Beijing’s policies are having an impact on Taiwan’s travel industry.

UPI
Date: Feb. 23, 2016
By: Elizabeth Shim

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Feb. 23 (UPI) — China has made significant changes in its

tourism policy regarding Taiwan in the wake of recent presidential elections, and the policies are hitting Taiwan’s businesses.

Beijing is enforcing policies that discourage mainland Chinese tourists from visiting Taiwan and has also restricted the number of cities Taiwanese nationals are allowed to visit unaccompanied on the mainland, Taiwanese newspaper Liberty Times reported.

China could be wary of President-elect Tsai Ing-wen of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party. Analysts have said Tsai could be a check against China’s increasing influence in the region, and China has been monitoring Taiwan carefully since the elections.

Beijing does not recognize the government in Taipei as a sovereign state.

Since the opposition’s victory, mainland Chinese authorities have placed quotas on outbound tourists. Before the new rules, an average of 8,000 Chinese tourists visited Taiwan daily, but that number is now down by 40 percent, to about 5,000, Taiwan media reported.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-23
By Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Premier Simon Chang said Tuesday that a large-scale disaster prevention

drill will be held this year for the first time, as decided last week at a disaster relief meeting.

The magnitude 6.4 earthquake in southern Taiwan has cost 117 lives in Tainan City, including 115 victims in a single apartment complex located in the city’s Yongkang District.

During an interpellation session Tuesday, Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Chiang Nai-hsin questioned Chang about the nation’s disaster prevention and response operation plan, which prompted a response from Chang that a large-scale earthquake disaster prevention drill will be conducted this year.

Chang noted that all elementary and junior high schools nationwide carry out small-scale earthquake drills annually. After a disaster relief meeting between heads of departments last week, it was decided that the planning of a large-scale disaster prevention drill will be listed on the to-do list for the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) this year, especially in terms of improving disaster prevention mechanism and mitigation planning.      [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/23
By Chen Chun-hua and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Feb. 23 (CNA) Interior Minister Chen Wei-zen (陳威仁) said Tuesday that it would be better to amend the outdated parts of a law governing the Red Cross Society than to scrap the law altogether.

Chen said there is historical significance in the existence of the Red Cross Society, noting that other countries also have special laws to govern it.

He said he is in favor of amending the outdated parts of the Red Cross Society Act of the Republic of China, but said the existence of the law is “necessary.”

“It would be better to amend the law than to scrap it,” he said.     [FULL STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: February 23, 2016

Taiwan’s new immigrants are experiencing warmer welcomes and faster

integration into society as a result of expanded public sector assimilation programs.

One example was a celebration for migrant families staged Feb. 20 on the sidelines of the 2016 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival. Organized by the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs Southern Taiwan Office and National Immigration Agency, the event was successfully repeated in cities islandwide in an attempt to involve more new arrivals in Lunar New Year festivities.

David N. Y. Lee, director-general of MOFA’s Southern Taiwan Office, said the event highlights the government’s ongoing commitment to helping Southeast Asian immigrants gain a strong foothold in the local community. “This growing demographic has instilled fresh momentum in Taiwan’s development and brought about positive change in society.”

These sentiments are echoed by various government agencies seeking to enhance Taiwan’s global competitiveness by capitalizing on the potential presented by multicultural and multilingual immigrants.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/22
By: Kay Liu

Built over 130 years ago, Taipei’s North Gate came into the spotlight recently when the city government demolished an overpass that had shadowed the historical structure over the past 39 years.

The demolition was a key element of the city government’s project to reposition the western part of the city as a gateway and create a pedestrian-friendly environment in the area.

The North Gate, built in 1882, is the only one of the city’s five gates that retains its original look.

The wall of the old city, situated along what are known today as Zhongxiao West Road, Zhongshan South Road, Aiguo West Road and Zhonghua Road, and the West Gate were torn down in the early 1900s during Japanese colonial rule.      [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-02-22
By: Chia Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The sunny and warmer weather enjoyed by Taiwanese people nationwide is expected to end as night falls as moisture could bring showers in northern and eastern Taiwan, the Bureau said.

While the island enjoys nicer and warmer weather Monday during the daytime, the mercury could drop by up to 7 degrees Celsius by night in northern Taiwan due to a northeast monsoon expected to bring in rain and lower temperature, said the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) Monday.

As the cold air mass waned on Sunday, weather in Taiwan nationwide has seen daytime temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius on Monday, the day of the lantern festival.

Yet, the sunny and warmer weather enjoyed by Taiwanese people nationwide is expected to end as night falls as moisture could bring showers in northern and eastern Taiwan, the Bureau said.     [FULL  STORY]