Cartoon illustrates Beijing's half-sighted view of tattered 'one country, two systems' framework in Hong Kong

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/16
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Thursday (Sept. 12), an American illustrator on social media posted his latest cartoon, which refers to a female Kong Kong protestor who suffered severe damage to her eye as a metaphor for China's destruction of the "one country, two systems" framework.

Allan Rios, 42, who goes by the pen name Dedoshucos, created a biting commentary on the deteriorating situation in Hong Kong with the cartoon he uploaded to Reddit on Thursday. Inspired by a Hong Kong protester believed to be a volunteer medic whose eye suffered severe damage after being struck by a beanbag round on Aug. 11, Rios depicted the one-eyed woman as representing Beijing's half-sighted view of the tattered "one country, two systems" framework.

In the illustration, a woman can be seen with one eye badly bloodied and a shadowy figure wearing a gas mask behind her asking, "What happened to her eye?" The other shadowy figure says bluntly, "One country one system. Can't have another point of view."

Commenting on the piece, Rios told Taiwan News that "It's blunt and direct, but I meant what I said in my comment." Rios said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's refusal to meet Joshua Wong for the sake of political correctness, placing "communist economic benefits" above all else, shows how the West has turned its back on its values.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/16
By: Huang Huei-min and Ko Lin

Taipei, Sept. 16 (CNA) China's ban on individual Chinese travelers visiting three of Taiwan's offshore counties will be lifted effective Sept. 20, the Kinmen County government announced Monday.

Since Aug. 1, Beijing has banned individual tourists from 47 Chinese cities from traveling to Taiwan, citing the current state of relations between the two sides.

Following more than a month of negotiations, Kinmen, along with Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu), convinced Beijing to lift the ban for their counties beginning this week, the county government said in a statement. Applications for individual travelers from 20 cities in China's four major provinces — Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Guangdong — will be accepted again beginning Friday, it said.

Kinmen County Magistrate Yang Cheng-wu (楊鎮浯) said the ban has had a huge impact on the county's tourism and related sectors, noting that the announcement was a major boost in morale.
[FULL  STORY]

 

REGULATION NEEDED: The foundation said that it tested 28 samples of commercial thermal paper and found 23 that contained high levels of bisphenol S

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 17, 2019
By: Lo Chi and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday called for the government to regulate bisphenol S (BPS), a

common substitute for bisphenol A (BPA), in thermal paper.

BPA is an endocrine disruptor that affects the reproductive system, foundation secretary-general Wu Jung-ta (吳榮達) said.

In Taiwan, thermal paper, which is often used to print receipts or queue tickets, must contain less than 50 parts per million (ppm) of BPA, according to the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection.

When governments began limiting the use of BPA, many businesses replaced it with BPS, Wu said.
[FULL  STORY]

The many surprises of Taipei and Taichung

LiveMint
Date: 15 Sep 2019
By: Sejal Mehta

Taiwan’s second largest city embraces design with themed cafes, a painted village, and ultra-modern national theater

From glittering skyscraper to a temple that holds the answers to all questions, essentials for a Taipei itinerary

Night had settled in by the time the cab reached my hotel in Taichung’s Xitun district. But the markets and music clubs were buzzing.

As I tried to count the money, the currency still unfamiliar after just two days in Taiwan, the cabbie reached out, offering to help. That’s when I noticed his long nails—painted a sparkling gold with blue and white waves. For 20 minutes, he had driven me in silence, his outfit staid and ordinary. And then came this funky curveball out of nowhere.

Taiwan serves up many such surprises. For those who like the outdoors, there are treks and cycling tracks in its national parks and along the coastline. The cities have historical monuments, storied temples and busy night markets with affordable shopping. This list contains suggestions for the capital, Taipei, and Taichung, the country’s second largest city.    [FULL  STORY]

Solomon Islands prime minster Manaseh Sogavare has sought to clarify a comment he made on an Australian podcast that Taiwan is completely useless.

RNZ
Date: Sep 15, 2019

The Little Red Podcast, made my academics at the Australian National University, was examining the

Solomons' pending decision on whether to switch diplomatic relations from Taiwan to China.

"To be honest when it comes to economics and politics Taiwan is completely useless to us," he said.

However, Mr Sogavare said the comment was taken out of context, being the imbalance between the amount of development assistance provided by Taiwan and the dollar value of Tuna caught by Taiwan in Solomon Islands' waters.

He said he was led to believe his conversation with the academic was confidential and not an interview.    [FULL  STORY]

Locals complain that conduct of some visitors disturbs originally peaceful life

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/09/15
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The lighting of the "Remains of the 13 Levels" in NE Taiwan since this year's Mid-Autumn Festival has many local residents fearful that the quiet coastal community of Shuinandong (水湳洞) will lose its tranquil character, reported the Central News Agency (CAN) on Saturday (Sept. 14).

After crowds of visitors poured into the quiet community to watch the lighting of the potential World Heritage site on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept. 13, some locals have complained that the conduct of some visitors has disturbed their originally peaceful life.

A local resident surnamed Shih (施) said in a Facebook post that besides admiring the scenery, some visitors “conveniently” threw garbage into her backyard, forcing her to pick up a large amount of trash.

Since the announcement of the lighting event, hordes of tourists have been seen entering the Shuinandong community. Residents have reported that tourists have intruded into their homes through unlocked doors, according to CNA.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/15
By: Chiang Chin-yeh and Joseph Ye

Washington, Sept. 14 (CNA) Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), convener of the Legislature's Foreign Affairs and

National Defense Committee, said Saturday that the Unites States should invite Taiwan to participate in the upcoming multi-national military exercises in the Pacific, based on U.S. laws that have already been enacted.

Speaking to reporters in Washington D.C., Legislator Wang of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that under those exiting laws, visits to the U.S. by senior Taiwanese officials should also increase.

Wang said that on his current trip he has met with members of Congress who sit on the armed forces, foreign affairs and intelligence committees in both the House and the Senate.

During those meetings, Wang said, he conveyed Taiwan's wish to participate in the U.S.-led multinational Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercises, which are scheduled for next summer.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/14
By: Hsiao Po-yang and Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Sept. 14 (CNA) A Taoist temple in Changhua County said Saturday that it has been flooded with about 20,000 orders for a baseball cap that is believed to have brought good luck to a Norwegian triathlete earlier this month, and it is trying hard to meet demand.

On Saturday, the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, people started queuing up at 2 a.m. in front of the Taoist Shun Tse Temple in Puyan Township for the 1,000 free caps it was handing out, and 10 minutes after the handout started, the caps were all gone, said temple official Hsu Wei-chiao (許維樵).

He said that this year, the temple had ordered 500 baseball caps bearing its name, but demand has spiked since 23-year-old Gustav Iden was seen wearing the cap when he crossed the finish line first in the 2019 Ironman race in France on Sept. 8.

As of Saturday, Hsu said, the temple had received some 20,000 orders for the cap, which will not be fulfilled until Oct. 20.    [FULL  STORY]