Epoch Times
Date: November 4, 2019
By: Frank Fang, Epoch Times

China was called out for a litany of bad behaviors in the Indo-Pacific while its democratic neighbor Taiwan was touted as a strong partner to the United States in a new report released by the U.S. State Department on Nov. 3.

The progress report analyzed measures that the U.S. government has taken to safeguard the Indo-Pacific region, how it has worked with like-minded partners, and identified potential threats to the U.S. strategy.

“Since the start of the Trump Administration, the Department of State and USAID have provided more than $4.5 billion in foreign assistance to the region,” the report said.

There are also about 375,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel assigned to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.    [FULL  STORY]

Belize foreign minister says Taiwan is 'better fit with Belize' than Communist China

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/04
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Saturday (Nov. 2), Belizean Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington

reaffirmed his nation's diplomatic ties with Taiwan over Communist China.

Breaking Belize News on Saturday cited Elrington as saying that despite efforts by China to court countries in the region, he feels that "We made the right choice sticking with Taiwan" because it is "a better fit with Belize." Elrington said that he favors Taiwan because its struggles with China over claims to its territory mirror Guatemala's claims to Belize's land.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/04
By: Hau Hsueh-chin and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) A former U.S. Air Force pilot and local environmentalists on Monday called on Taichung City government to reverse its recent decision to raze an abandoned former U.S. military hostel to make way for a modern building housing local NGO groups.

James Patrick Dwyer and a group of environmentalists said the compound located at Meicun Road in Taichung's West District was built in 1962 and served as the Foreign Affairs Services Department Hostel used by the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) stationed in the country.

With the withdrawal of MAAG after the U.S. ended official diplomatic ties in 1979, the compound was taken over by Taiwan's military which later commissioned a private company to turn it into a privately-run guesthouse.

The guesthouse closed its doors in 2006 and the building has been abandoned ever since.
[FULL  STORY]

Crux
Date: Nov 3, 2019
By: John L. Allen Jr.
EDITOR

News Analysis

ROME – Fans of Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing” may remember an episode in which President Bartlett is running for reelection and the White House is negotiating with his Republican opponent over debates. Bartlett’s side wants five and his opponent none, so they settle on two but are still divided over format.

Trying to figure out how to get the other team to budge, Bartlett at one point says the problem is that his side has nothing the other wants. One of his aides then says: “Sure we do … We have exactly one thing left that they want.”

His point is that by agreeing to just one debate, not two, they may be able to get the format they want. Bartlett goes on to crush his opponent in that exchange, and cruises to reelection.

The story comes to mind in light of a series on Crux over the last few days by Senior Correspondent Elise Harris, who was reporting from Taiwan. In the abstract, one might wonder why the Vatican even bothers with its diplomatic relations with Taiwan today, since it seems reasonably obvious that one day, sooner rather than later, they’ll downgrade the papal mission in Taipei in favor of diplomatic recognition by Beijing.    [FULL  STORY]

Asia One
Date: Nov 03, 2019
By: Carol Kan

Taiwan boasts a huge variety of plants that blossom all year long due to its tropical climate, especially fall which features a wide range of colours, including red, brown, ochre, green and more.

If you have a chance to travel around this season, here are some must-see destinations to discover the beauty of fall. In addition to maple leaves that turn yellow and red around this period of the year, silver grass and florist's daisy are worth the trip too. In this chilly season, the colour of Taiwan is remarkable.

Silver grass blossom is another highlight of the season in northern Taiwan. If you are longing for a romantic walk among nature, the Caoling Historic Trail, located at the junction of New Taipei City's Gongliao District and Yilan's Toucheng Township, is a must. It is also a historic trail built during the Qing dynasty.

It's called "Caoling" — which means a grass hill — because it only features silver grass, no trees. In fall, many people like to go hiking in the silver grass field and immerse themselves in nature.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio New Zealand
Nov 4, 2019

Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Hsu Szu-chien is expected to travel to Tuvalu this week and meet its

new Prime Minister Kausea Natano.

This comes amid fears in Taipei that more of Taiwan's remaining diplomatic allies in the Pacific might switch ties to China.

In September, Mr Natano succeeded Enele Sopoaga as Tuvalu's prime minister following the national election.

Taiwan News reports Hsu is scheduled to meet the prime minister and several leading officials including the acting Governor-General Teniku Talesi.    [FULL  STORY]

The gentleman from southern Tainan learned about an impoverished family of six and decided to donate what little money he had

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/11/03
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – An unnamed 90-year-old Taiwanese man has been lauded for his generosity after taking a trip from his hometown in the southwestern city of Tainan to Changhua County in central Taiwan to help out a poor family of six, SET News Channel reported on Nov. 1 (Friday).

The man learned the family lived in impoverished conditions, with no TV, kitchen, or bathroom, in Erlin Township, Changhua County. According to the report, the family comprises a 30-year-old father surnamed Chen, three young daughters (aged 7, 5, and 3), the man’s disabled father, and blind mother who had a mental illness.

The old man read about the family’s story in a newspaper article and learned the charity organization New Taiwan Volunteer Group (NTVG) was helping the Chen family to build a new home. In response, he decided to donate money to the charity organization.

According to a video the NTVG posted on Facebook on Oct. 31, the old man took a bus from his home in Guiren District to the train station and from there to Changhua City. After he got off the train he asked locals about the poor family by showing them the newspaper article about them that he had saved.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/11/03
By: Tzeng Yi-shiuan and Elizabeth Hsu

Snapshot from 'Don't go to Taiwan' video[/caption] Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) A travel film titled "Don't go to Taiwan" has attracted more than 1.3 million views since it was posted on YouTube on Oct. 27, with over 43,000 likes and many positive comments about Taiwan.

The 221-second video by French travel photographer Tolt juxtaposes images with several negative written headings, starting with "Taiwan is just buildings and factories."
 

That is then followed by "Taiwanese nature is completely lifeless," "Taiwanese temples are quite humdrum," "Taiwan is not a destination for outdoor lovers," "Taiwanese culture is not so diversified," and "Taiwan has no gastronomy."

The images, however, belie the assertions, as they showcase the beauty of Taiwan's forests, clouds in mountains and wild animals, as well as exquisite temple sculptures and tempting foods.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 04, 2019
By: Staff writer, with CNA

A foreign national who was arrested on Saturday after trying to climb on a China Airlines (CAL) plane

preparing to take off at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport continued to remain silent while being questioned by prosecutors yesterday.

The man was previously reported to be from Belarus, but prosecutors yesterday said they have yet to ascertain his nationality.

After spending the night at the airport’s immigration detention center, the suspect was sent to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office on Sunday morning, and charged with trespassing in the airport’s restricted area, in violation of the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法).

The suspect has not spoken a word since his arrest at around 2pm on Saturday, despite immigration officers trying to communicate with him in different languages.    [FULL  STORY]