Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-09-04
People entering Taiwan from China will face a maximum fine if they are found to be bringing raw pork into the country. That’s as a highly contagious disease continues to spread through China’s provinces.
African swine fever was first detected at a pig farm in the northern province of Liaoning at the start of April. Since then, there have been further cases in the provinces of Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui. [FULL STORY]
Taiwan’s failure to regulate its international schools has ill effects that impact its entire education system.
The News Lens
Date: 2018/09/04
By: Jasmine Su
Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office / Flickr
International schools in Taiwan are notorious for their educational quality – or lack of it. Students are often very unmotivated, and poorly designed English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, intended to provide extra training for students unfamiliar with English, usually do little more than maintain students’ existing level of English.
Teachers are often under-qualified as well. In the most extreme of cases, some teachers play “instructional videos” for the bulk of class time. Teachers show up 30 minutes late on a regular basis – or not at all.
These problems are especially common in Taiwan’s smaller international schools. Although poor education in international schools is not unique to Taiwan – many Asian countries face similar problems – Taiwan’s case is largely caused by the government’s educational deregulation.
Establishing the case: Why the Education Ministry should not deregulate
For many Taiwanese parents who send their children to international schools, these learning institutions offer an alternative to Taiwan’s educational system, which is based largely on rote learning and exam preparation. This helps explain why, in Taiwan, international schools are made up predominantly of Taiwanese students.
[FULL STORY]
Luoshan Village where the event will take place is an organic farming village
Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/04
By: Alicia Nguyen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Management Office announced on Sept. 4 that it is going to hold a two-day camping activity to celebrate the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hualien County.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival is soon to arrive with just 20 days to go, the Hualien County government welcomed people to enjoy the full-moon day under the abundant natural scenery of Luoshan Village, which is the first organic farming village in Taiwan, reported CNA.
Located in Fuli Township, Hualien County, Luoshan Village has 200 hectares of paddy field, a unique geographical condition and the most important thing is that all villagers agreed to build the non-pesticide farm together. The village is also a popular tourist attraction when visiting Hualien County.
With an immense panoramic view of the organic farm, quiet and comfortable environment and tourism accommodations provided by villagers, the director of the East Rift Valley Lin Wei-ling (林維玲) said that Luoshan Village is an ideal place to conduct an outdoor celebration party for the Mid-Autumn Fest featuring interesting activities such as a running event, nighttime observation, and a BBQ to enjoy a relaxing vacation day.
[FULL STORY]
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/04
By: Elaine Hou and Ko Lin
Taipei, Sept. 4 (CNA) The government is committed to banning the sale of gas-powered
CNA file photo
motorcycles by 2035 as part of efforts to help combat air pollution, Premier Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Tuesday.
In a statement issued by the Cabinet, Lai called on all relevant agencies to work together to help curb air pollution and promote renewable energy.
To achieve this goal, the government will offer technical assistance to existing domestic motorcycle manufacturers in transitioning from conventional bikes to smart electric scooters, as well as assistance in the development of highly efficient electric vehicle batteries, Lai said.
In terms of infrastructure, the government will also push to expand the availability of battery charging stations across the country, including the provision of more parking spaces for eco-friendly scooters. [FULL STORY]
DEFENDING TAIPEI: The shoulder-launched systems are lightweight and mobile, making them difficult to target in an urban environment, an unnamed defense official said
Taipei Times
Date: Sep 05, 2018
By: Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Military Police Command plans to buy 445 indigenously designed Kestrel missile
A Kestrel shoulder-launched missile system developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is exhibited on March 30. Photo: Lo Tien-pin, Taipei Times
launchers to defend the capital against assaults by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), sources said on Monday.
Purchases would be spread over two years from next year and the missile launchers would be issued to military police units garrisoned in the Taipei metropolitan area, especially those guarding the Boai Special District (博愛特區), which is home to several ministries and other government buildings, they said.
The Kestrel missile launcher is a disposable, single-shot, shoulder-launched weapon system that fires either a high-explosive anti-tank warhead to engage vehicles with light to medium armor, or a high-explosive squash head to use against buildings.
Thus far, the version of the weapon developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has only been issued to the marine corps.
The purchase would enable military police to better defend Taipei against decapitation strikes, such as airborne, airmobile or special operations assaults, by the PLA, a defense official said on condition of anonymity. [FULL STORY]
Two tunnels will be used for regular automotive traffic, with the center tunnel housing a light rail MRT
Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/03
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Tri-corridor tunnel project in April, 2018 (Image from Construction Office of New Taipei)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In New Taipei’s Xindian District (新店區), the second phase of construction of a tri-corridor tunnel (三連孔近接隧道) on Ankang No. 1 rd. (安坑一號道路) has been completed. The tri-corridor design of the tunnel is the first of its kind in Taiwan.
The two outermost corridors will be used for regular automobile traffic, while the central tunnel will cover a track for a light rail MRT.
The tunnels for regular traffic will be opened in April 2019, while the light rail MRT is expected to be completed by 2021, but may still face delays.
The tunnels will connect Antai rd. (安泰路) and Meigui rd. (玫瑰路) in Xindian District and run a total length of 1,230 meters. Each main corridor is 20 meters wide, with about 1.5 meters between each corridor. [FULL STORY]
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/09/03
By: Tang Pei-jun and Flor Wang
Brussels, Sept. 3 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) gave a recorded speech at a 
Taiwanese-sponsored seminar held in the European Parliament on Monday, in which she called for support from European countries that share the same values and ideals as Taiwan, at a time when, she said, China was undermining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
The speech, which lasted 4 minutes and 30 seconds, was broadcast at the start of the seminar titled “China Factor: Resistance is Futile? — Taiwan as a Case Study.” The seminar was hosted by the European Federation of Taiwanese Associations and held on the last day of a three-day event.
In the video, Tsai said that since 2016, China has been doing whatever possible to squeeze Taiwan out of the international community, including grabbing its diplomatic allies and coercing multinationals to designate Taiwan as a part of China.
As China was seeking to challenge the existing world order established since the end of World War II and attempting to set up a new set of rules based on its own needs and interests, Tsai said, it was worrisome that this has forced many countries to take sides and that Taiwan was at the forefront of such challenges. [FULL STORY]
CHINESE THREAT: Beijing has stepped up attacks against the Presidential Office and other government Web sites to obtain information on Taiwan’s 23 million citizens
Taipei Times
Date: Sep 04, 2018
By: Chen Yu-fu and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Executive Yuan plans to spend more than NT$1.6 billion (US$51.1 million) next year to protect the most frequently attacked government Web sites and databases from Chinese hacking, multiple sources said yesterday.
Last year’s most frequently hacked targets were the Web sites of the Presidential Office, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Bureau, the sources said.
To shore up its defenses, the bureau, which last year averted more than 23 million assaults, plans to build by 2025 a fibet-optic communication network at an estimated cost of NT$210 million, they said.
The digital economy budget of the Ministry of the Interior is to allocate NT$910 million toward enhancing local government cybersecurity and regional joint defenses.
[FULL STORY]
Image Credit: The White House
A complex set of interactions are fueling tensions.
The Diplomat
Date: September 02, 2018
By: Bonji Ohara
Tensions over Taiwan are mounting between the U.S. and China. On July 7, 2018, two U.S. Navy destroyers passed through the Taiwan Strait, provoking fierce protests from the Chinese. However, neither U.S. President Donald J. Trump nor Chinese President Xi Jinping are looking to start a war.
Trump’s attention is limited to U.S. national interests. He avoids involvement in overseas events that do not affect the U.S., instead preferring to direct his strength to shoring up and expanding the nation’s economic interests. And Trump sees China as the single biggest factor standing in the way of U.S. prosperity.
China, meanwhile, is looking out for its own economic interests. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China needs to deliver economic development to prevent discontent from building up in Chinese society, and to this end is intent on designing international rules on its own terms. Those intentions have been on full display with China acting as if it were the standard-bearer for free trade at events such as the Belt and Road Initiative summit in May 2017. Xi’s Made in China 2025 concept has also ramped up the sense of impending danger for U.S. firms. This is because the ten key areas China has identified, among which are next-generation information technologies, are the same areas American companies must target to expand their businesses and generate profits in the future.
Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.China is also engaged in a military buildup it sees as necessary to protect its external economic activities, adding further fuel to tensions. Under this climate, the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act that was signed into law on August 13 increased defense spending to $717 billion in an effort to rebuild the U.S. military, laying bare the sense of threat that China poses. [FULL STORY]
telegram.com
Date: Sep 2, 2018
By: Don Feder
It’s been a busy summer for China – thinking up new and exotic ways to attack Taiwan, the neighbor over which it absurdly claims sovereignty. For Beijing, nothing is too petty in this regard.
The mandarins of the People’s Republic targeted Taiwan on three fronts.
On April 25th, China’s Civil Aviation Administration ordered international airlines to remove all references to Taiwan from their websites, unless it was designated part of Mainland China. They were given 90 days to comply or face unspecified penalties. The White House called the demand “Orwellian nonsense.”
The airlines did Beijing’s bidding. The last week in July, those that fly to Taiwan (including American, United and Delta) told Beijing they would toe the party line.
Now, you can no longer fly to Taiwan or its capital city, Taipei. Instead, you can go to “Taiwan, China” or the “Taiwan Region of China” or “Taipei, China” (none of which actually exist), perpetuating the myth that when you go to Taipei, you’re traveling to a city in the People’s Republic of China.
In reality, Taiwan was governed from the Mainland for, at most, four of the last 123 years, from the end of World War II to the end of China’s civil war. It was never part of the People’s Republic. The seat of its government is Taipei, not Beijing. Its president and legislature are democratically elected, not appointed by the Communist Party. Its people are among the freest in Asia, not subjects of a government in which they have no say.
[FULL STORY]
