The China Post
Date: September 9, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — In a move to draw foreign talent to Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen told a group of

semiconductor industry leaders that the government plans to create an online platform to simplify visa application procedures, Thursday.

Attracting foreign talent to Taiwan is one of the foremost concerns among industry leaders, Tsai told the group. The government has combined talent and labor databases with information provided by embassies to create an online platform targeted at foreign talent.

The platform also aims to simplify visa and residency application procedures. Tsai said she hopes the platform will help to draw more international talent to Taiwan and called it a “positive force” for industry.

Tsai emphasized that her administration will also continue efforts to guarantee stable water and electricity supplies, addressing industry concerns about insufficient water resources and the possibility of power shortages.

Taiwan’s government agencies have also been working to create opportunities for foreign investors and enterprises to obtain land, Tsai said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: September 7, 2016

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. was named winner Sept. 6 of the prestigious Asia-Pacific Industry Award

for its smart systems, reflecting the quality and strength of the local intelligent services sector.

THSRC won for its disaster warning, passenger service and ticketing systems, as well as its provision of integrated i-traveling information for passengers.

“Thanks to our disaster warning system, no lives were lost in accidents caused by earthquakes and typhoons,” a THSRC official said. “In addition, our passenger and ticketing systems, as well as the i-traveling service, helped ensure customers enjoy seamless connections with other transportation networks and easy access to tourism resources along the high-speed rail.”

The operator of Taiwan’s 348.5-kilometer high-speed rail line running north-south from Taipei to Kaohsiung cities in the west of the country beat out two rivals from Australia and Hong Kong to claim the honor. The affordable and convenient service can reach speeds of up to 300 kph.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-09-07
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

National Cheng Kung University announced Wednesday it has successfully developed a portable saliva (oral fluid-based) drug test system that takes only 10 minutes to detect drug use with accuracy rates of above 90 percent.

Currently police rely mostly on urine and blood tests to detect drug use, but when spot checks are conducted, there might not be any toilets around the checkpoints, and blood tests have even more limitation as they require taking samples of blood, NCKU said.

The saliva drug test system will eliminate these limitations for law enforcement officers when they conduct spot checks, and there are no human right violation issues to worry about either, NCKU said. Saliva tests can save time, too, and therefore they are good replacements for urine and blood tests, the university added.

The NCKU saliva drug test system was developed by Professor Lin Yu-cheng and his group after three years of research with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The technology has been transferred to a company for production.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/07
By: Emmanuelle Tzeng and Frances Huang

Assisi, Italy, Sept. 6 (CNA) Republic of China Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) prayed for world

peace Tuesday at a Catholic mass in Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi, during a visit to the Vatican.

At the mass in the San Francisco Monastery, Chen and his wife Luo Feng-ping (羅鳳蘋) read the prayers, asking for peace across the Taiwan Strait and in the rest of the world.

The couple also prayed for Pope Francis and other officials in the Vatican, the people of Taiwan and the global environment.

Chen is a Catholic and took the English name Francis, same as the pope, after St. Francis of Assisi, a 12th century Italian Roman Catholic friar who was known for his affinity with nature and was said to have preached to birds.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan faces an uphill struggle in communicating with the world; it is essential that the appropriate bureaucratic structures are put in place to make facing that struggle a little easier.

The News Lens
Date: 2016/09/06
By: Gary Rawnsley

On Aug. 25, 2016, China’s Xinhua News Agency posted a short film on Twitter about the construction of a pipeline between Fujian province and Jinmen. Once finished, the pipeline will divert water from China to help this “Islet of Taiwan” overcome shortages. In just 44 seconds, a powerful narrative was established: Taiwan has problems; and Jinmen must depend on the People’s Republic of China (PRC), not Taiwan’s elected government, to solve those problems.

Where was the official response from the government of Taiwan? By its silence, Taipei deferred control of the story – and of audience perceptions – to the PRC’s news agencies. China has a major presence in social media: On Twitter alone there is, in English, Xinhua, the People’s Daily, the Global Times, CCTV, and CCTV America. Other foreign ministries in East Asia, including Japan and Korea, are present in an official capacity in the social media: Where is Taiwan?

For twenty years, I have been researching and writing about Taiwan’s external communications – it’s propaganda, public diplomacy, cultural relations, and what is now called “soft power.” I remain committed to understanding how a state with few diplomatic allies and omission from the most important international organizations can use external communications to project globally its values and ambitions, and thereby further its political and diplomatic agenda. Taiwan, locked in an international environment that limits its manoeuvrability, is a perfect example. My first comprehensive study of this subject was published in 2000 as Taiwan’s Informal Diplomacy and Propaganda, and subsequently translated into Chinese.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/06
By: Elaine Hou and Emerson Lim

Manila, Sept. 6 (CNA) Taiwan’s representative office in the Philippines launched a short essay contest

Tuesday, inviting Philippine citizens to take part in the event with the top prize being a three-day free trip to Taiwan.

Titled “An Amazing Short Break in Taiwan,” the contest requires participants to submit short essays, with accompanying videos and photos, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines said in a statement.

It is being held to “encourage more Filipinos to discover the beauty of Taiwan, the closest neighbor of the Philippine in the north, and to promote cultural and mutual understanding between Taiwan and the Philippines,” the office said.

Each participant is required to submit an essay of no more than 500 words to describe why Taiwan is an ideal place for Filipinos to have a short break, the office said.     [FULL  STORY]

SEEKING A SEAT:Taiwan United Nations Alliance said that UN Resolution 2758 should not be a factor, as Chiang Kai-shek’s regime did not represent Taiwanese

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 07, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

Members of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance are to depart for the US on Friday to promote Taiwan’s

membership in the UN ahead of the international body’s general assembly next week.

The alliance will stage a musical promotion event in front of UN headquarters in New York on Saturday next week to highlight Taiwan’s intention to join the organization and meet with US think tanks and politicians to seek support in the US Congress, alliance director Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) said yesterday.

The alliance is to post a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and representatives to the UN to advocate the nation’s inclusion.

A poll by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation found that 84.8 percent of Taiwanese backed a UN bid, with the support holding at 83.2 percent if China expressed opposition, Tsai said.     [FULL  STORY]