China Taiwan Province (ROC): News, Discussions & Images

[ahojunk]

Good idea, food safety is paramount!

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Taiwan to increase food safety budget by 50% for 2017: president
2016/08/30 15:07:05

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) pledged Tuesday that the government budget for food safety will be increased by 50 percent for 2017 to strengthen the country's food safety management and inspection system.

Food safety has become an important issue worldwide and her administration has made it one of its top priorities, Tsai said during a speech at a food safety summit held by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and National Taiwan University's College of Public Health.

The key to maintaining food safety is to establish communication between the government, farmers, food companies and consumers, said Tsai, who took office on May 20.

Once there is any loophole in the process from raw produce to food on the table, it is likely to trigger a food safety crisis, she said.

As part of the its heightened food safety efforts, the government is preparing to set up an independent committee responsible for assessing food safety risks, and it will also step up food inspections and establish a regulatory agency for toxic substances, she said.

Along with the measures, the government will increase its food safety budget by 50 percent next year, with a focus on improving production management systems and stepping up inspection efforts, Tsai said, without providing specific figures.

The government currently allocates about NT$920 million (US$29.01 million) for food safety efforts per year, said Council of Agriculture deputy chief Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲), after a Cabinet meeting convened by Premier Lin Chuan (林全) in late June.

At the time, Chen said the budget will be increased to NT$1.37 billion in order to support the government's new food safety policies.

Taiwan has been hit by several food safety scandals in recent years, including a case in which toxic plasticizers were found in such items as sports and tea drinks and fruit jams in 2011 and cases of adulterated edible oils in 2014.

(By Chang Ming-hsuan and Elaine Hou)

 

[ahojunk]

This article has a point.

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Why China-Taiwan Relations Might Stay Frozen For Years
AUG 28, 2016 @ 09:30 PM
Ralph Jennings, CONTRIBUTOR

Ask around Taiwan how President Tsai Ing-wen will eventually handle today’s frozen relations with China and you hear a lot that she will propose a change to Beijing’s condition for dialogue. Then the two sides would figure out a way to talk again. Or maybe not.

China and Taiwan haven’t said much since Tsai took office May 20 because they can’t agree on how. That impasse precludes signing any new economic agreements, beneficial to Taiwan’s trade-reliant half-trillion economy, and eats away at mutual trust built up over the past president, Ma Ying-jeou. Ma talked to China from 2008 until Tsai took office on Beijing’s condition that both sides open negotiations as parts of one China subject to differing views of what “China” means. Tsai disputes that condition as a slight to Taiwan’s self-rule. Tsai is working on some new idea to resume dialogue as officials in China get increasingly antsy, and angry, you’re sometimes told (her administration neither confirms nor denies that a proposal is being formulated). China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and sees dialogue as a way to push for unification despite polls showing most Taiwanese prefer to keep a distance.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during the annual Han Guang life-fire drill in southern Pingtung on August 25, 2016. (SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images)

But there’s another scenario. Tsai might just pay no attention to China over her four to eight years as president, shrugging off the prospect of talks with Taiwan’s Communist Asian neighbor and top trading partner. She can do that because the Ma government had covered the most urgent business from 2008 onward after six decades of virtually no upbeat contact. Business included establishing 890 direct flights per week, opening Taiwan to tourists from China and reaching an initial trade liberalization agreement. Ma himself met Chinese President Xi Jinping in November. All that movement to date means less urgency to negotiate another deal just now, especially as Taiwanese have asked the government to consider whether Beijing is using the deals signed so far to push for political unification.

A second advantage to putting relations in a freeze: Inaction by itself gives China little grounds for retaliation aside from bristly words and low-key chiseling away at group tourism and exchange students. Tsai has spoken politely to China on the whole, different from accusing it of something or striving for Taiwan’s constitutional independence. A move toward formal nationhood for Taiwan could start a war with China. The constitution now dubs Taiwan part of the Republic of China along with the Chinese mainland.

“The next question that arises is whether Beijing can tolerate an indefinite stagnation of cross-Strait relations, simply a lack of what Beijing would perceive as movement toward unification,” says Denny Roy, senior fellow at the East-West Center think tank in Honolulu. “Tsai has been, and will likely continue to be, more cautious about moving toward independence than Beijing expected.”

Zooming in on domestic politics, Tsai faces pressure to elevate trade and investment ties with China for the island’s economic health. But at least for now she would risk a public opinion setback by initiating talks on new terms and her approval ratings have fallen to just below 50%. “I don’t think she can get anything by modifying her stance at this moment,” says Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan.

 

[ahojunk]

Oh no, Taiwan is also setting up a think tank in US, albeit one that is sponsored by DPP cronies.
I hope Taiwan get some decent ROI. Will be difficult as there is an "elephant in the room", China.

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Think tank focusing on Taiwan affairs to open in Washington
2016/08/30 21:32:07

(From http://globaltaiwan.org)​

Washington, Aug. 29 (CNA) A new think tank focusing on Taiwan affairs is set to be established in September in Washington, in an effort to conduct research on policy issues regarding Taiwan and promote Taiwan-U.S. relations.

The non-profit organization, the Global Taiwan Institute, was sponsored by Democratic Progressive Party-affiliated Taiwanese expatriates based in the United States. It will formally be launched on Sept. 14.

The think tank aims to build a platform for policymakers, academics and the media in the United States and Taiwan for information, analysis and events, according information on its website.

It also seeks to "incubate progressive ideas informed by Taiwan's political, economic, and cultural developments to facilitate stronger U.S.-Taiwan relations," as well as "develop an inclusive community of emerging leaders and specialists engaged in public policy within think tanks, media, and NGOs focused on Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific," it said.

Robert Lai (賴義雄), an expert on military strategy, will serve as the chairman of the think tank, while Russell Hsiao (蕭良其) will be executive director of the organization. Hsiao previously served as a senior research fellow at the U.S.-based think tank Project 2049 Institute and national security fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington.

The office of the Global Taiwan Institute is near Dupont Circle, home to several U.S. prestigious think tanks and research institutions, such as the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Think tanks in the U.S. have been an important platform for exchanges between U.S. government officials, military personnel and scholars and their counterparts from around the world.

(By Tony Liao and Elaine Hou)

 

[ahojunk]

This is the view of a contributor. May not be completely true but still good to know.

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The 5 Least Friendly Business Practices In Taiwan
Ralph Jennings, CONTRIBUTOR
AUG 29, 2016 @ 10:00 PM
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Pedestrians in a shopping area in Taipei. (PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Taiwan’s business people and government officials are looking for ways to stimulate an economy against mounting problems. The much larger China has perfected its supply chain and improved product quality, undercutting contract factory work that Taiwan relied on for decades. Taiwan’s service sector happens to make up about two thirds of GDP, so it makes sense that two successive governments have talked of promoting its sub-elements such as tourism, arts and culture.

But it’s not totally ready. The service sector faces these five persistent customer relations issues:

1. Taiwan businesses make you show up in person. It’s 2016. We have phones and the internet. Some stores employ delivery people. But when customers have an after-sale issue, or when something goes wrong (such as an error by your bank), you’re usually told – with little or no forethought — to come back in person even it that visit interrupts your work day. It takes a lot of wheedling to make a clerk see your point, even if the after-sale issue was caused by the house, and usually the advice stands: come back in.

2. Ornery grandparents hang out in the store. Aging parents often hang out in family-owned stores doing not much. A few help out. Some give the customer a laid-back sense of home. But a lot of grandparents just stare at customers, make comments on their appearances — including quips about the homeland of foreigners — or clog the tiny space in front of the service counter. Can’t be ideal for repeat business.

3. The proprietor’s personality is too strong. Hip consumers probably prefer mom-and-pop restaurants, boutique hotels and hole-in-the-wall haberdashers over the chains. But hip is hobbled when moms and pops regard their customers too casually. They may open late or close early, especially if few people are coming by or if a family problem comes up. Businesses relocate or even shut down with little or no notice. Café proprietors, as well their staff people, may smoke on site or eat lunches that smell of fish, onions and radish, overpowering the aroma of coffee and tea sold at $5-$6 per cup to customers.

4. Service people shun problem-solving. A caller asks the receptionist to speak to someone who’s out. The receptionist usually says “he’s not there” instead of offering to take a message or say when the other party might return. The caller is left to say OK, I guess I’ll call later or hey, how about taking a message. A bank customer inquiring about the status of a wire transfer might quickly be told to ask the corresponding bank. Option B for the bank being asked: Find out what you can do first. Otherwise it comes off as shirking responsibility.

5. Public buses miss stops. Driver, first please pull over and open the doors. Don’t accelerate and sneak through a public bus stop by pealing out around another bus and hoping passengers on the sidewalk don’t notice. And stop beside the sign corresponding to your bus number, not halfway down the block.

 

[ahojunk]

Taiwan names ex-foreign minister to head China affairs agency
Thu Sep 1, 2016 1:06am EDT

Taiwan has named former foreign minister Tien Hung-mao as the new head of a semi-official body responsible for conducting day-to-day business with China after Beijing cut communications with the agency in June amid political tensions.

The appointment of Tien, foreign minister between 2000 and 2002, to head the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) comes as Taipei-Beijing relations remain cool since the election of Tsai Ing-wen as president of Taiwan in May.

China, which sees Taiwan as a renegade province, has been unsettled by Tsai's refusal to endorse Beijing's "One China" principle. As well as halting contacts between SEF and its China counterpart, contacts were also suspended between Taiwan's China policy-making body, the Mainland Affairs Council, and China's Taiwan Affairs Office.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office, in a statement in response to Tien's appointment, said relations could only improve if Taiwan accepts the so-called "1992 consensus".

That was a deal reached between China's Communists and Taiwan's then-ruling Nationalists, under which both agreed there is only one China, with each having their own interpretation of what that means.

Zhang Zhijun, head of the office, said in a separate statement that ties faced "serious challenges" due to what he called Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party's "vague" attitude on its China policy.

"Taiwan compatriots are broadly worried about this," he said.

Observers said Tien, who currently serves as chairman of the Taiwan's Institute of National Policy Research, may find it tough to re-establish communications with China given the current political climate.

"(The appointment) is not going to help improve the current Taiwan-China ties too much," said Alex Huang, a professor of Tamkang University, Taiwan.

"Within the political circles of Taipei and Beijing, people know Tsai holds her cards very close to her chest. Whoever takes the position will have to do things at the tempo she desires," Huang said.


(Reporting by Faith Hung; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell & Shri Navaratnam)

 

[ahojunk]

Taiwan budgets for 12-year, $2.9 billion advanced jet trainer programme
PUBLISHED AUG 31, 2016, 9:49 PM SGT

TAIPEI (REUTERS) - Taiwan aims to spend NT$68.6 billion (S$2.9 billion) over 12 years from 2017 to develop its own jet trainers, according to budget data seen on Wednesday (Aug 31), signalling the independence-leaning government's resolve to build up the defence industry.

China has never renounced the use of force to take back the self-ruled island, which it sees as a renegade province, and maintains that any bid to declare independence would lead to war.

"New model advanced jet trainers" will be developed to replace the air force's ageing fleet and an initial NT$555 million is being set aside for the programme in 2017, according to the defence ministry's detailed budget seen by Reuters.

Budget allocations for the programme that runs to 2028 amount to NT$68.6 billion, according to the ministry.

Taiwan has been working to develop its own defence equipment such as small warships for the navy. In the past, it has developed fighter jets.

But technology transfer from allies is critical to the success of its indigenous programmes.

Last year, Taiwan allocated an initial budget for developing its own submarines, but the multi-year programme has yet to receive key foreign technological support.

The United States approved an US$1.83 billion (S$2.5 billion) arms deal to Taiwan in December, the first such sale in four years, but it was mostly aimed at updating existing equipment and munitions.

Weapons sales to diplomatically isolated Taiwan anger China.

Beijing distrusts President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which traditionally favours the island's independence.

The Chinese government has blamed her for a suspension of official communications between the two sides since she took power in May.

Tsai has refused to officially accept a "one China"principle agreed to by a previous China-friendly Nationalist government in Taiwan that allows both sides to interpret the term's meaning.

Taiwan and the United States have close security ties and the United States is required by law to support Taiwan in defending itself, making it the island's sole arms supplier.

The budget for the advanced jet trainers is pending parliamentary review, but is likely to be approved because the ruling DPP also has a majority in parliament.

 

[ahojunk]

New term - intelligent manufacturing?

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Taiwan to develop intelligent manufacturing: President Tsai
2016/08/31 18:21:11

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Wednesday that the government will integrate resources to create a smart industry platform and will also introduce key technology into the market to pave the way for local investment in the field of intelligent manufacturing.

The relevant authorities will push for customer matchmaking, international cooperation and export expansion to make the Taiwan market more competitive, Tsai said at the opening of the Asia Industry 4.0 & Intelligent Manufacturing Expo.

Intelligent manufacturing will include the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data, the president said, adding that the government will also create a platform that will allow Taiwanese investors to explore the market and exchange ideas.

A record 900 manufacturers from around the world are taking the part in the four-day expo at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, seeking to open up more business opportunities in the areas of industrial automation, robotics, mold and die manufacturing, logistics and IoT, fluid power, and mechanical technology.

In the automation pavilion, Germany is making a presentation for the first time, touting its strength in research and development.

Germany and Taiwan are two of the most innovative countries in the world and front runners in research and development in their respective regions, the German Trade Office Taipei said.

Through Industry 4.0 and its digital innovations in products, processes and business models, the export driven industries in both countries will remain competitive, the office said.

"Germany and Taiwan, as high-tech world market leaders, have great opportunities to cooperate in the field of Industry 4.0 in order to significantly increase the competitiveness of their respective industries," Andreas Hergenröther, executive director of the German office, said at the show.

The expo, which is being held Aug. 31-Sept. 3, features 2,600 booths in six pavilions.

(By Chung Jung-feng and Lee Hsin-Yin)

 

[ahojunk]

@TaiShang , Maybe I should consider relocating to Taipei, LOL

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Forget Hong Kong, Taiwan is the new expat hotspot

New survey finds our city to be the most expensive place in the world to live, while island scores highly across the board

Rachel Blundy
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 03 September, 2016, 10:02am
UPDATED : Saturday, 03 September, 2016, 10:01am

Hong Kong’s expats face increased living costs, growing difficulty in making friends and are generally less happy overall, with a new survey suggesting they would be better off living in Taiwan.

The city’s foreigners report feeling particularly frustrated by the rising cost of living in 2016, as Hong Kong became the most expensive place in the world to live.

Hong Kong’s overall ranking in the Expat Insider survey, published by expatriate networking website InterNations on Monday, fell further than all but two of 66 other countries this year – from 26th to 44th place. It marks a dramatic drop for the city from 10th place just two years ago. Meanwhile Taiwan, a new entry in the survey last year, topped the poll.

The city ranked a dismal 59th for work/life balance, largely dictated by its lengthy working hours, with the average expat working 48.5 hours per week. By comparison, Taiwan earned fifth place for the same factor. But Hong Kong did achieve a respectable 24th place for overall job satisfaction, in a city where most expats have relocated for new career opportunities.

Since last year, it has also fallen from 24th to 42nd place in the survey’s Personal Finance Index section. The result coincides with a study published by global consultants Mercer this year which found Hong Kong was the most expensive city in the world to live.

The city also dropped from 37th to 48th in terms of how expats viewed the friendliness of the local population.

Five out of six expats in Hong Kong continue to feel that the language barrier here causes them problems, compared with less than one in two expats living abroad worldwide. Despite this, almost seven out of 10 expats said they could get by without knowing Cantonese.

Taiwan was said to have outshone its other ‘Asian Tiger’ states; Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore, in the survey.

Tse-Chun Lin, spokesman for the Taiwanese in Hong Kong group, said he thought the popularity of Taiwan among expats probably reflected that many of those surveyed were well-paid professionals enjoying a good quality of life in a country where the cost of living is lower than Hong Kong.

The associate professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong, who moved to the city seven years ago after an eight-year stint in Taipei, said most Taiwanese he knew in Hong Kong had relocated for new career opportunities rather than for a better quality of life.

“Taiwan is usually friendly to expats – they are a rare animal,” he said. “The people in this survey are probably high-ranking officials in various fields; their lives will be brilliant. Taiwan has a very low crime rate, the food is great, the coffee shops are everywhere, and the health care system is good.”

Professor Lin went on to say he would likely move home to Taiwan if it offered him the same career opportunities as Hong Kong.

“If I could earn this kind of salary back home, then I would be very happy,” he said.

Drew Waters, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce for Hong Kong and Macau, who has lived in Hong Kong for 11 years, said he had not personally experienced a change in his standard of living here, but admitted the cost of living had always been “high”.

He said his members still considered the city to be a profitable place to trade, particularly as a gateway to China.

“It remains a business-friendly city,” he said. “The ability to set up a business here is still very good, because there are less restrictions.”

The survey, which polled 14,300 expatriates representing 174 nationalities across 191 countries, wasn’t all doom and gloom for Hong Kong’s expats.

More than three-quarters reported being happy with the local economy, and more than half considered low taxation as an important perk to living in the city.

Transport was another area where Hong Kong fared well; the city ranked second overall in this category, with three-quarters of those surveyed saying they were happy with the transport infrastructure.

Seven out of 10 were happy with health care, but less than half (46 per cent) were content with its affordability.

Meanwhile, 77 per cent of expat parents in Hong Kong report being satisfied with the quality of education, although almost the same amount said it was not very affordable.

Despite this, Hong Kong ranked a healthy 29th overall for family well being, with almost four out of five parents saying they were happy with their family life here.

 

[ahojunk]

People are worried that their pension may be reduced, perhaps....

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Massive demonstration staged in Taipei amid pension reform discussions
(Xinhua) 09:50, September 04, 2016

People gather in downtown Taipei to call for respect of their contribution to the island amid discussions of pension reform, September 3, 2016. [Photo from Weibo]

Groups of people, including retired military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers, gathered in downtown Taipei on Saturday afternoon to call for respect of their contribution to the island amid discussions of pension reform.

Protesters, including retired army generals and young teachers of public schools, said they took to the streets because they believed the reputation of public sector employees had been damaged by the discussions.

The police said an estimated 117,000 people took part in the demonstration, while the organizers said there were about 250,000 protesters on the streets.

The move marked the first massive demonstration since the island's current leader Tsai Ing-wen took office, according to local authorities.

The Action Alliance to Monitor Pension Reforms, which organized the event, said it supported the drive to reform pension system, but opposed the acts of using distorted figures or extreme cases to stir up conflicts among different groups in the society.

The union warned the future of the island would be gloomy if the current administration were not concentrated on shoring up the economy and improving people's livelihoods.

The massive protests followed several small demonstrations staged on the island by civil aviation workers, tour bus drivers and fishermen since May.

Pang Chien-kuo, a professor with Taipei-based Chinese Culture University said the demonstration on Saturday attracted so many participants because the current administration has not breathed new life into the island so far.

"People will continue to take to streets to vent their dissatisfaction if the economy does not grow in a decent speed and the future of the island remains bleak," Pang said.

 

[ahojunk]

Send these scums to China to face harsh punishments.

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WORLD NEWS | Tue Sep 20, 2016 | 10:52pm EDT
Cambodia deports 13 Taiwanese telecoms fraud suspects to China

Cambodia has deported 13 Taiwanese nationals suspected of telecoms fraud to China, the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing has said, ignoring protests from Taiwan asking the Southeast Asian country not to proceed.

The public security ministry said on Tuesday 50 Chinese nationals were also sent back with the Taiwanese deportees.

They were all arrested in a Cambodian police raid in Phnom Penh and suspected of committing internet and phone extortion fraud. Such scams have cost billions of dollars and driven some victims to suicide.

Cambodia, one of China's closest allies, does not have official relations with self-ruled Taiwan. It treats the island as part of "one China" in line with Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province.

Uk Heisela, a senior official in Cambodia's immigration department, confirmed the deportations and said Taiwan had not been in touch with Phnom Penh over the case.

"All victims are in China," he said.

Cambodia has deported more than 200 people suspected of involvement in the fraud rings to China since November.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said late on Tuesday it had protested strongly against the deportation of Taiwanese nationals to China and said Cambodia had been pressured by China.

The Chinese public security ministry said the suspects were being brought back to help with investigations and because the victims of the gang-related fraud scheme were from the mainland. They will be tried in Nanjing, the capital of coastal Jiangsu province, it said.

The ministry said authorities in Taiwan had been informed of the case.

China has cooperated with police in Kenya, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia to break up 65 telecom fraud rings since November, the ministry said, leading to the arrest of 1,168 suspects, including 347 Taiwan residents.

Taipei has accused Beijing of kidnapping when such countries have deported Taiwanese people to China.


(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Additional Reporting by J.R. Wu in TAIPEI and Prak Chan Thul in PHNOM PENH; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

[ahojunk]

Sometimes, I feel sorry for Taiwan. It's a battle they know they can't win.

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Taiwan officials forced out of UN fisheries meeting allegedly by China
2016/09/21 18:37:03

From FAO's website​

Taipei, Sept. 21 (CNA) Two Taiwan officials were forced to leave a meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations' Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in Italy in July, allegedly due to pressure from China, a Taiwan official confirmed Wednesday.

Chen Tain-shou (陳添壽), head of Taiwan's Fisheries Agency, said that when the two representatives from his agency presented their passports at the venue, one entered the venue but the other was stopped.

The first official was later asked to leave the meeting and although both of them sought assistance, they "had difficulty" participating, Chen said during a legislative hearing Wednesday.

He said the two Taiwan officials had registered to attend the meeting, not as government representatives, but as members of non-governmental organizations -- the Taiwan Fisheries Association and the Overseas Fisheries Development Council of the Republic of China.

It was the first time such an incident had occurred at a COFI meeting since 2003, when Taiwanese officials began participating as NGO members or experts, Chen said, confirming local media reports on the matter.

In July, the COFI's 32nd session was held in Rome to discuss global fisheries policies, initiatives and partnerships, as well as such issues as food security and nutrition, biodiversity conservation, marine litter and micro-plastics, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Asked by another lawmaker whether Taiwan's Fisheries Agency had assessed the possibility of future participation in the biennial meeting, Chen said he will do his best, although "things have tightened up relatively at present.

Meanwhile, in response to reporters' questions on the issue, Agriculture Minister Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) implied that China was to blame.

In the 21st century, countries should recognize that this is a new era in which the Earth's ecological environment is interdependent on all of its inhabitants, he said.

"We urge China to recognize this," Tsao said. "China seems to have always placed politics first and foremost, but that's a thing of the 20th century."

He also said he disproved of the way China and the organizers handled the matter in July.

The FAO should encourage countries and NGOs to participate in its meetings, where they can share information about marine protection and resources, Tsao said.

The COFI is a subsidiary body of the FAO Council and a global inter-governmental forum that examines major international fisheries and aquaculture problems.

(By Christie Chen and Yang Shu-min)

 

[ahojunk]

This former DPP defence minister Michael Tsai needs to see a psychiatrist.
He is fighting a battle without any hope of winning.
How can a ex-minister be so stupid? Haven't he heard of a UN Veto?

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Taiwan should concentrate on economy, not UN membership

Latest bid to join international body is not only doomed to fail but will incur the wrath of Beijing at a time when the economy is already in the doldrums

SCMP Editorial
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 22 September, 2016, 6:03am
UPDATED : Thursday, 22 September, 2016, 6:03am

The tenacity of Taiwan’s former Democratic Progressive Party defence minister Michael Tsai Ming-hsien in trying to gain UN membership for the island is unquestioned. With the General Assembly meeting in New York, he is spearheading a 13th consecutive bid. But as passionate as he and his supporters are, he has to also be acutely aware of how futile the effort is. China, as a permanent member of the Security Council, has veto power and none of its fellow members, the US, Russia, Britain and France, support the cause.

Tsai and others in his Taiwan United Nations Alliance and many in the ruling, pro-independence, DPP, contend that the island’s 23 million people should have a separate UN seat. The UN in 1971 switched China’s representation from Taipei to Beijing and does not recognise the Republic of China. David Lee Ta-wei, the minister for foreign affairs in President Tsai Ing-wen’s government, has a more reasonable approach, having said last month that the administration would not seek membership and would instead push for “meaningful participation” in UN-affiliated agencies. It already has that status in dozens of international bodies, among them the World Health Organisation and World Trade Organisation.

Still, Michael Tsai believes the cause is worth pursuing, especially now that the DPP is back in power. Former Kuomintang president Ma Ying-jeou did not support the idea and it was not on his agenda during his eight years as leader. But the issue rears its ugly head each time the DPP takes office.

Regardless of which party is in government, though, the political environment in Taiwan is such that the lobbying is always taking place. Nations with diplomatic ties with Taiwan are given “official development assistance”, funds that also imply a duty to provide support for causes; in 2014, the amount was US$268 million. How much Michael Tsai and his 45-strong team of lobbyists will spend this year is a secret, but there is no doubt that such funds would be better deployed helping the island’s people.

The economy is in the doldrums, made worse by Tsai Ing-wen’s policy failures towards the mainland. Her refusal to acknowledge the 1992 consensus that there is only one China has harmed ties, to the point that trade and tourism have been affected. The GDP growth forecast for Taiwan for this year is just 1.1 per cent, far below the rest of the region, and exports continue to fall while wages remain stagnant. Economic development, not a seat on the UN, should be the priority.

 

[ahojunk]

Prerequisite for Taiwan to participate in international activity is adherence to one-China policy: Beijing
2016-09-23 21:30:06 Xinhua Web Editor: Zhang Peng

File photo of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang. [Photo: mps.gov.cn]​

The prerequisite for Taiwan to participate in any international activity is adherence to the one-China policy, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Spokesperson Lu Kang's remarks came after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an organization under the framework of the United Nations, decided not to invite Taiwan to participate in its assembly in Canada.

Only sovereign states have the right to participate in institutions and activities within the UN framework, Lu said.

Taiwan, as an inalienable part of China, has no right to participate in the ICAO assembly, he added.

On the same day, spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office Ma Xiaoguang said that the reason that Taiwan cannot participate in the ICAO assembly is that Taiwan's current Democratic Progressive Party administration refuses to recognize the 1992 Consensus, which endorses the one-China principle.

 

[ahojunk]

It doesn't look good for Taiwan on the diplomatic front!

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World News | Fri Sep 23, 2016 | 3:39pm IST
U.N. agency snubs Taiwan, recognising Beijing's "one China"

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during an interview in Luque, Paraguay, June 28, 2016.
REUTERS/Jorge Adorno/Files​

By Allison Lampert and J.R. Wu | MONTREAL/TAIPEI | Reuters

A U.N. aviation agency has snubbed Taiwan by not inviting it to its assembly in Canada, the latest sign of pressure China is bringing to bear on the new independence-leaning government of an island it views as a renegade province.

Diplomatically isolated Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, which recognises "one China" centred on Beijing. China, in turn, sees self-ruled Taiwan as fit to be taken back by force if necessary, particularly if it makes moves toward independence.

Since May, when President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party, which traditionally favours independence from the mainland, took power in Taiwan, China has suspended official communication channels.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said arrangements for the assembly, scheduled for Sept. 27 to Oct. 7 in Montreal, did not follow the pattern ahead of a meeting in 2013, when China had asked for Taiwan to be invited.

"ICAO follows the United Nations' 'One China' policy," the agency's communications chief, Anthony Philbin, told Reuters in an email.

"While arrangements had been made for their attendance at the last (38th) session of the assembly, there are no such arrangements for this one."

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said it had approached China about the issue in early August with a "pragmatic and positive" attitude, but was "flatly rejected".

"We solemnly call on China to open its heart and think seriously as it may face serious consequences for its one-sided actions," it said in a statement.

Taiwan Foreign Minister David Lee told reporters diplomacy had never been an easy task for Taiwan, formally known as the "Republic of China".

"In the foreseeable future, I am not expecting this to change substantially," he said.

China's refusal to let Taiwan attend the meeting comes as China pressures Tsai to concede to Beijing's interpretation of the one China principle, which includes Taiwan as part of China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that as an "inseparable part of China" Taiwan had no right to participate in the assembly, and that Taipei's attendance in the past was based on "temporary arrangements".

"At present, our position is extremely clear. The prerequisite for Taiwan to participate in any international activity is for it to agree to the 'One China' policy and for this to be resolved through consultation," Lu told a regular press briefing.

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's Communist forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to the island.


(Additional reporting by Faith Hung in TAIPEI and Sue-Lin Wong in BEIJING; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Nick Macfie)

 

[ahojunk]

It looks like Beijing is bypassing the Taiwanese DPP government.
Beijing is playing games with Taipei.

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Taiwan county leaders delegation arrives for mainland visit
2016-09-18 08:48 | Xinhua Editor: Mo Hong'e

A delegation of county leaders from Taiwan arrived in Beijing on Saturday for a visit to the Chinese mainland, a mainland spokesperson said.

The delegation includes officials for New Taipei City and the seven counties of Hsinchu, Miaoli, Nantou, Hualien, Taitung, Kinmen and Lienchiang.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said that the delegation would discuss economic, cultural and tourism cooperation with related personnel from the mainland.

The delegation made the visit at the invitation of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Beijing municipal government, Ma said.

Some members of the delegation also plan to visit other provinces and cities on the mainland during the trip, Ma said.