Page Two

Deaths deemed murder-suicide

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 20, 2019
By: Chen Chien-chih, Yang Cheng-chun and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

The deaths of an estranged couple and their two children found in a taxi by a field in Taichung’s Taiping District (太平) is suspected to be a murder-suicide, police said on Monday.

At 9am that day, a man surnamed Wang (王) called the police about a taxi parked with the motor running beside a stretch of farmland, the Taichung Police Department’s Taiping precinct said.

Inside were the bodies of a man surnamed Wu (吳), 32, the car’s registered owner; his wife, surnamed Peng (彭), 34; and the couple’s two children, a boy and a girl, whose identifying details were withheld as required by law in cases involving minors, police said.

Peng’s hands were bound with clear plastic tape, they said, adding that a stove, a bag of charcoal, two empty soft drink cups and some unidentified pills were also found on the scene.    [FULL  STORY]

Authors Jimmy Liao and Tian Er Swap Stories at the 2019 Taipei Book Fair

Taiwanese author Jimmy Liao and Chinese author Tian Er discussed their origins at Taipei’s recently wrapped 2019 book fair.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/02/18
By: Daphne K. Lee, 破土 New Bloom

Credit: 台北書展基金會 / Facebook

The 2019 Taipei International Book Exhibition kicked off on Tuesday with an author’s award ceremony presented by Eslite Bookstore. Three authors from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China respectively – Albert Leung, Jimmy Liao, and Tian Er – were awarded The Most Anticipated Authors of the Year.

After the ceremony, Liao and Tian discussed their creative journeys in an author’s forum moderated by Zhao Yahng, a Taiwanese novelist. Liao, 60, and Tian, 43, both have 20 years of prolific work under their belts, but living a creative life often proves to be challenging.

“I became a bestselling author once Turn Left, Turn Right was published,” Liao said. “But I felt tremendous stress at the time – was I only a coincidence?”

Originally an illustrator at an advertising company, Liao had quit his job to fight against leukemia in 1995. According to Liao, he only became an author when an editor at Locus Publishing invited him to compile his illustrations into a book. He created the first book as a commemorative album, thinking it would be his last creative project.    [FULL  STORY]

3 MEPs granted medal of diplomacy to recognize promotion of Taiwan-EU ties

The European Parliament-Taiwan Friendship Group is visiting Taiwan until Friday

Taiwan News 
Date: 2019/02/18
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu confers the medal of diplomacy upon MEP Cristian Dan Preda (from left), Eduard Kukan, and Bas Belder on Jan. 18 (By Taiwan News)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) conferred a Friendship Medal of Diplomacy to three members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Monday.

Bas Belder, Eduard Kukan, and Cristian Dan Preda were each presented with the civil award to recognize their long-term contributions to the relationship between Taiwan and the European Union.

“Your voices of support are greatly appreciated and they have made Taiwan more confident in the face of challenges,” said Wu, in reference to the statements made by the MEPs and their colleagues about opposing Beijing’s use of military force against Taiwan.

The European Parliament called a debate on cross-strait relations Jan. 3, the day after Chinese leader Xi Jinping proposed a “One China, Two Systems” arrangement for Taiwan, and said Beijing would not give up military actions targeting the country.    [FULL  STORY]

Canadian envoy seeking to increase his country’s visibility in Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/02/18
By: Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) Canada’s representative to Taiwan Jordan Reeves said during a visit to the Central

Jordan Reeves (right), Canada’s representative to Taiwan, and Central News Agency President Chang Jui-chang (張瑞昌)

News Agency on Monday that he is working to raise his country’s profile and give it greater visibility among Taiwanese.

On his first visit to CNA since he took office last year, Reeves said in a meeting with CNA president Chang Jui-chang (張瑞昌) and Editor-in-Chief Jay Chen (陳正杰) that Canada and Taiwan have maintained close exchanges in terms of investment and trade, technology, and people-to-people ties.

The two-way exchanges have been deep-rooted for decades as there are around 60,000 Canadian passport holders in Taiwan and as many as 200,000 people of Taiwanese origin living in Canada, said Reeves, who took office in August 2018 as director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT).

Canada is one of the countries that support Taiwan’s international participation in global organizations, he said. In addition, Taiwan is Canada’s 12th-largest trading partner and fifth-biggest in Asia, Reeves said.
[FULL  STORY]

Macaque attacks man at home

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 19, 2019
By: Tsai Tsung-hsien and William Hetherington  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A Formosan rock macaque on Sunday last week broke into a home in a village in Pingtung County and

A Formosan macaque identified by a man as having attacked him is pictured in Pingtung County in an undated photo provided by him.  Photo retaken by Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times

attacked the homeowner, who was sleeping inside.

The man, surnamed Chang (張), who lives in Haikou Village (海口) in Checheng Township (車城), yesterday said that he was napping in the living room when the macaque bit him on the head, leaving a 3cm laceration.

The Pingtung Department of Agriculture urged residents of the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) to keep their windows closed to keep macaques out.

Chang, 67, said he had left the windows open to let fresh air in, adding that the animal had already escaped by the time he realized he had been attacked.

His family rushed him to a hospital, where he received 10 stitches, he said.

Chang said he believes the macaque that attacked him was the same one that was spotted near the village several months ago.    [FULL  STORY]

Google is building a solar power project above fishing ponds in Taiwan, its first in Asia

  • Google recently signed its first green deal in Asia, a solar project to be built above fishing ponds in Taiwan.
  • Building solar projects over water is becoming more common in Asia due to population density and competition for available land.
  • Worldwide, the floating solar market could reach 400 gigawatts, according to the World Bank. A recent DOE report said 10 percent of U.S. energy supply could come from floating solar power.

CNBC News
Date: February 17, 2019
By: Donovan Russo

The site of Google’s planned solar power project in Taiwan which will include the use of poles hoisting solar panels above fishing ponds.

Google unveiled an ambitious plan eight years ago to build a wind energy project in the Atlantic Ocean running all the way from New York to Virginia. That massive “underwater spine” has been slow to progress, but Google is moving ahead with its first water-based renewable energy project — it is just a little smaller in scale: Solar panels atop a series of fishing ponds in Taiwan. The deal marks Google’s entry into the Asian renewable energy market.

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, recently became the first company to make a purchase under the 2017 Taiwan Electricity Act, which allows non-utility companies to purchase renewable energy. For the 10-megawatt solar array in Tainan City, Taiwan, Google will install poles, with solar panels at the top of them, above fishing ponds.

The idea of building solar projects sited on water — known as floating photovoltaics, or “flotovoltaics” — is becoming more popular.    [FULL  STORY]

Taichung and Hsinchu selected as Taiwan Lantern Festival sites for 2020 and 2021, respectively

Taichung City Government has promised to raise and appropriate NT$400 million to host the festival

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/02/17
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

(Photo courtesy of Taichuing City Government)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taichung City and Hsinchu City have been selected as the Taiwan Lantern Festival sites for 2020 and 2021, respectively, Taiwan Tourism Bureau said in a news release on Jan. 31.

The bureau said the decision was made by a selection committee.

Taichung City Government has planned to hold the 2020 Taiwan Lantern Festival at Houli Horse Ranch, Fengyuan Huludun Park, and Taichung Central Park. Most of the festival venues will use the “2018 Taichung World Flora Expo” site.

Taichung City Government has promised to raise and appropriate NT$400 million (about US$13.5 million) to host the festival, which is much higher than what other bidding counties and cities had to offer, the Tourism Bureau said.    [FULL  STORY]

European Parliament Taiwan Friendship Group visits Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/02/17
By: Matt Yu and William Yen

Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) Werner Langen, chairman of the European Parliament Taiwan

Werner Langen / Image taken from (www.werner-langen.de)

Friendship Group (TFG), and his delegation arrived in Taiwan for a six-day visit.

They will be received by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and other top Taiwan officials during the visit, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) that day.

Langen’s delegation includes European Parliament members Bas Belder from the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Eduard Kukan from the Group of the European People’s Party, Cristian Preda from the Group of the European People’s Party and Georg Jarzembowski, TFG honorary chairman, the statement said.    [FULL  STORY]

FDA in hot water over new soy sauce standards

CENSURED: The Control Yuan said the FDA adopted looser rules for manufacturing brewed soy sauce than it said it would, including removing the levulinic acid level

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 18, 2019
By: Lee I-chia  /  Staff reporter

The Control Yuan has passed a proposal to censure the Food and Drug Administration

The Control Yuan building in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times

(FDA) for setting loose standards for brewed soy sauce, officials said yesterday.

The FDA announced its draft Regulations Governing the Labeling of Prepackaged Soy Sauce Products (包裝醬油製程之標示規定) on March 8 last year, which would have required producers to identify their products according to the manufacturing process, and add either “rapid fermented,” “hydrolyzed,” “blended (mixed)” or “brewed” to the packaging labels.

The regulations were due to take effect on Jan. 1 this year, but the Control Yuan said the FDA and the Ministry of Health and Welfare had made significant changes to standards set out in the new rules.

The ministry removed an important standard for identifying brewed soy sauce products — the levulinic acid level — after the FDA released its draft, and instead adopted a looser standard used by the Chinese National Standards (CNS) for Grade C soy sauce products — the total nitrogen level, the Control Yuan said.    [FULL  STORY]

Pacific islands may pivot to China, as Beijing seeks to isolate Taiwan

The Telegraph
Date: 16 February 2019
By: Nicola Smith

Port Vila. Vanuatu, is one of a number of small islands to come under increasing pressure from Beijing CREDIT: DAVID KIRKLAND/DESIGN PICS/GETTY IMAGES/AXIOM RM

Pacific Island nations will seek new, stronger ties with China this year, despite concerns from traditional allies, one of the region’s most senior diplomats has pledged.

In a speech this month in Port Vila, Vanuatu, Dame Meg Taylor, the secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, an intergovernmental body, said it was time to debate how to “collectively engage” with Beijing to gain access to its markets, technology, financing and infrastructure.

“Exploring opportunities for extending China’s Maritime Silk Road through our Blue Pacific could provide opportunities for creating regional infrastructure and access that could inspire new markets of trade between Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America,” she said.

The suggested pivot towards China comes amid reports that Beijing is ramping up pressure on the forum to formally embrace a One China policy and isolate Taiwan, an Indo-Pacific ally of the US, Australia and New Zealand.     [FULL  STORY]