FISCAL 2019:Social welfare is to be the top expenditure, while defense spending is to increase, but not the 3% of GDP promised by President Tsai Ing-wen, sources said

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 22, 2018
By: Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

The Executive Yuan’s annual expenditure for fiscal 2019 is expected to total NT$2

trillion (US$65.11 billion), with national defense spending increasing by 2.17 percent, or NT$7.1 billion, compared with fiscal 2018, sources said.

However, despite the increase, total defense spending will not reach President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) promised 3 percent of national GDP, they said.

Current defense spending is less than 2 percent of GDP, although funding for plans to build domestic missile attack boats and purchase M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks could be included, Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Minister Chu Tzer-ming (朱澤民) said.

Tsai expects a gradual increase in national defense spending that is not lower than an average of the past three years’ total defense spending, Chu said.
[FULL  STORY]

Your daily bulletin of Taiwan news, courtesy of ICRT.

Taiwan News: CPC Scolded for Leak, Power Consumption Breaks July Record
The News Lens
Date: 2018/07/20

Economics Minister Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) is demanding CPC Corp., Taiwan’s state-owned refiner, take action after reports surfaced that over 60 cubic meters of gasoline leaked from from an oil tank at the Huxi Oil Depot on Penghu – polluting about a hectare of land.

According to Chen, CPC has been instructed to submit a review about the leak within a week and name the two employees who were disciplined over the incident.

The minister said the company has also been asked to review all operational processes and introduce intelligent measurement control systems, to replace the manual measurement of oil.

The oil leak at the depot in Penghu occurred in June last year.    [FULL  STORY]

The 2019 event is expected to include the biggest independent gaming event in Asia

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/07/20
By: Scott Morgan, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The 2019 Taipei Game Show opened for registration on

July 10, and has already secured an internationally renowned international video game developer.

The 2019 Taipei Game Show is expected to be the biggest ever, with a large showing from independent and large developers from both Taiwan and abroad.

Last year’s event was the biggest independent gaming event in Asia and showcased 175 local and international independent video game companies. It is expected that next year’s event will have even more, according to the Liberty Times.

The Taipei Game Show has three components, the Asia Pacific Game Summit, B2B Zone and B2C Zone. The Asia Pacific Game Summit is an event to bring together developers from the region, and to promote and share experiences.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/07/20
By: Zoe Wei and Flor Wang

Taipei, July 20 (CNA) Renowned cellist C.C. Chang (張正傑) broke his wrist while holidaying in Vienna, Austria, and will undergo an operation at a local hospital soon, Chang confirmed to CNA Friday.

Chang, who is in Vienna on summer vacation, said the accident occurred Thursday when he ran into a pothole when cycling along the Danube River, breaking his left wrist.

The 57-year-old said he is not sure whether the injury will affect his ability to play the cello, but the doctor told him his wrist will be in plaster for four weeks.

“I really hope to play the cello again,” he told CNA, noting that he is scheduled to hold a concert for wheelchair-bound fans in Taiwan in September. “I’m keen to play for them as it will be the seventh year in a row.”     [FULL  STORY]

The News Lens
Date: 2018/07/19
By: International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT)

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) has said both sides of the Taiwan Strait need to respect each other, listen to rational views domestically, and work out rules for an orderly interaction.

Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy think tank in Washington, Chen said the two sides have tried to bring their relationship to a final settlement for two years, but have failed to find a solution that is satisfactory to both sides.

According to Chen, while Taiwan works to guard and develop its democracy, China has centralized control, is intent on changing the global order and lacks respect for democracy and human rights.

The minister went on to say that that Beijing’s denial of the existence of the Republic of China as an independent sovereign government has prevented resolution of the political impasse across the Taiwan Strait.    [FULL  STORY]

Lee Yu-Chieh (李俞潔) won the second place in the People category for her photo ‘Waiting’ taken in Peru

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/07/19
By: Alicia Nguyen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Two Taiwanese photographers received outstanding prizes from the photography awards for photos taken by iPhone.

On July 18, The iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) announced the winning list of its 11th competition. This year’s winners were selected from thousands of entries submitted by iPhone photographers from over 140 countries around the world.

Lee Yu-Chieh (李俞潔), who is a full-time nurse and also one out of two Taiwanese contestants, submitted her photo shot on iPhone 6S, with the title called “Waiting”.

Lee’s photo was taken in Cuzco, Peru with the description as “I took this shot of a woman in traditional clothes, in a barren landscape”.    [FULL  STORY]