CityLimits
Date: January 21, 2020
By: Huiyu Lai for World Journal

Read the original story in Chinese at World Journal

Translated by Rong Xiaoqing

The uprisings in Hong Kong – triggered by the proposed extradition law – and a deteriorating relationship between Taiwan and Beijing in the months before Taiwan’s presidential election prompted the younger generation of Taiwanese in the U.S. to travel back home to vote.

Fearing the “demise of a nation,” many young Taiwanese abroad decided to return to cast their ballots “no matter how expensive the air fares are at this time of the year.” Some of them, taking a red-eye flight, rushed to the poll sites right after their flight landed.

Anita Yen, who works in New York, had been following the election via newspapers, TV, YouTube and Facebook. She said being abroad helps her better assess Taiwan’s status from an international perspective. But in the end, she decided to purchase a flight ticket back home to vote, without considering the price.

“During the months I had been reading about Taiwan’s election in the media, it became clear to me that as an overseas Taiwanese I have an obligation to contribute to democracy in Taiwan,” Yen said.     [FULL  STORY]

Regular business people have nothing to fear: SEF

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/01/21
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The government will hold a special information meeting after the Lunar New Year to explain the new Anti-Infiltration Act to Taiwanese investors in China, Straits Exchange Foundation Chairwoman Chang Hsiao-yueh (張小月) said Tuesday (Jan. 21).

The law, which was passed just before the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections and officially promulgated on Jan. 15, caused unease in some circles because they thought it might restrict business ties with China.

However, the law mainly targets foreign interference in Taiwanese elections, such as the funding of Taiwanese politicians.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 01/21/2020
By: Wang Yang-yu, Kuo Chien-sheng, Yeh Su-ping,
Wang Cheng-chung and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Monday she could consider meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) as long as the two met on an equal footing.

In an interview with SET News, Tsai reiterated she would be willing to meet with Xi based the four principles she said were needed to stabilize the relationship across the Taiwan Strait: "peace," "parity," "democracy" and "dialogue."

"We hope cross-strait interactions will take place based on such a foundation (of the four principles)," Tsai said. "We will consider any form of interaction (with China)" based on the four principles.

Tsai of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won a second term on Jan. 11 by nearly 20 points over her closest rival, Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT).    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 20 January, 2020
By: Leslie Liao

Taiwanese airlines carried more passengers than ever in 2019. That was the word from Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) head Lin Kuo-shian on Monday. Lin was speaking at an event to mark the 73rd anniversary of the CAA.

Lin said that domestic flights carried a total of 12.24 million travelers, while nearly 11 million journeys were completed on cross-strait flights. All other international destinations accounted for 48.83 million travelers, while 340,000 people transferred in Taiwan to other destinations.

In total, domestic airlines completed 580,000 individual flights, carrying 72.16 million passengers. Cargo flights transported about 2.31 million tons of cargo.      [FULL  STORY]

Navy Times
Date: January 20, 2020
By: The Associated Press

Seaman Marshall Key reports contact during a Thursday transit of the Taiwan Strait on board the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Shiloh. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chanel L. Turner/Navy)

BEIJING — Here’s a look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple territorial disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons.

The waters are a major shipping route for global commerce and are rich in fish and possible oil and gas reserves.

CHINA MARKS PASSAGE OF US WARSHIPS IN TAIWAN STRAIT

China says it monitored the passage of a U.S. Navy ship through the Taiwan Strait last week, just days after the island’s pro-independence president won reelection.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday that China had been "fully aware" of and "following closely the whole process."    [FULL  STORY]

AIT Director Brent Christensen reaffirms people-to-people ties as main goal for AIT in 2020

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/01/20
By: Chris Chang, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) wrapped up celebrations for its 40th year in Taiwan with the Digital Dialogue Public Forum on Friday (Jan. 17).

In his opening address, AIT Director Brent Christensen praised U.S. and Taiwan relations, saying they are sincerely invested in each other’s success and announced "Real Friends, Real Progress" as the theme for AIT in 2020.

The forum, led by minister without portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) and panelists, gathered opinions through an online discussion board, about how to strengthen U.S.-Taiwan bonds and facilitate exchanges between the two nations.

The first focus was on Taiwan's language policies. It was suggested that Taiwan should accelerate its pace to become a bilingual nation.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 01/20/2020
By: Wang Cheng-chung and Chiang Yi-ching

Taipei, Jan. 20 (CNA) Former Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said Monday that he will run for

chairman of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), making him the third person to announce their candidacy.

National Taiwan University Professor Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) and Blue Sky Action Alliance Chairman Wu Chih-chang (武之璋) have also said they will vie for the post.

Former Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) stepped down on Jan. 15 following the party's defeat in the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections, and an election to select his successor will be held March 7.

In the Facebook post announcing his run, Hau, a former KMT vice chairman as well as Taipei mayor from 2006 to 2014, outlined the three guiding principles for reforms he would undertake if elected.    [FULL  STORY]

A STEP FORWARD: The team found that inhibiting the succinate levels in mice increased their survival rate and that succinate levels could be used as a biomarker

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 21, 2020
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) yesterday said it had discovered that succinate

levels in blood serum could serve as a potential biomarker for lung cancer progression, and that inhibiting succinate levels might reduce the risk of lung cancer metastasis.

NHRI Institute of Cellular and System Medicine associate researcher Kuo Cheng-chin (郭呈欽) said that cancer has been the most common cause of death in Taiwan for many years.

Among them, non-small cell lung cancer has a relatively poor prognosis, he said.

As there is no effective screening method for non-small cell lung cancer, patients are usually diagnosed in the later stages, he added.    [FULL  STORY]

PROMOTION: A borough warden said the image was unsuitable, but a city official said it suited the issue’s theme, which echoed Kaohsiung’s image as a port city

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 20, 2020
By: Chen Wen-chan and Dennis Xie  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Kaohsiung City Government on Saturday drew criticism from city residents for its use of a

photograph of Taiwanese TV talk show host Li Jing (利菁) on the cover of a monthly publication.

“At first glance, I almost mistook the publication for an erotic photo album, because Li is nearly naked, with only a thin piece of cloth on her body,” said Liao Chun-hua (廖春花), warden of Nansing Borough (南興) in Fengshan District (鳳山).

The publication should feature policies, development projects and tourism in the city, rather than an image of Li covered in sheer fabric, which is irrelevant and inappropriate, Liao said.

Neither the magazine nor the celebrities who had been chosen to promote city tourism over the past few months represent local culture, New Power Party Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Jie (黃捷) said.    [FULL  STORY]

DevPolicy
Date: January 20, 2020
By: Denghua Zhang

In September 2019, after 36 years, Solomon Islands severed its diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (hereafter Taiwan) and established formal relations with the People’s Republic of China (hereafter China). A Solomon Islands parliamentary bipartisan task force had reviewed relations with China and Taiwan and recommended the diplomatic switch, arguing that ‘Solomon Islands should not bet on Taiwan’s assistance’ and that ‘Solomon Islands stands to benefit a lot if it switches and normalise diplomatic relations with PRC’. Clearly foreign aid is a central theme in the diplomatic game. But how does aid from China and Taiwan compare, especially to the Pacific Island countries (PICs)?

Chinese and Taiwanese aid and foreign policy

In response to growing concerns about Chinese aid, China’s State Council released two white papers on foreign aid in 2011 and 2014 that provide a brief history of Chinese aid and the volume of aid granted between 1950 (the year Chinese aid started) and 2012. However, there is no breakdown of aid spending by year and recipient country. China does not have a comprehensive law covering its foreign aid. Instead, a handful of regulations pertains to Chinese aid delivery, especially the Measures for the Administration of Foreign Aid, adopted in 2018.

In 2009, Taiwan issued its first and only white paper on foreign aid, in an effort to increase aid transparency and accountability. In 2010, Taiwan passed the Act for the Establishment of the International Cooperation and Development Fund to guide aid delivery.

In terms of aid volume, Chinese aid to PICs totalled US$1.05 billion between 2011 and 2016, which is nearly four times Taiwan’s cumulative aid (US$271 million). However, given the larger populations of the Pacific states that recognise China, the per capita aid spending of China in the Pacific is US$108, which is less than half of Taiwan’s per capita aid spending (US$237) in the region.   [FULL  STORY]