Page Three

Ma touts NHI coverage for Chinese

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 21, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he hopes Chinese students studying in Taiwan can be included in the National Health Insurance (NHI) system as soon as possible.

“[We] should act like a civilized nation,” in which Chinese students can enjoy the same treatment as Taiwanese, Ma said at a meeting at Chinese Youth International, a Taipei-based civil group devoted to the interactions of young people in Taiwan and overseas in various fields.

Whether to include Chinese students in Taiwan’s NHI system has been a controversial issue hotly debated among lawmakers, with opponents arguing that such a proposal could increase the financial burden on the system.

As a result, an amendment proposed by the Executive Yuan in 2012 to include Chinese students in the NHI system has been shelved at the legislature.

Ma said that offering Chinese students health insurance coverage would help both the students and the insurance system, as the students would likely consume few medical resources, but still have to pay an insurance fee of more than NT$600 each month.     [FULL  STORY]

Tsai to turn Central Taiwan into smart machinery hub

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-19
By: Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

President-elect Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday lauded central Taiwan as a crucial 6742377place for the development of Taiwan’s next generation, and has vowed to turn greater Taichung area into a smart machinery industry cluster.

President-elect Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday lauded Central Taiwan as a crucial place for the development of Taiwan’s next generation, and vowed to turn the Greater Taichung area into a smart machinery industry cluster.

Attending the handover ceremony of the chairman of the Entrepreneur Club in Taichung, Tsai was seen accompanied by Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung and Changhua Magistrate Wei Ming-ku to the event Saturday.

During her speech, Tsai stated that Central Taiwan plays a vital role in the development of Taiwan’s next generation, as it has a lot of people with concrete skills, superior talents and firm development foundation.

Taichung’s Entrepreneur Club as the largest entrepreneur fellowship in Taiwan, absorbs members from diverse places, which provides a crucial source of motivation for the development of Central Taiwan, she added.     [FULL  STORY]

New York subway wishes happy birthday to Taipei metro

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/19
By: Elaine Hou

Taipei, March 19 (CNA) The New York City subway recently made a video to 201603190011t0002wish the Taipei Metro system a happy birthday, as this month will mark the 20th anniversary of the metro system in Taiwan’s capital.

Now available on YouTube, the short video was made by New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), in an effort to join the world’s metro systems in celebrating Taipei Metro’s anniversary.

“We like to think of New York as the World’s City, and we are proud that the MTA’s employees are as diverse as the city we serve. We even have many staff from Taiwan!” a representative from MTA said in Mandarin Chinese in the video.

“But no matter where we’re from we all share the same mission with Taipei Metro and our sister metros from around the world, getting our passengers where they need to go safely and efficiently,” he said. “Happy birthday, Taipei Metro!”

Taiwanese staff at MTA and other employees from different countries also appear in the video to wish Taipei Metro a happy birthday.     [FULL  STORY]

DPP rejects report about ‘tolerable’ losses of allies

TOP PRIORITIES:DPP spokesperson Wang Min-sheng said that the party’s main goals have always been to fully develop Taiwan’s foreign ties and enhance its global status

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 20, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday rejected a report that said voices are mounting within the party arguing that “diplomatic allies are useless” to Taiwan.

According to a report published yesterday by the Chinese-language United Daily News, since China and the Gambia resumed diplomatic ties on Thursday, there have been concerns whether Taiwan would suffer “an avalanche of ruptured diplomatic ties” after the DPP administration assumes office in May.

Pro-DPP academics recently began to say that losing several diplomatic allies in the future would be “within a tolerable limit,” the report said.

It also said some of the academics have even argued that as long as Taiwan retains the support of the US and Japan, the nation’s survival would not be threatened, even if its number of diplomatic allies dropped to zero.

DPP spokesperson Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) rejected the report as untrue, saying that no one has made such statements, either at meetings of the DPP’s think tank, meetings on international affairs or other advisory meetings.     [FULL  STORY]

KMT candidates spar again

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-19
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The four candidates in next week’s election for 6742414chairman of the Kuomintang exchanged views on a range of issues in the second live televised presentation Saturday.

During their first presentation, on March 12, they focused on the controversial issue of the party’s allegedly illegal assets. KMT officials have put the total sum of all assets at NT$16 billion (US$508 million), a figure which has met with widespread disbelief.

On Saturday, the four candidates, acting chairwoman Huang Min-hui, former Legislative Vice Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu, Taipei City Councilor Lee Hsin and legislator Apollo Chen appeared together again for possibly the last time before the March 26 election.

They mentioned issues ranging from relations with China to Taiwan’s history and the role of the KMT.

Huang slammed the concept of “One China, the same interpretation,” which was launched last year by Hung during her short-lived presidential campaign. Disastrous opinion polls at the time showed that the public in Taiwan had no fate in the idea, Huang said. Instead, the KMT should continue its present line following the Republic of China Constitution, she said. Huang praised the so-called “1992 Consensus,” or “One China, each his own interpretation” as a realistic policy concept.     [FULL  STORY]

Pop star Chou Tzu-yu returns to Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/19
By: Chang Jung-hsiang and Y.F. Low

Taipei, March 19 (CNA) Teenage pop star Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), a Taiwanese

From a member of the public

From a member of the public

member of the South Korean girl group Twice, was spotted at Kaohsiung International Airport Saturday after returning from South Korea.

The 16-year-old, who lives in Tainan City, was accompanied by several co-workers, according to passengers who saw the star.

She later left the airport in a car, the passengers said.

Local media has reported that Chou will take part in a scholastic aptitude test held in Tainan on Sunday, but the city’s Bureau of Education would not confirm the reports.

Chou is the first Taiwan-born member of a South Korean girl group.     [FULL  STORY]

SEF head to travel to China, despite qualms

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 20, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

The Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said its chairman is still planning to visit China, despite misgivings about cross-strait exchanges after Beijing on Thursday announced the re-establishment of diplomatic ties with the Gambia.

Chairman Lin Join-sane (林中森) is scheduled to make a 10-day visit to China early next month, the semi-official body set up to handle exchanges in the absence of official ties said.

Lin’s itinerary was on Wednesday sent to the SEF’s Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), the foundation said, adding that it has yet to receive a response from the association, but there should be no changes.

Lin is scheduled to travel to Xiamen, China, and take part in activities involving Taiwanese businesspeople there, while the ARATS is expected to send officials to accompany Lin based on past practice, the SEF said.

Whether there are to be changes on the part of China remains to be seen, but Lin’s visit is still being planned, it added.     [FULL  STORY]

KMT legislator gains support for constitutional amendment to lower voting age

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-18
By: Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Kuomintang legislator Lu Shiow-yen said Friday that the proposal to amend the Constitution 6742174to lower the voting age has successfully garnered wide cross-party support, adding that it has become the first proposal to be sent to the new legislative body since the election in January.

After the Sunflower Movement, Taiwanese youth has demonstrated its capacity for independent thinking as well as the ability to act, which made the voting age amendment draft a much more compelling issue, said Lu during her press conference.

Lu added that it is unfair for young men aged between 18 and 20 that the current Constitution requires them to perform military service while not allowing them the right to vote.

Based on the legislative process, said Lu, the proposal will be sent to the Procedure Committee next Tuesday, and if all goes well it will go through the first reading next Friday at the soonest.

The process to amend the Constitution includes the approval of an amendment proposal by three-quarters of the quorum of members of the Legislative Yuan. After passing the Legislature, the amendments need ratification in a referendum by at least 50 percent of all eligible voters of Taiwan irrespective of voter turnout.     [FULL  STORY]

Chunghwa Post celebrates 120th anniversary in Taipei

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/18
By: Chen Wei-ting and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, March 18 (CNA) Chunghwa Post Co. (中華郵政) celebrated its 120th anniversary in

From Chunghwa Post website

From Chunghwa Post website

Taipei on Friday, by holding activities to honor outstanding employees and by releasing sets of commemorative stamps.

Ong Wen-chyi (翁文祺), its chairman, said the biggest asset of the company is people’s trust and its more than 26,000 employees.

Honored employees included postman Lai Wen-pin (賴文彬) of the Sanchong Post Office in New Taipei City. Lai has worked for Chunghwa Post for 36 years and regularly provides fruits or refreshments to senior citizens who live by themselves.

Also honored was Tsai Tung-pai (蔡東佰), an employee of the post office on Taiwan’s outlying Matsu Island. He also goes the extra mile to help his customers by buying products on Post Mall, Chunghwa Post’s e-commerce website, on their behalf.

Former Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) also attended the event.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan pastry chef blazes trail for local bakers

Taiwan Today
Date: March 18, 2016

The first person from Taiwan to win the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge is blazing a trail for

Global Pastry Chefs Challenge champion Chen Li-che (left) gives the thumbs-up to his 2014 awarded creation 3-D Reflection of the Deep Blue Ocean. (Courtesy of 85C Bakery Cafe)

Global Pastry Chefs Challenge champion Chen Li-che (left) gives the thumbs-up to his 2014 awarded creation 3-D Reflection of the Deep Blue Ocean. (Courtesy of 85C Bakery Cafe)

local culinary maestros looking to earn recognition of their homegrown creativity, talents and skills abroad.

Chen Li-che, head chef of R&D at locally based 85C Bakery Cafe, represented Asia when taking on six rivals from around the world in the final of the World Association of Chefs Societies in Paris-organized challenge held two years ago in Norway.

But Chen’s path to champion has not been easy. At junior high school he had a reputation as a truant, and it was not until he went to vocational school he found his talent. Even then, Chen had obstacles to overcome, such as a strong allergy to chocolate, which left him with irritated hands at the end of every pastry session.

“But this discomfort is not enough to make me regret the decision to embark upon this career,” Chen said. “I love desserts and putting big smiles on the faces of foodies.”

Such passion is reflected in Chen’s awarded piece 3-D Reflection of the Deep Blue Ocean, which comprised a chocolate humpback whale jumping out of a wave made of blue sugar, and cakes concocted from Taiwan-grown bananas and pineapples.

“It took me a couple of months of practice and more than 100 kilograms of chocolate to ensure that I did my best in the challenge.” Chen said.     [FULL  STORY]