Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-01
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The death of a fishing captain and the injuries to three members of his crew were the result of the accidental firing of a Navy missile, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday.

During the morning, a Chinchiang-class corvette at a Navy harbor near Kaohsiung fired a supersonic Hsiung Feng III missile which landed in the Taiwan Strait near Penghu. The cause for the incident was described as an isolated case of human error.

However, after initial reports that an explosion on board of a fishing trawler had been heard around the same time, an investigation was conducted into any links between the two incidents.

At a news conference during the afternoon, the Ministry of National Defense acknowledged that the missile had gone right through the Hsiang Li Sheng fishing trawler, killing its captain, Huang Wen-chung, and injuring three crew members. The three had already left the hospital in Tainan, reports said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/01
By: Yin Chun-chieh, Kao Chao-feng and Elaine Hou

Beijing, July 1 (CNA) China’s top official on Taiwan affairs said Friday that Taiwan should provide a “responsible” explanation for launching a missile accidentally into the Taiwan Strait earlier in the day, calling it a “serious” matter.

Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the incident had “a serious impact,” coming at a time when Beijing has stressed the importance of maintaining the peaceful development of the cross-strait relations, with the “1992 consensus” as the political foundation.

“This requires Taiwan to provide a responsible explanation on what had happened,” Zhang said in response to reporters’ questions on the incident on the sidelines of an event promoting cross-strait student exchanges.

Asked if Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) had notified the the Taiwan Affairs Office of the incident, he replied that he “had no information.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: July 1, 2016

The future of Taipei starts in the old town area because a great city is judged by the depth of

its history, not by the height of its buildings, Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je said June 29 at the launch of National Geographic Channel documentary “Inside: Reinventing Taipei.”

Earlier this year Taipei’s historic North Gate finally showed its original face after demolition of the nearby concrete overpass to Zhongxiao Bridge, which had obscured the gate for 39 years. The process was captured in the documentary, along with a 3-D animation of the city 130 years ago, which will be officially screened in 37 countries and territories July 3 to expected audience of 120 million.

Taipei, along with its surrounding stone walls, was built in 1884 during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). It could be accessed by five gates: the North, East, West, South and Secondary South gates. The city walls and West Gate were destroyed during Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945). While the East, South and Secondary South gates have undergone major modifications, the surviving two-story North Gate is the only original structure that incorporates time-honored Chinese architectural features.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 2, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Tsai Ing-wen, responding to the accidental firing of a supersonic

anti-ship missile by the Navy on Friday, instructed the National Security Council (NSC, 國安會) and Defense Ministry to launch an investigation into the cause of the incident.

Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) stated that the NSC immediately contacted officials with Tsai’s delegation after receiving the Defense Ministry’s notice. The delegation was in Los Angeles when the incident was reported.

Upon receiving the news, Tsai immediately instructed the NSC and Defense Ministry to provide details about the situation and to carry out a necessary and suitable response, Huang said.

Around 10 p.m. Pacific Time, Tsai, along with NSC Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Liu Chien-hsin (劉建忻), listened to NSC Secretary-General Chen Chun-lin’s (陳俊麟) report through secure channels.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 1, 2016
By: CNA

SHANGHAI–As cross-Taiwan Strait relations have cooled under the administration of

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the number of tourist groups traveling from eastern China to Taiwan is set to see a 33 percent decrease year-on-year for the second half of the year, according to travel industry estimates.

Tourist groups from the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui to Taiwan are predicted to drop about 33 percent year-on-year for the period from July to December, information provided by Chinese tourist agencies and air carriers operating flights across the Taiwan Strait shows.

Meanwhile, tourist groups traveling from Shanghai to Taiwan are forecast to see a year-on-year 33 percent decrease from July to September, and a 25 percent drop year-on-year for the October-December period.

There has been speculation since earlier this year that the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Taiwan would drop due to Beijing’s move to reduce such visits, as part of its efforts to put pressure on Taiwan’s new government led by Tsai, chairwoman of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-30
By: Wendy Lee, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

President Tsai Ing-wen said Thursday that the “checkbook diplomacy” that Taiwan once practiced had ended a long time ago. “Taiwan has become a very different country,” she said.

In response to media inquiry, Tsai said the “checkbook diplomacy” that Taiwan was once criticized for no longer existed, since Taiwan has become a very different country, and many things need to be examined and regulated by law.

“Checkbook diplomacy” is traditionally defined as a country using economic clout as a political tool, to buy diplomatic allies in the name of foreign assistance.

Citing Paraguay as an example, Tsai said she has come to Paraguay for only two purposes: to double the number of students to be awarded under Taiwan’s scholarship program to study in the island from 14 to 28, and to raise import quotas for beef from the South American country. “These are the only two things that I am here for, and if I did not tell you about any other issues, it means there is nothing to tell,” she said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/06/30
By: Wang Shu-fen and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, June 30 (CNA) The new Nangang Station on Taiwan’s high-speed railway line is set

to begin commercial operations Friday, and a change of schedules will also take effect then, the operator said Thursday.

The addition of the Nangang stop will bring the number of stations along the 339-kilometer north-south line to 12, said Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC).

When the new Nangang Station goes into operation, it will replace Taipei Main Station as the starting point for southbound trains on the line, THSRC said.

As part of the change, the first trains of the day on either end of the line will depart at 6:15 a.m. instead of 6:30 a.m., THSRC said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 01, 2016
By Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

More than 100 union members yesterday protested outside the Executive Yuan and

Legislative Yuan, calling for restrictions on “compensatory holidays,” as a debate over the implementation of a universal 40-hour work week continues.

Shouting slogans slamming negotiations with business groups and demanding the preservation of public holidays, union members demonstrated for more than one hour, pressing against the police line outside the Executive Yuan before marching to the Legislative Yuan, shouting that they would monitor members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leadership and Social Welfare and Environment Hygiene Committee after amendments by the Executive Yuan to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) are submitted.

The proposed amendments are to give workers two days off per week, with more stringent overtime requirements and higher pay for work performed during off days, in response to labor campaigners’ argument that mandating a 40-hour workweek would not guarantee a five-day workweek without additional regulations over weekly off days.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: July 1, 2016
By: Stephanie Chao

TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Tsai Ing-wen, responding to Kuomintang’s (KMT) criticism of

her signing “President of Taiwan” during her visit to the expanded Panama Canal, commented Wednesday that professing herself as such was valid since she was elected by 23 million people.

During her visit to the expanded Panama Canal, Tsai signed her name as “TSAI, ING-WEN 蔡英文, President of Taiwan (ROC).” She also wrote a short note congratulating Panama on its achievement.

A photograph of the signature went viral and brought ire from the KMT, who saw it as a “downsizing” of Taiwan’s official national title, “Republic of China.”

Back in Taiwan, KMT lawmakers went on to goad Tsai to “courageously” proclaim Taiwan’s independence if she wished to legitimize that claim.

Tsai penned her signature while meeting with her press delegation after a day of visiting agriculture and livestock centers, and projects established under a Taiwan-Paraguay cooperation program.

Tsai stressed that in official events, Taiwan is clearly referred to as the “Republic of China,” which is followed by “Taiwan.”

“Is it necessary to bring politics into this matter?” Tsai rhetorically asked press members. She added that such interpretations of her intentions should not continue, and that they cause “unnecessary disturbances.”     [FULL  STORY]