TSP demands an investigation into Xu Chunying
TSP demands an investigation into Xu ChunyingBy Chien Li-chung and Jason Pan / Staff reportersTaiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP) legislative candidate Yang Pei-hua (楊佩樺) yesterday called for an investigation into allegations that Xu Chunying (徐春鶯), a China-born potential legislative candidate, was conducting Chinese “united front” work in Taiwan. Taiwan Statebuilding Party legislative candidate Yang Pei-hua yesterday rings the bell at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office to file a complaint calling for a judicial investigation into Xu Chunying. Xu was promoted to lead the human resources section, occupying a high position that comes with a chauffeur-driven service, Yang said. Xu left China in 1993 after marrying a Taiwanese man, then gave up her Chinese residency to obtain Republic of China citizenship in 2000, Yang said. “We demand that Xu show accounting reports of the two organizations to show where their finances come from,” Yang said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 10, 2023 21:36 UTC
Taiwan matters at Biden-Xi talks
While calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine and Gaza, China’s military has frequently intercepted US warships and aircraft traveling freely near Taiwan. Against this backdrop of mounting tensions, Taiwan matters in the Biden-Xi meeting. Even though this scenario is not remotely possible, China continues to put pressure on the US through military drills around Taiwan. Nonetheless, China’s sovereignty claim over Taiwan and the US’ involvement in Taiwan are separate yet interrelated matters. The key lies in Beijing’s rhetorical reference to the use of peaceful and coercive means to resolve the Taiwan question.
Source:Taipei Times
November 10, 2023 16:53 UTC
EDITORIAL: Gou’s to be or not to be moment
EDITORIAL: Gou’s to be or not to be momentThe nationwide buzz over a potential joint opposition presidential bid between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) stands in contrast to its moribund state, with signs of the negotiations heading for a breakdown. In Gou’s case, it is vacillating between seeing his independent campaign through to the end or calling it quits. According to polling, if either Ko or Hou win over Gou’s supporters, the effect would amount to a support rate increase of about 7 to 10 percentage points. Furthermore, Gou and the KMT see eye to eye on a host of issues, including economic development and cross-strait policy. Gou’s Hamlet moment could become a turning point in the campaign for either the KMT or the TPP.
Source:Taipei Times
November 09, 2023 21:39 UTC
Xu Chunying’s threat to Taiwan
Xu Chunying’s threat to TaiwanBy Chu0 Meng-hsiang 朱孟庠The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses all sorts of innovative techniques to spy on officials of foreign countries. Now, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) wants to have Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) on the party’s list of legislator-at-large nominees. Xu’s ideology and national identity would require her to collect information for the CCP while expanding China’s organizations in Taiwan. According to the laws on cross-strait relations, Taiwan and China do not recognize each other as sovereign countries. China has been trying to annex Taiwan, which makes China a hostile country.
Source:Taipei Times
November 09, 2023 21:11 UTC
Xu Chunying was close to Chinese agencies: critics
Xu Chunying was close to Chinese agencies: criticsBy Tung Kuan-yi and Jason Pan / Staff reportersXu Chunying (徐春鶯), a Chinese spouse who the Taiwan People’s Party has said it might put on its legislator-at-large list, is closely associated with the Chinese United Front Work Department, a political commentator and a Taiwan Statebuilding Party legislative candidate said yesterday. Xu told the event that “we are proud of being Chinese, this is our national identity and it will never change,” Lee said. Taiwan New Residents’ Development Association chairwoman Xu Chunying speaks during a Pop Radio show in Taipei yesterday. Xu attended many such events in China, with media reporting that she represented a “united front” agency, Lee said. “She has declared her national identity to be Chinese and is proud of it, so how can she become a legislator-at-large in Taiwan?” he asked.
Source:Taipei Times
November 09, 2023 10:47 UTC
Taiwan, UK sign trade partnership deal
Taiwan, UK sign trade partnership dealSTRONGER TIES: Taiwan would promote sustainability, gender equality and consumer protection standards as it seeks closer ties with the UK, an Executive Yuan office saidBy Chung Li-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan yesterday inked an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) deal with the UK, marking the nation’s first trade framework agreement with a European country, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations said. The ETP showed the growth of Taiwan-UK economic ties and provided a guideline for Taipei and London to conduct trade talks, they said. Photo courtesy of the Office of Trade NegotiationsTaiwan plans to continue its discussions with the UK over collaborations in digital trade, investment and net zero emissions, they said. The government would promote sustainability, gender equality, corporate social responsibility and consumer protection standards as it seeks closer economic ties with the UK, it said. The office previously said that the ETP might be expanded — with a free trade agreement (FTA) being its ultimate goal.
Source:Taipei Times
November 08, 2023 21:36 UTC
Lack of accountability powers Ko
Lack of accountability powers KoBy Chang Yueh-han 張約翰Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Tuesday last week made a controversial remark, saying that he does not waste food at meals. This is classic Ko, making a gaffe and not owning up to the mistake. The TPP hit back, saying that candidates surnamed White in the US would also use “vote White” as a slogan. Aside from the “vote white, vote right” slogan that the party pulled from its Web site for fear of offending the US, the TPP has never done any soul-searching, as it never suffers from Ko’s gaffes. Even though the KMT has an open-minded faction that supports gender equality, it has never openly condemned Ko’s sexism and misogyny.
Source:Taipei Times
November 08, 2023 16:57 UTC
Intelligence officers accused of making up informant
Intelligence officers accused of making up informantBy Chang Wen-chuan / Staff reporterTwo members of the military have been charged with falsifying documents, as well as corruption and money laundering, for allegedly making up fake intelligence from an imagined informer to claim cash rewards and operational fees. The entrance to the Shilin District Court in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Yang Kuo-wen, Taipei TimesThe bureau reported the case and asked that it be investigated, prosecutors said. In June, Su Hsin-ming’s and Su Yung-ling’s work place was raided and a court approved their detention following questioning, they said. Prosecutors said they had also asked the court to approve the confiscation of the pair’s illicit gains.
Source:Taipei Times
November 08, 2023 09:18 UTC
Developing home-grown talent
Developing home-grown talentBy Lin Ji-shing 林基興Talent is the foundation of a nation. The National Development Council on Wednesday last week launched the International Talent Taiwan Office. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said at the opening it is her hope that the office would encourage more international talent to come to Taiwan. The Professor Huang Kun-huei Education Foundation recently published an opinion poll about college professors’ opinions about undergraduates. There could be a few rotten apples among teachers and students alike, such as teachers who sexually harass students or students who physically assault teachers.
Source:Taipei Times
November 07, 2023 21:37 UTC
EDITORIAL: Where does Xu’s allegiance lie?
EDITORIAL: Where does Xu’s allegiance lie? The potential nomination has stirred debates, especially over the issue of mainland Chinese with dual nationalities being elected into office. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has addressed Xu’s case, saying that the act governing cross-strait relations only requires mainland Chinese to relinquish their household registration — not citizenship — in China to apply for ROC citizenship. Besides, mainland Chinese renouncing their household registration does not equate to giving up their Chinese nationality, and Beijing could still require them to obey its laws, including its Anti-Secession Law. Nonetheless, according to China’s Nationality Law, Chinese can apply to renounce their nationality and get a certification from the Ministry of Public Security.
Source:Taipei Times
November 07, 2023 21:37 UTC
Do we really need humanoid robots?
Do we really need humanoid robots? “We’re trying to make robots that can operate in human spaces.”Agility Robotics’ robot Digit performs maneuvers in August at the company’s office in Pittsburgh. NAVIGATING HUMAN SPACESAI engineer Jenna Reher works on humanoid robot Figure 01 on Oct. 3 at Figure AI’s test facility in Sunnyvale, California. “That led to development of a new robot that was not really a humanoid, but had several characteristics of a humanoid,” he said via an emailed message. Walking is “not the hardest problem to solve in humanoid robotics,” said Geordie Rose, co-founder and CEO of British Columbia, Canada-based startup Sanctuary AI.
Source:Taipei Times
November 07, 2023 15:40 UTC
Lin wins WTT champs, Chou nabs Hylo Open
Lin wins WTT champs, Chou nabs Hylo OpenStaff writer, with CNATable tennis player Lin Yun-ju (林昀儒) on Sunday achieved a new milestone in his pro career by lifting his first-ever World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions trophy in Germany. Table tennis player Lin Yun-ju in action during the final against Chinese player Ma Long at World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Frankfurt 2023 on Sunday. Taiwanese shuttler Chou Tien-chen reacts after winning his fourth Hylo Open title in Saarbrucken, Germany, on Sunday. Separately, Taiwanese shuttler Chou Tien-chen (周天成) on Sunday clinched his fourth Hylo Open title after defeating Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk-yiu (李卓耀) in the men’s singles final in Saarbrucken, Germany. Sunday’s victory was Chou’s fourth Hylo Open title, having won the Badminton World Federation Super 300 tournament, then known as the Bitburger Open, three years in a row from 2012 to 2014.
Source:Taipei Times
November 06, 2023 20:33 UTC
Blue-white legislative cooperation
Blue-white legislative cooperationBy Tzou Jiing-wen 鄒景雯Negotiations over electoral cooperation between the “blue” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the “white” Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) are ongoing, but is “blue-white cooperation” a real issue or a bogus one? Ko said that “blue-white cooperation” was not about who gets what powerful position, and that no one had asked him to discuss it. The much-vaunted “blue-white cooperation” has come to the forefront, as indicated by a series of three meetings. Only at the inter-party consultation between Chu and Ko, where the presidential election was not the main focus, did the desire to win the maximum number of legislative seats emerge as a clear consensus between the two party chairmen. If the two parties can really maximize their shares of legislative seats, it would mean that successful cooperation between Ko and Chu could result in the formation of the largest political force after the election.
Source:Taipei Times
November 06, 2023 16:58 UTC
Hong Kong sentences student over social media posts she shared while in Japan
Hong Kong sentences student over social media posts she shared while in JapanReuters, HONG KONGA Hong Kong court on Friday sentenced a student to two months imprisonment for sedition over pro-independence social media posts she published while studying in Japan. Scholars and overseas activists say this case represents an alarming escalation of the chilling effect experienced by those who continue to engage with Hong Kong affairs. Hong Kong Chief Justice, Andrew Cheung, first left, and judges attend a ceremony held to mark the opening of the legal year in Hong Kong on Jan. 16. According to the prosecutor, most of the posts were published when she was studying in Japan, with messages saying: “I am a Hong Konger; I advocate for Hong Kong independence,” and “Hong Kong independence, the only way out.”Among the 13 alleged social media posts, only two posts were shared from Hong Kong. In response, Hong Kong on Friday condemned the move, saying US legislators were grandstanding and trying to intimidate the city.
Source:Taipei Times
November 06, 2023 05:30 UTC
Dialogue with Beijing ‘in all our interest’: Albanese
Dialogue with Beijing ‘in all our interest’: AlbaneseREUTERS, SHANGHAIAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, starting the first visit to China by a leader of his country in seven years, said yesterday it was “in all our interests” to have a bilateral relationship with dialogue and cooperation. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives at Capital International Airport in Beijing yesterday. “We continue to highly value the World Trade Organisation, whose role as an independent and respected umpire benefits us all,” Albanese said. Albanese is to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) today, where the prime minister has said he would raise concerns over rising tensions in the South China Sea. On arriving in Shanghai late on Saturday, Albanese said it was in Australia’s interests to have a positive and constructive dialogue with its major trading partner.
Source:Taipei Times
November 06, 2023 05:28 UTC