Reuters
Date: November 9, 2020
By: Andrius Sytas

VILNIUS (Reuters) – Lithuania’s new ruling coalition agreed on Monday to commit the incoming government to support “those fighting for freedom” in Taiwan, threatening to hurt the small EU member’s relations with China, a potential investor in its main port.

European Union member states, and the bloc itself, have no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan due to the objections of Beijing, which considers the island part of China.

The Lithuanian coalition agreement, signed by leaders of the Homeland Union, Liberal Movement and Freedom parties, which together won 74 seats in 141-seat parliament on Oct. 25, binds the new government to carry out a “values-based foreign policy”.

“We will actively oppose any violation of human rights and democratic freedoms, and will defend those fighting for freedom around the world, from Belarus to Taiwan,” they said.   [FULL  STORY]

Century-old house disassembled, relocated, reassembled

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/11/09
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A relocated and reassembled historic building in New Taipei City’s Wugu District has opened to visitors, and the public now has the chance to appreciate the beauty of the traditional U-shaped southern Fukien-style courtyard house.

Shou Rang Hall (守讓堂), a former residence of the Wu family in Wugu, was built in 1917, according to New Taipei City government data. The family used the steamships of its trading company to transport building materials such as porcelain and stone to build the house at today’s intersection of Chengtai Road and Denglin Road.

However, one wing of the old house was torn down to make way for the construction of the National Freeway 1 in 1970. In 2006, the house was registered as a historic building after a campaign to preserve the architectural heritage.

In 2007, a relocation and reassembly plan was adopted by the the New Taipei City Government. The components of the old house were disassembled and stored.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 11/09/2020
By: Chen Yun-yu and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Nov. 9 (CNA) Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) presented a medal to outgoing Ambassador Rachel Coupaud of Haiti on Monday in recognition of her contributions to promoting Taiwan-Haiti ties over her eight-year tenure.

At a ceremony held in Taipei, Wu conferred the Order of the Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Coupaud and thanked her for her efforts in strengthening bilateral political, cultural and economic relations and promoting exchanges and understanding between the two peoples.

Coupaud expressed her gratitude to her friends in Taiwan for their help over the years and said she believed two-way ties will continue to flourish in the years to come, benefiting the people of both countries.

During her eight years in office, Ambassador Coupaud arranged for visits to Taiwan by former President Michel Joseph Martelly and incumbent President Jovenel Moïse, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) press release.    [FULL  STORY]

Recent tests suggest that Beijing has great confidence in the HJ-10 guided missile platform whether in an amphibious landing or in a mountainous assault.

The Nlational Interest
Date: November 9, 2020
By: Peter Suciu

Here's What You Need to Remember: A year ago Taipei announced that it would buy the American-built Abrams and other hardware in a deal worth $2.2 billion—pending Congressional approval. It is exactly this kind of military equipment that the Chinese seek to counter.

Earlier this week the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced that it had conducted a test of a new anti-tank missile system as part of a so-called “Taiwan Drill.” The exercise, which was conducted in an island-landing exercise from the Bohai Bay earlier this year, was only disclosed on Tuesday—and was possibly meant to serve as a message as much to Taiwan as to the United States.

The South China Morning Post reported that a rocket brigade from the Northern Theater Command conducted the live-fire test from a wheeled vehicle-mounted platform. Beijing didn’t specify exactly which system was involved in the recent exercise, but analysts have speculated it likely was the HJ-10 (also called the Red Arrow-10), a vehicle-loaded guided missile.

It was developed to combat enemy armor such as the U.S.-made M1A2 Abrams main battle tank.
[FULL  STORY]

Volunteers jump to action after hearing young boy's written request for help to fix dilapidated house

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/11/09
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese student’s plea to help repair his family's house has received a warm response from a local charity, which took action on Sunday (Nov. 8) to turn the broken abode into a new, comfortable one.

The fifth-grader said that he lived with his sickly octogenarian great-grandmother, grandmother, and ailing aunt in a house in Yunlin County's Taixi Township, according to a CNA report. He wrote an SOS letter to his village chief, describing their poverty-stricken lives and the deplorable housing conditions they lived in.

The letter, dated Oct. 15, starts with a description of the boy and his family. He said he had been told that his mother, who is Indonesian, abandoned him and went back to her country soon after he was born and that he had been raised by his grandmother. He said his father was currently serving time in prison.

He wrote, “My family lives in a house that is more than 40 years old, has fallen into disrepair, and has leaking problems.”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 11/09/2020
By: Flor Wang and Chen Yun-yu

Taipei, Nov. 9 (CNA) Taiwan will donate US$100,000 to the Caribbean ally of Belize to help repair damage caused by the calamitous storm Eta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Monday.

MOFA said in a statement that it approached Belize Ambassador to Taiwan Diane Haylock to express the government's concern upon learning of the situation.

Ambassador to Belize Remus Chen (陳立國), meanwhile, has also conveyed Taiwan's concern to Belize Governor-General Colville Young, Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington on behalf of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), MOFA said.

Taiwanese expatriates in the Caribbean country, located on the northeastern coast of Central America, are all safe, it noted, adding that Taiwan will provide the assistance to Belize as soon as necessary.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 06 November, 2020
By: Leslie Liao

Tropical Storm Atsani made landfall in southern Taiwan on Friday morning. The storm is currently in the Bashi Channel to the south of Taiwan, and heading towards the Pratas Islands to the west. 

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau says it expects rainfall and wind to strengthen in the country’s southern counties. Residents of the southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan have been told to brace for stormy conditions Friday night.       [FULL  STORY]

Wu thanks Trump for helping to make Taiwan 'stronger, safer & more capable of choosing its own future'

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/11/08
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), has congratulated him on his win, while also thanking President Donald Trump for his four years of support for Taiwan.

On Saturday (Nov. 7), multiple news agencies reported that Biden had taken a decisive lead in Pennsylvania, giving him 20 electoral votes and taking him over the top of the 270 electoral college threshold, giving him the presidency. On Sunday morning, MOFA also posted a tweet congratulating Biden and Harris on their triumph.

At 3 p.m. that day, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) personally took to MOFA's Twitter account to express thanks for the Trump administration's "staunch support and friendship." Wu asserted that during the four years of Trump's presidency, Taiwan has become "stronger, safer & more capable of choosing its own future" and indicated that this would be an "enduring legacy" of Trump's policy toward the country.

One of the highpoints of Trump's Taiwan policy includes the Trump-Tsai call that took place on Dec. 2, 2016, the first such call between the leaders of the two countries since 1979. Legislation passed that favored Taiwan during Trump's tenure includes the Taiwan Travel Act and the TAIPEI ACT.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 11/08/2020
By: Liang Pei-chi and William Yen

Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) Negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between Taiwan and the United States are still likely to go forward despite a change in U.S. presidency, a senior Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) official said Sunday.

The Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) under which Taiwan and the U.S. hold formal talks on trade is an important catalyst for the BTA and has a high chance resuming, said MOEA Deputy Minister Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺).

Chen pointed to Taiwan's recent announcement that it would ease restrictions on imports of U.S. pork containing a controversial leanness enhancing drug.

Washington has long criticized Taiwan's zero-tolerance policy for ractopamine in pigs as an impediment to trade, and as a result of this, it has not held formal talks on trade with Taiwan through the TIFA framework since October 2016.    [FULL  STORY]