Page Two

Amended Taiwan labor law only ‘first step’: labor group

Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-16
By: CNA

After Taiwan’s Legislature cleared an amendment to the Labor Standards Act

Members of labor groups hold yellow umbrellas in the shape of the number 40 during a protest outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, April 30. (File photo/Chen Chen-tang)

Members of labor groups hold yellow umbrellas in the shape of the number 40 during a protest outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, April 30. (File photo/Chen Chen-tang)

Friday to reduce the work week to 40 hours starting next year, a major labor group said that this is only the beginning and there is still a lot to be done if Taiwan is to shed its image as an island of overwork.

It is estimated that 3.4 million workers will benefit under the amended law.

“This is only the first step for Taiwanese workers to shed their super-long working hours and culture of overwork,” the Taiwan Labor Front said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese students in China affected by identity issues: poll

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/16
By: Yin-Chu-chieh and Lilian Wu

Shanghai, May 19 (CNA) One third of Taiwanese students studying in China 201505160025t0001have experienced problems related to their national identity, according to a poll released in Shanghai on Saturday.

The survey conducted by China Huayi Broadcasting Corp. (中國華藝廣播公司) found that 33 percent of Taiwanese students studying in China have difficulty with the complex procedures involved in seeking jobs, mainly because of their identity. Twenty-six percent of Taiwanese students are troubled by the different cultural environment and attitudes in China, while 15 percent think that the various regulations put in place to protect them are not clear enough, according to the poll.

Speaking Saturday at a forum in Shanghai sponsored by China Huayi Broadcasting, a representative group of about 50 Taiwanese students expanded on the issue. Liu Hung-chao, ( 柳虹兆) , who attends Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said Taiwanese students in China cannot obtain student loans on either side of the Taiwan Strait because of the national identity issue.     [FULL  STORY]

US official backs Taiwan TPP bid

SOUTH CHINA SEA:Over the past few days, Chinese warships closely shadowed a new, high-tech US Navy vessel that was patrolling the Spratly Islands

Taipei Times
Date: May 17, 2015
By: William Lowther  /  Staff reporter in Washington

US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce is urging US President Barack Obama’s administration to include Taiwan in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.

“I will continue to press the administration to make sure Taiwan is seriously considered for inclusion in this important trade agreement,” Royce said on Friday.

At a committee hearing the day before on advancing US economic interests in Asia, Royce questioned two senior US Department of State officials on the issue.

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Danny Russel said that both sides were working hard on a US-Taiwan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement and were looking closely at a Bilateral Investment Agreement.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan, China plan further talks in sign of improving relations

Reuters
Date: May 15, 2015

Taiwan said on Friday its top official in charge of relations with China will meet his Chinese counterpart this month on an outlying island, the fourth such meeting since the start of last year in a sign of warming relations.

Trade ties between the two sides have improved to their best level in six decades since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008. But both sides remain political rivals, with China viewing the democratic island as a renegade province.

The announcement of the meeting on the island of Kinmen came less than two weeks after Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping held talks with Taiwan’s ruling Nationalist Party chairman Eric Chu in Beijing, the highest-level meeting between the two parties in six years.

Kinmen island lies just 2 km (1.2 miles) off the coast of China’s Fujian province.

In the meeting set for May 23-24, Andrew Hsia, head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), and Zhang Zhijun, director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, will discuss issues such as in what name both sides would agree for Taiwan to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and how to cooperate in a crackdown on economic crime, MAC vice chairwoman Wu Mei-hung said.     [FULL  STORY]

Yunlin county councilors pass bylaw to ban coal burning

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/15
By: Yeh Tzu-kang and Scully Hsiao

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) Councilors in western Taiwan’s Yunlin County on Friday

Lee Chin-yung (李進勇), right

Lee Chin-yung (李進勇), right

passed a bylaw proposed by the local government to ban the burning of coal and petroleum coke by factories, drawing a mixed response from the central government, businesses and environmentalists.

The bylaw was passed in response to widespread concerns about PM2.5 — fine particulates that pose risks to human health — and will act to safeguard the health of county residents, Yunlin Magistrate Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) said.

The passage of the bylaw — which cleared the council floor in some 10 minutes — drew applause from environmentalists, who staged a sit-in in front of the county council hall urging swift passage of the bylaw.

The bylaw awaits approval by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) under the Cabinet.     [FULL  STORY]

White House official in charge of Asian affairs set to change before Tsai visit

Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-15
By: Liu ping and Staff Reporter

When Tsai Ing-wen, the chair of Taiwan’s main opposition the Democratic Progressive Party, visits Washington DC next month, her fellow London School of Economics alum Evan Mederios will no longer hold the position of National Security Council senior director for Asian affairs at the White House.

Mederios will leave the post in early June, and Daniel Kritenbrink, deputy mission chief at the US Embassy in Beijing, will take over for him.

Recent White House statements on US-Taiwan relations have largely been released by Mederios, who said last month that Washington hoped Tsai, the favorite to become Taiwan’s president in 2016, would provide details on her cross-Taiwan Strait policy.

On April 27, Medeiros said while commenting on Tsai’s remarks on cross-strait issues that he found Tsai’s remarks very interesting and constructive and looked forward to hearing more about her next steps.     [FULL  STORY]

Legislature passes long-term care bill

KMT WIN:The DPP pushed for the funding for long-term care to come from an increase in inheritance and gift taxes, yet the bill seeks financing from tax hikes and other sources

Taipei Times
Date: May 16, 2015
By: Alison Hsiao  /  Staff reporter

The legislature yesterday passed a draft bill on long-term care services,

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chieh-ju holds up a sign in the chamber of the legislature yesterday, stating that a long-term care policy without adequate funding is an empty gesture. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chieh-ju holds up a sign in the chamber of the legislature yesterday, stating that a long-term care policy without adequate funding is an empty gesture. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

clearing the way for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) proposals over the funding of long-term care to be written into law.

After eight cross-caucus negotiation sessions and a multitude of debates involving the KMT, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and civic groups, the bill finally passed after a controversial clause on the source of funding for the care services was put to a floor vote — considered a last resort for the passage of a bill.

The KMT-authored bill stipulates that funding should come from public coffers, health surcharges on tobacco, donations, interest from the fund and other sources, while the DPP called for an increase of inheritance and gift taxes.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan enforces stricter controls on Japanese food imports

Reuters
Date: May 15, 2015

Taiwan on Friday began enforcing stricter rules on inspecting imported Japanese food products potentially originating in radiation-exposed areas, prompting a warning from Tokyo that it may call on the WTO for a ruling unless the restrictions are eased.

The new rules will only allow foods with Japanese government-issued place of origin certificates to enter Taiwan. On top of that, certain items from designated places in Japan will need radiation testing reports before they are granted access into Taiwan markets.

Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration said the latest enforcement was in line with radiation safety management practices that other countries have put in place on Japanese food imports following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

It said it “is necessary to protect the safety of food consumption” for Taiwanese.     [FULL  STORY]

Legislators question Kinmen’s ability to deal with hostility

Taipei Times
Date: May 15, 2015
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) and other senior military officials came under scrutiny yesterday, with legislators questioning the combat readiness of the nation’s armed forces given the perceived threat against the frontline island of Kinmen, which is close to Xiamen, China.

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安) said Kinmen’s security is now in jeopardy as the armed forces have no defense against a surprise attack.

She said that the number of Chinese visitors to Kinmen has spiked to record levels, with 150,000 visitors last month — a daily average of about 5,000 people.

“This sharp increase is because our government has opened the gate to Kinmen for the Chinese. It is all due to the new policy of granting visas on arrival — specific to Chinese tourists — which was implemented in February,” Chou said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. “This represents a serious security threat to our sovereignty. Currently we do not have many troops in Kinmen — maybe only a few thousand. They are of insufficient strength to defend Kinmen and also have no combat readiness plan in case of hostile action.”     [FULL  STORY]

Head of Japan’s Miyagi prefecture thanks Taiwan for post-disaster help

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/05/14
By: Elaine Hou

Taipei, May 14 (CNA) The governor of Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture, Yoshihiro

Yoshihiro Murai

Yoshihiro Murai

Murai, is visiting Taiwan to promote bilateral exchanges and express gratitude for Taiwan’s assistance in the wake of a powerful earthquake that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011.

On Thursday, the second day of the May 13-16 visit, he told CNA that his delegation has visited Taiwan’s Red Cross Society to express thanks for its assistance in the wake of the disasters. He also expressed gratitude for Taiwan’s help during his meetings with Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

Miyagi Prefecture was one of the hardest-hit areas in the 9.0 magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people. Other severely affected areas included Iwate and Fukushima prefectures in northeastern Japan.     [FULL  STORY]