Ministry of Culture has designated October 17 as Taiwan Culture Day in commemoration of the Taiwanese Cultural Association.

Taiwan News  
Date: 2017/10/12
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – To celebrate Taiwan Culture Day, two national museums of

history, located in Taipei and Tainan respectively, will offer free admission for all citizens on October 17.

Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said in 2016 at an event that the ministry would designate October 17 as Taiwan Culture Day in commemoration of the birth of the Taiwanese Cultural Association (台灣文化協會).

Founded on October 17, 1921 during the Japanese colonial period, the association was influential not only in cultural affairs but also in social movements as well as political activities at that time. The association members were known for pushing forward a movement that demanded the establishment of a Taiwanese Parliament under the Japanese government at the end of the 1920s.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/12
By: Elaine Hou and Isabel Wang

Taipei, Oct. 12 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Li Hsien-

chang (李憲章) on Thursday confirmed the death of the 5-year-old Taiwanese girl on a flight from Dubai to Munich.

Li told CNA that the girl passed out on the plane Tuesday, and despite receiving immediate medical attention on board the flight, she was announced dead after the plane made an emergency landing for her in Kuwait.

Upon learning of the girl’s death, the foreign ministry’s office in Kuwait contacted her parents and extended help to them to process all the necessary procedures, Li said.

The child’s parents expressed their sincere gratitude to Taiwan’s representative in Kuwait Ray Mou (牟華瑋) for paying his condolences by visiting their hotel in person, said Li.    [FULL  STORY]

ERROR OF OMISSION?Former president Ma Ying-jeou said President Tsai Ing-Wen’s failure to mention the Constitution could lead to misunderstandings

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 13, 2017
By: William Hetherington  /  Staff writer, with CNA

Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday issued a four-point suggestion for

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to improve the deteriorating cross-strait ties, as several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) heavyweights commemorated the anniversary of Taiwan’s lifting of the ban on veterans visiting China in 1987, which paved the way for decades of warmer ties across the Taiwan Strait.

Ma made the comments at a KMT-sponsored commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the historical event, which was also attended by KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), KMT vice chairmen Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) and Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), and former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄).

Ma said cross-strait relations had worsened over the past year-and-a-half to the point that they are now a source of great apprehension.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 12, 2017
By: Ku Chuan, Lu Hsin-hui and Evelyn Kao

TAIPEI (CNA) – Veteran Affairs Council Minister Lee Hsiang-jow (李翔宙) said

Thursday he was resigning over a spat with opposition Kuomintang lawmakers, but Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has rejected the resignation, according to a Cabinet spokesman.

Following a legislative hearing in which Lee and the KMT lawmakers got into a heated exchange over his party affiliation, he held a press conference to announce that he was resigning as head of the Veteran Affairs Council.

However, Premier Lai has declined to accept Lee’s resignation, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.

The issue arose from an exchange between Lee and two KMT legislators during the legislative hearing earlier in the day.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-10-11

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung has told lawmakers that the government has no plans

to ease restrictions on imports of Japanese food products. Chen’s remarks Wednesday come after reports in the Japanese media that Taiwan and Japan are negotiating a loosening of restrictions. Taiwan continues to ban the import of food products originating in Fukushima and several neighboring Japanese prefectures. The ban was put in place following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.

Chen told members of the Legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee that the issue is one of trade. But Chen also said that the health ministry’s position puts food safety and public health first.    [FULL  STORY]

‘Taiwan has affirmed its commitment to strengthen its ties with India under the New Southbound Policy’

Taiwan News 
Date: 2017/10/12
By: Jose Kalathil, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

NEW DELHI (Taiwan News) — “Taiwan has affirmed its commitment to strengthen its

ties with India under the New Southbound Policy,” said Ambassador Chung-Kwang Tien, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India (TECC), during the 106th National Day celebrations here.

He said since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in May 2016, Taiwan has developed five flagship projects — from industrial supply chains to youth exchange platforms to regional farm-cooperation — and three potential-laden fields, namely e-commerce, infrastructure and tourism, for enhanced collaboration with India.

“India as the world’s largest democracy and Taiwan as the first democracy in the Chinese speaking area, both share the universal values in peace, freedom and human right, and so should work together to promote regional peace and stability, tackle transnational crimes, take actions against climate change and achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) together,” he said.

About 250 guests enjoyed the Taiwan Beer served on the occasion along with six Taiwanese delicacies prepared under the supervision of chef Chen Wen-Tung from Taiwan’s National Pingtung University of Science and Technology. .  [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/11

Tokyo, Oct. 11 (CNA) Taiwan-based director Midi Z (趙德胤) received special mention

at the 2017 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival on Wednesday.

Z was recognized for his documentary “City of Jade,” at the festival’s award ceremony at Yamagata Central Public Hall in Japan.

In a telephone interview with CNA after the ceremony, Z said he was very lucky and was pleasantly surprised at the recognition because it was his first documentary and he was up against more experienced filmmakers.

“City of Jade” would not have made it without the support of Taiwan’s Public Television Service, said the director, who is from Myanmar and studied film making in Taiwan.
[FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 12, 20170
By: S.C. Chang

TAIPEI (CNA) – President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) pledged Wednesday to establish a

US$3.5 billion fund to help countries covered by Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy with their infrastructure and major development projects.

Tsai gave her promise while addressing the opening of the two-day Yushan Forum, sponsored by the government-affiliated Prospect Foundation, to help her administration promote the New Southbound Policy (NSP).

The NSP seeks to increase cooperation with Southeast Asian and South Asian countries, as well as New Zealand and Australia, as a means of reducing Taiwan’s trade and investment reliance on China.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-10-10

The first two-day Yushan Forum is set to open on Wednesday. The forum aims to

enhance Taiwan’s soft power as well as cooperation with other Asia-Pacific countries.

The forum is being organized by the Prospect Foundation, a foreign policy think tank. The foundation’s CEO, Lai Yi-jhong, says the theme of the event is “promoting economic and social connections with New Southbound policy countries”. The policy aims to strengthen Taiwan’s economic and cultural ties with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The focus of the forum will be on trade, agriculture, education, healthcare, technology and innovation, international volunteering, think tank exchanges, youth leadership and entrepreneurship.    [FULL  STORY]