Taiwan Friendship group aims to promote interactions, relations between Bavarian parliament and Taiwan

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/10/10
By:  Central News Agency

A Taiwan-friendly group was established in the Bavarian State Parliament of Germany on Thursday with the aim of promoting closer links with Taiwan.

The Taiwan Friendship group—Freundeskreis Bayern-Taiwan in German—was formally launched at a ceremony chaired by Deputy Speaker Markus Rinderspacher of the Bavarian parliament. Rinderspacher said he decided to spearhead the formation of the group, after his visit to Taiwan last November.

The goal is to support democratic Taiwan, help promote interactions between the parliament and Taiwan, and deepen the Bavaria-Taiwan friendship, he said.
Earlier this year, the European Affairs Committee in the Bavarian State Parliament passed a resolution to support Taiwan's bid for participation in the World Health Organization as an observer.

Land-locked Bavaria is Germany's largest state and is home to many international manufacturers, including Siemens, BMW, Audi, and Adidas. Twenty-two universities in the state have established exchange programs with 30 universities in Taiwan, while Starnberg town, near the Bavaria capital Munich, has sister-city ties with New Taipei and Hualien County.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 10./10/2020 10:10 PM
By: Lin Yu-hsuan, Liu Chien-sheng,
Liu Kuan-ting, Chiu Kuo-chiang and Ko Lin

Taipei, Oct. 10 (CNA) The ruling and opposition parties in Taiwan on Saturday gave mixed reactions to President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) National Day speech on cross-Taiwan Strait relations, with the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) accusing her of not practicing what she preaches.

"If President Tsai is really sincere about holding a dialogue with Beijing, she should be the one to change," the KMT said in a statement after Tsai remarked in her National Day address that her administration is willing to hold "meaningful dialogue" with Beijing to achieve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

The KMT argued that the president talked the talk but failed to walk the walk, as evidenced by a recent incident involving the annual Straits Forum, held this year in Xiamen from Sept. 19-25.

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had urged Taiwanese individuals and political groups not to attend the annual event, as doing so could be in violation of national security laws, adding that the forum has been used by Beijing to drum up support among Taiwanese for Chinese President Xi Jinping's plan to unify China and Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 11, 2020
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter

Independence advocates yesterday rallied outside the cordoned-off area for the Double Ten National Day celebration around the Presidential Office Building, urging the government to normalize diplomatic relations with the US and draft a new constitution.

Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen (陳峻涵) called on President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to not betray the majority of Taiwanese who hope that Taiwan achieves normal nationhood and the name “Republic of China (ROC)” will be dropped.

“Our government must rectify the official name from ROC to Taiwan, because the ROC was the military dictatorship of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), erected after it lost the Chinese Civil War and illegally occupied Taiwan,” Chen said. “We must distance ourselves from this outdated regime, and then Taiwanese and their government can start anew and forge diplomatic relations with other countries.”

Referring to the establishment of the Taiwan Representative Office in Somaliland last month, Taiwan Independence Party Chairman Peter Ku (古文發) said: “This should be the model for our government when setting up and naming foreign diplomatic offices, and establishing formal ties with other democratic nations.”    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan Internartinal
​Date: 09 October, 2020
By: Shirley Lin

The foreign ministry says that the Vatican sent a congratulatory message to President Tsai Ing-wen Thursday to mark Taiwan’s upcoming National Day. Taiwan observes National Day on October 10.

In the message, the Vatican reportedly conveyed abundant divine blessings on the Taiwanese people.    [FULL  STORY]

The Millennial Source
Date: October 9, 2020
By: Shuvait Koul

A Chinese anti-submarine reportedly violated Taiwan’s airspace by entering into its air defense identification zone on Tuesday, which Beijing claimed to be a warning to Taipei to refrain from declaring independence.

On Wednesday, October 7, China issued new threats of military action against Taiwan after the island’s principal opposition party, the Kuomintang Party (KMT), called for the reestablishment of diplomatic ties with the United States. 

Beijing’s warning to Taipei came amid US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s Asia tour, aimed at garnering support against China. 

“We must no longer hold any more illusions. The only way forward is for the mainland to fully prepare itself for war and to give Taiwan secessionist forces a decisive punishment at any time. As the secessionist forces’ arrogance continues to swell, the historical turning point is getting closer,” wrote Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times, in an editorial on October 6.

Hu also mentioned that the “current status of the island of Taiwan is only a short period in history that will definitely come to an end” and that the initiative of ending this period while “minimizing losses and maximizing gains toward the rise of China” remains with Beijing. 
[FULL  STORY]

'It is erroneous and ignorant to say that the security of the cards is unquestionable because they sport TSMC chips': NCKU professor

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/10/09
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the Taiwanese government proudly presents its new electronic national identification cards (eID), a prominent engineering professor has lambasted the project as an infringement of privacy and a potential single point of failure (SPOF).

Outspoken National Cheng Kung University professor Li Jung-shian (李忠憲) also criticized Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) over his "ignorant" support for the new ID system and his lack of knowledge of the potential security risks of chips regardless of their manufacturer.

Hsu had said recently that the cards will be manufactured by the Central Engraving and Printing Plant at a secure location under strict supervision and include chips supplied by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). The ministry plans to issue a small number of the cards in three select areas (New Taipei, Penghu, Hsinchu) in early 2021 as a trial run.

To reassure the public of its security, Hsu emphasized that the electronic version of the ID reveals less personal data than the traditional one and comes equipped with anti-counterfeit features.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 10/09/2020
By: Chen Yun-yu and Emerson Lim

Taipei, Oct. 9 (CNA) Two Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday, a day before the country marks its Double Ten National Day.

The Double Ten National Day refers to Oct. 10, the national day of the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan's formal name.

According to information released by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on its website, the Chinese planes involved in the incident were one Shaanxi Y-8 transport plane and one Shaanxi Y-9 transport plane.

Based on the photos provided by the MND, the models of the Chinese aircraft were an electronic signals intelligence variant of the Y-8 and an electronic warfare variant of the Y-9.
[FULL  STORY]

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION: The remarks came after Thursday’s tank crash in Kinmen, killing one, for which the president promised a comprehensive investigation

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 10, 2020
By: Staff Writer, with CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that the military is planning to purchase the most advanced tanks to quickly replace older models.

Tsai made the remarks after meeting the family of a soldier killed after a drill in Kinmen County when a M41A3 Walker Bulldog light tank crashed into an embankment next to a road on Thursday.

Tsai did not elaborate on the planned purchases of 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks from the US as part of a plan to modernize Taiwan’s fleet of 1,000 battle tanks, mostly M60A3 and CM-11 models that have been in service for more than two decades.

Taiwan has budgeted NT$40.52 billion (US$1.39 billion) for the tanks, scheduled to be delivered from 2023 to 2026.    [FULL  STORY]

Rasdio Taiwan International
Date: 08 October, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

Taiwan's Tourism Bureau says it pulled out of a virtual trade show after its Chinese organizers insisted that it take part using a different name.

Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau says that it decided to withdraw from an international trade show held in September after its Chinese organizers insisted that it take part under a different name.

The annual show is held under the auspices of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, of which Taiwan is a founding member.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s show took place virtually, but it was still sponsored and organized by a tourism board based in China’s Sichuan Province. The event took place between September 23 and September 27.

The Tourism Bureau had planned to take part in the event under the name “Taiwan Tourism Bureau” as it has in previous years. However, the organizers changed this designation to the “Taiwan Strait Tourism Association” without informing Tourism Bureau officials.
[FULL  STORY]