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

[Viet]

2017/04/23 16:14:27




Taipei, April 23 (CNA)

Vietnam is hoping that Taiwan's New Southbound Policy will mean more Taiwanese investment in the country as it picks up the pace of infrastructure development to support economic growth, Vietnam's representative to Taiwan said recently.

The New Southbound Policy is mutually advantageous, said Tran Duy Hai, the head of the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, and Vietnam is interested in forging closer cooperation with Taiwan and attracting more investment from Taiwanese businesses.

Vietnam is especially seeking investment in its infrastructure development, and it hopes to learn from Taiwan's experience in building freeways, railways and metro systems and practicing high-tech farming, Tran said in an interview with CNA 10 days ago.

The New Southbound Policy is aimed at forging closer economic ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and India to reduce the country's economic dependence on China.

Tran said Taiwan's new approach has already helped encourage more people from Southeast Asia to visit Taiwan by making it easier for citizens from countries in the region to get a visa to Taiwan, and visitor numbers should continue to increase sharply.

In addition, an increasing number of flights between Vietnam and Taiwan, currently at about 200 weekly, should also help boost mutual exchanges, Tran added. The Vietnamese envoy also had a positive view of overall investment, trade and people-to-people relations between Taiwan and Vietnam.

Bilateral relations between the two sides have been improving since the 1990s and Taiwan is currently Vietnam's fourth largest source of foreign investment, with US$32 billion invested in the country, Tran said.

Taiwan is also Vietnam's fifth largest trade partner, and two-way trade between the two countries in 2016 totaled US$12 billion and is continuing to rise, he added. Tran also pointed to Taiwan as home to the largest overseas Vietnamese population of an area in the world.

At present, around 300,000 Vietnamese live in Taiwan, including 100,000 who are married to Taiwanese citizens, 180,000 workers and 5,000 students. About 30,000 Taiwanese live in Vietnam, including 6,000 Taiwanese businessmen.

(By Scarlett Chai and Evelyn Kao)
Enditem/ls

http://m.focustaiwan.tw/news/aipl/201704230006.aspx

 

[Viet]

@TaiShang

Vietnam-Taiwan relationship on the rise

 

[pzkilo]

Really? rofl. GOODLUCK then.

 

[TaiShang]

Xi congratulates Wu on election as KMT leader
Xinhua | Updated: 2017-05-21

BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Saturday congratulated Wu Den-yih for being elected the chairperson of Kuomintang (KMT).

Xi said in his message to Wu that he hoped the two parties shall keep in mind the well-being of the compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, adhere to the 1992 Consensus and firmly oppose "Taiwan independence."

The CPC and KMT should stick to the correct direction for the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and strive to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, Xi said.

In his reply to Xi's message, Wu expressed gratitude for Xi's congratulations, saying that he expected the two parties would continue to consolidate the 1992 Consensus and promote the institutionalization of peace across the Strait.

Wu expressed the hope that the two parties will carry forward the Chinese culture, advance sustainable development of both sides and join each other on the road to a bright future.

 

[TaiShang]

China Focus: Preferential policies show Chinese mainland's goodwill and sincerity, Taiwan experts
(Xinhua) 08:03, May 12, 2017


TAIPEI, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Preferential policies allowing Taiwan residents to work, study and travel on the Chinese mainland embodied the goodwill and sincerity of the Chinese mainland, Taiwan academics told Xinhua Thursday.

The Chinese mainland Wednesday published a series of preferential policies for Taiwan residents, including easier access to transportation, employment, education and legal services.

The move was welcomed by academics in Taiwan, who believed it would help promote peaceful communication and cross-Strait relations.

"Cross-Strait ties have been at a deadlock as the administration of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has refused to recognize the 1992 Consensus," Wang Kunyi, professor at the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies of Tamkang University, told Xinhua.

"However, these new measures showed that the Chinese mainland, has always and will continue to, adhere to the 1992 Consensus and promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, no matter which party holds power on the island," he said.

Ting Jen-fang, professor at the Graduate Institute of Political Economy of Cheng Kung University said not only would the new preferential policies improve the lives of Taiwan residents on the mainland, it would also increase their willingness to work and live there, and gain their support for peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Under the new measures, Taiwan residents can be employed in public institutions in six more provincial-level regions and Taiwan academics working on the mainland can apply for state-level research projects, including projects from the National Social Science Fund.

In addition, Taiwan residents can now purchase and collect tickets via self-service ticket machines in train stations in many major cities and provinces.

Lin Hsin-hsiung, Vice President of the Peace Research Center for the Cross-Strait at Shu-Te University, said these measures will have a positive impact on Taiwan residents, and therefore be good for cross-Strait relations.

"The measures are more targeted and detailed this time, with many serving a specific group or occupation. This means the Chinese mainland is opening its market to Taiwan, and more Taiwan residents are expected to benefit from it," Wang said.

In order to help Taiwan graduates from mainland higher education institutions find jobs, the Ministry of Education has told institutions to standardize enrollment regulations and protect the legal rights of Taiwan students, which Ting believed will open new doors for Taiwan graduates.

"Starting salaries for recent graduates in Taiwan are around 30,000 to 40,000 New Taiwan dollars (1,000 to 1,333 U.S. dollars), with very few opportunities in high-end industries. But if they go to the Chinese mainland, they will have a better chance at securing a higher paid job," he said.

"Preferential policies, such as more job opportunities in public institutions, offer Taiwan graduates a better quality of life and allow them to integrate into the Chinese mainland," Ting said.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2017/0512/c90000-9214090.html

 

[Viet]

Taishang any plan for summer holiday? VietJet offers great discount for trips to Vietnam. You and other Taiwanese brothers shouldn't miss it.

 

[TaiShang]

Taishang any plan for summer holiday? VietJet offers great discount for trips to Vietnam. You and other Taiwanese brothers shouldn't miss it.

View attachment 400637

Thanks for invitation, bro.

I would like to go on a vacation, if chances allow. There are couple of visits to Mainland for academic purposes, and perhaps to HK, on the line.

Making use of this opportunity, here I share few more Taipei pictures:

 

[TaiShang]

Mainland expresses condolences to rainstorm-hit Taiwan compatriots
(Xinhua) 13:17, June 03, 2017

BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Saturday expressed concern and condolences to those living in Taiwan who were affected by the recent heavy rain.

The mainland has paid close attention to the life and property safety of compatriots in Taiwan, mourns the death of the victims, and is concerned about all who were affected, said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office.

Ma said the mainland will continue to follow the situation.

As of 11 p.m. Friday, at least three people had been confirmed dead, two missing and 35 others injured after heavy rain hit large parts of Taiwan with the arrival of a strong southwesterly airstream.

About 1,000 people were relocated or accommodated in temporary shelters, over 26,000 homes were without power or water, and 302 flights were canceled or delayed, date from the island's emergency operation center showed.

The southwesterly airstream is expected to leave Sunday, but rain is likely to continue until Monday, according to the island's weather bureau.

 

[TaiShang]

Employees from Taiwan to enjoy housing fund on Chinese mainland
Xinhua, June 10, 2017

The housing authority of the Chinese mainland will grant employees from Taiwan equal rights to the housing provident fund.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said Friday that it will soon make a nationwide policy without giving a concrete timetable.

The policies will support the deposits into and withdrawals from the public provident fund by employees from Taiwan to make it easier for them to buy or rent homes.

With more and more people from Taiwan working on the mainland, several local authorities, including those of Fujian Province, Shanghai Municipality and the city of Yangzhou, have taken measures to grant them access to the fund.

The number of employees from Taiwan on the mainland rose from 290,000 in 2005 to 420,000 in 2015, the island's statistics authority said earlier this year.

Under current regulations, urban residents on the mainland, together with their employers, pay a portion of their incomes into the housing provident fund to be eligible for low-interest housing loans. The fund can also be used for rents, renovations and major illnesses.

http://www.china.org.cn/business/2017-06/10/content_41001775.htm

 

[yusheng]

this one is delicious, fresh with faint mud fragrance
i enjoy various bamboo shoots, what is the price of this kind there?

 

[TaiShang]

this one is delicious, fresh with faint mud fragrance
i enjoy various bamboo shoots, what is the price of this kind there?

View attachment 403219

I had yesterday checked the price at the nearby 全聯 store, one piece (slightly bigger than the ones in picture) sold at 56 Yuan NT (~15RMB). Maybe at the market a little cheaper. I did not check recently.

Just boil, add a little sticky sweet soy sauce, and eat with rice. So tasty. There is also 肉丝炒竹笋。But I think they use small (more tender) 竹笋 for this, not the big ones like in the picture above. But I like the big ones because they are often sweeter.

Let me add another dish of my favorite, which you would find in most nigh markets. Of course, it is 煎臭豆腐。

 

[yusheng]

the prices in my hometown, zhejiang ningbo, is much the same though changing during the seasons.
yes, small one is different from the big one, you know one kind of big one is sweet,

and the other kind of big one is very xian(鲜)，i don't think taiwan has this one in below picture.

the small one is all good too, we usually salt it or dry by airing so we can enjoy it any time.

as for 臭豆腐， you can taste it in snack street, ningbo has several snack streets. i like it, ok, i should look some special 臭豆腐 from other cities in China on TMALL.
hope some day i can taste a dish of taiwan 臭豆腐 at home, it must be slightly different from what i eat here.
this is ningbo style:

maybe you should introduce some special taiwan dishes

 

[TaiShang]

the prices in my hometown, zhejiang ningbo, is much the same though changing during the seasons.
yes, small one is different from the big one, you know one kind of big one is sweet,
View attachment 403426
and the other kind of big one is very xian(鲜)，i don't think taiwan has this one in below picture.
View attachment 403425


the small one is all good too, we usually salt it or dry by airing so we can enjoy it any time.
View attachment 403427 View attachment 403428

as for 臭豆腐， you can taste it in snack street, ningbo has several snack streets. i like it, ok, i should look some special 臭豆腐 from other cities in China on TMALL.
hope some day i can taste a dish of taiwan 臭豆腐 at home, it must be slightly different from what i eat here.
this is ningbo style:
View attachment 403429

maybe you should introduce some special taiwan dishes

Sure, I will put some pictures. For some reasons, the pictures you put would not open, maybe my internet is slow a little.

In the meantime, the news say Mrs. Yingwen had a terrible night the other day - she deserves it as she fails to recognize 1992 consensus. Panama had just received money from Taiwan before they cut the relations suddenly. I see cutting the relations, but treating Taiwan like a cash cow is not fun at all .

***

Panama, China establish diplomatic relations
Xinhua, June 13, 2017

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, Panama's vice president and foreign minister, shake hands after signing the joint communique in Beijing, capital of China, June 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela announced late Monday in a televised speech that his country has established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

In the nationally televised address, Varela stressed the historic ties between the two countries, a relationship that goes back more than 160 years.

The move "is also a recognition of the Chinese-Panamanian community, which has played an important role in the economic and social development of Panama, taking part in all of our country's economic, political and social activities, and some even coming to occupy important posts in the Panamanian government," said Varela.

The first group of Chinese immigrants, he noted, arrived in Panama in 1854 to work on the construction of the trans-isthmus railway, which served as the main international cargo route until the Panama Canal was built.

The two countries made history again when the Chinese cargo carrier Cosco Shipping Panama became the first vessel to pass through the newly expanded Panama Canal on June 26, 2016, said Varela. China is now the second largest client of the Panama Canal.

The Panamanian president also underscored China's role in leading efforts to boost global integration and opportunities for growth in today's world.

China set up an office of commercial development in Panama in 1996. Since then, the two countries have maintained cooperation in various fields.

Formal diplomatic relations between the two countries were established after Panama cut its ties with China's Taiwan.

 

[yusheng]

the rumor says that within 2017 Nicaragua will do the same thing.
the rumor of "Nicaragua Canal" also played a sensitive role in the event since the fact that Chinese survey company has been working in Nicaragua for many year is wild known.

 

[patman]

20 years after the handover, the state of the ‘One China, Two Systems’ agreement in Hong Kong acts as a cautionary tale to anyone who thinks Taiwan should go down the same route
2017/06/29 17:45

World dignitaries and other guests attend Hong Kong handover ceremony in 1997.(By Associated Press)

As Hong Kong approaches the 20th anniversary of its handover from the UK to China on July 1st, it seems an appropriate moment to consider how the "One China, Two Systems" principal has been applied over that period.

The idea of "One China, Two Systems," as agreed in the Sino-British handover agreement which was signed on 1st July 1997 was that, whilst sovereignty over the entire Hong Kong territory was returned to China, the citizens of Hong Kong would be guaranteed a degree of autonomy for at least 50 years.

It was a system originally designed by the Chinese Communist Party for Taiwan rather than Hong Kong, yet today, the likelihood of it ever being applied successfully in Taiwan is further away than ever.

Taiwanese citizens only have to look at what has happened across the Taiwan Straits in the intervening 20 years to be deterred from ever agreeing to such an arrangement. Because less than half-way into that transitional period and it has become abundantly clear that the Chinese regime has deliberately, flagrantly, and repeatedly, breached that agreement.

Different Historical Contexts

It is important to look at the issue of "One China" in Hong Kong and Taiwan in the context of history. Hong Kong was incorporated into China between 221-206 B.C., during the Qin Dynasty. It was not until the Opium Wars of the late 1800's that parts of the peninsula were ceded to Britain. The rest was leased to the UK in 1898 for a period of 99 years.

In the intervening period, Hong Kong had integrated and developed its own identity. But the indisputable historical links to China remained and at the end of the lease in 1997, Britain was left with little choice but to hand over the province.

Taiwan on the other hand was not settled by any Chinese migrants until the 15th century and was not annexed into China until 1683. This is almost 2,000 years later than Hong Kong. Just over 200 years later, it was given to Japan as part of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895 And while the Republic of China was founded in 1912, the island of Taiwan did not become part of it until 1945.

And, of course, by 1949, the Republic of China had been driven to Taiwan as the Communist seized power in China, meaning that Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China and in its entire history, has only been governed from China for a period of 216 years. This means the historical link, and indeed the Chinese claim to Taiwan, is much weaker.

National Identity

Like Hong Kongers, Taiwanese have developed their own national identity since they were last governed from China, 122 years ago. 70% of people in Taiwan now identify themselves as Taiwanese, while around three-quarters support some form of independence. Less than a third would support some form of unification, and that even includes agreements which involve some form of compromise with Beijing as well as complete reintegration.

Alongside China's economic and political bullying of Taiwan, a big reason for this is what Taiwanese people have witnessed taking place in Hong Kong since reunification.

Flagrant and repeated breaches

Despite signing up to the "One China, Two Systems" agreement which they had designed themselves, the Chinese Communist Party has been flagrant in their repeated breaches of what was agreed.

Back in 2014, Hong Kongers took to the streets in their tens of thousands to protest the selection of candidates for the role of Hong Kong Chief Executive (which replaced the British Governors). This supposedly independent process was hijacked by Beijing, with candidates having to be approved by the Chinese Communist Party before being eligible to stand.

The pro-Beijing candidate Carrie Lam was elected in a process which included just 0.03% of the Hong Kong population. Taiwan has fought hard to secure its now flourishing democracy and few Taiwanese are willing to gamble this on the word of the Chinese Communist Party.

Likewise, freedom of speech is highly valued in Taiwan after years of oppression under the military dictatorship of the KMT. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, booksellers who dare to sell books critical of the Communist Party are disappearing and even billionaires are liable to be spirited back to China if they step out of line.

The last British Governor to Hong Kong, Chris Patten, has said in an interview today that China has been guilty of a sequence of "outrageous breaches" of the handover agreement and condemned Britain for not doing more about the matter.

With the Chinese President Xi Jinping, visiting Hong Kong this weekend to mark the anniversary, it will be interesting to see what reception he gets. Local reports suggest a massive security operation is underway, implying that major protests are expected.

The extent to which the people of Hong Kong will be allowed to voice their dissatisfaction with where Hong Kong is at the moment will be keenly watched from this side of the Taiwan Strait. But the Chinese Communist Party has a proven record of ignoring the will of their people in the interests of the party at home and few expect things to be treated any differently nowadays in Hong Kong.

A cautionary tale for Taiwan

The concept of "One party, Two Systems" still exists, but nowadays in name only. 20 years on from the handover, Beijing has full control over the governance of Hong Kong, its secret service operates on the streets, and the people of Hong Kong know that if they speak or act out of line, there are likely to be serious consequences.

Hong Kong's sad situation serves as a cautionary tale for Taiwan. Hong Kong is a clear illustration of what "One Country, Two Systems" is in practice. And it is as clear a reason as I can think of why Taiwan must resist such an agreement at all cost.

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3199489