Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/02
By: Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) Taiwan has officially asked the Taipei-based Nigeria Trade Office to

move to another location based on the principle of reciprocity after Nigeria ordered Taiwan last year to move its office out of the capital Abuja.

Antonio Chen (陳俊賢), director-general of the ministry’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs, said Tuesday the ministry has officially asked the Nigeria office to move out of Taipei by sending a Note Verbale, a form of diplomatic correspondence, to the Nigerian office.

The ministry did not specify where the office should move to, as long it was outside Taiwan’s capital city.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 03, 2018
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged people not to remove a sticker from new

biometric passports that would cover a bungled image, saying that doing so could result in passengers not being allowed to board their flights.

The Central Engraving and Printing Plant is designing the sticker, which would feature Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and be placed on an illustration on the fourth and fifth pages of the passport that depicts the Washington Dulles International Airport, ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) told a routine news conference in Taipei.

The sticker, which costs NT$30 each, is an alternative remedy announced by the ministry on Sunday, after its previous plan to reprint all 550,000 copies of the botched passport — which would have seen the total manufacturing cost of NT$220 million (US$7.43 million) lost — was criticized by the public as a waste of taxpayers’ money.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-01-01

President Tsai Ing-wen says the government’s goal for 2018 is a better life for all. Tsai was

speaking Monday while visiting a temple in New Taipei city.

The president said, “This year we will work even harder, whether on growing the economy or speeding up major infrastructure projects. We will do the best we can and [we] won’t let the public down. Our economy recovered last year with a respectable export performance. This year the government will lead the way in investment and infrastructure. [We are] also hoping to raise income levels.”

Tsai said raising wage levels for young people is one challenge for this year. But she said the minimum monthly wage has been raised from NT$21,009 (US$700) to NTS$22,000 (US$733), starting Monday. Tsai also said the government has decided to give teachers, civil servants and military personnel a 3% pay raise. The government hopes this will set an example for the private sector.
[FULL  STORY]

The director of the NSB Third Department stepped down Saturday as a result of an error made in a national security briefing

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/01
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On Dec. 30, an official at the National Security Bureau resigned

from his position to take responsibility for some internal errors that were made recently by the NSB’s third department while under his supervision.

Wang Shao-pai (王少白), the former director of the NSB third department, announced his resignation on Saturday, as a result of a national security briefing submitted to the Executive Yuan containing erroneous information, which was prepared by the third department.

A source with the Liberty Times, says the mistake in the report involved a politician’s recent criticisms of President Tsai, however the criticism was wrongly attributed to a legislator who had accompanied the President during sensitive talks on her tour of allied nations in the South Pacific.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/01
By Yeh Su-ping, Ku Chuan, Liang Pei-chi and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday attended the New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony in front of the Presidential Office, where a concert was held after the ceremony to celebrate the New Year.

After the ceremony, Tsai posted a message on her Facebook page wishing Taiwanese people a happy 2018.

At around 6:20 a.m., Tsai and Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), accompanied by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), stepped out of the Presidential Office for the ceremony, which started 10 minutes later.

It was the second time that Tsai was attending the flag-raising ceremony in her capacity as the president, since taking office in May 2016. When the flag was being hoisted, Tsai sang the national anthem without skipping the part that says “the fundamentals of my party,” as she had done on previous occasions.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 02, 2018
By: Wu Cheng-ting  /  Staff reporter

Kinmen’s Mofan Street (模範街) has become a new sightseeing spot for tourists from across

the Strait after it was decorated with a sea of flags of both the Republic of China (ROC) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Local residents might fly the national flag during Double Ten National Day, but during the New Year holiday the street, which was built in 1924, was lined with national flags on one side and Chinese flags on the other. Many visitors were seen taking pictures and sharing them on social media.

Two Chinese visitors from Xiamen in China’s Fujian Province said it felt good to see their country’s familiar five-star flags.

The two flags facing one another on the street “symbolize that the two sides of the Strait can coexist and prosper together,” a Taiwanese surnamed Lee (李) said.  [FULL  STORY]

Taipei 101 celebrates the arrival of 2018 with the longest fireworks performance in its history 

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/01/01
By: Alicia Nguyen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s iconic tower, Taipei 101 marked the entrance of a new

year with an extravagant fireworks display, a massive crowd of revelers and a festive spirit in the air.

The pyrotechnic extravaganza at Taipei 101 was the longest in the tower’s history. A six-minute fireworks display was combined with 140,000 LED lights covering the tower’s exterior from the 35th floor and going all the way up to the 90th.

With the theme for this year’s light and fireworks show of “Happy Together” (幸福共好), the New Year’s display conveys a  hopeful message that happiness and joy will find everyone over the next 365 days.

One notable difference of this year’s show was the much greater prominence of the light display compared to previous years. The increased use of the exterior light display was not only to enhance the exciting atmosphere of the show, but also to make the celebrations more environmentally friendly.

The light and fireworks show, along with the New Year’s Eve countdown party at Taipei City Hall Square has attracted millions of people over the years, both locals and overseas visitors who flock from around the world to join in the countdown celebrations.
[FULL  STORY]