Radio Taiwan International
Date: 20 May, 2020
By: Paula Chao

Chen is a leading epidemiologist. His expertise helped Taiwan combat SARS in 2003, when he served as health

minister. This year, in his last few months as vice president, his expertise has proven invaluable again, this time in staving off COVID-19. Now, Taiwan’s top research body, the Academia Sinica, has invited him to return to conducting research.

Last week, outgoing Vice President Chen Chien-jen talked with the media at the Presidential Office about his mood before leaving office.

Chen said the best gift he has received before his departure has been Taiwan’s successful containment of COVID-19.

Chen also said neither fame nor money can compare with the joy and excitement of a breakthrough in scientific research, the work he has become known for outside of his political career.    [FULL  STORY]

The Hill
Date: 05/20/2020
By: Jianli Yang and Aaron Rhodeas, Opinion contributors

Recent events have vividly confirmed that the United States should establish formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, or the Republic of China (ROC). While the Communist Party-led People’s Republic of China allowed a global public health crisis to happen with its attempted cover-up of COVID-19, including its apparent manipulation of the World Health Organization, Taiwan’s response to the virus was among the most transparent, accountable, humane and efficient in the world. 

Yet China blocked Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly and has tried to profit from the crisis by selling sometimes-defective health products. It intimidates critics, even petulantly going after an Australian student for criticizing his university’s subservience to Chinese demands.  

 Non-recognition of Taiwan has become an intolerable and unconscionable contradiction that undermines American integrity and credibility. The Jimmy Carter-era policy was based on the premise that recognition of China would help transform the communist regime into a trustworthy and responsible partner for the United States and other countries, and that both Chinas could not be recognized because of their competing claims to dominion over Taiwan and the mainland.  

This has proved false. China’s COVID-19 malfeasance — which appears to continue in the form of efforts to hack vaccine research in other countries — is only the latest proof that the country’s integration into the liberal world order has not only failed, but has undermined the integrity of international norms and institutions. Think of the massacre of peaceful demonstrators at Tiananmen Square; of today’s Uighur concentration camps; of China’s live organ harvesting; its persecution of dissidents; massive censorship; and a range of other moral outrages. Beijing coerces other societies to remain silent about them in international forums, and takes over islands claimed by neighbors, refusing to negotiate.     [FULL  STORY]

Morgan Ortagus says Chinese political schemes accentuate difference between Taiwan and China

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/20
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Despite Taiwan's exclusion from the 2020 World Health Assembly (WHA), international leaders have spoken up for the island nation and bashed China for asserting a negative political influence on global affairs, including U.S. State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, who showed her support by posting a Taiwanese flag on Twitter.

Following the opening of the WHA's 73rd session on Monday (May 18), Ortagus took to Twitter to criticize the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) discrimination against Taiwan. She said its "spiteful" attempts to silence Taiwan have "exposed the emptiness" of its promises to be transparent and cooperative during the pandemic and that its actions have only accentuated the difference between Taiwan and China.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 05/20/2020
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Taiwan is planning to reduce the quarantine period for visitors arriving on short-term business trips, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday, as it reported no new COVID-19 cases in the country for the 13th straight day.

Business travelers on two- or three-day trips, arriving from countries such as New Zealand, which are at extremely low risk for COVID-19, will be required to remain in quarantine for five days instead of two weeks, the CECC said.

At the end of the five-day quarantine, the visitors will be tested for COVID-19 at their own expense and released once they test negative, the CECC said.

Short-term business travelers from countries with relatively high risk of COVID-19 will be quarantined for 10 days, after which the procedure will be the same, it said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: May 21, 2020
By: Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

Chinese over-the-top (OTT) service provider iQiyi cannot register as a provider in Taiwan after the Mainland Affairs

Council declared it to be an illegal service, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.

Both iQiyi and WeTV were deemed to be illegal Chinese OTT operators in an interdepartmental meeting on Friday last week, officials said, adding that this prohibits them from marketing their services in Taiwan or seeking subscribers.

The government plans to block a local server that iQiyi has been using to transmit content to domestic audiences, which would disrupt its content transmission.

OTT Entertainment Ltd, which is enlisted by iQiyi to handle subscription-related affairs in Taiwan, on Monday said that its local service platform does not disseminate political content, adding that it has invested more than NT$1 billion (US$33.38 million) in content production.   [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 19 May, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

The World Health Assembly is postponing discussion of Taiwan’s observer status until later in the year. That was the word from the president of this year’s assembly meeting, Keva Lorraine Bain, on Monday.

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the WHO. It opened its annual meeting on Monday, this time online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taiwan took part in the assembly’s annual meetings as an observer from 2009 to 2016. However, since 2017 after President Tsai Ing-wen came to office, it has been barred from the meetings due to Chinese pressure.

Taiwan was not invited to attend this year’s meeting either. However, Taiwan’s successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic has created a groundswell of support for its return to the assembly. With the exception of the Vatican, which is not a WHO member, all of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have proposed accepting Taiwan as an observer once more.    [FULL  STORY]

The largest ever virtual meeting of global leaders had China at the heart of discussions

The lede
Date: May 20, 2020
By: TP Sreenivasan

China fought on two fronts at the just concluded virtual World Health Assembly (18-19 May 2020) in Geneva in its first open bid to dominate the post-Corona world.

On the one hand, it wanted to be considered a victor in the battle against the pandemic and as the country, which is capable and willing to assist the rest of the world without any investigation into Chinese culpability in hiding the advent of the Coronavirus, if not creating it.

On the other hand, China wanted to reinforce its “One China” position when it found that Taiwan’s claim to an observer status in the WHA was gaining traction in the wake of Taiwan’s extraordinary success in tackling the virus.

When it became clear that it cannot win on two fronts, China retreated from the first front and claimed victory on the second.    [FULL  STORY]

Mayor believes ceremonies will form lifelong memories for students

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/05/19
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Keelung Mayor Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said that graduation ceremonies and trips for schools in Keelung City will be allowed to go ahead as usual, as these activities will become very important memories for all graduating students.

As the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continues to taper off in the country, Keelung still has seen a total of only seven confirmed cases as of Monday, with six of them having recovered and left hospital, Lin told a press conference on Tuesday, CNA reported. All 144 people who are currently quarantined at home have shown no symptoms of the disease, the mayor added.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 05/19/2020
By: Ku Chuan, Matt Yu and Joseph Y

Taipei, May 19 (CNA) The Executive Yuan on Tuesday announced a new Cabinet with only minor changes to the original ministerial lineup, one day before President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) starts her second four-year term in office.

The minor reshuffle saw no changes at the nation's defense, foreign, transportation, interior, health, justice, economic and finance ministries, among others, the Executive Yuan announced.

The handful of newly-appointed ministers included National Development Council (NDC) Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), who replaces Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶).

Kung, 56, is currently a minister without portfolio, and previously served as deputy NDC minister and deputy economics minister.    [FULL  STORY]