Taiwan Today
Date: November 7, 2016

A Taiwan-funded disaster mitigation project was launched Nov. 4 in Republic of China (Taiwan)

diplomatic ally Guatemala as part of the government’s long-term efforts to work with the Central American nation in better coping with the impact of climate change.

Implemented by Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. and Washington-based Pan American Development Foundation, the one-year initiative is expected to benefit more than 5,000 residents in Mixco, a disaster-prone municipality northwest of Guatemala City, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Taiwan is pleased to support the international community in adapting to climate change and responding to natural disasters,” ROC Ambassador to Guatemala John C. C. Lai said during the inauguration ceremony.

Climate change has created numerous unexpected natural calamities, with Taiwan and Guatemala both affected by global warming, Lai said, adding that “it is our hope that through careful preparation, we can save lives.”    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/07
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je encouraged people to make living wills and the government to establish an agency to enforce them during a city council meeting on Monday.

Taipei City Councilor Wu Chih-kang asked the mayor when family members of a deceased citizen have not reached a consensus on how to bury the deceased, whether the Taipei Mortuary Services Office should suspend the cremation regardless whether there is a court ruling.

The medical doctor turned mayor said that he encouraged people to make living wills, which should then be certified by attorneys.

Ko said the deceased are the double disadvantaged because they couldn’t make any decisions after they died and even if they are on life support, family members might have different opinions about the medical treatment.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/07
By: Chen Cheng-wei and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Nov. 7 (CNA) The Council of Agriculture said Monday that when owners take an aggressive pet

outside, they must keep the pet on a leash and have them wear a muzzle or face a fine of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,763).

According to the Animal Protection Act put in force by the COA in 2001, dogs weighing over 23 kilograms with a previous record of attacking others must wear a muzzle when in a public place or a venue with public access.

The accompanying adult should also keep them on a leash not longer than 1.5 meters.

Among the breeds identified as “aggressive” are pit bulls（比特犬）, Japanese Tosas (日本土佐犬）and Neapolitan Mastiffs（紐波利頓犬）. Other breeds included in line with global trends are Dogo Argentinos（阿根廷杜告犬）, Fila Brasileiros (巴西菲勒犬） and Mastiffs (獒犬）.

The COA said that if owners fail to follow the regulations, they will be subject to fines of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 8, 2016
By: Joseph Yeh

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s top intelligence chief said Monday the U.S.’ Taiwan policy was unlikely to

change regardless of the outcome of that country’s presidential election.

Fielding questions during a legislative session, new National Security Bureau (NSB, 國安局)Director-General Peng Sheng-chu (彭勝竹) told lawmakers that he expected Washington to maintain its decades-long Taiwan policy regardless of whether it was Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in the White House.

“The U.S. is likely to continue to commit to its one-China policy based on the three U.S.-PRC joint communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act when dealing with its relations with Taiwan.” Peng said the race between Clinton and Trump was still too close to call.

Regarding future US foreign policy and the implications for arm sales to Taiwan, Clinton would likely continue with policies adopted by Barack Obama, the NSB chief said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
By Angela Chu
November 7, 2016, 12:07 am TWN

Meet Chef Virgilio Martinez. He’s celebrated for his restaurant’s menu, in which each dish represents a

different altitude in Peru’s highly varied ecosystems. His restaurant, Central, was ranked fourth in the world and first in Latin America on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

After releasing his new book, which is named after his restaurant, Martinez arrived in Taiwan early last week as part of his Asia-Pacific book tour and to collaborate with renowned Taiwanese chef Andre Chiang during his stay.

Despite being friends for years, it was the first time that both chefs worked together on a “four-hands” dinner event: “RAW x CENTRAL,” which will bring a piece of Peru to Taiwan.

In between meals, the chefs stepped out of the kitchen to talk about their collaboration, how they realized the similarities between Taiwan and Peru and their philosophies on cuisine and culture.

Seeking Identity in a Global Setting

When visiting a new country, it is food that most easily facilitates connections between visitors and foreign lands.    [FULL  STORY]

The high school condemns music video as a negative educational piece, which has severely damaged the school’s reputation

Taiwan News
Date: 2016/11/06
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

A music video featuring campus bullying shows girls wearing uniforms with the name of a girls high school was heavily criticized by the school, which requested the producer to immediately remove the video and apologize.

Music producer Starr Chen has produced the “EGO-HOLIC” music video, which features the singing of Jolin Tsai, a famous Taiwanese pop star. However, the video portrays an overweight high school girl being bullied by her classmates, and all of them wearing uniforms with the name of Taipei Municipal Zong Shan Girls High School.

The music video has drawn much criticism from the high school’s graduates and sympathizers, who felt the video had defamed the school. Many of them have also left comments on Tsai’s Facebook page asking for apology.

The high school issued a statement on Sunday afternoon, condemning the music video as a negative educational piece, which has severely damaged the school’s reputation.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/11/06
By: Sabine Cheng and Kuo Chung-han

Taipei, Nov. 6 (CNA) Writer Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) suggested that young people in Taiwan and mainland China need humble hearts and open minds to better understand each other, at a forum in Taipei on Sunday.

Asked her opinion on Taiwanese actor Leon Dai (戴立忍) being dropped from a Chinese film after his political opinions attracted the ire of Chinese netizens earlier this year, Lung said that what was most likely to bring the people of Taiwan and China together was not political deals or military occupation, but rather cultural communication.

Lung said she hoped Chinese leaders would recognize the importance of culture and become more confident culturally and hoped Taiwanese leaders would be wiser. Failure to do so could have disastrous results for both sides, she said.

About 500 people attended the meet-and-greet, titled “Literature, Ask Me Anything,” in Zhongshan Hall organized by a publishing company, the first direct encounter Lung, minister of culture from 2012-2014, has had with readers in four years. About half of the audience were visitors from mainland China, according to a local newspaper report.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: November 7, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Tsai Ing-wen administration has quickened its pace significantly over the “New

Southbound Policy,” with more and more news emerging on the activities it is undertaking to pivot from mainland China to ASEAN.

Negotiation parties have headed to countries in the region, notably Indonesia. In the Philippines, ministry-level economic dialogue opened for the first time in four years.

These moves come after months of a “wait and see” attitude among critics, with some observers seeing the government’s promise of a pivot to Southeast Asia as a check destined to bounce.

Despite recent encouraging signs, there are clear hurdles ahead for Tsai’s “New Southbound Policy” that have the potential to derail even the most meticulously planned programs.

As we look toward the ASEAN region for more mutually beneficial opportunities for bilateral cooperation, it behooves us to be aware of inconsistencies in Taiwan’s policymaking and the limits in our understanding of our neighbors, who we hope to deepen relations with.    [FULL  STORY]