Freedom of the press dead in Hong Kong: advocatesBy Chung Li-hua and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerHong Kong’s publishing world and the fate of its democracy advocates were the focus of a Taipei forum on freedom of the press on Friday, where some of the speakers, who included exiled Chinese and Hong Kongers, said that freedom of the press was dead in the territory. Lam Wing-kei, former co-owner of Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, speaks at a forum in Taipei on Friday. Gui in February was sentenced to 10 years in jail for “illegally providing intelligence overseas.”Chinese poet and editor-in-exile Bei Ling (貝嶺) told the forum that freedom of the press no longer exists in Hong Kong. The Chinese government has blocked sea channels between Hong Kong and Taiwan to prevent people from secretly fleeing to seek asylum, he said. Simon Cheng (鄭文傑), a former employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong who was detained and allegedly tortured in Shenzhen last year, has said that he saw more than 10 Hong Kongers under detention at the same place he was held, and so he is an important eyewitness to how China treats some Hong Kongers, Lam said.

Far EasTone targets 11% stake in APT in unexpected dealBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterFar EasTone Telecommunications is to pay up to NT$5 billion (US$169.3 million) to acquire an 11.58 percent stake in Asia Pacific Telecom (APT), it said in an unexpected announcement late on Friday. Far EasTone plans to subscribe to 500 million new shares issued by APT, which is 40 percent owned by Hon Hai Precision Industry, it said. Hon Hai’s APT stake is to fall to about 36 percent after the transaction. The spectrum-sharing deal would “help Far EasTone gain better spectral efficiency and reduce network deployment costs, allowing more leeway for the company to develop 5G-enabled applications,” Far EasTone president Chee Ching (井琪) said in a statement. During government auctions in February, Far EasTone spent NT$43.04 billion on securing 5G spectrum on the 3.5GHz and 28GHz frequency bands.

Czech delegation ends six-day visitStaff writer, with CNAThe 89-member delegation of the Czech Republic, headed by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, on Friday evening departed Taiwan, ending their six-day visit. He looked forward to Taiwanese carriers starting direct flights between the nations and for Taiwan to export high-value-added products to the Czech Republic, he said. Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, fourth left, leads the Czech delegation in a round of applause at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before leaving Taiwan on Friday. Vystrcil and the delegation, which included eight Czech senators and Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, flew to Taiwan on Sunday last week for the landmark visit, despite strong condemnation from China. The visit also resulted in the Czech Republic allowing Taiwanese state-run banks to open branches in the country and China Airlines to operate direct flights there.

Additive levels need review: lawmakersUNANSWERED QUESTIONS: The Taiwan People’s Party caucus whip asked why the government was rushing to set standards for ractopamine while concerns remainBy Wu Su-wei and Chen Yun / Staff reportersOpposition lawmakers yesterday urged the Democratic Progressive Party-led government not to push through new maximum residue limit (MRL) standards for ractopamine in pork without legislative review. Photo: Wu Su-wei, Taipei TimesOther parts, including hog maw, intestines, heart, tongue, brain and blood, would also be permitted to contain 0.01ppm of the additive, it said. Although Tsai has said that the new standards do not need legislative review, Chen called on Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) to convene cross-caucus negotiations and health committee meetings to review the standards. The government should not recklessly open up US pork imports without presenting convincing assessments and pork labeling regulations, she said. Now, the ministry basically accepts the commission’s 2012 standards, except it is imposing stricter MRLs for pork kidney products, he said.

COMPLAINT: A-holes on Taiwan’s mountainsTranquil, silent, expansive: nothing beats a climb up Taipei’s Elephant Mountain — except when the noise startsBy Noah Buchan / Staff reporterOnly when I reach a rest area on Muzhi Mountain (拇指山) do I realize how out of control mountain assholes have become. This story was originally sketched out as a travel piece about the ease and convenience of climbing Taipei’s Elephant Mountain, as well as Muzhi Mountain and the 95 Peaks (9五峰) beyond it. Elephant Mountain has many critters scurrying around. Statues of Guanyin can be found throughout Elephant Mountain, as well as the high elevations of the 95 Peaks and Muzhi Mountain. A closer look at the shrine reveals many interpretations of Guanyin: a standing Guanyin, a sitting Guanyin, Guanyin on an elephant, Guanyin on a tiger, Guanyin on a pedestal above a fat Buddha.

HSBC unveils investment platform for young clientsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterHSBC Bank (Taiwan) Ltd (匯豐台灣商銀) yesterday launched a new wealth management platform targeting people aged 25 to 40, as more young people prefer investing over saving amid a low-interest environment, the bank said. HSBC Bank (Taiwan) Ltd retail banking and wealth management head Linda Yip, back row third left, and other bank personnel hold promotional material at a news conference in Taipei yesterday to introduce a new investment platform targeting young clients. The bank would consider whether to add local shares to the platform after receiving clients’ feedback, she added. Given that all transactions would be made online over the platform, the bank would not offer insurance products or derivatives for young clients, as trading of such products requires assistance from financial consultants, Lee said. HSBC Taiwan’s wealth management department has about 60,000 clients aged 25 to 40, and the number is expected to rise quickly, as many of them would need to invest amid a low-interest environment, retail banking and wealth management head Linda Yip (葉清玉) said.

KMT concerned about pork labelsKMT CONCERNS: Country-of-origin stickers would not sufficiently inform consumers whether products contain ractopamine, while health and economic impacts are unclearBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday raised concerns over the new country-of-origin labels of pork products to be introduced once pork from the US containing ractopamine enters the domestic market next year, while some farmers are planning protests against the policy in Taipei. At a news conference in Taipei, KMT Culture and Communications Committee chairwoman Alicia Wang (王育敏) said that there might be “loopholes” in the labeling. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee chairwoman Alicia Wang, center, at a news conference in Taipei yesterday criticizes the government for permitting imports of US pork products containing ractopamine. Photo: CNAReferring to pork fillings for dumplings as an example, she asked whether a product should be labeled as originating in Taiwan or the US, if it contains a both domestic pork and imported pork containing ractopamine. Liao said that farmers might take the protest to Taipei if the government allows US pork imports containing ractopamine.

MOU signed for new laser tech center’PRECISION CUTTING’ Access to high-end laser sources would enable a wide range of applications that would boost the domestic industry, TAMI chairman Alex Ko saidBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterGermany-based Trumpf Group, which specializes in machine tools and laser technology, is to work with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工業技術研究院) to establish a Taiwan Laser Application Center in Tainan. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times“If we imagine laser equipment being a car, the laser source, which is like the engine, is provided by Trumpf,” Liao said. “Imagine if the wafer made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) is a cake. “One laser cutter for the semiconductor industry is worth more than 100 of the products we are exporting. Wang — who visited Trumpf’s headquarters in September last year — said the German firm would be a powerful partner for the development of Taiwan’s laser equipment industry.

Police target unyielding driversBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe police yesterday began a program targeting drivers who fail to stop amid a rise in pedestrian deaths at intersections over the past few years. The one-month campaign to enhance transportation safety at key intersections nationwide was launched by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and the Ministry of the Interior (MOI). “Also, there is an increased rate of smartphone use while crossing and drivers are distracted by screens on their dashboards,” he said. They would focus on drivers and motorcyclists who do not yield to pedestrians, with fines ranging from NT$1,200 to NT$3,600, it said. When officers are directing traffic, drivers and riders must comply with instructions to yield, it said.

Irrigation groups file suit to stop nationalizationWORRIES: One director said farmers’ irrigation sources might be sacrificed for industrial users, but the COA said that the move would ensure better management of water useBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterA group of irrigation association members yesterday filed an administrative lawsuit against the government’s move to nationalize 17 irrigation associations, as it plans to establish an agency to oversee them. It would govern 17 irrigation associations nationwide, which have nearly 1.5 million members. To make the change, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in July passed the Act of Irrigation and Engineering (農田水利法), despite the protests of some irrigation association members and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Su Huan-chih, a lawyer for a group of irrigation associations, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday to announce his intention to apply for a provisional injunction to stop the government from nationalizing irrigation associations. While the act stipulates that the Irrigation Association Organization Act (農田水利會組織通則) would no longer be applicable, it cannot abolish the associations that have existed for more than a century, he said.

Ministry to launch book exhibition vouchers‘HAPPY READING’: The minister of culture said the vouchers for the virus-delayed event are to encourage people to buy books and support the publishing industryBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Culture yesterday said it would issue vouchers for book purchases at next year’s Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE). The annual exhibition is sponsored by the ministry and organized by the Taipei Book Fair Foundation. For the first time, the ministry is to release a limited number of NT$100 vouchers for people to spend at the exhibition, Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得) said. Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te, center, Taipei Book Fair Foundation chairman Robert Lin, second left, and others attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday to promote next year’s Taipei International Book Exhibition. It would be South Korea’s third time in the role, having previously been invited as guest of honor in 2005 and this year’s online exhibition, he said.

During Monday’s forum, Stilwell was joined by Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) and Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Tsai wrote on Facebook. The dialogue is to be led by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach, it added. Since its last meeting in 2016, the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), previously the key trade negotiation platform between Taiwan and the US, has been suspended. TIFA was managed by the Office of the US Trade Representative, which even some US officials complained was slow in advancing trade talks between the two nations, he added. While the new platform would be led by a US undersecretary, the third-highest official in the US Department of State, Taiwan would send a representative higher than the economic minister to head the dialogue, Wang said.

EVA renegotiates Boeing orders, eyes cargo growthBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterEVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) has canceled orders with Boeing Co for seven 787-10 Dreamliner passenger jets, replacing them with orders for three 777F cargo aircraft and four smaller 787-9 jets, as the airline looks to grow its cargo business and optimize its network. “We are happy to have reached an agreement with Boeing about the order adjustment and expect it to help optimize our network,” an EVA official told the Taipei Times yesterday. EVA has received three of 18 787-10 jets that it purchased in 2015. The airline expects the cargo business to continue booming for the next few years, the official said. Including the four 787-9 jets ordered and two 787-10 jets EVA has leased, the airline would have eight 787-9s and 13 787-10s in operation after taking delivery by 2022, the official added.

CDC warns women over listeriosis risk during pregnancyBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday urged pregnant women to maintain good hand hygiene and avoid eating raw food after it reported a case of listeriosis in a newborn, who might have contracted the disease from her mother after she ate contaminated food during the pregnancy. Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that the nation’s first case of neonatal listeriosis reported this year was an infant born in northern Taiwan late last month with shortness of breath. In rare cases, neonatal listeriosis can occur through vertical transmission of the bacteria from mother to fetus, Lin said. People with a weak immune system should avoid eating raw food, he said. The center urges pregnant women to avoid eating raw food and to maintain good hand hygiene to prevent listeriosis, and if people experience a fever, headache, nausea, vomiting or other symptoms after eating raw food, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible, he said.

Chang took up the post yesterday after his predecessor, Kao Chin-hsung (高俊雄), in July returned to a teaching position at National Sports University. He would contribute to the sports industry by helping more Taiwanese athletes reach their potential, Chang said. The Tokyo Games, scheduled for July next year, would be the agency’s most important task, Chang said, adding that the event would bring a powerful change to Taiwanese sports. Sports Administration officials said that they would ask coaches and athletes to look at every scheduled international tournament and gauge whether the nation’s athletes could skip some of them to focus on the most important ones. NTNU agreed to giving Chang two years to head the Sports Administration.