Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen is featured in a Dwagie rap video that will make you want to come to the island

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/04/05
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is featured rapping in

a song penned by the Taiwanese rapper Dwagie released last week to promote Taiwan to the international community.

In the nearly four-minute song titled “Light up Taiwan,” Dwagie, also known as Dog G (大支), raps about the many things Westerners may not be aware that Taiwanese industry and Taiwanese people have contributed to the world, and includes a guest appearance by President Tsai.

First, Dwagie takes a stab at clearing up the seemingly endless confusion Westerners somehow still have between Taiwan and Thailand, as well as its status as an independent country as opposed to being a “province” of China.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/04/05
By: Sophia Yeh and Lilian Wu

Taipei, April 5 (CNA) A national security team has been giving President Tsai Ing-wen

(蔡英文) regular briefings to keep her informed on the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平), the Presidential Office spokesman said Wednesday.

Alex Huang (黃重諺) said the team has recently invited related government agencies for intensive discussions and has gathered information on regional and international developments for analysis and forecasting and to draft contingency plans.

At the same time, Taiwan has maintained good communications with the United States, and the U.S. has continued to explain its policies to Taiwan ahead of the meeting, scheduled for April 6 and 7 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.   [FULL  STORY]

LOCAL CONCERNSMinister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan last month firmly opposed the nation having a THAAD system, to avoid a confrontation with China

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 06, 2017
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

The nation does not need a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, but

welcomes the possibility of acquiring Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multirole jets, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday in response to speculation that the US might offer Taiwan the two systems.

Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun on Sunday reported that the US has listed the THAAD system and F-35s in its arms sale items to Taiwan.

The proposed items are considered an attempt by the US to resume talks with Taiwan about a US$1 billion arms deal that has been put on hold.

However, the ministry yesterday said that it has not received any information from the US.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: April 6, 2017
By: Joseph Yeh

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The first-ever meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is scheduled to take place on Thursday, and the fate of Taiwan could be shaped by it.

Trump will host his counterpart at the Mar-a-Lago estate April 6-7, according to a White House statement.

One of the most important issues expected to be touched upon is North Korea. It would be in the interest of both leaders to find common ground over the threat posed by the country’s nuclear program.

Trade and territorial disputes in the South China Sea will be discussed during their meetings on Thursday and Friday as well, according to an interview he gave with the Financial Times.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-04-04

President Tsai Ing-wen says Premier Lin Chuan needs a new residence. Lin has been

in office for nearly one year but is still in the place where he lived before becoming premier.

The premier has traditionally lived in a Taipei residence provided by the government. But former premier Mao Chi-kuo forfeited the use of the house, instead opening it to the public as the Social Enterprise Hub.

Cabinet spokesperson Hsu Kuo-yung said Tuesday that contractual issues make it difficult to reclaim the house for the premier’s use. But he said allowing the premier to stay at his own residence was also problematic.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/04/04
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–Taiwan’s New Power Party (NPP) said Tuesday it would seek to

have an investigation launched into alleged embezzlement of public property by former Premier Lien Chan’s (連戰) father, Lien Chen-tung (連震東), after he took over the Taipei Jen Chi Hospital from Japan when it renounced its control over Taiwan after World War II.

The NPP has submitted a draft bill that would mandate investigations into assets allegedly improperly obtained by former civil servants or other people from the assets the Japanese colonial era administration handed over to the government, aiming to actually enforce the government’s policy of transitional justice. The bill, which would also mandate the return of such improperly obtained assets, is set to be discussed in the Legislature on Wednesday.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/04/04
By: Kao Chao-fen, Liu Kuan-ting and Lilian Wu

Taipei, April 4 (CNA) The Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) confirmed Tuesday that its staff will accompany the wife of a detained Taiwanese human rights advocate to Beijing next Monday.

Lee Li-chen (李麗珍), SEF deputy secretary-general and spokeswoman, said the SEF has informed its mainland counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), of the appeal of Ming-che’s (李明哲) wife and her flight details.

The SEF and ARATS are semi-official bodies set up by Taiwan and China to handle issues related to civilian exchanges in the absence of official ties.

The spokeswoman called on the Chinese side to “respect the wishes of Mrs. Lee, arrange for her to see her husband and ensure her freedom and safety while in China.”
[FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 05, 2017
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

New Power Party (NPP) Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday

threatened to take legal action against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) for saying that Huang supported lifting a ban on imports of Japanese food products from prefectures near the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant disaster and the decriminalization of drugs.

The furor began on Monday, when Hung said during a visit to Chiayi City that she supported a recall campaign initiated last year by civic groups against Huang.

“Huang’s support for the lifting of the ban on Japanese food products and the decriminalization of drugs, as well as his blind conformity to the Democratic Progressive Party’s [DPP] illegal actions, have triggered a public outcry,” she said, adding that she welcomed the recall campaign.

The campaign was launched by an alliance of New Taipei City residents against same-sex marriage over Huang’s support for the legalization of gay marriage.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: April 5, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

The government will soon launch a program that aims to make NT$540,000 available to

underprivileged children at the age of 18 for the purpose of higher education or starting a business.

The program would be launched sometime before June, the Executive Yuan told the Chinese-language United Evening News on Tuesday.

Under the plan, the government will save NT$15,000 in a special account designated for children who meet program qualifications.

Social welfare groups or the family members of the children will be responsible for saving another NT$15,000 in the same account every year.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-04-03

Taiwan’s largest annual religious procession drew to a close on Monday morning. The nine-day, eight-night procession was for the goddess Mazu, and specifically for the deity enshrined at a temple in the Dajia District of Taichung, central Taiwan.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of faithful walk with the deity on a journey that stretches some 350 km.

Premier Lin Chuan spoke at a ceremony to mark the end of the procession and the statue’s return to its home temple in Taichung. He said that he was moved to see so many people not only showing their devotion and gratitude to Mazu, but also their enthusiasm and hospitality.

“The Mazu procession fully demonstrates the Taiwanese people’s compassion, care for others, empathy, and willingness to offer a helping hand. We even saw happy families coming together. I hope that this folk tradition can continue into the future, and can enable the Taiwanese people to feel that Mazu is watching over them and can help improve our society,” said Lin.    [FULL  STORY]