NGO department set to mark 20th anniversary
NGO department set to mark 20th anniversaryGLOBAL PARTICIPATION: A leadership forum is to be held to exchange opinions with NGOs on issues such as China’s suppression of Taiwan on the world stageBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing a series of events next month to mark the 20th anniversary of its Department of NGO International Affairs, including a ceremony to recognize outstanding non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and a forum to gather opinions about Chinese suppression of Taiwan. The department was established in October 2000 to promote international cooperation and help domestic civic groups join global NGOs, Department of NGO International Affairs Director-General Constance Wang (王雪虹) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of NGO International Affairs Director-General Constance Wang speaks at a news conference at the ministry in Taipei on Thursday last week. The department and the NGOs plan to issue a joint statement at the forum to promote even closer partnerships in the future, she said. Featuring documentaries, photographs and written records, the exhibition would demonstrate how the department used NT$196 million (US$6.72 million) of donations to help Nepal with its reconstruction efforts, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 29, 2020 16:30 UTC
Danish firm to build nacelle assembly facility in Taichung
Danish firm to build nacelle assembly facility in TaichungBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterDanish firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners K/S (CIP) yesterday signed a contract with Fortune Electric Co (華城電機) to build a wind turbine nacelle construction facility in the Port of Taichung. “The nacelle contains all the generating components and all the software controls for a wind turbine. Putting it together is a complicated process [that requires] a lot of know-how,” Hsu told the Taipei Times by telephone. MHI Vestas would begin assembly after the facility is completed, she said. “We have to complete 46 9MW turbine platform units by the end of 2023 to be in compliance with our contracts,” Hsu said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 29, 2020 16:07 UTC
Commercial property deals spike in Q3
Local capital drove all of the deals, of which 72 percent were concentrated in Taipei, Taoyuan and Tainan, Cushman & Wakefield said. Cushman & Wakefield Taiwan general manager Billy Yen speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, bought three factories in Tainan for NT$9.35 billion to meet capacity expansion needs, Cushman & Wakefield said. Adding another purchase of NT$660 million last quarter, TSMC poured more than NT$10 billion into the commercial property market, becoming a major contributor, it said. The housing market also recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic judging by transaction volumes and prices, Cushman & Wakefield Taiwan general manager Billy Yen (顏炳立) said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 29, 2020 16:07 UTC
HPA recommends ‘3-3-3 principle’ for holiday BBQ
HPA recommends ‘3-3-3 principle’ for holiday BBQMID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL: The health agency advised eating more fruit and vegetables, limiting oil intake and doing more exercise, among othersBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday recommended a “3-3-3 principle” for eating healthy when barbecuing over the Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend. As many people enjoy eating barbecue during the holiday, the agency warned the public that eating too much barbecue or red meat and exercising too little can increase the risk of colorectal cancer. The “3-3-3 principle” promotes healthy eating, especially during the holidays, HPA Director-General Wang Ying-wei (王英偉) said. The WHO has suggested that 21 to 25 percent of colorectal cancer cases are linked to insufficient physical activity, the agency added. The agency urged people aged 50 to 74 to take advantage of free government-sponsored fecal occult blood tests every two years, which aid in early detection of colorectal cancer.
Source:Taipei Times
September 29, 2020 16:01 UTC
Schools offer 50 scholarships for Czech students
Schools offer 50 scholarships for Czech studentsBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterSeven Taiwanese universities are to offer 50 scholarships for Czech nationals to study Chinese in Taiwan, one of the achievements of a visit by a delegation headed by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. “I am Taiwanese” refers to a statement Vystrcil made in a speech on Sept. 1 at the Legislative Yuan. A Czech student in Taiwan speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, at which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced 50 scholarships for Czechs to study Chinese in Taiwan. All of the schools have Chinese language centers recommended by the Ministry of Education, Department of European Affairs Director-General Johnson Chiang (姜森) said. The schools are to submit their proposals to the ministry, which would offer subsidies for the program, he said, without elaborating on the duration of the scholarships or the amount of the subsidies.
Source:Taipei Times
September 29, 2020 16:01 UTC
Shares of chipmakers rise on SMIC order transfers
United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電) shares soared 10 percent to close at NT$27.5 as 380 million shares changed hands on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. People walk in front of the gate of a Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp factory in Shanghai on Sept. 7. Smaller local foundry Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (力積電) and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co are also options, Chiao said. It is worth watching to see whether any of the contract chipmakers increase their capital expenditure for next year, the analyst said. Shares of SMIC, China’s largest chipmaker, yesterday fell 3.88 percent to close at HK$17.86 in Hong Kong trading, a four-month low.
Source:Taipei Times
September 28, 2020 16:33 UTC
Constitution has little to do with Taiwan: professor
Constitution has little to do with Taiwan: professorTHE CHINA CONNECTION: As Beijing’s aggression increases, so does Taiwanese consciousness, making a new constitution imperative, Hsu Wei-chun saidBy Hsieh Chun-lin and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerIf the nation is to ratify a new constitution, it must first end any illusions about the current document’s relevance to Taiwan, an academic told a forum in Taipei yesterday. The Constitution exists under the “one China” framework and has little relevance to Taiwan, Hsu said, adding that there have been calls to rewrite it for more than 40 years, but such social movements take time. Chung Yuan Christian University associate professor Hsu Wei-chun speaks during the “Imagining a New Constitution for a New Era” forum in Taipei yesterday. Considering Taiwan’s precarious status, the “one China” framework is intertwined with Chinese aggression, yet has little to do with Taiwan itself, he said, adding that drafting a new Constitution could help the nation diagnose its political challenges and implement reform. However, most important is how Taiwanese view their relationship with China, Hsu said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 27, 2020 16:01 UTC
DPP gathers to celebrate founding
Apologizing for the overdue gathering, You said that he was happy to see the 49 “old comrades in arms” who showed up, but also sad that more than 44 late founding members could not be there. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesFounded on Sept. 28, 1986, outside the Grand Hotel, the DPP was the first democratic party in the Chinese-speaking world, playing an essential role in forming Taiwan’s unique democratic process, You said. It was the founding members who really gave birth to the party, as they showed no fear and were willing to take the risk in signing the petition to form the party, despite the then-KMT regime, he said. Although the original petition has been lost and some of the founding members remain unidentified, they should not be forgotten, You said, adding that he and his colleagues had spent months collecting materials and reviewing old footage to identify all of the signatories. Once completed, the list would become part of the DPP’s archives documenting the history of Taiwan’s democratic development, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
September 27, 2020 16:01 UTC
Groups list Taiwanese cities as China’s
The organization was inaugurated in Brussels in 2016 as a global coalition of mayors committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Six Taiwanese cities at the time joined the coalition as cities in “Taiwan,” the ministry said. The logo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pictured at the ministry in Taipei in an undated photograph. The nation’s other member cities — Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan and Taichung — were also listed as cities in China, it added. When China faces such crises, it looks for scapegoats to help consolidate the legitimacy of its one-party rule, it says.
Source:Taipei Times
September 27, 2020 15:56 UTC
Cathay United prepares to compete with virtual banks
Cathay United prepares to compete with virtual banksBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCathay United Bank (國泰世華銀行) plans to use artificial intelligence and big data analysis to learn what customers need and maintain their loyalty, as emerging virtual banks are likely to poach existing establishments’ clients with fancy marketing and rewards, Cathay United Bank president Alan Lee (李偉正) said. Photo: Kao Shih-ching, Taipei TimesAmong the 5 million clients who use Cathay United Bank’s credit cards, about 60 percent have applied for its other financial products, such as mortgages, wealth management products or small loans, Lee said. Cathay United Bank does not invest in any of the nation’s three virtual banks. The lender had 680,330 digital savings accounts as of the end of June, the second-highest after Taishin International Bank’s (台新銀行) Richart service, Financial Supervisory Commission data showed. The bank might allow Line Bank’s clients to withdraw cash or conduct other transactions at its automated teller machines, with Line Bank paying the handling fees, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
September 27, 2020 15:56 UTC
China uses Web stars for infiltration
The council released the minutes of a committee meeting on China’s “legal war” against Taiwan and possible response measures. The “legal war” aims to unilaterally define jurisdiction over Taiwan to legitimize annexing the nation based on Beijing’s so-called “democratic negotiations,” while preparing to negate Taiwanese legislation, the minutes said. The National Security Law imposed by Beijing in Hong Kong is a model for China to draw up Taiwan-related regulations, the minutes said. China’s legal war against Taiwan operates in tandem with other public opinion, psychological and diplomatic tactics, a committee member said. Another committee member said that China has never abided by the rule of law, but only uses laws to achieve its political aims.
Source:Taipei Times
September 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Dementia therapy uses VR to reactivate memories
Dementia therapy uses VR to reactivate memoriesBy Fang Chih-hsien and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Kaohsiung Medical University Neuroscience Research Center on Monday introduced a new dementia therapy that uses virtual reality (VR) to recreate patients’ living experiences and reactivate long-term memories, to help lower their aggression levels. In Taiwan, one in 12 people aged 65 or older suffers from dementia, the center said, adding that effective treatment requires pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies. A man on Monday last week demonstrates a dementia therapy that uses virtual reality created by the Kaohsiung Medical University Neuroscience Research Center. Explaining the new therapy, center director Yang Yuan-han (楊淵韓) said that many old men enjoy talking about their military experiences. For them, revisiting the past through immersion in VR environments has therapeutic effects, stabilizes their mood and reduces dementia-related aggression, Yang added.
Source:Taipei Times
September 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
New stamps feature mosques in Taipei and Taichung
New stamps feature mosques in Taipei and TaichungBy Cheng Wei-chi and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerChunghwa Post on Tuesday is to release a set of stamps featuring two Taiwanse mosques to highlight cultural diversity in the nation, it said. The two-stamp set features the Taipei Grand Mosque and the Taichung Mosque, with denominations of NT$15 and NT$28 respectively. The Taipei Grand Mosque in the city’s Daan District (大安) is a municipal heritage site, Chunghwa Post said. “We considered that the zodiac system is unique and should be celebrated with more than themed stamps,” Kuo said. There are two versions of the silver disc, based on the NT$6 and the NT$13 denomination stamps, Kuo said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: KMT caucus urges testing all outbound travelers
Virus Outbreak: KMT caucus urges testing all outbound travelersBy Chen Yun / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday urged the government to change the nation’s COVID-19 testing methods and test all people under home quarantine as well as all travelers leaving Taiwan. KMT caucus whip Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said the COVID-19 situation in Taiwan might worsen as temperatures begin to drop, and that the surge in exported cases might be a warning sign. As other countries have different COVID-19 screening mechanisms at their borders, testing travelers before they depart Taiwan would not only protect Taiwanese, but also the nation’s reputation, he said. Taiwan has shunned wide-scale testing, but people in home quarantine might be asymptomatic carriers who might pose high risks, he said. The government should implement wide-scale testing on people in home quarantine and on travelers departing Taiwan, Wang said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 26, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan in Time: Resting in stone
Taiwan in Time: Resting in stonePrehistoric slate coffins found in countless archaeological sites across Taiwan were often tailor-made to fit the size of the deceased, including miniature ones for miscarried fetusesBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterSept. 28 to Oct . Nenozo Utsurikawa, front row in kimono, former head of Taihoku Imperial University’s Institute of Ethnology, was the first anthropologist to discover slate coffins in Taiwan in 1930. The best-known mass stone coffin site is the Beinan site (卑南遺址) in Taitung County, which was revealed in 1980 during a railroad rerouting project. Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei TimesLong before the stone coffins were unearthed at the Beinan site, the location was already known to Japanese scholars, who had examined two large stone pillars in 1896. The stone coffins found at this site were all positioned along a north-south axis, which was also how the inhabitants arranged their dwellings.
Source:Taipei Times
September 26, 2020 15:56 UTC