Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/13
By: Chen Wei-ting and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) The government will study the feasibility of three different options in extending the high-speed rail line to Taiwan’s southernmost Pingtung County, a Bureau of High Speed Rail official said on Friday.

The bureau made the announcement after Pingtung County Magistrate Pan Meng-an (潘孟安) proposed that the high-speed rail system go beyond its final terminus of Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to serve Pingtung and improve the country’s transportation network.

The high-speed rail shares Zuoying Station with the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), which runs more than two dozen commuter trains between its Xinzuoying Station and the towns of Pingtung and Chaozhou in Pingtung County a day.

There are also faster Tzu-chiang express trains that go as far as Chaozhou, but they usually stop at the main Kaohsiung Station rather than Xinzuoying Station, making connections with the high-speed rail line less convenient.    [FULL  STORY]

“Taiwan is Taiwan!” say Japanese netizens who support change from ‘Chinese Taipei’ to ‘Taiwan’ for Tokyo 2020

Taiwan News
dATE: 2017/01/12
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei (Taiwan News) — Last February, Japanese netizens launched a campaign called “Taiwan 2020

Tokyo,” calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change the name of Taiwan’s team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics from “Chinese Taipei” to “Taiwan,” because the current name violates the Olympic Charter.

The group says that due to political factors Taiwan, the country was forced change its name to “Chinese Taipei,” to be able to participate in the Olympics, but the group said “Taiwan is Taiwan,” “Taiwan is not a part of China, and the Japanese support Taiwan.” While the 2020 Tokyo Five Ring “Taiwan Real Name” Promotion Association also recently also launched a petition with the hopes that the Taiwan delegation with will able to use the name “Taiwan” in the Olympic Games.

According to the provisions of the IOC, the Taiwan delegation can only participate in the Olympic Games under the name “Chinese Taipei,” but the group claims this is the equivalent to political interference in sports, and is misleading to the public.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/12
By: Tai Ya-chen and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) Taiwan urged Nigeria to leave room for talks after the West African country demanded Taiwan move its representative office from Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, to the country’s largest city of Lagos, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

Taiwan will send an envoy to deal with the issue, the ministry said.

Ministry spokeswoman Eleanor Wang (王佩玲) noted that Taiwan and Nigeria signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on setting up the mission in 1990, and she called on Nigeria to leave room for coordination, based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit.

Wang noted that Taiwan and Nigeria have never established diplomatic relations, but said that Nigeria has acted in line with China’s wishes to demand the moving of the Taiwan office to Lagos. [FULL  STORY]

GETTING OVER CHINA:Evan Medeiros said Taiwan should address its over-reliance on China, either through new investments in Southeast Asia or more in the US and the EU

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 13, 2017
By: Nadia Tsao and Jake Chung / Staff reporter in Washington, with staff writer

The US did not let Taiwan become a bargaining chip, former US National Security Council senior director

for Asian affairs Evan Medeiros said in an interview in the US.

“We protected Taiwan and by protecting Taiwan it allows us to have enormous accomplishments,” said Medeiros, who arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday and is to leave today.

The achievements of US President Barack Obama’s administration regarding Taiwan-US relations will hopefully be taken to heart, especially in light of the difficult times facing the relationship due to changes introduced by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US president-elect Donald Trump, Medeiros said in an interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper).

Issues regarding Taiwan have been difficult and politically sensitive since 1979, Medeiros said, adding that the key concept on the issue has been whether one has a strategic view and that the implementation of such views was not led by Beijing.

“The Obama administration did not let Beijing manipulate us, but rather we have a very clear vision and systematically pursue it,” Medeiros said.

The Taiwan-US relationship has flourished in economic, diplomatic and military terms, Medeiros said, adding that under the Obama administration’s “reconceptualizing” and “reinstitutionalizing,” high-ranking officials from Taiwan and the US were able to communicate with each other frequently.   [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 13, 2017
By: CNA

GUATEMALA CITY — President Tsai Ing-wen and her Guatemalan counterpart, Jimmy Morales,

reaffirmed their commitment to relations and cooperation between the two countries Wednesday, with Tsai saying that Taiwan will continue to support a Guatemalan highway expansion project, a proposal put forward by Morales.

Tsai received a military salute hosted by Morales at the National Palace of Culture shortly after she arrived in Guatemala earlier in the day.

At the ceremony, Morales extended his warmest welcome to Tsai, who is visiting the country as Taiwan’s president for the first time. He also reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to strengthening their friendship and maintaining bilateral cooperation.

Noting their long-standing cooperation, he said that the people of Guatemala have benefited from bilateral cooperation in public health, infrastructure, agriculture and education.   [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: January 11, 2017

Republic of China (Taiwan) President Tsai Ing-wen attended the inauguration ceremony of Nicaraguan

President Jose Daniel Ortega Saavedra Jan. 10 at Revolution Square in Managua, the capital of the Central American ROC diplomatic ally.

Tsai, who is on the second leg of a nine-day visit to four Central American diplomatic allies that includes Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador in that order, was seated next to Nicaraguan Vice President and first lady Rosario Murillo, and heads of state from Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras and Venezuela. She was introduced as “sister” to the other invitees by Ortega during his inauguration address.

The day before the ceremony, the president met with Ortega shortly after arriving in Nicaragua. She thanked him for supporting Taiwan’s efforts to take part in the U.N. and other international organizations, as well as pledged to identify new areas for cooperation between the two countries.

In response, Ortega said he was pleased Tsai had accepted the invitation to attend his inauguration ceremony and would continue supporting Taiwan as it seeks more rights and to participate in international organizations and their related activities, according to the Office of the President.   [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/11
By: Wang Yang-yu and Christie Chen

Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) Justice Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) on Wednesday denied that his ministry was procrastinating on the execution of prisoners on death row, saying it was just being cautious.

“We have not said we will not carry out the executions,” Chiu said. “We just want to be prudent in our implementation.”

The allegations of the ministry dragging its feet on the execution of death sentences are “not true,” Chiu said in response to reporters’ questions on whether the government planned to carry out the execution of prisoners currently on death row.

The issue arose as the Taiwan High Court earlier in the day commuted a death sentence to life imprisonment in a case of robbery and murder.    [FULL  STORY]