• Move is seen as ploy to pressure independence-leaning administration after it said it would not push for official diplomatic ties with Washington
• But critics say it will hurt traditionally mainland-friendly party’s relations with Beijing and one pro-government politician says the move is ‘insane’

South China Morning Post
Date: 6 Oct, 2020
By: Lawrence Chung

Taiwan’s main opposition party Kuomintang has pushed the government of President Tsai Ing-wen to re-establish diplomatic ties with the United States, which switched recognition to Beijing in 1979.

But critics described it as a stunt designed to embarrass the government because of the impracticality of the step.

Observers also said the move – which is seen as more radical than anything advocated by Tsai’s independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party – would further undermine trust between the KMT and the mainland authorities and shatter the party’s hopes of becoming a key mediator in cross-strait relations.

The motion was tabled by the KMT caucus during Tuesday’s session of the legislature, where the party also asked the government to seek US help in resisting actions by Beijing that would undermine its security, social and economic systems.    [FULL  STORY]

Recent visits to Taiwan by US officials have led Beijing to lash out through propaganda, military posturing

Taiwan News
Date: 82020/10/06
By: Eric Chang, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Taiwan and the U.S. drift closer, China has stepped up its propaganda online and through state media.

The propaganda, along with several military exercises over the past few months, including the test-firing of ballistic missiles and frequent buzzing of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), is meant to warn the U.S. that China would not back away from a military confrontation, according to The New York Times. While the chances of actual war breaking out remain small, recent military actions in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea increase the likelihood that an intended or accidental clash could occur.

Many of these moves came in response to recent Taiwan trips by two U.S. officials. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar visited in August, and Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach came in September.

One Chinese video released by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force after the U.S. visits showed a simulated airstrike on the American territory of Guam, with clips taken from the movies “The Rock,” “The Hurt Locker,” and “Transformers.” Chinese tabloid the Global Times warned that Washington was “playing with fire” by supporting Taiwan and threatened that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would be “wiped out” if she violated China’s Anti-Secession Law.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 10/06/2020
By: Chen Wei-ting and Frances Huang

Taipei, Oct. 6 (CNA) The take-up of an influenza vaccine almost doubled on the first day of the government-funded free vaccination program for high risk people on Monday, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Tuesday.

The CDC said about 399,000 of the 6 million vaccine shots available for people in at risk groups as part of the program were administered on the first day, an increase of almost 100 percent from 200,000 a year earlier, when a similar program was launched.

The CDC said the highly publicized free vaccination program has raised awareness, which boosted the take-up of the flu vaccine this year.

Speaking at a news conference, Deputy CDC Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said people 65 or older were the largest group to take the flu shot on the first day of the program, accounting for about 208,000 shots, while people aged 50-64 received roughly 100,000 shots.    [FULL  STORY]

TAKING NO CHANCES: More than 399,000 people got immunized on the first day of the government-funded flu vaccine program, nearly doubling from last year

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 07, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported three new cases of COVID-19 — two travelers from the US and one from France — bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Taiwan to 521.

All of the patients are Taiwanese, said Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is also the CECC’s spokesman.

Case No. 519 is a man in his 30s who permanently works in the US and has been returning to Taiwan every two to three months, Chuang said, adding that he did not show any symptoms in the US and arrived in Taiwan on Sunday.

The man reported to quarantine officers upon arrival that he experienced throat itchiness during the flight and was tested for COVID-19, with the result coming back positive yesterday, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 05 October, 2020
By: Leslie Liao

A Hong Kong murder suspect thought to have killed his girlfriend in Taiwan says he intends to return to Taiwan to face trial. 

The man — Chan Tong-kai — is suspected of killing his girlfriend on February 17, 2018, during a vacation in Taiwan. Chan later admitted to the murder upon returning to Hong Kong. But Hong Kong authorities say they cannot charge Chan with the murder because they do not have jurisdiction in Taiwan. 

Premier Su Tseng-chang says that Taiwan will handle Chan’s case according to the law. He says that the case is a prime opportunity for Hong Kong and Taiwan to work together, and he urged Hong Kong authorities to provide the necessary support. He says that Chan will not be allowed to roam freely once he arrives in Taiwan.

The murder case set a chain of events in motion that ultimately led to the 2019 Hong Kong protests. Lawmakers in Hong Kong responded to the murder by proposing a law that would allow extradition not just to Taiwan, but also Mainland China.     [FULL  STORY]

Insights from Elizabeth Freund Larus.The Diplomat
Date: October 05, 2020
By: Mercy A. Kuo

Trans-Pacific View author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy.  This conversation with Elizabeth Freund Larus – chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Mary Washington and author of “US President Obama’s China Policy: A Critical Assessment” – is the 241st in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.”

Examine how a Biden administration or second-term Trump administration would engage Taiwan amid escalating U.S.-China rivalry.

Some aspects of the U.S.-Taiwan relationship are clear, others not. Let’s start with what we know. We know that since the 1930s, Congress has been supportive of the Republic of China (Taiwan). That support continues. In fact, it appears that the 116th Congress in the past two years alone passed, and President Trump signed into law, six pieces of legislation that favor Taiwan. For instance, the National Defense Authorization acts of 2018, 2019, and 2020 all call for strengthening defense partnership between the United States and Taiwan; the 2018 Taiwan Travel Act (TTA) encourages visits between U.S. and Taiwan officials, including high-level officials; the 2018 Asia Reassurance Initiative Act (ARIA) commits the U.S. to counter Beijing’s efforts to alter the cross-strait status quo; and the 2020 Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) calls for observer status for Taiwan in international organizations.

In addition to this legislation, the Trump administration approved seven arms deals worth more than $13 billion. Moreover, Congress since early 2019 has introduced nearly 400 pieces of China-related legislation, much of it critical of Beijing. This indicates that the 116th Congress is one of the most critical of China in decades. Congress has also praised Taiwan for its successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic and criticized China for its response to the outbreak in Wuhan.    [FULL  STORY]

Unnamed Chinese sand dredger caught off of Taiwan's Matsu forced to return stolen material

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/10/05
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After being caught dredging sand off of Taiwan's Matsu Islands, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) officials arrested a vessel's Chinese crew members and forced them to return the material back to Taiwan's territorial waters.

On Oct. 3, the CGA caught a 6,000-ton Chinese sand-dredging vessel having illegally crossed into the waters off Matsu's Nangan Township. As CGA officers suspected the ship had been dredging sand and gravel from an area off Nangan, they seized the vessel, arrested all crew members, and forced them to return the ship's haul to the sea.

The Matsu Branch of the CGA stated that at 11 p.m. on Oct. 3, it received a report that a suspicious ship had entered restricted waters off Nangan Township, reported CNA. It dispatched three patrol cutters to the scene, and they soon encountered a ship with no marked name dredging sand and gravel 2.1 nautical miles (3.8 kilometers) off the coast of Nangan.
[FULL  STORY]

Focusz Taiwan
Date: 10/05/2020
By: Wu Chia-jung and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Oct. 5 (CNA) Passengers found bringing duty-free cigarettes in excess of the permitted quantity into Taiwan without declaring them will face an increased fine of NT$1,000 (US$34.76) per carton of 200 cigarettes, up from the current NT$500, from 2021, the Ministry of Finance said Monday.

According to the regulations, inbound passengers aged 20 or above are permitted to bring in 200 cigarettes, 25 cigars or a pound (0.45 kilograms) of tobacco duty free, as well as one liter of alcoholic beverage.

Passengers carrying amounts in excess of those amounts must declare them to the customs authorities or face the consequences, according to an official with the ministry's National Treasury Administration.

Since the government raised its tax on cigarettes by NT$20 per pack on June 12, 2017, there is now a huge price difference between taxed and duty-free tobacco products.
[FULL  STORY]

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: With nearly 4,000 schools serving school lunches, many parents were beginning to doubt whether it was possible to inspect them, a legislator said

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 06, 2020
By: Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporter

Members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee yesterday raised concerns about how to manage school meals in light of the government’s policy to allow US pork imports containing ractopamine residue.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Aug. 28 announced that Taiwan would ease restrictions on US pork imports containing the “leanness-enhancing” additive and beef from cattle aged 30 months or older, saying that the decision was “based on our national economic interests and consistent with our overall strategic goals.”

The policy is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1.

On the same day as Tsai’s announcement, the Ministry of Education released a statement saying that schools that provide meals must prioritize the use of quality local agricultural products accredited by the central competent agricultural authority in accordance with Article 23 of the School Health Act (學校衛生法), which also prohibits schools from using foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.    [FULL  STORY]

NUMEROUS AMENDMENTS: Low fines and a lack of effort on the part of the government to enforce the law leaves lobbying unregulated, KMT legislators said

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 04, 2020
By: Huang Hsin-po and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers said that they are planning to draft amendments to the Lobbying Act (遊說法), to prevent incidents similar to recent bribery allegations involving multiple legislators across different political parties.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) and Chen Chao-ming (陳超明), independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) and former legislator Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) of the New Power Party (NPP) were on Sept. 21 charged with breaches of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) in a bribery case linked to former Pacific Distribution Investment Co chairman Lee Heng-lun’s (李恆隆) 2013 legal battle with Far Eastern Group for control over the Pacific Sogo Department Store chain.

Ministry of the Interior statistics showed that since the Lobbying Act’s promulgation 12 years ago, government agencies at all levels have only registered 427 applications, of which 403 have been approved and 24 repealed.

No fines based on the act have ever been issued, the statistics showed.   [FULL  STORY]