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Taiwan, Marshall Islands ink deals on visa-free entry, patrols

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/27
By: Yeh Su-ping and Ko Lin

Taipei, July 27 (CNA) Taiwan and the Marshall Islands on Friday signed bilateral

(Front row from right to left) Joseph Wu and John M. Silk; (Back row from R-L) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Marshall Islands President Hilda C. Heine

agreements on visa-free entry and maritime patrol collaboration to boost exchanges.

The agreement was inked by the foreign ministers of the two countries — Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and John M. Silk, and witnessed by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Marshall Islands President Hilda C. Heine at the Presidential Office in Taipei.

Speaking at the event, Tsai said she hoped that the bilateral agreement will help strengthen joint maritime security and facilitate people-to-people interaction.

Heine, meanwhile, said Taiwan and the Marshall Islands already work together across a wide range of areas such as agriculture, clean energy, environmental protection, health care and talent cultivation, and the new agreements will further advance bilateral relations.    [FULL  STORY]

More senators blast PRC pressure

CHINESE BULLYING: Columnist and analyst Josh Rogin said airline representatives had told him that the US government had not offered them any tangible protection

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 28, 2018
By: Staff writer with CNA, WASHINGTON

A dozen more US senators on Thursday criticized Beijing’s demand that 44 international airlines label Taiwan as part of China on their Web sites and warned that there were more offensives to come.

Following other international airlines, three leading US carriers — American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines — on Tuesday conformed with China’s request ahead of a Wednesday deadline by leaving only “Taipei” and “TPE” on their destination lists and removing “Taiwan.”

“This bullying of the airlines is really just one small piece of a much larger puzzle, and one that we need to continue to be vigilant about,” US Senate Assistant Majority Leader John Cornyn said.

US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations member Chris Coons also expressed his opposition to Beijing’s move.    [FULL  STORY]

Tsinghua students from China and Taiwan enjoy exchanges

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-07-26

Students from the Tsing Hua universities in China and Taiwan are enjoying exchanges. The National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan’s Hsinchu County recently sent 30 sophomore students to the Tsinghua University in Beijing. In return, a group of Chinese students will also be traveling from Beijing to Hsinchu to experience local programs.

The computer science department head of the Hsinchu-based university said his students have experienced many interesting course designs in Beijing. Meanwhile, professors from Beijing said the students have learned a great deal about each other. They also praised Taiwanese students from their creativity and good manners.

The professors said the students often engage in animated sports-related conversations, proving that sports continues to be the most popular common topic among students from both sides.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News: Foreign Ministry Protests Airlines’ Action, Govt Gives Defense Act Thanks

Your daily bulletin of Taiwan news, courtesy of ICRT.

The News Lens
Date: 2018/07/26
By: David Green

photo credit: REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/達志影像

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is protesting Beijing’s pressuring of foreign airlines to refer to drop the designations that indicate Taiwan is independent of China – issuing a statement saying that “Taiwan exists in the international community and it won’t disappear because of Beijing’s bullying.”

The statement comes after American, Delta and United airlines removed references to Taiwan as a separate country from their websites.

The foreign ministry said it strongly condemns China for its “rude and politically motivated intervention” in the operations of international companies and that “Taiwan’s democracy is envied by China’s citizens who are deprived of their political freedom.”

According to the ministry, Taiwan will continue to urge other countries that share the same ideals to cooperate in preventing China from meddling in the sovereignty of independent foreign enterprises.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Justice Ministry war on drugs receives 69.1 % support

Campaign focuses on schools, communities and countryside

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/07/26
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – At least 69 percent of Taiwanese are satisfied with

The government’s war on drugs receives widespread support, says the Ministry of Justice. (By Central News Agency)

the results of the government’s campaign against drugs, the Ministry of Justice said Thursday.

In a recent speech, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) jokingly said that Taiwan welcomed investment, but that she was happy that the business of illegal drug labs was fading away.

An opinion survey covering the second quarter of the year found that 69.1 percent of the public approved of the government’s campaign, a rise of 1.1 percent compared to the first quarter, the Central News Agency reported.

One could understand the gravity of the drugs problem by looking at the fact that just under half of all detainees had violated drug laws, the ministry said. The proportion of 49.87 percent amounted to 28,285 detainees, according to a ministry news release.    [FULL  STORY]

EPA to provide grants for projects promoting recycling innovations

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/26
By: Wu Hsin-yun and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, July 26 (CNA) The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) on Thursday unveiled a recycling innovation grants program for 2019 focused on innovative projects that advance research into innovative recycling solutions and improve processing techniques for recyclable materials, with selected projects to receive a maximum grant of NT$5 million (US$163,645).

To promote innovative approaches to recycling waste and boost the value of recycled materials, the EPA has allocated a budget of NT$50 million to assist innovative recycling projects next year, the administration said in a statement.    [FULL  STORY]

US to provide military advice, won’t take part in drills

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-07-25

The United States will help Taiwan build its self-defense capability through arms sales and providing military advice, but will not take part in Taiwan’s military drills. That’s according to the latest version of the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), published on Wednesday.

The US Senate and House of Representatives reached an agreement on the final version of the bill on Tuesday. Article 1257 in the final bill states that the United States will provide advice to help Taiwan upgrade its self-defense capability. In Article 1258, the bill states that the Taiwan Relations Act remains the foundation of US-Taiwan relations and that the United States should expand its arms sales to Taiwan.     [FULL  STORY]

UPDATE: US Airlines Shift Taiwan Designation as China Pressure Proves Too Much

The News Lens
Date: 2018/07/25
By: David Green

Photo Credit: Reuters / TPG

US airlines succumbed despite requests from the White House to resist Chinese pressure.

Updating at 5.10 p.m. with news reported by Reuters that all major American airlines requested to change their Taiwan designation by China have complied:

American Airlines Group led a cascade of dominoes as all three major U.S. airlines acquiesced to demands to change the way their websites refer to Taiwan late Tuesday, bowing to demands from Beijing.

The U.S. group had been the last of at least 36 foreign airlines to comply with demands to replace the designation of “Taiwan” with one that does not suggest that the country is independent from China.

American Airlines removed the country designation from Taiwan’s Taoyuan International and Songshan International airports, while Delta Airlines removed the country designation from city airports in both China and Taiwan.
[FULL  STORY]

Nurse commended for saving life of old man suffering heart attack aboard Taipei Metro

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/07/25
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—A nurse who saved the life of an old man suffering a heart attack aboard a metro train in Taipei by performing CPR on the man and applying AED earlier this month today (July 25) received a testimonial and some free metro tickets from Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation for her kindness and great act, the Taipei Veterans General Hospital, where the nurse works, said in a news release

According to the news release, TVGH nurse Chiu Yi-chia (丘怡佳) was aboard a Taipei Metro train in the afternoon of July 9, and when the train was leaving MRT Yuanshan Station, she noticed that an old man sitting in front of her was turning his eyes upwards and his body was turning stiff. The old man immediately dropped his head, embraced his chest with his arms, and after about 20 seconds lost consciousness, the hospital said, adding that upon seeing that Chiu immediately called station personnel for help.    [FULL  STORY]

U.S. reiterates objection to China’s name-change demands

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/25
By: Chiang Chin-yeh and Elizabeth Hsu 

Washington, July 24 (CNA) The U.S. Department of State repeated its objection to China’s demand Tuesday that private airlines must change their designation of Taiwan, one day before Beijing’s name-change deadline of July 25.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert reiterated at a regular press briefing that the U.S. government is opposed to demands by governments upon private enterprises.

She said she was not aware of any American companies that have given in, but advised reporters to contact firms directly to ask about their stance.

China’s Civil Aviation Administration sent a message to 44 foreign air carriers April 25, demanding that they not refer to Taiwan as non-Chinese territory on their websites, a move described by the White House in May as “Orwellian nonsense.”
[FULL  STORY]