Voice Of Amnerica
Date: August 30, 2020
By: Joyce Huang

In this image made from video, the Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, center, and Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, center right, wave at the Taoyuan International Airport, Aug. 30, 2020, in Taoyuan, Taiwan.

In defiance of China, a delegation, led by Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil, Sunday arrived in Taiwan on a six-day visit — the highest-level exchange between the two countries to cement economic and cultural ties.

Observers, whom VOA spoke to, noted that the visit says a lot about China’s failing ‘coercive diplomacy’ in the Czech Republic although it remains to be seen if other European countries will follow suit to trigger a chain effect.

The Czech Republic adheres to the One China policy but maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan.

“This will be a trip to honor the spirits of late Czech President Václav Havel,” Vystrčil told the 89-member delegation ahead of the trip, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[FULL  STORY]

The Straits Times
Date: August 30, 2020

TAIPEI • On a cloudy day last month, thousands of soldiers massed on a beach in central Taiwan for the culmination of five days of exercises intended to demonstrate how the island's military would repel an invasion from China.

Jets, helicopters and artillery and missile batteries fired live ammunition at targets offshore, sending plumes of sea spray into the air. Then, a few hours later, a military helicopter taking part in the same exercise crashed at an airfield farther up the coast, killing two pilots and casting a shadow over the show of force.

It was the latest in a string of deadly mishaps, including a crash in January that killed the military's top commander, which have given new urgency to the debate over Taiwan's readiness to defend its 24 million people – with or without the help of the United States.

"I have to be honest: Taiwan's military needs to improve a lot," Mr Wang Ting-yu, a member of the Parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee, said in a telephone interview.
[FULL  STORY]

More comfortable saliva-based test will also ease burden on medical workers at airports

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/30
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced on Sunday (Aug. 30) that a new and less unpleasant way to test for coronavirus will replace the traditional throat swabs at the country's airports beginning Tuesday (Sept. 1).

Currently, medical workers need to push a pencil-length swab to the very back of recipients' nasal passages to test for the novel coronavirus, which many find uncomfortable. More manpower is also required for this type of test.

CECC Spokesperson Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that throat swabs and saliva tests were conducted simultaneously on 1,226 passengers arriving at Taiwan's airports from July 2 to Aug. 24. Of the 24 virus-carriers identified that day, both tests identified the same 12, but salivaomics detected more of the remaining positive cases than the throat swabs, leading to the change in testing procedures.

Chuang said that under the new test, passengers will be asked to sanitize both hands while wearing a mask before they open up the test kit box. Recipients will be asked to cough with their mouths closed and keep them closed for one minute, resulting in the accumulation of saliva, before spitting into the box.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/30/2020
By: Chang Hsiung-feng and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) High temperatures and occasional showers are forecast for areas around Taiwan on Sunday, but the weather should cool down Monday due to the peripheral effects of Typhoon Maysak, according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).

Daytime highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius will prevail around Taiwan on Sunday, and northern and northeastern Taiwan should see sporadic showers as Taiwan comes under the influence of northeasterly winds, the CWB said.

Afternoon thunderstorms are also forecast for mountainous areas around the island.

On Monday, Taiwan will start to feel the effects of Typhoon Maysak, the ninth Pacific storm this year. The storm, which will track over waters east of Taiwan, should bring showers and cooler weather to northern Taiwan, according to the bureau.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 26 August, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

Heavy rain has flooded parts of southern Taiwan’s largest city, leaving roads washed out in places and workers rushing to clean up.

Overnight storms in the southern city of Kaohsiung have led local authorities to issue high water alerts for several bridges and drainage channels. As of early Wednesday, some areas of the city had seen more than 200mm of rainfall over the previous 24 hours.

Some roads in the city have become impassable. To prevent other roads from flooding, authorities dispatched water pumping machines to the Houjin River to divert water if necessary.
[FULL  STORY]

For Taiwan’s out-numbered fighters to have any impact at all, they must first make it off the ground.

The National Interest
Date: August 26, 2020
By: Sebastien Roblin

Here's What You Need to Remember: Devising the perfect air defense strategy for Taiwan may be impossible. However, Taipei will continue to buttress its defenses in the hopes of making resort to violence by Beijing an unappealing prospect. However, Taipei will have to take into account which of its systems are more likely to survive Beijing’ massive missile arsenal.

After dithering for weeks, on August 15 the Trump administration informed Congress it would authorize the sale of sixty-six newly-manufactured F-16V fighters to Taiwan for $8 billion—a move which is certain to infuriate Beijing, which considers Taiwan a renegade province.

Though the deal is not technically finalized, Taipei will jump at the rare opportunity to purchase new jet fighters to reinforce its aging fleet of combat aircraft. Theoretically, its air force may be called upon to face off against nearly four or five times their number of Chinese combat aircraft, should Beijing resort to using military force against the island.

But for Taiwan’s out-numbered fighters to have any impact at all, they must first make it off the ground—and that could become impossible due the 1,300 ballistic missiles and hundreds of air-, sea-, and ground-launched cruise missiles the People’s Liberation Army can array against the island.    [FULL  STORY]

90-strong group of political, academic, cultural leaders will be highest-profile Czech delegation to Taiwan since Velvet Revolution

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/26
By: Micah McCartney, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The highest-profile Czech delegation to visit Taiwan since the Central European nation gained its independence is set to arrive Aug. 30 for a five-day visit.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Tuesday (Aug. 25) welcoming the president of the Czech Republic Senate, Milos Vystrcil, and his wife, stating that the visit would "strengthen exchanges and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries' parliaments." It will be the highest-level visit by a sitting official of the Czech government since it emerged from one-party Communist rule in the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

The senator will be accompanied by a 90-strong delegation that includes pro-Taiwan Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Pavel Fischer, and a number of other politicians. Also in tow will be Czech academics, businesspeople, cultural representatives, media, and the director of the Prague Philharmonic.

During their stay in Taipei, Vystrcil and other members of the group will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Science and Technology Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠), Culture Minister Li Yung-te (李永得), and Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-cheng (陳時中), according to the press release.
[FULL  STORY]