By empowering its cruise missile program, Taiwan is taking its gloves off in its cross-Strait standoff.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/11/15
By: Paul Huang

Taiwan is reportedly building a new batch of cruise missiles with an extended range of up to 1,200 kilometers, giving them the capability to strike targets deep inside mainland China.

The move is a long-deliberated response to deter Beijing in the midst of a rapidly growing military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait, where a belligerent China has already deployed thousands of ballistic and cruise missiles with the capability to hit the democratic island nation.

Upmedia of Taiwan reported that the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E), the Taiwanese military’s indigenous-produced surface-to-surface cruise missile, is about to conclude the first phase of its production, which started in 2008 with at least 240 missiles built. The second production phase of HF-2E missiles will begin in 2019, with the newest batch of HF-2Es capable of hitting targets up to 1,200 kilometers away.

At least 100 HF-2E missiles with extended range will be built, and a budget of NT$13.6 billion (about US$440 million) has already been allocated, according to Upmedia.    [FULL  STORY]

The National Communications and Cyber Security Center was inaugurated on Nov. 15

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/15
By: Teng Pei-ju, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — With a national cyber security center inaugurated on Thursday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the government will continue to improve the joint task force on communications and cyber security to ensure Taiwan’s security and competitiveness.

The President attended the opening ceremony of the National Communications and Cyber Security Center (NCCSC) on Thursday, which she considers “a landmark” for Taiwan’s information security development, according to the press released from the Presidential Office.

Reiterating her statement that “cyber security is national security,” President Tsai noted that Taiwan is situated in a volatile and complex global environment, wherein information security stands at the forefront of national defense.

“We don’t have much time,” said the President, urging various government ministries to work together and speed up the construction of information technology protection, as well as the incubation of talent and experts in the field of cyber security.
[FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
15 November, 2018
By: Jake Chen

Over 100 rental car and minibus drivers parked outside the Ministry of Transportation to protest new policies which limit their ability to work with Uber, a ride sharing service.

The transportation ministry recently announced new regulations that subject all rental car drivers to stricter limits: drivers can only provide rides longer than one hour and are not allowed to make rounds on the same route.

Drivers said the new regulations are unfair and will threaten their livelihood. They plan to stage a larger protest if the government does not make any changes.
[SOURCE]

‘CORRECT YOUR MISTAKE’: The KMT said that fake news was never an issue when it was in power, and Tsai’s statements on the issue reveal her failed governance

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 16, 2018
By: Shih Hsiao-kuang and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡

英文) administration of dragging down the economy and critiqued Tsai’s claim that “foreign forces” are attempting to interfere with Taiwanese affairs via disinformation.

Posts on Tsai’s official Facebook page say that “foreign forces” are continually seeking to oppress the nation through disinformation and online bullying, KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) told a news conference in Taipei.

Such posts show that Tsai is unable to face the fact that her administration is ineffective at governance, as the influence disinformation had on Taiwanese politics and quality of life was not an issue when the KMT was in power, Hung said.

The main issues for the public over the past two years have been stalled foreign sales of produce, power outages and air pollution, all of which are unlikely to be caused by “foreign powers,” Hung said.    [FULL  STORY]

Your daily bulletin of Taiwan news, courtesy of ICRT.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/11/14
By: International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT)

Palau’s president, Tommy Remengesau Jr., is visiting Taiwan, which he calls an important and productive partner of his country.

On Palau’s ties with Taiwan, Remengesau Jr. said “friendship is earned, not forced,” amid continuing pressure from China to force the Pacific country to switch recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

According to Palau’s Bureau of Immigration, visitor arrivals from China this year dropped by over 36 percent from 2016 as a result of Beijing’s ban on group tours to Palau because of the Pacific island nation’s diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Credit: Tsai Ing-wen FacebookPalau President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. (L) and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (R).
When he was asked to comment on Chinese pressure, Remengesau Jr. said that respect is a very important word for the people of Palau, no matter how big or small a country is.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/11/14
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission recommended in its latest annual report published Wednesday that Congress should legislate against U.S. businesses giving in to pressure from China on Taiwan.

The commission says on its website that it “is mandated by Congress to investigate, assess, and report to Congress annually on ‘the national security implications of the economic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.’”

Over the past year, China repeatedly threatened U.S. corporations who referred to Taiwan as a country on their website to change the reference. In most cases, the companies gave in, though some responded by removing all country names or by heading the list “countries and territories.”

In its latest report, the commission said that China’s efforts to push further economic integration by Taiwan had already altered the status quo in cross-strait relations, the Apple Daily reported.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/11/14
By: Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Nov. 14 (CNA) Taiwan’s defense chief on Wednesday said the military has not

seen any signs that the United States will stage a drill in the South China Sea in the near future, as has been previously suggested by CNN.

Fielding questions from legislators during a hearing, Defense Minister Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said Taiwan’s Armed Forces have closely monitored the regional situation but have not seen anything to suggest the U.S. could soon hold an exercise in the disputed waters.

CNN reported on Oct. 4 that the U.S. was planning to conduct freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea later this month, with the proposal being circulated calling for several missions to take place in just a few days in November.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) wondered if the movement of an American aircraft carrier is related to that.    [FULL  STORY]

NATIONAL SECURITY: President Tsai Ing-wen said that the nation is under constant attack and that improving infrastructure and training is critical to ensuring security

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 14, 2018
By: Su Yung-yao  /  Staff reporter

Given the great challenges in information and communications security that

Taiwan faces, the government is to invest more resources on improving related infrastructure and training security experts to strengthen national security, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.

Tsai made the remarks at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei when meeting with HITCON and BFS — Taiwanese teams that placed third and 12th respectively at computer security convention DEF CON’s Capture the Flag competition last month.

It is a national honor that Taiwan had two teams in the global final, she said, thanking them for showcasing the nation’s exciting potential on a global stage.

Following a meeting with HITCON after the team won second place in last year’s event, Tsai yesterday said that she instructed National Security Council cybersecurity adviser Lee Der-tsai (李德財) to invest more resources into cultivating information security experts.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 13 November, 2018
By: Shirley Lin

Though it is a slow season for tourism on the outlying island county of Penghu, one group of children had something to look forward to.

A group of middle school students had an outing of a different kind on Gaillardia Island, one of the islands of the Penghu archipelago. They each carried a fishing net or a small bamboo basket and walked towards the sea for their class. It was an on-site marine science class. Someone even caught a blow fish by accident.

The children learned how to catch fish. The little fishermen were nervous at first, but after a while they began to get the hang of their tackle and started catching fish. A teacher was on site to explain how to recognize different parts of a starfish.

Similar events are taking place throughout Penghu for adults and children alike. Not only can they try their hand at fishing, but also learn about marine life from a real expert.    [FULL  STORY]