Radio Taiwan Internatinal
Date: 16 July, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

Foxconn Founder Terry Gou says he has no regrets about joining the Kuomintang (KMT) primary. He wrote the message on his Facebook page late Monday night after Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu won the primary. Gou is one of Taiwan’s wealthiest tycoons and the founder of Foxconn, the company that makes the world’s iPhones and employs over a million people.

In national polls, Han came out first with 44.8% support while Gou followed with 27.7%. The polls decided the party candidate. After the results were announced, Gou congratulated Han but did not hold a press conference.

On his Facebook page, he said that many have asked him if he regretted getting into politics. He said there is no such thing as regrets for him, he has always strived to survive amidst challenges. He said the reason he decided to get out of his comfort zone during this latter stage in his life was because he loved his country. It wasn’t for fame, fortune or for his company Hon Hai, which some strange rumors had claimed.    [FULL  STORY]

Beijing is bullying another democratic neighbour. The EU must stop ignoring authoritarianism for the sake of stability and cash

The Guardian
Date: Tue 16 Jul 2019
By: Anders Fogh Rasmussen

China’s aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. China ‘has stepped up its aerial missions violating Taiwanese airspace, sailing warships near or in Taiwanese waters’. Photograph: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

Hong Kong’s administration has backed down over the controversial extradition bill, but the canary in the coalmine of China’s tacit acceptance of democracy is already dead.

Under China’s “one country, two systems” model, Hong Kong was given the guarantee that the freedoms of its citizens would be preserved and respected. Meanwhile, for a long time in the west, the consensus was that, as its economy grew, China would start to look more like Hong Kong. Regrettably, in recent years the opposite has happened and Hong Kong looks more like China by the year. Perhaps we were naive to believe that this erosion of Hong Kong’s democracy was not inevitable. Beijing makes no secret of its view that democracy and Chinese civilisation are incompatible. The protesters in the streets of Hong Kong would beg to differ, and I hope they succeed through peaceful means.

For democracy activists in Hong Kong and beyond, there is a shining city on the hill: Taiwan. It is the one clear example of a Chinese liberal democratic project that has thrived in recent years. It should come as no surprise that it has faced intense pressure from Beijing.

In the South China Sea, China is strengthening its military presence. Its violations of Taiwanese air and sea space have escalated to dangerous levels. Beijing’s hostility towards Taipei has intensified since 2016, when Taiwan elected a president who defends Taipei’s sovereignty. It has stepped up its aerial missions violating Taiwanese airspace, sailing warships near or in Taiwanese waters, with the most recent example in June when China’s aircraft carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait. Taipei is also seriously concerned about Chinese interference in Taiwan’s presidential election next January.
[FULL  STORY]

New curriculum will provide schools around the country with a firm foundation based on happiness and the common good

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/16
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Education (MOE) has for five years been promoting its “urban-rural collaborative learning partner schools,” in order to improve education in the countryside.

The program breaks from a past framework of interscholastic visits to “focus on students.” Participating schools place an emphasis on developing distinguishing features.

Through planning together, preparing for lessons, studying courses, observing and learning from each other's work, and online interactive channels, the schools have put in place learning exchanges and life experience lessons to expand the horizons of both teachers and students. The program will play a key role in the transformation and development of the 12-year national education scheme.

Taiwan has a rich environment, with mountains surrounded by the sea and rich cultures. For the 2019 curriculum, partner schools have built on local cultures, tribal ceremonies, endemic ecology, and distinctive industries, by sharing their special curriculum.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/07/16
By: Wen Kuei-hsiang and Joseph Yeh

Kingstown, July 16 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has arrived in Taiwan's diplomatic ally St. Vincent and the Grenadines, on the third stop of her 12-day visit to the country's four Caribbean allies.

Tsai was warmly received by Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves at Argyle International Airport in the capital Kingstown upon her arrival at around 10 a.m. Tuesday local time.

During her one-and-a-half-day stay in the country, Tsai is scheduled to address parliament, oversee the signing of a bilateral accord on the fight against transnational crime and another pact to facilitate bilateral financial cooperation.

Tsai is scheduled to depart St. Vincent around noon Wednesday local time before heading to St. Lucia for three days on the last leg of her state visit to the Caribbean, including Haiti and St.Kitts and Nevis.    [FULL  STORY]

LIMITED IMPACT:The total affected area is far below the 20% predicted by international researchers, as only 1.22% of cornfields have been affected, officials said

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 17, 2019
By Chien Hui-ju and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A type of small wasp might be introduced to combat an influx of fall armyworms, the Council of

Agriculture said on Monday.

The crop-destroying fall armyworm was first found on a Miaoli County farm last month and has since spread to other areas.

Trichogramma are important biological control agents, as they lay their eggs within the eggs of other insects.

Preliminary testing with three Trichogramma species have been successful, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Director-General Feng Hai-tung (馮海東) said, adding that if field trials are also successful, the measures would be introduced.

From June 8 to Monday, 206 fall armyworm sightings had been reported across the nation, excluding Chiayi County, where there were no sightings, council Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said.
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 16, 2019
By: Chen Kuan-pei and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Changhua District Court found two local residents guilty of pouring boiling water on goose eggs at

a neighbor’s farm in Changhua County’s Yuanlin Township (員林).

Chang Chen-mei (張陳梅), 74, and her son Chang Tzu-hsi (張慈錫), 53, were handed prison sentences of 28 and eight days respectively for property damage, which can be commuted to fines of NT$1,000 per day, the court said.

A woman surnamed Lin (林) who lives on a farm near the Chang residence, said her family keeps geese for security reasons and she installed cameras after their eggs failed to hatch, court documents showed.

Footage showed that the Changs had entered the property and poured boiling water on the eggs, Lin said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 15 July, 2019
By: Paula Chao

President Tsai Ing-wen says Taiwan will continue strengthening its defense capabilities. She was speaking Sunday during a visit to Saint Kitts and Nevis, the second leg of her overseas trip.

Her comments came just days after the US Congress approved an arms package for Taiwan worth US$2.2 billion. They also follow a recent announcement from China that it will conduct military exercises along its southeastern coast. Some say the announcement from China is a warning to Taiwan and the United States.

Tsai said China schedules war games whenever she goes on an overseas trip. But she said that’s become a routine. She also explained why it’s important for Taiwan to boost its defense capabilities.

“Maintaining regional peace and stability is the joint responsibility of all parties [involved]. We hope that China, as a big country, can take its responsibility of maintaining regional peace and stability seriously. The [announcement] also reminds us of the importance of our military empowerment and self-sufficiency. We should continue working every day to strengthen our ability to defend ourselves," said Tsai.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: July 15, 2019

President Tsai Ing-wen (left) is joined by Mark A. G. Brantley, minister of foreign affairs and aviation for St. Kitts and Nevis and premier of Nevis, in breaking ground on the Pinney’s Beach Park Project July 14 in the Caribbean ally. (MOFA)

President Tsai Ing-wen arrived July 14 in St. Kitts and Nevis on the second leg of her Journey of Freedom, Democracy, Sustainability to Taiwan’s four Caribbean allies, according to the Presidential Office.
 
Upon touching down at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, Tsai was greeted by Prime Minister Timothy S. Harris, other senior government officials and members of the Taiwan expatriate community. She received a military honor guard welcome before departing for her hotel in St. Kitts.
 
The next day, Tsai took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Taiwan-St. Kitts and Nevis Pinney’s Beach Park Project. Overseen by Taipei City-headquartered International Cooperation Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), the eco-friendly and sustainable public recreation initiative is aimed at advancing tourism development in Nevis.

Prior to St. Kitts and Nevis, Tsai visited Haiti and held bilateral talks with President Jovenel Moise on a wide range of issues of mutual concern. These included cooperative projects centering on power grid upgrades, rice cultivation and solar-powered pumping systems.    [FULL  STORY]

Representative speaks out in support of Taiwan arms deal in TV interview

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/07/15
By  Taiwan News

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Representative Michael McCaul made clear his feelings about

Chinese aggression towards Taiwan in an interview with Fox News on Sunday (July 14), defending the recent sale of U.S. military hardware to Taiwan.

A Republican congressman from Texas, McCaul appeared on Fox News, stating that the US$2.2 billion arms sale “sends a very strong message to China.” McCaul affirmed that the U.S. is “going to arm Taiwan so she can defend herself from what’s become a very aggressive Chinese Communist Party right on the doorstep.”

McCaul, along with Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, approved the arms deal that includes 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks, 250 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, and Hercules armored vehicles. McCaul and Engel were part of a group of U.S. lawmakers that met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during her recent visit to New York.

The arms deal has deepened the animosity between the U.S. and China amid their ongoing trade war. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang (耿爽) has come out in “resolute opposition” to the deal, demanding it be canceled. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has responded that it does not intend to change its plans.   [FULL  STORY]

Lin Fei-fan accepted the DPP's job offer as the party's Deputy Secretary-General.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/07/15
By: Brian Hioe

Sunflower Movement student leader Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) joining the Democratic Progressive Party surprised many over the weekend. Lin has accepted the offer to be the party’s deputy secretary-general from the current DPP secretary general Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉).

Lin, 31, has recently returned to Taiwan after finishing a Master’s Degree in Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics.

As one of the most prominent student activists involved in the 2014 Sunflower Movement, a monthlong occupation of the legislature, Lin was praised by the media as a movement leader, along with other activists like Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷) and Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌).

During the press conference today, Lin said that his move to join the DPP may shock many people, including his friends. During the Sunflower Movement, student activists were of the DPP as also facing issues of internal political corruption, and not proving any better than the KMT in some cases.
[FULL  STORY]