Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/03/31
By: Zoe Wei and Scully Hsiao

Taipei, March 31 (CNA) Environmental activist and lawyer Robin Winkler, who gave up his U.S. citizenship to become a naturalized Republic of China citizen in 2003, became the first-ever foreign-born individual in Taiwan Tuesday to throw his hat into the legislative election of 2016.

It is the second time Winkler has decided to run for a seat in the Legislature.

Winkler had sought to run in a legislative by-election in Taipei in 2009 but was rejected by the Taipei City Election Commission, which cited the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act, under which a foreigner has to have been naturalized for 10 years before he is allowed to run in local elections.     [FULL  STORY]

TAIPEI CONTEST:Chiang Wan-an said the nation has changed since last year’s Sunflower movement and young people need to step forward and boost the KMT

Taipei Times
Date:  Mar 31, 2015
By: Tsai Ya-hua, Wang Wen-hsuan and Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), the son of former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairman

John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) and a fourth-generation descendant of former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), on Sunday announced that he would run in the KMT’s legislative primary in Taipei’s Zhongshan (中山) and Songshan (松山) districts, pitting himself against incumbent KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) and KMT Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇).

Chiang Wan-an’s bid for the candidacy has been described by pundits as an attempt to avenge his father’s defeat at the hands of Lo in a 2011 KMT legislative primary.

Chiang Wan-an, 37, rejected the accusation, saying that there was no animosity between his family and Lo.

The nation has changed since the Sunflower movement and the nine-in-one elections last year, and young people need to step forward and bolster the KMT after the party suffered its greatest defeat in last year’s elections, Chiang Wan-an said.

Chiang Wan-an, who holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania, has been working as a lawyer in the US and is a partner in a Taiwanese law firm. He said that he does not have dual citizenship when reporters asked him about his nationality.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-03-30
By: CNA and Staff Reporter

Four former Taiwan officials paid their last respects to Lee Kuan Yew at the first prime minister

of Singapore’s state funeral on Sunday.

The presence of former vice president Lien Chan, former vice president Vincent Siew, former premier Hau Pei-tsun and former premier Su Tseng-chang, who were invited to attend the state funeral in their private capacities, is an indication of the deep and long friendship between the two countries.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/03/30
By: Sophia Yeh and Scully Hsiao

Taipei, March 30 (CNA) The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Monday objected to the ruling party’s proposal to revise the country’s Constitution to create a parlimentary system.

“The parlimentary system is out of the question,” said DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen at a meeting with party lawmakers, as the majority of the public prefers to directly vote for their president, according to Huang Chung-yen, head of the DPP’s information and public opinion department.

The chairwoman urged the ruling party to base the reform on the country’s long-term interests, include civic groups in the revision process, and not rush amendments through, Huang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 31, 2015
By: Chen Yu-hsuan and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A survey released by the TVBS poll center yesterday on the approval ratings of the heads of

the nation’s six special municipalities placed Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) first with 76 percent, independent Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) second with 70 percent and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the DPP in third place with 68 percent.

Fourth was New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) with 50 percent, while Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), both members of the DPP, where fifth and sixth with 43 percent and 42 percent respectively.

The survey was conducted to gauge residents’ satisfaction with the six mayors as Friday marks 100 days since they were sworn in on Dec. 25 last year.

The survey included ratings on satisfaction with the mayors’ policies, satisfaction with their administration, residents’ pride in their cities, faith in the mayors’ future governance, their boldness, their ability to communicate and coordinate, their integrity, their understanding of public opinion and their ability to handle crises.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-03-30
By: Staff Reporter

Tsai Ing-wen, leader of Taiwan’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party, will continue to

avoid recognition of the 1992 Consensus and stick to the spirit of the Resolution on Taiwan’s Future in formulating the party’s future cross-strait policy, reports our Chinese-language sister paper China Times.

The DPP has never officially recognized the 1992 Consensus, a tacit understanding reached between Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China in 1992 that there is only “one China,” but with each side free to interpret what that means. The consensus has been the basis for renewed cross-strait dialogue and agreements signed since the Kuomintang returned to power in Taiwan in 2008.

At this month’s National People’s Congress in Beijing, the PRC president, Xi Jinping, declared that the 1992 Consensus is the foundation of cross-strait relations. Trust between China and Taiwan will cease to exist and the cross-strait relationship will return to a state of turbulence if this foundation is sabotaged, Xi said, adding that Beijing “must adamantly reject the Taiwan separatist philosophy.”     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-03-29
By: CNA

Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, will preside over a spring memorial ceremony for the ROC

Air Force’s war dead on Sunday.

He will be the first Republic of China president to ever officiate the annual ceremony held by the service branch at the Air Force Cemetery in Xindian in New Taipei.

Those buried at the cemetery are mainly Air Force personnel who gave their lives during China’s civil war, and the president has high respect for their contributions to the country, a source said.

Because of the presence of the president, the ceremony will be led this year by Ma rather than the Air Force commander and officers who normally head it, and he will be accompanied by the defense minister and chief of general staff.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/03/29
By: Han Ting-ting and Ted Chen

Taipei, March 29 (CNA) China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) initiative is a

means to achieve its goal of bolstering regional integration and connectivity through its “One Belt, One Road” strategy, Lu Chung-ta (呂忠達), director of investments and marketing at Shin Kong Investment Trust Co. (新光投信).

The establishment of the AIIB is widely regarded as an effort by China to create an international financial institution that rivals the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Asia Development Bank and curb the U.S.’s leading position in global financial decision-making bodies in the post-World War II era.

According to Lu, China’s “One Belt, One Road” strategy spans Asia-Pacific and European economies that encompass 3.81 billion people and US$16.42 trillion in economic output.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-03-29
By: CNA

Kenting National Park had 8.16 million visitors in 2014, making it the most-visited national park

in Taiwan last year, according to government statistics released Saturday.

Taroko National Park was the second most popular with 6.28 million visits and Shoushan National Park was third with 4.69 million visits, said the Ministry of the Interior.

Taiwan currently has nine national parks and one national nature park.

The 10 parks had a combined 28.28 million visitors in 2014, an increase of 3.79 million from the previous year, according to the MOI.

Taroko National Park and Kenting National Park saw the biggest increase in visitors of any of the 10 parks last year, with visitor numbers rising by 1.5 million and 1.1 million, respectively.