK PAGE: Peng Jui-lin returned to the nation, even though a great career awaited him abroad, to fulfill a promise to his soon-to-be wife

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 06, 2020
By: Dennis Xie / Staff writer, with CNA

To share stories about Peng Jui-lin (彭瑞麟), best known for being the first Taiwanese to hold a bachelor’s degree in photography, his granddaughter, Peng Ya-lun (彭雅倫), has established a Facebook page titled “Peng Jui-lin and our times” (彭瑞麟與我們的時代).

“I had this sudden realization that we, the living, must do something to remember our ancestors, considering the great endeavors some of them have made during their lifetime,” she said.

Peng Ya-lun was only two years old when Peng Jui-lin passed away, and she said the idea of sharing his story with the public came after the death of her mother.

Born in 1904 during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945), Peng Jui-lin grew up in Erchongpu (二重埔), a farming village in Hsinchu County’s Jhudong Township (竹東).
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 04 September, 2020
By: Shirley Lin

Taiwan reported one new case of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total number of cases Taiwan has recorded so far up to 490.

The latest case is imported. The patient is a Taiwanese woman who worked in Japan over the past year and returned to Taiwan on Tuesday.    [FULL  STORY]

A delegation headed by the Senate president and the mayor of Prague won hearts in Taiwan and shrugged off threats from China’s foreign minister.

The Diplomat
Date: September 05, 2020
By: Nick Aspinwall

A delegation from Czechia concluded a visit to Taiwan on Friday and vowed to overcome threats

by China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, who said this week Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil would pay a “heavy price” for his visit to the country.

In a speech to Taiwanese lawmakers on Tuesday, Vystrcil channeled U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 visit to Berlin in saying “I am Taiwanese,” prompting Wang to say the Senate president had “crossed a red line” by visiting Taiwan and challenging Beijing’s “one China policy.”

Kennedy, Vystrcil said, had “used the phrase ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ to show his support for the people of Berlin and the highest values of freedom.”

“Maybe I can be more humble, but allow me to use the same determined phrase to conclude my speech in your country’s parliament, in Taiwan: I am Taiwanese,” he said, delivering the final phrase in Mandarin.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 09/04/2020
By: William Yen

Taipei, Sept. 4 (CNA) None of the 3 million non-medical grade masks from China that made their way into Taiwan and were sold as government-rationed face masks were donated to other countries, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Friday.

At a press conference in Taipei, Tsai Shou-chuan (蔡壽洤), a health official and head of the CECC division responsible for materials and supplies, said the masks donated to countries around the world were medical-grade surgical masks or more sophisticated masks.

"The masks we donated to other countries were mostly medical grade masks and from what we currently understand we have not found any masks from manufacturer Carry Mask among the 51 million masks donated," Tsai said, but he did not explain how that was determined.

The concern arose after the company, one of the private sector manufacturers whose mask production was requisitioned by the government, was found to have imported 3.37 million non-medical grade masks from China in August and then relabeled and repackaged them for sale in the government's mask rationing program.    [FULL  STORY]