Singaporean tycoon Robert Tsao calls for referendum to settle unification issue once and for all

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/12/28
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The belief that "the island of Taiwan is an inherent part of China" is "sheer nonsense" and does no good to the pursuit of cross-strait peace, according to Robert Tsao (曹興誠), the founder and former chairman of United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) on Wednesday (Dec. 25) at a forum promoting peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait.

The Taiwan-born Singaporean business tycoon also bluntly criticized the idea of forced unification with Taiwan as well as the "1992 Consensus" mantra embraced by Kuomintang (KMT) politicians, including presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).

Tsao ridiculed the "1992 Consensus," the term coined by former Taiwanese National Security Council chief Su Chi (蘇起) in 2000 that is tantamount to the "one China, two systems" formula, as both sides of the strait have different interpretations of the term. Tsao asked what the point of it is if the two sides never reach a genuine consensus.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/29
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Dec. 29 (CNA) In a presidential debate generally lacking in substance, cross-Taiwan Strait relations and national security were among the main issues discussed, with the three candidates defending their approaches to dealing with China and its military threat.

The candidates all vowed to defend the Republic of China and the status quo, but they offered little in the way of specifics on a way forward.

On how to maintain healthy ties with a China that is getting stronger, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is running for re-election, said her administration has been working to keep normal exchanges with China without making provocative or risky moves.

"The real problem is Beijing is trying to turn cross-strait relations into a political chip," Tsai said, stressing that the most important issue was how to protect and defend the country's sovereignty.
[FULL  STORY]

ALL SYSTEMS GO: Mobile service starts today in some of the tunnels, while a telecom firm is working on drones to provide mobile coverage during disasters

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 30, 2019
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter, in Taitung County

Passengers traveling on the South Link Line (南迴鐵路) can look forward to uninterrupted mobile

phone service while passing through some of its tunnels after two base stations along the route are activated today, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.

Two signal stations at Puan (菩安) and Gujhuang (古莊), about 8km apart, would serve about 550,000 passengers on the railway line annually, the commission said, adding that travelers could experience preliminary results of improved mobile phone reception along the South Link.

About 40km of the South Link Line is inside 35 tunnels along the 98.2km route, and prior to the activation of the base stations, mobile service was unavailable for about one-and-a-half hours of the travel time, it said.

The NCC started coordinating with the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), telecoms and other agencies to improve reception and expand coverage along the line, it said.
[FULL  STORY]

Tens of thousands of China-friendly Taiwanese will reportedly take notes at Taiwan's nearly 15,000 polling stations

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/12/28
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer\

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tens of thousands of Taiwanese are said to be planning to turn up at the country's nearly 14,900 polling stations on Jan. 11 to report the election results first-hand, wittingly or unwittingly, to individuals affiliated with Beijing.

According to sources familiar with the matter, Beijing is set to repeat the same trick it pulled in 2018 to obtain election results before, or soon after, the polls closed with the assistance of China-friendly citizens, reported Up Media. These people mostly have participated in sponsored events such as trips to China or meetings over dinner in Taiwan.

Communist China has been long engaged in building and maintaining good relations with local Taiwanese, possibly for as long as a decade, according to the report. It has organized meetups and tours under the auspices of temples, township-level governments, and cultural associations as well as hosted members of pro-China Taiwanese political parties over the years.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/28
By: Wen Kuei-hsiang and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, Dec. 28 (CNA) Taiwan's Academia Historica will publish a compilation of historical materials related to late democracy activist Chen Wen-chen (陳文成), including documents that link Chen's case to the Kaohsiung Incident, the academy's curator told CNA.

The records, for which historians previously had to apply for access, will be available starting Sunday in book form as well as digitally, said curator Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深).

The academy's role as presidential record-keeper gave it a particular responsibility to publish the materials, which include interrogation transcripts and briefings that were provided to former President Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), Chen Yi-shen said.

One of the records' most important functions, he said, will be to strengthen the historical connection between Chen Wen-chen's mysterious 1981 death and the government's crackdown on the Kaohsiung-based political journal "Formosa Magazine" two years earlier in what came to be known as the Kaohsiung Incident.    [FULL  STORY]

CLOSER THAN BEFORE: The zoo has swapped its cages for moats, bushes and fences that it said would bring its more than 40 animal species closer to their visitors

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 29, 2019
By: Hung Mei-hsiu and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

After a two-year renovation, the nation’s oldest zoo yesterday reopened with a new layout that it

said brings visitors and animals closer than before.

Built in 1936, the Hsinchu Zoo overhauled its aging infrastructure with a no-cage approach to better protect and manage its animals in five areas, where they are separated from the public by moats or bushes and fences no taller than 120cm, allowing people to observe them at a closer distance without disturbing them, the city government said.

Visitors would be able to view all the animals, including orangutans and Bengal tigers, up close, it said, adding that common eland antelopes would be visible from the canteen area.

“Seeing the zoo become a center of tourism again has always been a dream of mine, and now I have seen that dream fulfilled,” Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) said.
[FULL  STORY]

Radioi Taiwan International
Date: 27 December, 2019
By: Jake Chen

The number of new students registered at universities and colleges dropped in 2019. That’s according to the latest figures released by the education ministry on Friday.

The figures show the registration rate for many universities dipped below 60% this year. The ministry said that all higher education establishments with registration rates below 60% for two consecutive years are required to submit plans to boost enrollment, or they could face punitive measures such as partial or complete suspension of subsidies.    [FULL  STORY]

The Reporter exposes fake news site Mission, details how it survives Facebook's crackdowns on fake news and disinformation

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/12/27
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Of the plethora of fake news sites based in Taiwan, the pro-Han, pro-China site Mission, which nabbed the title of the "most-shared Facebook content" leading up to Taiwan's elections last November and in April of this year, is most recently under the spotlight for its intertwining relationship with the pro-unification New Party.

The Reporter, an independent, non-profit, Taiwan-based media outlet, investigated Mission's digital footprint and on Thursday (Dec. 26) revealed that the site was established by Lin Cheng-guo (林正國), a member of the New Party who in a joint statement in 2018 called for reunification with China and the censoring of pro-independence propaganda.

In addition, Lin, a search engine optimization (SEO) and web expert, is said to have been assisting New Party spokesman and legislator-at-large candidate Wang Ping-chung (王炳忠) in managing his Facebook fan page for some time.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/12/27
By: Chang Jung-hsiang and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) The first shipment of Taiwanese guavas to the United States set out from Nanxi District in Tainan on Friday, following the signing of an export agreement by the two countries in October.

Approximately ten metric tons of the fruit will be transported by sea to the American West Coast, where they are expected to hit the shelves in the coming weeks.

The two sides commemorated the event at a press conference at Wei Mart Produce's export packaging plant, with Council of Agriculture (COA) deputy chief Chen Chun-chi (陳駿季), Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) and American Institute in Taiwan Kaohsiung Branch chief Matthew O'Connor in attendance.    [FULL  STORY]