Taiwan Today
Date: January 19, 2017

A fleet of red “hop-on, hop-off” double-decker buses, the first of its kind in Taipei City,

officially hit the roads of the capital Jan. 18, offering the public an alternative way to explore the city.

Speaking at the launch ceremony for the double-decker buses, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said that the service was the first step in the city government’s “Tourism ABC” promotional plan designed to boost the city’s tourism industry.

With a convertible top, the second deck is only partially covered on clear days, allowing passengers to take in the city’s sights and sounds from a different perspective, Ko said. “As an international city, Taipei could not do without a double-decker sightseeing bus service,” he said.

The buses are equipped with free smartphone chargers and Wi-Fi, as well as audio tour guide services available through an app in languages including Mandarin, English, Japanese and Korean, the Taipei City Government said.   [FULL  STORY]

Beijing against Taiwan delegation’s attendance of Trump inauguration

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/19
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei (Taiwan News) – China is protesting the attendance of Taiwan’s delegation

headed by a former premier at Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday. In response to China’s call, the ex-premier Yu Shyi-kun said that China should have manifested its generosity as one of the world’s most powerful countries and “shouldn’t have acted so narrow-mindedly.”

Accompanied by lawmakers and local government officials, Yu Shyi-kun left the country Monday on behalf of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the opposition Kuoamintang. Apart from attending the presidential inauguration ceremony in Washington, the delegation is commissioned to greet Taiwanese compatriots in the U.S. ahead of the Lunar New Year and hold talks with politicians and academics.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday that China is opposed to Taiwan sending any officials to participate in the ceremony, because it might undermine U.S.-China relations. Hua also urged the U.S. not to allow meetings between officials from both sides.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/19
By: Chen Chih-chung and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) A pension reform proposal to raise the age of retirement for K12

teachers to 60 by a government committee would make it harder for prospective teachers to find work and increase the average age of teachers, a teachers’ union official said on Thursday.

Although the proposal represents a moderate improvement on a similar one made by the administration of former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), such a reform would only extend the life of the pension program for a few more years before it becomes unsustainable, which means there would have to be further reform down the road, forcing young teachers to work in an environment of instability, said Chang Hsu-cheng (張旭政), president of The National Federation of Teachers Unions, R.O.C.

In addition, the reform proposal does not apply to teachers at private schools, said Lin Po-yi (林伯儀), head of Taiwan Higher Education Union’s organization department.   [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 20, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Former premier Yu Shyi-kun on Wednesday said that Taiwan should not get involved in

US-China relations and should instead ask Washington to stick to the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act and its “six assurances” to Taiwan.

“The ‘one China’ policy is the US’ policy, not Taiwan’s,” Yu said at a news conference in Washington. “We expect the US to fully implement the Taiwan Relations Act and the ‘six assurances.’”

He was responding to questions about a debate in the US about its “one China” policy as US president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office later today.

Yu also called on Beijing not to be “stingy” and to “act like a big country,” in response to Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying’s (華春瑩) remarks on Wednesday urging “relevant parties in the US to allow no delegation sent by the Taiwan authority to attend the inauguration ceremony of the president, and not to have any official contact with Taiwan.”    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 20, 2017
By: Tammy Liu, Special to The China Post

Shen Jui-chang (沈瑞章), who returned home last year after being held captive by

Somali pirates for 1,672 days, has expressed his gratitude to those who helped him get back to Taiwan safely.

Despite being home and with Lunar New Year just around the corner, Shen said it was a somewhat difficult time for him, as he was still recovering from his harrowing kidnapping kidnapping.

Shen was speaking in Keelung at a press conference to promote “Taiwan Long Time No See,”(台灣好久不見), a short film about his experience. It is directed by Jay Tsai (蔡文傑), who received a 2016 Golden Bell Award nomination for it.

Shen has gained 10 kilograms since returning to Taiwan two months ago and now considers himself to be in good shape, saying he feels immense gratitude to the many kindhearted people who facilitated his return.  [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-01-17

Vice President Chen Chien-jen says that he looks forward to more communication and

mutual trust between Taiwan and Japan. Chen was speaking Tuesday while meeting a delegation from the Japan Restoration Party, a populist right-wing party.

Chen said that the recent renaming of Japan’s representative office in Taiwan was a positive development. The former Interchange Association, Japan changed its name to the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association.

The vice president said he hopes the two sides can soon sign an economic partnership agreement. He also said he hopes for greater communication and trust in maritime affairs. Fishing rights around Japan’s Okinotori atoll has been a thorny issue in recent times.

Chen said Taiwan hopes to play a more proactive role in regional security and trade in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as strengthening Taiwan-Japan and Taiwan-US relations. He also said Taiwan will continue to seek participation in international bodies including the International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Health Organization.    [FULL  STORY]

Having completed the AH-1W training program, Chen has become Taiwan’s first female combat helicopter pilot

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/01/17
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei (Taiwan News) — Lieutenant Chen Pin-tsai (陳品棻), who serves with the 602nd

Air Cavalry Brigade of the Army Aviation and Special Operations Command, has passed the assessment to become Taiwan’s first female AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter officer.

The military media outlet Youth Daily reported on Tuesday that in high school Chen decided to apply to military academy to become a student pilot. Because of her excellent foreign language skills demonstrated during her studies at the academy, she was admitted to the Virginia Military Institute, where she excelled both in sports and academics, breaking school records in swimming and graduating with honors.

During her time at VMI, she entered the pilot training program, in which she learned about aviation and laid a solid foundation to become a flight officer. After returning home in 2013, she began flying the TH-67 training helicopter, and when it came time to select which aircraft she preferred to be assigned to, she made the courageous decision to opt for one of Taiwan’s two attack helicopters – the AH-1W Cobra.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/17
By: Lu Hsin-hui, Ku Chuan and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) Sunday’s national conference on pension reform will be

broadcast live online in its entirety, while all conference data and meeting records will be made public on the Internet, according to the pension reform committee under the Presidential Office on Tuesday.

According to the agenda the committee published on its website, the conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m, beginning with a report from committee convener, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) and an address by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

From 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. the conference will break into three panels dealing with payment and qualifications for receiving pensions; fund management and financial resources; system structure, special target groups and transition to a new system, said the committee.    [FULL  STORY]

COFFEE DIPLOMACY:The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that a delegation in El Salvador had purchased 15 shipping containers full of coffee to be shipped home

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 18, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Former premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday said he plans to express the public’s and the

government’s expectations of further cooperation and exchanges during his attendance at US president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington on Friday.

Yu made the remarks after arriving on Monday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where he was received by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York Director Hsu Li-wen (徐儷文) and Peng Liang-chih (彭良治), director of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) eastern US branch.

“I believe that the government would actively engage with the new US administration through various channels in the hope of seeking reciprocity and a win-win situation based on shared interests and values,” Yu said.    [FULL  STORY]