Taiwan just banned intentional and bycatch fishing of endangered great white and basking sharks along with the rare megamouth shark.

Live Kindly
Date: July 20, 2020
By: Liam Pritchett

Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency will impose a ban on fishing for three large-size shark species including the megamouth, great white, and basking shark. The ban aims to preserve the extremely biologically diverse waters surrounding Taiwan.

In a statement released on July 15, the government agency said that fishing boats that catch the sharks by accident are to place them back into the water—whether dead or alive. The ban will apply to all Taiwanese fishing boats, regardless of fishing location. The ban takes effect in 60 days after the notification if no objections are raised.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists both great white and basking sharks as vulnerable and endangered species.

Humans rarely see the deep-water megamouth shark. But in June, fishing boats caught six megamouth sharks in just four days off of Taiwan’s east coast. According to the Environmental Information Center, just 226 catches have been recorded globally. Over 60 percent of these catches occurred in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

First female Taiwanese representative to depart for Washington later this week

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/07/20
By: Sylvia Teng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Soon before taking her post as Taiwan's principal representative to the U.S., Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), a former legislator of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has reiterated her determination to make progress on Taiwan-U.S. relations.

Working to foster closer ties between Taiwan and the U.S. “can only allow success,” Hsiao said at the Legislative Yuan on Monday (July 20). She was attending the inaugural event for the U.S. Caucus of the 10th Legislative Yuan.

The director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Brent Christensen, also attended the inaugural event to show his support. “This caucus can and will find new and creative ways, working together with your counterparts in the U.S. Congress and across all segments of Taiwan society, to bring our relationship to new heights.”    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/20/2020
By: Yeh Su-ping and Emerson Lim

Taipei, July 20 (CNA) No travel records were found that showed Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), secretary-general of the Presidential Office, and his nephew legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清), had visited Indonesia in 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Monday.

The two were accused of taking a controversial trip to Indonesia in 2017 for personal gains, by officials of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) in a press conference earlier on Monday.

The KMT cited a telegram allegedly sent by Taiwan's representative office in Indonesia to MOFA on Dec. 20 that year.

According to the telegram, the younger Su visited Indonesia in August 2017 along with high-level managers of several government-owned enterprises. They allegedly met with influential Indonesian government officials, without prior notifications to MOFA and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

From Atlein designer Antonin Tron’s therapeutic dressmaking to John Yuyi’s artworks in aid of Black Lives Matter, we travel the world (virtually) to find out how creatives have been finding inspiration these past months, and how it’s changed their practice in the long run.

Vogue
Date: 18 July 2020
By Pip Usher

By this point, we’ve all probably heard the claim that William Shakespeare wrote King Lear while quarantining during an outbreak of the bubonic plague. But what do modern-day creatives do when a pandemic forces them indoors? From Taipei to Île d’Or, five housebound creatives reflect on how their practices shifted during lockdown, and the lessons learned along the way.

John Yuyi, digital artist, Taipei

Returning to her native Taipei to wait out the pandemic, the vibrant social life that artist John Yuyi enjoyed in Manhattan has been replaced by cohabitation with her grandma. “There were a few moments where I had a slight mental breakdown because I have never been so isolated,” she admits.

After finding fame via a viral advertising campaign with Gucci featuring her social media-inspired temporary tattoos, Yuyi often travels internationally for shoots. Now the ‘workaholic’ lifestyle that saw her clients include Nike and Maison Margiela has slowed to a more peaceful pace.    [FULL  STORY]

Although Taiwan would be unlikely to win a major conflict with China, it plays a defensive game.

The National Interest
Date: July 18, 2020
By: Caleb Larson

Here's What You Need To Remember: Taiwan’s objective is not to ensure victory against China, but to ensure that the cost of winning will be so great that a conflict never takes place. Taiwan’s missile collection has, at least thus far, achieved just that.

The key to Taiwan’s deterrent strategy is it’s missile program, as Taiwan lives on China’s doorstep. China is Taiwan’s number one security concern. Taiwan walks a fine line between keeping tensions with China low, while ensuring security via a credible weapons capability.

Historically, this has meant Taiwan’s missiles tend to be more defensive in nature, though more recent missile innovations can strike deeper into mainland China with more precision than their predecessor missiles.    [FULL  STORY]

Aim is to prevent eavesdropping by China, equipment to be made in Taiwan by NCSIST

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/07/18
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan military plans to spend more than NT$4.8 billion (US$163 million) on a new communication system to prevent eavesdropping by China, reports said Saturday (July 18).

The equipment currently in use is so outmoded it could give China the opportunity to listen into conversations between military units and obtain confidential information, the Liberty Times reported. The Navy announced Thursday (July 17) it was ordering a new system from the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) for NT$4,825,798,000, with the deadline for delivery reportedly set at the end of 2023.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 07/18/2020
By: Emerson Lim

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) An exhibit featuring artwork by inmates, some of whom are on death row, opened Saturday at Bopiliao Historic Block in Taipei.

Twenty-two calligraphy works and Chinese paintings produced by 15 inmates are being displayed at the exhibit, titled "Not Who We Were," organized by the Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP).

TAEDP wants to change the public impression of inmates, which is usually fixed at the moment they committed their crime.

"What this exhibit wants to signify is everyone can change," Lin Hsin-yi (林欣怡), executive director of TAEDP said during the simple opening ceremony.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwn International
Date: 17 July, 2020
By: Katherine Wei

Taiwanese TV personality Belle Yu announced on Friday that she will donate all the proceeds from a fundraiser held with local bakeries to the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation. The goal is to help the foundation raise awareness of issues such as domestic violence. 

In 2009, Yu founded an organization of her own, called the “Do Good Things Group”. The group focuses on empowering women and raising funds for women-centered movements and causes. This year, her group decided the proceeds will help the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation assist more women who have been victims of domestic violence, as well as young girls trafficked into prostitution, and victims of internet violence.    [FULL  STORY]