The China Post
Date: January 27, 2017
By: CNA

Traffic congestion leaves travelers driving at speeds no higher than 60 kilometers per hour on Thursday,

Jan. 26, around 4 p.m. on the Taoyuan section on southbound National Freeway No. 1. Travelers are heading southbound to return home for Lunar New Year.

Travelers with luggage are seen at the Taipei Songshan Airport on Thursday, Jan. 26. Large crowds of travelers passed through at Songshan Airport to prepare to leave for the holidays or to return home.

Long lines of travelers are seen at the Taipei Songshan Airport for flights headed to Kinmen County. Crowds of travelers on the waiting list were in long lines hoping to return home in time for the Lunar New Year holiday.
[FULL  STORY]

Rasdio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-01-25

The Taoyuan Airport Metro line is slated to open to regular traffic on March 2.

Transportation Minister Ho Chen Tan gave the line the go ahead on Wednesday, after a final inspection earlier in the month.

The metro line will also be open for a month-long trial run beginning on February 2. During this time, the metro company says travel on the line will be free. Passengers planning to travel on the line during the first two weeks of the trial period will need to apply in advance, while those taking the metro in the second two weeks will be able to wait in line. However, a daily cap on passengers has been set at 40,000 during the trial period.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/25
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced on Wednesday the unified-invoice

prize winning numbers for November and December, 2016 on its website, with the NT$10 million winning number being 68789003. Are you a lucky winner? For the winning numbers, please visit the page of uniform-invoice winning numbers.

The prize winning numbers for unified invoices issued from transactions in the last two months of last year were drawn out live at 1:30 p.m. on EBC Financial News Channel. The winning numbers for the top three prize categories are 68789003 for the Special Prize (winning NT$10 million for matching all the digits); 53077074 for the Grand Prize (winning NT$2 million for matching all the digits); and 69796177, 76868760, and 14952048 for the First Prize (winning NT$200,000 for matching all the digits from any of the three numbers).

The Second Prize (NT$40,000), Third Prize (NT$10,000), Fourth Prize (NT$4,000), Fifth Prize (NT$1,000), and Sixth Prize (NT$200) are all based on the First Prize winning numbers, with the Second Prize for matching the last seven digits from any of the first prize winning numbers, the Third Prize for matching the last six digits, and so forth.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/25
By: Elaine Hou

Taipei, Jan. 25 (CNA) The United Kingdom’s new top envoy to Taiwan said Wednesday that her country

will continue to promote exchanges in trade, climate change, science and innovation, as well as people-to-people links, based on strong existing bilateral ties.

Catherine Nettleton, head of the British Office, said 2017 is the year the U.K. will begin the process to leave the European Union, stressing that the decision to do so was not about turning inward but rather becoming even more engaged in global trade. The office represents the U.K’s interests in Taiwan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic ties.

On trade relations with Taiwan, she said during a luncheon with the media that the U.K. will continue to promote bilateral trade, especially in areas of sustainable rail and renewable energy projects, digital economy and financial services, as well as seek more investment from Taiwan.

U.K-Taiwan trade has grown steadily over the years, Nettleton said, noting that the volume of bilateral trade reached nearly £6 billion (US$7.5 billion) in 2014, an increase of more than 50 percent over the past decade.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 26, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

The first Taiwan-Panama immigration affairs conference was held by the National Immigration Agency

(NIA, 移民署) on Tuesday, Jan. 24 where officials discussed joint training programs, establishing a 24-hour bilateral communication channel, deportation procedures, border security and immigration management.

Panama’s Immigration Department Director Javier Carrillo attended the event, where he was warmly greeted by NIA Director-General Ho Jung-tsun (何榮村).   [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: January 24, 2017

The National Development Council unveiled the 2017-2020 national development plan Jan. 23 in Taipei

City, charting a course for Taiwan’s sustainable growth amid challenges at home and abroad.

With a focus on innovation, job creation and equitable distribution—three policy goals of President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration—the plan seeks to create a new economic model, enhance the social safety net, maintain social equity and justice, promote regional peace and transform Taiwan into a global model of a civil society, the NDC said.

The four-year plan builds on the president’s five-plus-two innovative industries initiative that covers biotech and pharmaceuticals, green energy, national defense, smart machinery and the Internet of Things, as well as the circular economy and a new paradigm for agricultural development.

According to the council, the top priority is to bolster the domestic economy by spurring investment and implementing structural reform to overhaul the country’s industries. The development plan identifies policy objectives as well as measures and strategies for relevant agencies, the council said, adding that it is being fast-tracked to the Cabinet for approval.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/24
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–The Forestry Bureau on Tuesday offered information regarding opening hours of 18 national forest recreation areas, three flatland forest parks, and four forestry cultural parks and recommended the public to visit these places as well as natural trails under its management during the Chinese New Year holiday.

The bureau said the national forest recreation areas are abundant in natural and ecological resources and therefore are the best places for the public to engage in activities such as hiking and mountain climbing during the Chinese New Year holiday.

To avoid traffic congestion, from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, free shuttle buses will be provided at 10 stops between the 88 and 95 kilometer marks along Provincial Highway No. 18 for people heading for the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, at the Jianqing parking lot at the 24.4 kilometer mark on Yi-Lan Special Highway Route One for people visiting Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area, and from Jan. 29 to Jan. 31 at the parking lot of the ticket station and the visitor center for people visiting Basianshan National Forest Recreation Area.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/24
By: Lu Hsin-hui, Ku Chuan, Chen Chia-lun and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) A minor political party in Taiwan has invited World Uighur Congress President

Rabiye Qadir to visit the island in March, plunging Taiwanese authorities into a quandary as to whether to issue a visa to her.

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), a pro-independence political party with no seats in the Legislature, said on Tuesday that Qadir accepted its invitation and hopes the Democratic Progressive Party government will grant her a visa.

During a press conference, TSU played a video showing Qadir expressing her support for “all campaigns by Taiwanese to win true freedom” and soliciting support from Taiwanese for her campaign.

“Taiwan, East Turkestan (Xinjiang), Tibet and South Mongolia (Inner Mongolia) share a common destiny; they must help each other, communicate with each other and exchange their experiences,” she was shown saying.    [FULL  STORY]