Taiwan Today
Date: January 14, 2016

The 2016 Taiwan International Boat Show kicks off March 10 at Kaohsiung

Exhibition Center in southern Taiwan, highlighting the port metropolis’s rising reputation as a regional hub for yacht manufacturing and operations.

During the four-day event, 44 shipbuilders from home and abroad are showcasing a tip-top selection of 63 luxury yachts at the facility’s indoor booths and marina berths, according to organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

Exhibitors include local outfits Alexander Marine Co. Ltd., Global Yacht Builders Co. Ltd. and Horizon Yachts Co., as well as international firms Bavaria Yachts of Germany, Delta Marine of the U.S., Galeon Yachts of Poland and Princess Yachts of the U.K.

“The second edition of the biennial event underscores the growing value and importance of the local yacht-making sector,” a TAITRA official said, adding that this is confirmed by Taiwan’s fourth-place ranking after Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey for yachts 80-foot or above in Boat International’s 2016 Global Order Book.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-13
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

As international marriage has become a common practice in the Taiwanese

society, the Ministry of the Interior Wednesday suggested that people wishing to engage in international marriage through transnational matchmaking pay attention to the “two musts and three mores” principle to protect their own interests.

Deputy Minister of the Interior Jonathan Chen told a press conference that international marriage is easy to break due to the fact that the couple usually know each other in a short time as well as due to each other’s difference in personality, life expectation and cultural background.

Therefore, the MOI has made an educational video to remind people intending to engage in international marriage to understand the difference in each other’s family background, languages and culture before making the decision to tie the knot, Chen said.     [FULL  STORY]

Source: Taiwan Today
Date: January 13, 2016

New Taipei City was named Taiwan’s top electricity saver Jan. 12 in a smart

city energy campaign organized by the ROC Ministry of Economic Affairs.

From April to November 2015, the northern Taiwan metropolis slashed electricity consumption by 127 million kilowatt-hours, or 1.24 percent from the preceding period to top all cities and counties nationwide. It also clinched six creative green strategy awards and won the online poll, collecting prize money of NT$190 million (US$5.7 million) in the process.

Other cities turning in praiseworthy performances include runners-up Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Taipei and Taoyuan, in that order.

Premier Mao Chi-kuo, who attended the award ceremony in Taipei, lauded the winners for leading the way in prudent planning, innovative urban policymaking and cross-sector collaboration.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Thu, Jan 14, 2016
By: Rachel Lin, Huang Shu-li and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

The Ministry of Education’s youth development administration granted

Yunlin County camp volunteers a subsidy for their work last year revitalizing the now-deserted Jianguo Veterans’ Village (建國眷村) in Huwei Township (虎尾).

Jianguo Village Revitalization Association director-general Lu Yun-hsiang (魯紜湘) said the village is a large complex of four communities and had once been home to more than 5,000 veterans and their families. The village was mostly deserted in 2007, with only a few families still living in the area, she said.

Some of the buildings were dormitories originally built for Japanese naval air group pilots during the Japanese colonial era, Lu said, adding that since the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) came to Taiwan from China, the village had been converted into units for veterans and their families.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-12
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taiwan’s eVisa program officially kicks off Tuesday, opening to nationals in 27 countries to apply for visa online, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday.

Taiwan is the 24th country in the world to implement eVisa, which is expected to make Taiwan more attractive to foreign tourists and business people.

Luo Tien-hung, deputy director general of MOFA’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, told a press conference that the eVisa program was initiated to be in tune with the international trend of electronic travel documents and the policy to simplify procedures for foreign travelers coming to Taiwan.

The eVisa program will also further improve foreign countries’ visa treatment to Taiwan, Luo said.

The eVisa program, which is not applicable to nationals in Visa Waiver Program countries, provides travelers “one-stop-shop” online services, including filling out application forms, credit card payment, and issuance of proof of electronic visa, Luo said, adding that the program will save visa applicants time and money.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/12
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) The No. 2 reactor at Taiwan’s third nuclear power plant in Pingtung County resumed power generation Tuesday and is expected to reach full capacity within the next two days, Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) said that day.

The reactor was shut down in November last year for an annual overhaul, during which a stud on the top cover of the reactor was found to be stuck.

After the problem was resolved, the Atomic Energy Council on Jan. 10 gave its permission for Taipower to restart the reactor.

The reactor began to supply electricity at 9:08 a.m., Taipower said.

Taiwan Today
Date: January 12, 2016

Taiwan ranks fourth among six Asian countries and territories when it

comes to the population’s expectations and preparedness for retirement, according to a recently released international survey.

Jointly conducted in November 2015 by Singapore-based DBS Bank and the Indonesian branch of Canada-based Manufacturers Life Insurance Co., the first-time study involved 6,068 respondents aged 40 to 60 in Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Singapore and mainland China.

The online survey used the Retirement Wellness Index to assess the level of respondent readiness across the areas of health, wealth and social aspects.     [FULL  STORY]

On a scale of 0 to 100, Taiwan’s score of 47 was ahead of Singapore at 46 and Hong Kong at 39, but behind Indonesia at 72, India at 69 and mainland China at 61. The average score of the six economies was 56 points.

In the wealth subindex, Taiwan’s score of 35 was ahead of only Hong Kong at 27 and tied with Singapore. In addition, while respondents plan to retire at 61.5 years old, 38 percent said they do not expect to fully withdraw from the workplace.