Today Online
Date: 04 August 2019

GUANXI (Taiwan) — Guanxi Township is easy to miss. A lot of people pass it on the way to the nearby Leofoo Village Theme Park, famous around Taiwan for its zoo and rides, or to the Window on China theme park of miniature-scale Chinese landmarks.

The town of about 30,000 people lacks a railway station, which would make visiting it easier; long-distance buses run erratically; there are no chain hotels; and there is little parking for tour buses.

As a result, it has received fewer than 700,000 visitors in the past five years, whereas the nearby historic town of Neiwan, which is served by rail and is more commercial, gets more than two million a year.

Visitors who do reach the town, in the hills of Hsinchu County southwest of the island’s capital city, Taipei, will find quiet, rural scenery, unique local food, unusual types of tea and a museum tour they’d be hard pressed to get anywhere else.    [FULL  STORY]

President Tsai Ing-wen says Beijing dreads mainlanders seeing a presidential election in a democratic society

Asia Times
Date: August 4, 2019
By: K.G. CHAN

Taiwanese authorities have rushed to dole out assurance and economic aid to travel agencies, hostels and malls catering to mainland Chinese tourists, after Beijing abruptly announced a moratorium on an individual visit scheme until after the island’s presidential election in January.

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Wednesday banned 47 mainland cities from issuing new permits for individual tourists who plan to visit Taiwan, meaning mainlanders can only join guided tours to the self-ruled island.

It is estimated that Taiwan may receive 500,000 to 700,000 less tourists from China in the next six months.

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen told reporters on Thursday that she had already instructed departments in charge of tourism, transportation and economy to prepare a contingency plan for any travel ban by Beijing “months ago.” She said it was not the first time that Beijing had stopped its people from flocking to the island, out of the fear of mainlanders seeing with their own eyes the cut and thrust of a presidential election and how a genuine democracy works.    [FULL  STORY]

The Japan Timwes
Aug 4, 2019
By: Ko Shu-Ling

A Vietnamese worker picks tomatoes at a farm in Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, last December
TAIPEI – In April, Japan undertook a policy initiative meant to alleviate problems caused by its rapidly graying population, including labor shortages, rural depopulation and increasing pressure on social services.

Key to the policy is a visa plan to bring in more foreign labor over the next five years, including 345,000 blue-collar workers from China and Southeast Asia.

To attract quality workers, Japanese planners are trying to not only correct past problems, but also let “qualified migrants” stay longer, bring their families, and in some cases become citizens.

Such changes will alter the social fabric of a nation long resistant to immigration. But more generous work visas will also increase competition for migrant labor in the region, especially among advanced economies with similar demographic problems and a poor record of hosting visiting workers.

Taiwan is a case in point.     [FULL  STORY]

Tsai observed that Han has acted 'unpatriotic' by signaling endorsement of 'One Country, Two Systems' to Beijing

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/04
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On Sunday (Aug. 4), President Tsai Ing-Wen (蔡英文) responded to criticism from Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) who stated on Saturday evening Tsai “does not love her own country.” Han also said that for the past three years Tsai has only referred to Taiwan as “this country” while avoiding direct mention of the official title “Republic of China.”

During a visit to Yilan Sunday morning, Tsai countered the baseless remarks by observing that, while Han Kuo-yu has been doing a lot of talking recently, he has not been seen doing much else. Responding to his accusation that she does not love Taiwan, Tsai calmly stated that she didn’t think many people would agree with his characterization.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/04
By: Yu Hsiao-han and Christie Chen

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) A tropical depression between Guam and the Philippines strengthened into Tropical Storm Lekima Sunday and is forecast to bring rain to northern and eastern Taiwan later this week, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said Sunday.

Lekima, the ninth storm of the Pacific typhoon season this year, is not expected to make a landfall in Taiwan, but the storm's peripheral effect is forecast to bring showers to northern and eastern Taiwan on Thursday and Friday, according to the CWB.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/08/04
By: Chris Chang, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — LEDs are dominating the lighting market with their versatility and cost-

effectiveness. Does that mean people should ride on this trend? Will these nontraditional light bulbs lead us to a more economical and eco-friendly future? This report hopes to shed some “LED light” on the matter.

What is LED?

LED stands for light-emitting diode, an electric component that glows when connected to direct current. The predecessor to LED lights, which was discovered in 1907, was yellowish. However, it was not until 1994 that LED lighting was commercialized. By that time, scientists had figured out how to produce LED light with multiple colors at low cost. By 2018, the global LED indoor lighting market was a US$15.87 billion industry.

In comparison with its incandescent and fluorescent predecessors, LED lightbulbs enjoy a longer lifespan. Per market standards, LED lamps last up to 40,000 hours compared to 10,000 and 1,000 hours for fluorescent and incandescent lamps, respectively. LEDs also save more energy, with an 800-lumen LED bulb only consuming 9 to 12 watts, 5 times less than an incandescent one.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/08/03
By: Lin Hung-han and Ko Lin

Los Angeles, Aug. 2 (CNA) Taiwan's representative to the United States Stanley Kao (高碩泰) threw the ceremonial first pitch in a Major League Baseball game Friday in Los Angeles, saying that it symbolized hope for stronger bilateral ties.

Kao was in attendance for "Hello Taiwan Night," an event organized by the Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Los Angeles, and the stadium featured electronic board messages supporting Taiwan throughout the game.

Relations between the two countries have never been better, Taiwan's top representative in Washington said, citing the high-profile treatment extended by the U.S. government during President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) recent stopovers there.    [FULL  STORY]