Page Three

Warm and dry spring forecast for 2018, though cold spells also possible (2018/03/02)

Formosa News
Date: March 2, 2018

Now that Spring has officially begun, the Central Weather Bureau is looking ahead to the weather for the next few months. An average to warm spring is forecast, with average or slightly less-than-average rainfall, although Taiwan may still welcome several cold air masses from the north throughout March. This weekend, however, warm and sunny weather is guaranteed across the country.

The relentless cold fronts of February had many of us in a semi-hibernatory state, longing for the start of spring. Now people are crawling outside for some sunshine, but the New Year doesn’t necessarily promise an end to chilly weather. A cold front will hit Taiwan on Thursday and lows could reach 13 or 14°C.

Lu Guo-chen
CWB Forecasting Chief
Looking at what we know at the moment, there is the possibility that a cold front will come down from the north over the coming week. So the temperature will be very variable in March. The public should stay on guard for sudden changes in temperature.
[FULL  STORY]

Task force set up to cope with Chinese bid to attract Taiwan talent

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-03-02

Premier William Lai says the government has set up a task force to cope with a new Chinese policy aimed at attracting Taiwanese talent. Lai was speaking Friday at the Cabinet.

Beijing recently announced 31 measures to “promote economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait.” The measures range from giving benefits to Taiwanese businesses and movie production companies to giving Taiwanese nationals preferential treatment in education and medical care.    [FULL  STORY]

Like Israel, Taiwan premier does not believe that signing agreements or slogans will bring peace

Taiwan and China are now living in ‘cold peace:’ Lai

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/03/02
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Israel and Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan do not believe

Premier William Lai (left) with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu at the Legislative Yuan Friday. (By Central News Agency)

that agreements and slogans can bring about peace, Premier William Lai (賴清德) said about relations between Taiwan and China Friday.

Lai was responding to a lawmaker asking questions about how to improve cross-straits relations.

He drew a comparison with Israel, which he said he had visited, and some of its Arab neighbors. Israel was actively engaging in cooperation with Egypt, Jordan and other countries, building trust and working toward peace by conducting exchanges, the Central News Agency quoted him as saying.

They do not believe that you can obtain peace just by signing an agreement or through a slogan, Lai reportedly said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese fishing boats held by Indonesia all cleared: MOFA

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/03/02
By: Kuan-lin Liu, Tsai Chia-ling and Elaine Hou

Taipei, March 2 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Indonesia not to detain Taiwanese fishing boats without just cause after Taiwanese vessels detained by Indonesian authorities in three separate incidents in February were all cleared of illegal activity.

The ministry issued its appeal in a statement Friday after the last of the boats, the “Fu Yu” (富雨號), was released on Thursday, after having been detained since Feb. 24, first by the Malaysian government and then handed over to the Indonesian government.

The ministry said Indonesia stepped up routine inspections of boats traveling close to its borders after Feb. 20, when it found a Taiwanese fishing boat falsely flying a Singapore flag and carrying 1.6 metric tons of crystal methamphetamine.

In the case of the “Fu Yu,” Indonesian authorities kept the boat at Bintan Island while it investigated.    [FULL  STORY]

Chinese opinions irrelevant to ties with US: premier

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 03, 2018
By: Staff writer, with CNA, Washington

Taiwan-US relations should not be affected by the opinions of China or any other nation, Premier William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.

Lai made the remarks at the Legislative Yuan when asked by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus deputy secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) to share his view on commentaries that Beijing could step up measures to suppress Taiwan in the international community as a response to the US Senate’s passage of the Taiwan Travel Act on Wednesday.

“The US is a world leader, and Taiwan is a sovereign nation. The exchanges between Taiwan and the US should not rely on the opinions of China or any other nation,” Lai said. “It is unnecessary to worry about China’s unreasonable opinions.”

Asked whether he had made plans to visit Washington, Lai said that he had not, but that it would be “great” if US President Donald Trump signed the act into law to normalize bilateral visits between Taiwanese and US officials — a view echoed by Tseng.
[FULL  STORY]

Mainland China Opens its Door to Taiwan Films

Variety
Date: March 1, 2018
By: Patrick Frater

The Chinese government has opened wider its theatrical and TV markets to films and

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Colin Galloway/REX/Shutterstock (567494c)
Taipei 101 Tower stands in the Hsinyi district. Completed in December 2004, the 508m high skyscraper is the world’s highest building. Taipei, Taiwan
TAIPEI 101 TOWER IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN – DEC 2005

shows from Taiwan. The moves were announced by mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday, as three among 31 policy initiatives that range from training to education and qualifications.

China says that, with immediate effect, it has removed quota restrictions on the import of Taiwanese movies and TV shows; removed limits on the number of shows Taiwanese talent can appear in; and eased co-production rules.

The policy initiatives are intended as economic sweeteners that could weaken pro-independence forces within Taiwan. Calling the moves “unprecedented,” An Fengshan, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said: “Taiwanese compatriots can share in the opportunities arising from China’s economic development.”

Taiwan has been self-ruled since the 1949 civil war when nationalists fled from mainland China and the advancing Communist army. Both the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China claim to be the legitimate government of all of China. The mainland government considers Taiwan to be a rebel province with which it will be reunited, by force if necessary.    [FULL  STORY]

Beijing makes it easier for Taiwanese to work and study in China, and Taipei is freaking out over it

The Los Angeles Times
Date: Mar 01, 2018
By: Ralph Jennings

Some Taiwanese have long feared that China would try to take back the island by force.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, shown watching a live-fire military drill in May 2017, recently called on other nations to ensure that the island remains autonomous. (Sam Yeh / AFP/Getty Images)

This week China tried a far gentler approach: measures to make it easier for Taiwanese to invest, work and study on the mainland.

Still, the 31 measures unnerved the government in Taipei, which accused China of trying to lure away talent while undermining Taiwanese political identity.

Those reactions from Taipei come less than a week before China’s legislature begins annual meetings that normally include a sweeping, high-level statement on the future of Beijing’s ever thorny relations with Taiwan. They also follow nearly two years of diplomatic and economic pressure from Beijing against Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

China claims sovereignty over democratic and self-ruled Taiwan, viewing it as a rogue province. China insists on eventual unification, by force if needed, despite Taiwanese government polls showing that 70% to 80% of Taiwanese people prefer their autonomy.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan eyes closer high-level exchanges with US

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-03-01

Taiwan’s government is hoping to engage in closer exchanges with high level officials from the United States. That was the word from Lin Liang-jung, head of the Coordination Council for North American Affairs, in an interview on Thursday.

The United States Senate passed the Taiwan Travel Act on Wednesday. The act promotes visits by government officials between Taiwan and the United States, and will become law, pending approval of the president.

Asked whether Taiwan’s government will take advantage of the latest development and invite US officials to visit, Lin said that Taiwan considers the United States a very important partner and hopes to engage in closer exchanges.

Lin also commented on the US Trade Representative’s recent report stating that Taiwan’s ban on US pork and beef imports has no scientific ground.    [FULL  STORY]

Former presidents back plan for 2019 independence referendum

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-28

Former presidents Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian have voiced support for a new plan

Former President Lee Teng-hui appears Wednesday at a press conference on a proposed independence referendum. (Photo by CNA)

to hold an independence referendum in 2019. Both former leaders spoke at a press conference held by backers of the plan on Wednesday.

In his address, Lee Teng-hui called referendums the “most powerful weapon of the people”. He said that through an independence referendum, Taiwan’s people can change the country’s official name to Taiwan under a new constitution. He also said that if this happens, the nation can apply to join international organizations under the name “Taiwan”.

Chen Shui-bian delivered his remarks through a pre-recorded video. After leaving office, Chen was sentenced to 20 years in prison for corruption. He is currently on medical parole. Chen called Taiwan a sovereign and independent country. He said that an independent Taiwan is not only his dream, but the dream of Taiwan’s people. He said it is a dream that must be realized and a dream he believes will be realized.   [SOURCE]

The Road to Revitalizing Taiwan’s Creative Industries

Taiwan’s once-prolific film and television industries have ebbed in recent years, but new business models could help Taiwan compete with Japan and South Korea.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/02/28
By: Matthew Fulco

In late 2001, Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hisen’s (侯孝賢) film “Millennium Mambo”

Photo Credit：台北金馬影展執委會

opened in Paris cinemas with great fanfare. MK2, one of France’s top independent film companies, showed the film in its Paris theaters alongside big Hollywood productions such as David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” and Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums”.

“Millennium Mambo” is a departure from Hou’s usual historical works, focusing instead on disaffected youth in contemporary Taipei. The plot meanders, as in most of Hou’s films, but exquisite cinematography makes up for it. In the role of adrift nightclub hostess Vicky, Taiwanese actress Shu Qi (舒淇) shines. She’s effervescent, glamorous, even melancholic. Realistic early-2000s nightclub scenes, where the characters shout to be heard over pounding electronic dance music, will resonate with erstwhile Taipei partygoers.

The art-cinema glitterati didn’t mind “Millennium Mambo’s” thin storyline either. The film not only won three prizes – including best cinematography – at Taiwan’s own Golden Horse Awards, it also picked up awards at the Cannes, Chicago, and Flanders film festivals.    [FULL  STORY]