Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/08
By: Sophia Yeh and Romulo Huang

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Thursday that Taiwan should not be left out of the efforts to deal with international challenges, since it willing and able to contribute to the global community.

In a meeting at the Presidential Office with members of a pro-Taiwan Belgian parliamentary group, Tsai said there is a growing interdependence among members of the international community and the resources all countries should be pooled to deal with the global challenges.

“As a member of the international community, Taiwan is willing and able to contribute more to the efforts to deal with global issues, whether in the area of humanitarian assistance, disease prevention and control, or anti-terrorism,” Tsai said. “Taiwan should not be left out.”

The president said she hoped Belgium would support Taiwan’s bid to participate in international organizations.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 9, 2016
By: Joseph Yeh

65 Taiwanese have applied to visit France under a recently created working holiday program, according to France’s de facto embassy in Taiwan, a month after the reciprocal project opened for applications.

The French Office in Taipei told The China Post that the office has received 65 online applications from Taiwanese citizens since they began accepting applications on Aug. 8.

The office, which represents France’s interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, said it welcomes Taiwanese between the ages of 18 to 30 to apply for working holiday visas, allowing them to explore the beauty and culture of France.

The governments of Taiwan and France jointly announced the long-awaited working holiday pact during a French National Day celebration event in Taipei on July 14.     [FULL  STORY]

The Call
Date: Sept. 7, 2016
By: Erica Moser

PAWTUCKET – A crowd from diverse ethnic backgrounds, coming from within Pawtucket and much

farther away, sat eagerly in the tent at Festival Pier. They were surrounded by more than 200 translucent, foot-long flags, an alternating pattern of Taiwanese and American national colors.

Onto the stage walked several members of the Rhode Island Kung-Fu Club, a few with cymbals and one with a barrel-shaped drum.

After they began playing, out came 10 people inside five lion costumes. They moved up and down and side to side, and the crowd cheered when one person stood on another’s shoulders.

The lion dance is a Taiwanese cultural tradition that is symbolic of “good luck, positive energy [and] spreading good posterity and wealth, financial and otherwise,” said Louis Yip.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: September 7, 2016

The second round of results from aircraft and ship-based monitoring of greenhouse gas levels above the

Pacific Ocean under a Taiwan-initiated research project was announced Sept. 6 by National Central University in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City, indicating a sustained rise in carbon dioxide levels.

Initiated in 2008, the Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement initiative works with Taiwan’s China Airlines, CPC Corp. and Evergreen Marine Corp. to gather climate change data from in-service aircraft and ships.

According to the latest PGGM results, atmospheric CO2 concentrations over the middle of the Pacific Ocean have exceeded 400 parts per million, far surpassing the global preindustrial value of 280 ppm. The data indicate the levels are rising by more than 1.5 ppm per year.

The 20-year PGGM project is being implemented by NCU in cooperation with the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science and Technology, as well as research institutes in Europe and the U.S. It aims to establish the world’s largest platform for atmospheric and ocean observations of greenhouse gas emissions.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-09-07
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A union of train drivers will continue negotiations about understaffing until October, in effect excluding industrial action during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, reports said Wednesday.

The group had initially predicted that its members would not work extra hours during the September 15-18 holiday, which might have led to the absence of extra trains and to difficulties for travelers over the busy four-day holiday.

A total of 94 percent of the union’s train drivers had voted not to work extra hours and to take days off they were still owed during the official holiday.

However, after a second round of negotiations with the Taiwan Railways Administration Wednesday, the union said it was willing to take things slowly in order to achieve its aims and to continue the talks until October 20. In this event, there was no need to take any action during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the union said, denying that causing disruption during the holiday had ever been one of its aims.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 08, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter

Rumors that People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) is to represent President Tsai

Ing-wen (蔡英文) at this year’s APEC leaders’ summit in November yesterday drew a mixed response.

Reports about the alleged appointment hit the Chinese-language media late on Tuesday night, and when questioned about them that night, Presidential Office spokesperson Alex Huang (黃重諺) said the selection was still in the planning stages and an announcement would be made once an envoy is chosen.

PFP Culture and Publicity Department director Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said “the PFP has no comment about it now, as [we should] all respect the announcement by the Presidential Office [when it occurs].”

However, Soong “has made it clear many times that he and the PFP would be more than glad to assist in activities that could facilitate peaceful cross-strait development,” she said.

Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) yesterday said that if confirmed, Soong would be a “creative and appropriate pick, as he is no longer active on the political front lines and has a pretty good relationship with Beijing.”
Soong is “someone Beijing could trust,” Tsai Chi-chang said.     [FULL  STORY]