What Biden’s Xi remarks mean
What Biden’s Xi remarks meanBy Paul Lei 雷顯威During a news conference in Vietnam on Sept. 10, a reporter asked US President Joe Biden about the possibility of China invading Taiwan. Biden replied that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is too busy handling major domestic economic problems to launch an invasion of Taiwan. China’s position in the world today is no longer what it was when Xi became president 10 years ago. This arrangement poses a new deterrent effect against Xi and his ambition to use military force against Taiwan. It makes Xi more cautious about the price that China would have to pay for attacking Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
September 21, 2023 21:42 UTC
Minister Wu returns from St Kitts and Nevis
Minister Wu returns from St Kitts and NevisBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterMinister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Wednesday returned from Saint Kitts and Nevis, where he attended the celebration of the nation’s 40th anniversary of independence and signed an agreement to cooperate on training diplomatic personnel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Wu presented Saint Kitts and Nevis Governor-General Marcella Liburd and Prime Minister Terrance Drew with personally written congratulatory letters from Tsai and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), the ministry said. From left, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew and Saint Kitts and Nevis Minister of Foreign Affairs Denzil Douglas pose for a photograph in Saint Kitts and Nevis earlier this week. Wu thanked Saint Kitts and Nevis for its long-standing support of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, the ministry said. During his visit, Wu signed an agreement on diplomatic personnel training, exchanges and cooperation with Saint Kitts and Nevis Minister of Foreign Affairs Denzil Douglas, which is an “important milestone” in the diplomatic relations, the ministry said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 21, 2023 17:02 UTC
Glum mood overshadows the Asian Games
Glum mood overshadows the Asian GamesReuters, HANGZHOU, ChinaChina hopes to make a splash with the Asian Games, which officially open tomorrow, but nationwide excitement has been muted as the economy sputters and some question the cost of the sporting extravaganza. Taiwan’s players celebrate their 1-0 victory over Indonesia at the Asian Games at Zhejiang Normal University East Stadium in Jinhua, China, yesterday. “People care more about their own lives and the Asian Games are not on the top of their list of concerns,” Yan said. “People just don’t care.”Taiwan goalkeeper Chiu Yu-hung, third right, celebrates with his teammates after their 1-0 victory over Indonesia at the Asian Games in Jinhua, China, yesterday. Chin Wen-yen scored two minutes after halftime and the team held on for their first Asian Games victory in 65 years.
Source:Taipei Times
September 21, 2023 17:02 UTC
India suspends Canadian services
India suspends Canadian servicesVISA ACTION: ’Visa services have been suspended till further notice,’ the BLS Indian Visa Application Center said, citing ‘operational reasons,’ without elaboratingAP, NEW DELHIIndia’s visa processing center in Canada yesterday suspended services as a rift widened between the countries after Canada’s leader said India might have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen. Canada also expelled an Indian diplomat and India followed by expelling a Canadian diplomat on Tuesday. “Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 Sept. Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice,” the BLS Indian Visa Application Center in Canada said. The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi said that all its consulates in India were open and continuing to provide services, but staff safety was being assessed. Canada expects India to provide for the security of its diplomats and consular officers under the Vienna conventions, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 21, 2023 17:01 UTC
Taiwan, US to expand cybersecurity agreement
Taiwan, US to expand cybersecurity agreementStaff writer, with CNAMinister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) and US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director Laurie Locascio on Tuesday agreed to increase cybersecurity collaboration between the two countries, a Ministry of Economic Affairs official who is familiar with the matter said. Wang and Locascio agreed at a meeting in Taipei to build up a joint cybersecurity supply chain under the US-Taiwan Technology Trade and Investment Collaboration (TTIC) framework, the official said. Also on Tuesday, Locascio said at the opening ceremony of a US Business Day forum that the US was drafting a new version of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which it hoped to launch next year. She said she hopes to discuss collaboration opportunities with Taiwan, for example to protect customer data privacy. Locascio led a cybersecurity business development mission in Taiwan from Monday to yesterday, which introduced 13 US firms to some of Taiwan’s leading information and communication technology security, and critical infrastructure protection markets.
Source:Taipei Times
September 21, 2023 03:24 UTC
Most of Spain’s players end their boycott of team
Most of Spain’s players end their boycott of teamAP, MADRIDMost of Spain’s World Cup-winning players ended their boycott of the women’s national team yesterday after the government intervened to help shape an agreement that was expected to lead to immediate structural changes at the country’s soccer federation. Photo: ReutersSpecific details of the changes agreed upon were not revealed following the hours-long meetings involving the government’s top sports official, players, Tome and federation officials. On Monday, Tome picked nearly half of the 39 players who said they would not play for the national team until their demands were met, including 15 World Cup-winning players. Not responding to a call-up by a national team can expose a player to fines or even being banned from playing for their clubs. The government said after the meetings that it would not seek any punishment for the players who decided to leave.
Source:Taipei Times
September 20, 2023 17:11 UTC
Xi unable to solve economic woes
Xi unable to solve economic woesBy Paul Lin 林保華As China’s economy was meant to drive global economic growth this year, its dramatic slowdown is sounding alarm bells across the world, with economists and experts criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for his unwillingness or inability to respond to the nation’s myriad mounting crises. On the point of ideology, austerity has been at the heart of China’s revolutionary tradition of economic development. Deng’s reforms unleashed an economic boom in the 1970s that turned China into the “world’s factory” over the next 40 years. Xi thought economic growth was a given and even thought of keeping the nation under lockdown, while failing to understand that the Chinese economy can no longer develop in isolation from the world. Xi then slowly made his way up the hierarchy in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, and then Shanghai as the Chinese economy picked up steam, especially in coastal areas.
Source:Taipei Times
September 20, 2023 16:45 UTC
Flu cases increase, seven deaths reported
Flu cases increase, seven deaths reportedSEVERE CASES: Among 35 severe influenza cases, three children who developed flu-like symptoms were suspected to have encephalitis, a CDC physician saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterInfluenza activity is increasing, with more than 100,000 hospital visits for flu-like illness last week, 35 cases of severe flu complications and seven flu-related deaths, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Thirty-five cases of severe flu complications were reported last week, he added. CDC data showed that from Oct. 1 last year to Monday, there were 699 confirmed cases of severe flu complications, with 452 infected with H1N1 and 81 percent having underlying health conditions. Guo said that 2,016 local cases of dengue fever were reported last week, with 1,849 cases in Tainan. Three deaths from the disease were reported, all people in their 70s, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 19, 2023 21:39 UTC
BRI loses momentum; US gains
BRI loses momentum; US gainsBy Antonio GraceffoChina’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is losing its luster, paving the way for enhanced US diplomatic and economic engagement as a BRI alternative. However, about 60 percent of BRI nations face economic distress due to rising trade deficits, increased debt and a slowing global economy, making China the lender of last resort. For every US$1 of aid China provides, it creates US$9 of debt. The US will not engage in a foreign aid “arms race.” Instead, it offers diverse alternatives, eroding China’s appeal and addressing the BRI from multiple angles. Antonio Graceffo, a China economic analyst who holds a China-MBA from Shanghai Jiaotong University, studies national defense at the American Military University in West Virginia.
Source:Taipei Times
September 19, 2023 17:15 UTC
EDITORIAL: Surviving the Chinese chip drive
EDITORIAL: Surviving the Chinese chip driveMore Taiwanese semiconductor companies, from chip designers to suppliers of equipment and raw materials, are feeling the pinch due to increasing competition from their Chinese peers, who are betting all their resources on developing mature chipmaking technologies in a push for self-sufficiency, as their access to advanced nodes has been affected by US tech curbs. That is an extreme case showing how determined Chinese semiconductor companies are to develop their own technology, advanced or mature, to reduce overseas reliance at any cost. Such determination is deeply felt by Taiwanese semiconductor companies across the whole supply chain. Taiwan’s leading semiconductor companies might be affected later, but contract chipmakers focusing on mature technologies are already feeling the pinch. Competition is worsening as more Chinese companies enter the market.
Source:Taipei Times
September 19, 2023 03:43 UTC
MOFA’s Resolution 2758 appeal
MOFA’s Resolution 2758 appealBy Lin Tzu-yao (林子堯) and Cathy FangThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) recently held a press conference to unveil an action plan with four pillars regarding UN Resolution 2758. Coincidentally, the US Congress passed the Taiwan International Solidarity Act (TISA), aligning with MOFA’s demands and providing a timely boost for proactive and bold planning. Two significant aspects of Resolution 2758 should be considered. Previously, governments around the world, including the US, have taken a somewhat reserved approach to the question of whether Resolution 2758 applies to Taiwan’s status. We must safeguard the rights of Taiwanese citizens within the UN and reject any efforts by China to distort Resolution 2758.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2023 21:44 UTC
EU concerned about reliance on Chinese lithium batteries
EU concerned about reliance on Chinese lithium batteriesReuters, MADRIDThe EU could become as dependent on China for lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells by 2030 as it previously was on Russia for energy before the war in Ukraine unless it takes strong measures, a paper prepared for EU leaders said. The document, obtained by Reuters, would be the basis of discussions on Europe’s economic security during a meeting of EU leaders in Granada, Spain, on Oct. 5. Employees work on a production line of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles at a factory in Huzhou, China, on Aug. 28, 2018. “This will skyrocket our demand for lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells and electrolyzers, which is expected to multiply between 10 and 30 times in the coming years,” said the paper, prepared by the Spanish presidency of the EU. Lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells were not the only areas of EU vulnerability, the Spanish presidency paper said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2023 18:38 UTC
Boozy chocolates sell out as new craze hits China
Boozy chocolates sell out as new craze hits ChinaBloombergAlcohol-infused chocolate balls are the latest item to take over China’s social media as consumers clamor for the surprise tie-up between liquor giant Kweichow Moutai Co (貴州茅台) and Mars Inc’s Dove brand. Despite some social media complaints about the high price, the chocolates are also proving popular on resale platforms, where 12 chocolates are selling for 500 yuan, according to local media reports. The partnership follows Luckin Coffee Inc’s (瑞幸咖啡) popular launch earlier this month of an alcohol-infused latte, with Kweichow Moutai wanting to appeal to a younger demographic. An advertisement promoting a Kweichow Moutai liquor latte is pictured at a Luckin Coffee store in Beijing on Sept. 4. “No matter how the time changes and how consumption is upgrading, Moutai started with liquor and will focus on liquor.”
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2023 18:38 UTC
Chinese drills showcased for the US, not Taiwan
Chinese drills showcased for the US, not TaiwanPACIFIC OCEAN: Defense experts have warned that the ‘Shandong,’ China’s second largest aircraft carrier, poses a serious threat to eastern Taiwan’s defensesStaff Writer, with CNAThe drills conducted by the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong in the Western Pacific last week were more aimed at showcasing China’s military capabilities to the US rather than toward Taiwan, a Taiwanese defense expert said yesterday. Lin said that the latest Chinese drills coincided with a joint maritime exercise conducted by the US, South Korea and Canada that happened on the Yellow Sea on Thursday. This undated handout photo released by the Taiwan Defense Ministry on September 13, 2023 shows Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong, left, while being monitored by a Taiwanese Keelung class warship at sea. Photo: Taiwan Defense Ministry / AFPThe People’s Liberation Army (PLA) did not make more details of the Shandong drill public. The Shandong is China’s second aircraft carrier, and the first to be entirely built by its domestic shipbuilding industry.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2023 11:06 UTC
Diaries of Chiang Kai-shek, Chiang Ching-kuo return
Diaries of Chiang Kai-shek, Chiang Ching-kuo returnStaff Writer, with CNAThe diaries of former Republic of China (ROC) presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) arrived in Taiwan on Thursday, and are to be published by Academia Historica from October, the state archives said. Academia Historica president Chen Yi-shen stands next to boxes containing the diaries of former presidents Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo in Tapei on Thursday. Chiang Fang and other family members began transferring ownership of the diaries to Academia Historica in 2013, making the state archives the official custodian, the archives said. The Chiang diaries are one of the most requested items by researchers and contain decades of valuable political and foreign policy insights of Taiwan’s past leaders, the institute said. Academics using the diaries have revised and expanded the understanding of modern China, the Cold War and global history, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 18, 2023 03:33 UTC