On the Line: Recent Episodes
Carlson Wong, RTI
On the Line is a lively forum where important personages including local and foreign diplomats, policy experts, academics, and government officials, are invited to discuss current events and issues involving Taiwan and the world. On the Line broadcasts worldwide every Sunday (Taiwan Time) and is available on demand.
During the UN General Assembly General Debate on September 23, 2020, President Tommy Remenegsau from Palau said the pandemic has put Palau into a level of isolation and they struggle with disruptions to supply chains for food and essential medicines. COVID-19 has disrupted every sector of the society. But economic activities in Palau seem to be quite vibrant because ATMs in Palau once ran out of cash, so how is cash supplied? How has COVID affected Palau? Let’s hear from Ambassador Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil, the Ambassador of Palau in Taiwan.
Taiwan and Belize signed three agreements in 2020 to promote bilateral ties in the fields of trade, legal assistance and aviation. The former Ambassador of Belize, Amb.Diane Haylock said she believes the agreements will be mutually beneficial after they go into effect. Talking about her experience, Amb.Diane Haylock said as CEO of National Institute of Culture and History in Belize for 8 years, her cultural work had to deal with diplomacy. She has a strong development background as she did her master’s program in development studies in the Netherlands. Amb.Diane Haylock is a firm believer in social justice and is also a strong advocate for women’s rights.
Taiwan and Belize signed an economic cooperation agreement in late September. Belize is a member of the Caribbean Community Common Market (CARICOM) and the former Ambassador of Belize, Diane Haylock said Taiwan and Belize worked on the agreement in 2019 and it took them a year to sign the agreement because CARICOM had to vet it the agreement to ensure that it does not adversely affect the CARICOM grouping which is made up of 15 member states. The Ambassador said the agreement will be beneficial for both sides in the future.
Belize relies heavily on tourism and according to the statistics by Belize Tourism Board, Belize welcomed a total of 503 thousand overnight visitors in 2019, more than 100% growth from the previous year and cruise ship arrivals also surpassed 1 million mark for the fourth consecutive year. But faced with the pandemic, Belize had closed its borders for several months and just reopened in October 2020. According to the ambassador of Belize, Ambassador Diane Haylock the peak season starts from November until the end of April. The government has launched the Tourism Gold Standard recognition program for hotels with the hope to enhance the health and safety standards of the tourism industry.
Dr.Chen Mu-kuan (陳穆寬院長), Superintendent of Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH) said his hospital has,since early 2020, taken measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) including patient flow, setting up check points, checking patients’ travel history, allocation of beds for pneumonia patients apart from 36 negative-pressure isolation beds and buffer area in emergency department. Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH), located in central Taiwan, was founded in 1896 by a British missionary and it is the only medical center in Changhua area in central Taiwan. Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH) published the first journal on COVID-19 released in February, by New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals and it was the first article on COVID-19 from a Taiwan hospital, regarding a locally transmitted case.
Taiwan and Guatemala have enjoyed diplomatic relations for over 80 years. Faced with the coronavirus outbreak or COVID-19 in 2020, Guatemala had taken a step ahead and had declared a maximum alert over the possible arrival of coronavirus to the country and since January 31, the government has imposed blanket travel restrictions on people who have been to China. As part of the measures to contain COVID-19, the government has closed borders for two weeks since March 17,2020. Guatemalan Ambassador Willy Alberto Gómez Tirado said Taiwan and Guatemala have worked closely sharing information on how to contain the disease.
The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), formerly known as AVRDC (Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center) is an international center for vegetable research and development in the world. The center was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Shanhua, Southern Taiwan. The Center conducts research and carries out training activities to raise awareness of the role of vegetables for improved health. The World Vegetable Center also helps alleviate poverty by creating new jobs for farmers by encouraging more people to grow vegetables. The head of Communications and Information of the World Vegetable Center, Maureen Mecozzi said breeders need to keep on developing new crops with different traits to respond to different kinds of environment adding that it can take as long as ten years to develop new traits and fix them in a particular crop.
The Diplomacy Training Program (DTP) is an independent, non-government organization (NGO) providing education in human rights advocacy based in Sydney, Australia. DTP provides training on various issues such as the rights of the indigenous peoples, migrant workers, modern day slavery activists campaigning against poverty and homelessness, torture, political killings and death penalty. Patrick Earle, Executive Director of DTP said he hopes to work with NGOs in Taiwan on various issues such as death penalty, rights of the indigenous peoples and migrant workers.
Malaysian representative Sharon Ho said Taiwan and Malaysia have worked closely together in many areas and can also cooperate in the areas of medical and halal tourism. There have been many seminars and both sides, she said, can find more coordinated platforms to turn some of the plans into action. Malaysia has been improving the service and quality of healthcare and The Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council or MHTC is targeting new ASEAN markets and the middle east.
The embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) was opened in August in Taipei at a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of SVG Dr.Ralph Gonsalves, Taiwan’s Vice President Chen Chien-Jen and Foregin Minister Joseph Wu. The embassy officially began service in October and the first ambassador is Andrea Bowman who is a career educator.
Georges B. Sassine, the President of the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH) along with other important guests from Haiti arrived in Taiwan in 2019 with the hope to meet local businesspeople to lure more investment from Taiwan. ADIH is an organization that represents 106 members in the manufacturing industry in Haiti with the purpose to boost trade and improve local economy.
Mr.Asher Yarden, the former representative of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office (ISECO) in Taipei said many achievements have been made during his posting in Taiwan but none could have been made possible without the dedication and support of the team in his office. He cited three achievements that are worth mentioning, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Taipei that he started in 2016, the Taipei International Book Exhibition in 2018 with Israel being the theme country and the lighting display of Israeli flag and colors on the Taipei 101 skyscraper in May 2019.
Luxembourg is a small country in western Europe and is the second richest country in the world ranked by its GDP. It is a multicultural country with citizens more than 170 nationalities. According to Ms.Tania Berchem, Executive Director of the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office in Taipei. Luxembourg has managed to diversify its economy since mid-1980s and has developed ICT, IoT, AI, circular economy, creative industry and space technology. Ms.Tania Berchem further explains how Luxembourg has managed to become an ecosystem fostering innovation and creativity.
B.DANCE artistic director, Po-Cheng Tsai and his group B.DANCE has toured 45 cities in 21 countries, with their 235 performances receiving multiple awards and enthusiastic reviews across Europe. Due to the pandemic, B.DANCE has cancelled 60 performances, but Po-Cheng still got the chance to go to Europe to create the wonderful “Alice” for Luzerner Theater. The on line world premiere of Alice in Taiwan in August received a wide acclaim with 7.7 K views on YouTube and 1K on Facebook. The next production “Before we say goodbye”, the biggest production of this year, will be premiered on Oct.30 at Taipei Culture Center. The artistic director and choreographer of B.DANCE, Po-Cheng Tsai has been named best new choreographer by the French Critics Association of Theater, Dance, and Music in 2020 and one of the world’s most influential young choreographers by German dance magazine Tanz in 2018.
Summer Chen, chief editor of Taiwan Fact-check Center (TFC) said during the pandemic last year, TFC debunked around 300 pieces of disinformation. Recently, there has been a lot of disinformation regarding the vaccine and the inoculation. Summer Chen said with the comeback of the pandemic in Taiwan in May, there has growing claims of disinformation and she said we have to fight not only the pandemic but also the infodemic. Infodemic is false or misleading information during a disease outbreak such as COVID-19. Infodemic destroys our confidence to be vaccinated, she said, adding that the spread of fake news regarding vaccination is spreading on platforms unheard of before.
Taiwan Fact-check Center (TFC) makes use of social media platform such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram as well as LINE (a mobile messaging app popular in Taiwan, Japan and Thailand) chatbot.TFC Facebook has 140 thousand plus followers and the LINE chatbot helps check information and respond to enquiries.
In November 2018, Taiwan Fact-check Center (TFC), the first in Taiwan to win International Fact-checking Network (IFCN) certification, 53rd in the world and then in October 2019 and in March 2021, Taiwan Fact-check Center won the second and the third certification respectively. This has proven Taiwan Fact-check Center has met the code principles of the International Fact-checking Network (IFCN). Taiwan Fact Check Center (TFC) was founded in August 2018 and is a private organization and is subject to public criticism. So any mistakes in information need to corrected and open corrections policy is one of the code principles required by International Fact-checking Network (IFCN). Summer Chen, chief editor of Taiwan Fact-check Center (TFC) said TFC faces a lot of challenges such as building a bigger team with news reporting and journalism background, gaining more public trust as it is a young non-profit organization.
According to Ambassador Andrea Bowman, Ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), there are currently around 130 Vincentians living in Taiwan. 80-100 of them are students and the rest are engaged in various professions across the country including in banking, education and ICT sectors. SVG Alumni Association was established in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) many years ago and they provide Vincentian students who wish to study in Taiwan counseling and step by step guidance as to what they need to do before and after they arrive in Taiwan. Asked about Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ support for Taiwan to take part in the international organizations such as the WHO (World Health Organization), Ambassador Andrea Bowman said saint Vincent has always shown support for Taiwan adding that the exclusion of Taiwan is inhumane. ”How can an organization that advocates health for the world exclude the 23 million people of the world?” she said.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Taiwan’s important ally in the Caribbean, was hard hit by the volcanic eruption in April and the whole island was blanketed in a layer of ash causing the displacement of 20,000 people out of the population of 111,000. Ambassador Andrea Bowman, Ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) said she is thankful to the international community and Taiwan for lending a hand during times of difficulties by sending relief goods and donating cash. In Taiwan alone, when the volcanic eruption relief drive was launched in in May, Ambassador Andrea Bowman said the Embassy has collected a donation of $ 600,000 NTD (around $ 21,000 USD). She added that the SVG government has tried hard to get back to normalcy battling so much at this time with the volcanic eruptions in Saint Vincent in April, Hurricane Elsa in July, dengue fever and now COVID-19.
August 15th marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). August 8th is also an important date as the Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) was established in Taipei on the same day two years ago in 2019. Ambassador Andrea Bowman has been posted in Taiwan for two years and has tried to promote the bilateral relations and people to people exchanges. To mark the occasion, ROC Taiwan Embassy in SVG held a photo exhibition in the capital of SVG, Kingstown, featuring 100 historical photos and materials depicting the fruitful bilateral cooperation between the two countries. In Taipei, videos on social media from individuals and agencies that have been pivotal in the 40-year journey of the two countries were presented.
According to Chief representative and Executive Director of The German Trade Office Taipei (AHK in German), Mr.Axel Limberg, when trying to promote German business and investment in Taiwan during the pandemic, they face the challenges of sending business delegations from Taiwan to Germany and vice versa. Another challenge is they are unable to arrange German politicians to come to Taiwan as the visit is an opportunity to promote Taiwan. Also during the pandemic, with the travel restrictions, trade fairs and related events are cancelled as well.
The German Trade Office Taipei recently published the second “Corporate Social Responsibility Report of German Companies in Taiwan” and Chief representative and Executive Director of The German Trade Office Taipei or AHK in German, Mr.Axel Limberg said Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities have become increasingly important for a modern economy and there has been a growing number of German companies participating in CSR programs, from 15 last year to 21 this year. Apart from taking part in charity events, these German companies have been engaged in the social development in Taiwan by supporting the people in need, protecting the environment including energy saving and fuel reduction and so on.
Taipei and Beijing have engaged in vaccine diplomacy since the outbreak of COVID-19. Beijing, according to Prof.Andrew Yang, Secretary General of Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, is using the vaccine as an important factor to consolidate its influence in the international community. As China is hindering Taiwan’s efforts to secure the injections, the US and Japan have donated million doses of vaccine to Taiwan.
During the G-7 Summit in June this year, G-7 communique highlights the importance of cross-strait peace and stability and Prof. Andrew Yang, Secretary General of Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, said stability across the Taiwan Strait is vital for global economic security adding that both sides of the Taiwan Strait should embrace a rules-based system to maintain peace and stability. China has violated the international norms, standards and principles of behaviour by flying 28 military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defence buffer zone in mid-June. The incursion is the largest since Chinese jetfighters approached Taiwan in September 2020.
July 1st marks the return of HK to China, and many say the HK authorities hope to use the crackdown on Apple Daily to serve as a warning to other journalists in Hong Kong, that is to kill the chicken to scare the monkey in Chinese saying. Cédric Alviani, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) East Asia bureau head said RSF adds that journalists who criticize the government will face some kind of punishment whether you are based in Hong Kong or not. If you are flying through Hong Kong, you are most likely to be detained at the airport. Even the journalists based in a foreign country who criticize China can be abducted to China, one example is the abduction of journalist and activist Li Xin wo went missing travelling from Thailand to Laos in 2016 and Gui Minhai, a naturalized Swiss citizen, a publisher of a Hong Kong bookstore for selling anti-Beijing books, went missing from Thailand in late 2015. Cédric Alviani said Gui Minhai is still under detention in China and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Chinese government in 2020. In the meantime, Taiwanese staff working at Taiwan’s representative office in HK had to leave HK recently because the HK demanded the Taiwanese officials to sign a document supporting Beijing’s claim to Taiwan, this has never happened before. The same here in Taiwan, the HK representative office in Taiwan as well as the Macau representative office have closed their offices in Taiwan on the ground that Taiwan has been supporting people who sabotage HK’s stability and prosperity.
Cédric Alviani, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) East Asia bureau head said RSF appeals to the UN to take immediate action concerning the freezing of Hong Kong media Apple Daily’s assets and arrest of senior staff. He said it will be sometime before the UN discusses the issue but he said he wants to raise the awareness of the international community especially democratic countries in the world to voice concern over the issue of the freezing of the asset of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily which leads to the closure of the newspaper on June 27th as they are not able to pay the salary of the staff and suppliers. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) submitted an urgent appeal to the United Nations (UN), asking the organization to “take all necessary measures” to safeguard press freedom in Hong Kong. According to sources by RSF, Apple Daily, launched in 1995, was one of the last major Chinese-language media to still dare publish information contradicting the Beijing regime’s propaganda and editorials critical of its authoritarian policies, and for many years it was the target of harassment by government and pro-Beijing camps.
On June 17th police in Hong Kong raided the newsroom of pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and arrested its editor-in-chief and four executives on suspicion of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. Around 500 police officers raided the headquarters of the he Apple Daily news forcing journalists to leave the office and seizing the computers. The Hong Kong authorities also froze the media outlet’s HK$18 million around US$2.3 million worth of assets. Taiwanese government described the raid as an attack on press freedom in Hong Kong. Cédric Alviani, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) East Asia bureau head said the raid and the arrests of the editor-in-chief and four executives show that the HK government will do anything in their power to silence one of the last independent media outlets and the press freedom in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Next Digital media group’s board of directors announced on June 23rd that Apple Daily will cease all its operations from June 27th due to the HK government’s decision to freeze its financial assets.RSF stated that they will take all necessary measures to safeguard the press freedom.
The director of Argentina Trade and Cultural Office, Mr. Miguel Alfredo Velloso said there have been a lot of exchanges going on between Taiwan and Argentina especially in the areas of art, movie, trade, Tango dance and education. Argentina is famous for its tourist attraction and it has everything to offer from UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Patagonia’s Glaciers National Park (Los Glaciares National Park) to the diverse wildlife in Mendoza and awe-inspiring views of Iguazú Falls.
The bilateral exchanges between Taiwan and Argentina have been quite vibrant in the last few years. The director of Argentina Trade and Cultural Office Mr. Miguel Alfredo Velloso said he is trying to diversify agricultural products imported to Taiwan adding that Argentina is the world’s 5th largest producer of meat and he is negotiating the access of the meat to Taiwan.
Amb.Jasmine Huggins has been posted in Taiwan for 13 years now and she was tasked with establishing the embassy of Saint Kitts and Nevis in Taiwan in late 2007 and began her diplomatic career in Taiwan as the charge d'affaires when the embassy was officially opened in January 2008. In 2010, she was appointed the ambassador of the embassy and now she concurrently serves as head of diplomatic corps in Taiwan. Prior to her posting in Taiwan, she had served 10 years at the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Saint Kitss and Nevis in Washington DC. Amb.Jasmine Huggins began her diplomatic career at the foreign service of Saint Kitss and Nevis after she graduated from Harvard University School of Law.
Amb.Jasmine Huggins from Saint Kitts and Nevis has been actively engaged in people to people contact in Taiwan. She has participated not only in government activities but also in many events organized by the private sector in Taiwan. In 2018, Saint Kitts and Nevis took part in the Taipei Lantern Festival and more than 300 thousand people were able to see Brimstone Hill Fortress (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) in the shape of a lantern. The Lantern Festival is a local festival with over a thousand years of tradition and the Taipei Lantern Festival was launched in 1997 and it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Amb.Jasmine Huggins said her Embassy has taken part in the festival every year ever since 2018 adding that to increase the exposure, her country will take part in the Taiwan Lantern Festival, a national festival attracting more than 10 million people to visit every year. The Discovery Channel's program "Fantastic Festivals of the World" has highlighted the Taiwan Lantern Festival as one of the best festivals in the world.
Taiwan and Saint Kitts and Nevis have forged diplomatic ties since 1983, not long after Saint Kitts and Nevis became independent. The relations were further enhanced with the opening of the Embassy of Saint Kitts and Nevis in Taiwan in January of 2008. Saint Kitts and Nevis, also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is a two-island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The ambassador of Saint Kitts and Nevis to ROC Taiwan Amb.Jasmine Huggins said both Taiwan and St. Kitts and Nevis have worked in various areas of cooperation, citing the example of the area of education, she said there were only ten students from Saint Kitts and Nevis studying in Taiwan ten years ago, but today the number has increased to slightly more than 50.
On April 9, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’s La Soufrière volcano began a series of explosive eruptions. Since then, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has been covered in thick layers of dangerous volcanic ash and over 20,000 people have been evacuated. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a population of around 110 thousand. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated in mid-April that the financial impact of the crisis would be approximately US$554 million and warned of a humanitarian crisis. Ambassador Andrea Bowman, the Ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in Taiwan launches a volcano relief drive in Taiwan calling for the public in Taiwan to help.
The US State Department announced on April 9th a new policy to encourage engagement between Taiwanese and US officials and in mid-April, President Tsai met a senior delegation led by US Senator Dodd and sent by US President Joe Biden. In mid-April, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made a joint statement after the summit referring to the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and it was the first reference to Taiwan jointly made again by the US and Japanese leaders since 1969. Will there be a repeat of Truman containment policy? Let’s hear from Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a professor emeritus of Tamkang University at the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations.
The Biden administration has planned to ease restrictions on diplomatic exchanges between Taiwan and the UU and Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a professor emeritus of Tamkang University at the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations said it is the second largest change in the area of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the US since 1994. In 1994 changes made include the title of CCNAA (Coordination Council of North American Affairs) to TECRO (Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office) and Taiwanese officials could pay a visit to federal buildings to discuss important issues. Prof. Chen said the move shows the US is taking side with Taiwan and warns China not take any coercive action.
Summer Chen Hui-min, Editor in chief of Taiwan Fact Check Center said Taiwan Fact Check Center has helped organize some workshops to help teachers with media literacy. As young children and teenagers today rely on the mobile phone, instead of telling them what disinformation is all about, Summer Chen said you might as well just get them involved with the misinformation debunking work.
In June of 2020, last year, Taiwan Fact Check Center won a global checking award for debunking a video that falsely claimed vote rigging in the elections in Taiwan. The debunking process only took 15 minutes, but Summer Chen Hui-min, Editor in chief of Taiwan Fact Check Center said that is not the normal case, it normally takes half a day or one to three days to debunk misinformation, and sometimes it even takes up two to three weeks. Some misinformation has been described as a zombie rumor as you can't kill it and it keeps coming back, Summer Chen said when this happens, they make good use of the LINE chatbot to answer questions raised by the public. LINE is Taiwan’s most popular messaging app and Taiwan is the first country to work with LINE.
Taiwan Fact Check Center (TFC) was founded in August 2018 and in just less than 3 yeas’ time, the center has gained recognition from the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) by renewing its signatory status to TFC. There are strict requirements to be met including the proof of non-partisanship, transparency of sources, independence of financial support from any political party or politicians and a commitment to open and honest corrections. Summer Chen Hui-min, Editor in chief of Taiwan Fact Check Center said the Center fully complies with the Code of Principles set forth by the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN), a unit of the Poynter Institute dedicated to bringing together fact-checkers around the world.
A much-anticipated travel bubble between Taiwan and Palau will start on April 1, the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region. The travel bubble will allow people from both sides including long-term residents to travel to both countries without any quarantine. Ambassador Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil, the Ambassador of Palau said she is very excited as she said Palau has been ready for the arrival of the Taiwanese tourists, the only foreign visitors from the world.
Even though Patrick Lee is a finance graduate from National Chengchi University in Taiwan, he has had passion for art and decided to become an artist. For more than two decades, Patrick Lee has exhibited works across different countries in the world. His use of silk-screen painting techniques gives his work more richness and imagination. He has also become an internationally collected artist after his paintings were all sold at his first European gallery exhibition in Denmark in 2002. He was then invited to take part in the Venice Trienniel and the Milan Expo 2015 International Contemporary Art Exhibition.
The EXPATS: The International Ingrams, the first black international smart reality show attracted 2.3 million views in just a month’s time after it was released. It is an unscripted reality show shot in Taiwan during times of COVID-19. Juanita Ingram and her family travelled from the US to London and now here in Taiwan ad she came up with the show’s concept when she realized her story could not only help other black families abroad but also trailing spouses which led her to shoot another 8-part story of Trailing Spouses. Juanita Ingram is an attorney, author, actress and Founder and CEO of Purpose Productions, Inc. The EXPATS won 2020 Telly Award for unscripted series, the Telly Awards honor excellence in video and TV across all screens.
How much do you know about Peru? Inca culture? Machu Picchu? But Peru is more than Machu Picchu and Inca civilization. Did you know that in 2019, Peru won the Best Culinary Destination Award again and Peru is one of the world’s top gastronomy countries?
Mr.Juan Luis Kuyeng Ruiz, the director of the Commercial Office of Peru in Taipei said his office has been promoting bilateral trade and exchanges between Taiwan and Peru. He said Peru is a great investment destination for Taiwanese and surprisingly, many Taiwanese invest in the local hospitality industry.
Mr.Martin Torres, Head of Mexico Office in Taiwan said he has been actively promoting cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Mexico. The Day of the Dead Dia De Muertos has been celebrated in Taiwan for many years, but it was not until last year that it had the biggest celebration in Taiwan. Mr.Martin Torres said when he brought up the idea with the mayor of Taipei City, Ko Wen-je in 2019, the mayor thought it was a good idea to demonstrate Taipei’s diversity as an international city. So in 2020, the Mexico Office in Taiwan worked with the Taipei City government to bring Mexico to the public. The Day of the Dead Dia De Muertos was recognized by UNESCO in 2008 as “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”, given its importance as a defining aspect of culture and the unique features of the celebration which have been passed from generations to generations.
According to Mr.Martin Torres, Head of Mexico Office in Taiwan, Taiwanese companies have diversified presence in Mexico. The most well-known companies are related to high tech electronics such as Hon Hai Precision Industry Company, Foxconn, Delta Electronics and son on. But Taiwanese also invest in shoe and textile industry as Mexico is No.1 consumer market in the world and is the gateway to more than 40 countries that have signed FTA (Free Trade Agreement). Chairman of Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association, Richard Lee said at the Global Networking Forum of the Association in December 2020 that Taiwanese companies should look to Mexico to diversify their production exporting to the US market. In 2021, for the first time, Mexico’s government issued its first “Formosa Bond” with an offering of 50-year notes in US dollars on the Taiwanese market.
Mexico is Taiwan’s 2nd largest trading partner in Latin America and Taiwan is 11th largest trading partner. Taiwan’s export to Mexico in 2017 was around $4.2billion USD, but in 2018, it amounted to $8.3billion USD. Mexico’s export to Taiwan was 420 million in 2017 but in 2019 the volume increased to $6.7billion USD. Mexico representative in Taiwan, Mr.Martin Torres,said it is evident that Taiwanese are looking to Mexico for more investment. Currently. There are around 300 Taiwanese companies in Mexico and visas issued by the Mexico Office in Taiwan are business-related showing the interest of Taiwanese going to Mexico to engage in economic activities.
Ms.Sibongile Mabasa, Deputy Representative of Liaison Office of South Africa (LOSA) said trade and investment between Taiwan and South Africa were impacted by the pandemic in 2020. She said previously, there would be two to three business and investment trips on a yearly basis organized by the Taiwan-African Economic Forum, Taiwan-Africa Business Association and the Chinese International Economic Chamber Association, in 2020, those trips were cancelled but hey managed to have virtual meetings.Asked how she got into diplomacy, Ms.Sibongile Mabasa said she had been fascinated with travelling and when she was in college, she took a course in international relations and it sparked her interest in diplomacy. She had previously been posted in Kenya and was then posted in Taiwan between 2016 and December, 2020. We start off our show today with the trade relations as this is one of the areas she is in charge of and then her plan after she leaves Taiwan.
Ms.Sibongile Mabasa, Deputy Representative of Liaison Office of South Africa (LOSA) said she has been helping South African students to apply for Taiwanese scholarships. She has been interviewed by local radio stations in South Africa to help South African students better understand the details of the scholarship adding that after the interviews in local languages, they start to receive a lot of enquiries via emails.
Ms.Sibongile Mabasa, Deputy Representative of Liaison Office of South Africa (LOSA0 in Taiwan said she has been promoting South Africa to the Taiwanese even faced with the pandemic. In December 2020, she held 2020 Day for Africa working with Somaliland representative office in Taiwan and other African countries. The event was held in Ximending, one of the most famous venues in Taipei for a diversity of entertainments and activities that attract the young people and tourists. Ms.Sibongile Mabasa has also actively promoted the educational exchanges between Taiwan and South Africa. In 2019, her office invited two groups of SATMA (South African Traditional Music Awards) performers to Taiwan.
Faced with the coronavirus, Taiwan has been as one of the few countries in the world that has successfully controlled the virus. Taiwan had had no local transmissions for 253 days until the first domestic case was reported on December 22, 2020.Ambassador of Palau to Taiwan, Ambassador Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil said even before the pandemic, she had repeatedly said Taiwan has one of the best health care systems in the world and with the pandemic sweeping across the world, her remark proves to be right again as Taiwan has still been able to keep the community safe from COVID transmission. She said the minister of health of her country has, for years, supported Taiwan’s bid to join the WHO (World Health Organization) adding that Palau has a population of 20,000 only and is a member of the WHO and the representatives of the UN should not leave out any country especially Taiwan with a population of 23 million.
During the UN General Assembly General Debate on September 23, President Tommy Remenegsau from Palau said the pandemic has put Palau into a level of isolation and they struggle with disruptions to supply chains for food and essential medicines. COVID-19 has disrupted every sector of the society. But economic activities in Palau seem to be quite vibrant because ATMs in Palau once ran out of cash, so how is cash supplied? How has COVID affected Palau? Let’s hear from Ambassador Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil, the Ambassador of Palau in Taiwan.
This week’s On the Line features 2020 Year in Review. We take a look back at segments of some of the important interviews that you may have missed in 2020. he year 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us as we suffer from COVID-19 so we begin with a part of the interview with the Superintendent, Changhua Christian Hospital, Dr.Chen Mukuan on how his hospital started to cope with COVID-19 back in 2019 when the first case was detected.
Ambassador Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil from Palau said travel bubble or travel corridor between Taiwan and Palau has been discussed and she hopes that it will be implemented by the end of this month or in early January 2021.Palau is one of the less than 10 countries in the world that are COVID-free meaning that no single person in Palau has been infected with the virus ever since the coronavirus broke out in late December 2019. Ambassador Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil said Taiwan has not had local infections for more than 220 days and she believes it is now the time to initiate the travel bubble program between the two countries.
Amb.Diane Haylock said as CEO of National Institute of Culture and History in Belize for 8 years, her cultural work had to deal with diplomacy. She has a strong development background as she did her master’s program in development studies in the Netherlands. Amb.Diane Haylock is a firm believer in social justice and is also a strong advocate for women’s rights. How did she get into diplomacy and why did she pursue her education in the Netherlands? What is her goal for 2021? Find out the answers and more on this week’s On the Line.
Taiwan and Belize signed an economic cooperation agreement in late September. Belize is a member of the Caribbean Community Common Market (CARICOM) and the Ambassador of Belize, Diane Haylock said Taiwan and Belize worked on the agreement in 2019 and it took them a year to sign the agreement because CARICOM had to vet the agreement to ensure that it does not adversely affect the CARICOM grouping which is made up of 15 member states. The Ambassador said the agreement will be beneficial for both sides in the future.
Belize relies heavily on tourism and according to the statistics by Belize Tourism Board, Belize welcomed a total of 503 thousand overnight visitors in 2019, more than 100% growth from the previous year and cruise ship arrivals also surpassed 1 million mark for the fourth consecutive year. But this year, faced with the pandemic, Belize had closed its borders for several months and just reopened in October. According to the ambassador of Belize, Ambassador Diane Haylock the peak season starts from November until the end of April. The government has launched the Tourism Gold Standard recognition program for hotels with the hope to enhance the health and safety standards of the tourism industry.
The ambassador of Belize, Ambassador Diane Haylock said 2019 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Belize adding that the relations are strong and solid as a rock. The two sides have had many cooperative projects and today we start with health project. Faced with the pandemic and to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Belize, Ambassador Diane Haylock said Taiwan has donated masks during times of need and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), medical equipment, testing kits, thermal imaging cameras and laboratory supplies for frontline medical service providers. For years, Taiwan through Taiwan ICDF (International Cooperation and Development Fund) has helped train hundreds of health personnel from Belize and one signature program is geared towards the prevention and control of renal failure in Belize.
The Overseas Medical Mission Center of Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH) was set up in 2008 to provide medical assistance to those in need outside Taiwan. The Center has conducted more than 150 projects in 14 countries in the world. They provided medical service and capacity building in Nepal, India, Mongolia and Thailand, health promotion and safe water project in Myanmar, children malnutrition improvement project in Vietnam. Before the implementation of a project, it comes with careful planning, assessment, budget evaluation and interdepartmental cooperation, for example, Dr. Nina, Kao Hsiao Ling, CEO of Overseas Medical Mission Center of Changhua Christian Hospital said water sanitation requires health professionals to work with water experts in order to carry out the project.
The Overseas Medical Mission Center of Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH) was set up as an NGO in 2008 to help those in need of medical assistance overseas. For more than a decade, the Center has provided assistance to more than 14 countries in the world by sending doctors, nurses and medical professionals to the local country. In mid-October this year, the Overseas Medical Mission Center of Changhua Christian Hospital was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award for Medicine and Public Health by Taiwan’s foreign ministry. The award was presented during the ceremony to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Department of NGO International Affairs of MOFA. Dr. Nina, Kao Hsiao Ling,CEO of Overseas Medical Mission Center of Changhua Christian Hospital said this shows the recognition, on the part of the government, of the hard work of all the health personnel who have been involved during more than 10 years of their voluntary service and dedication.
Beijing has long tried to limit Taiwan’s international activities and on October 8, two Chinese officials from the PRC embassy in Fiji, went to Taiwan’s National Day reception uninvited and harassed the guests by taking pictures. Violence ensued after they were asked to leave by Taiwanese officials and a Taiwanese diplomat was sent to hospital with a head injury. Has similar situations happened in ROC Taiwan embassies in other countries? Today we speak with a seasoned diplomat, Amb.Michel Ching-long Lu. Amb.Lu started his career in diplomacy in 1976 and had previously been posted in the Netherlands, Haiti, Geneva, Switzerland, and France and had held different posts at the foreign ministry and retired from the post as the ambassador to France. His professional career spanned 42 years and he had served in France for three terms for a period of 16 years.
Ambassador Andrea Bowman, the Ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines said Taiwan has done a remarkable job on containing the COVID-19 and the way she sees it, on the part of the public, the experience of SARS seems to have taught a valuable lesson to the Taiwanese as Taiwanese seem to have adapted to the requisite protocol and elsewhere in the world, indiscipline and ignorance have made the situation worse. On the part of the government, she says Taiwan government led with knowledge, decisiveness, consistency, transparency and effective use of technology and communication. In terms of supporting Taiwan’s bid to join the international organizations such as the WHO, she said Taiwan should not be left out and the exclusion of Taiwan from the WHO is inhumane stressing that responsibility for world health means responsibility for all the people in the world. Asked what the Ambassador hopes to achieve this year, Ambassador Andrea Bowman said Taiwan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are working on MOU on disaster preparedness, management and mitigation.
Ambassador Andrea Bowman, the Ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines said her embassy just celebrated the first anniversary of the opening of SVG Embassy in Taiwan in August. It has been a very busy year, the ambassador said especially the year 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone in the world but Ambassador Andrea Bowman said they are pleased to say they have gone from strength to strength. The Embassy in Taiwan does not only help promote bilateral relations, provide consular service but also assistance to more than 100 Vincentian students and citizens living in Taiwan.
Ms.Kuanpai Chen 陳冠百 (or known as Kuan Chen), the founder of Story Wear, a zero-waste fashion brand in Taiwan said COVID-19 has caused a great impact on fashion industry especially fast fashion. She said the public should also seriously think about the concept of zero waste fashion. The pandemic has not affected her company that much as what they provide is custom-made clothing which they create one piece that comes in one size, each for men and women. Currently Kuan Chen said she works with a renowned Taiwanese artist Zhang Liquan who paints and writes in calligraphy. So this time, you can see Chinese calligraphy in the zero-waste clothing which aims to promote love and peace.
There have been growing tensions between Beijing-Washington relations especially after the COVID-19 pandemic started to sweep the US. Over the last two years, escalation of tension has been seen between Washington and Beijing in the trade war starting from currency manipulation to intellectual property theft. Other disputes center on economic and human rights issues. The passage of the National Security Law in Hong Kong this year exacerbates the problems between the two countries. And now Taiwan’s issue has made the situation worse. China has for long regarded Taiwan as a renegade province and has tried to block Taiwan’s efforts to play a role in the international arena. The closer relations between Taipei and Washington have angered Beijing, from the visit of the US health secretary, Alex Azar, Keith Krach, under Secretary of State for economic growth, energy and the environment to the sale of US 18 torpedoes and to the recertification of air defense missiles worth US $620 million arms. Beijing has also flexed its military muscle by staging military drills and sending Chinese jet fighters through the median line of the Taiwan Strait to show its determination to “protect its sovereignty”. Let’s find out more with Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a professor emeritus of Tamkang University at the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations.
The US has shown more support for Taiwan recently especially after the Taiwan Travel Act was signed into law by US President Trump in March 2018. This can be seen by the visit of US Health Secretary, Alex Azar, in August, the highest level US official to ever visit Taiwan then since Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. In mid-September, another high ranking US official, Keith Krach, under Secretary of State for economic growth, energy and the environment visited Taiwan. Taiwan will expand imports of US beef and pork products in January 2021 and the move will pave the way for US trade deal in the future, according to Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a professor emeritus of Tamkang University at the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations adding that both sides might sign an FTA-like agreement. Taiwan in the future might enjoy lower tariffs on US products.
Christina Liang Chi-Hui, a golden melody award winner, recently released an album called Eternal Journey, a mix of Eastern and Western music. She started her music life with the piano at the age of 6 and later learned electronic organ at the age of 11. She studied traditional Chinese music in Taiwan specializing in erhu music between 1990-1993. She went on to pursue her education in music in the US in 1999 and obtained a BA in piano performance from Cal State Fullerton. She later obtained in MM in film scoring from North Carolina School of the Arts and has scored more than 10 feature films and documentaries since 2008. In 2009, Christina Liang and her band Vita Eterna released their first album Beyond Boundaries which received 4 nominations and won 2 awards from Golden Melody Awards, awards to recognize achievements of musicians in Taiwan.
Tim Chen, Chief Organizer of Taiwan Homeschool and founder of Taiwan Homeschool Advocates said home education is a way of learning outside established school institutions adding that Taiwan has been quite successful in the area of home school education as compared to other countries and areas such as China and Hong Kong where home education is banned and in Japan, it is not recognized by the government. In Taiwan, because of the passage of the law, the rights of home school-educated children are legally protected and they have access to school facilities such as clubs, swimming pools, etc. And if the children are between 15 and 18, they can receive a subsidy of around USD$ 2,000 per year from the government. Homeschooling has been legalized in Taiwan since June 1999. Thanks to home school education advocates such as Tim Chen who said he had to attend a lot of meetings, public hearings, write articles in the newspapers, produce documentaries, etc.
Tim Chen, Chief Organizer of Taiwan Homeschool and founder of Taiwan Homeschool Advocates has been promoting home education since 2003 in Taiwan and has also been advocating education choice since 2007.He said home education is successful in Taiwan and he started home education when his daughter was only 5 in 2003. There were only around 100 students by then but today Tim Chen said the number has grown to more than 7,000 home-educated students.Tim Chen has been a board member of GHEC (Global Home Education Conference) Advisory Board since 2016.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) gained its independence from the Great Britain in 1979 and has had diplomatic ties with Taiwan since 1981.The Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) was opened in August in Taipei in 2019. August this year marks the first year of the opening of the Embassy and two Vincentian students Nicketha Toney and Cerelia Aberdee said during the interview that Vincentian students form an association which has a close connection with the Embassy in Taiwan adding that the Embassy has provided assistance to them since its establishment. There are more than 100 Vincentian (SVG) students studying in Taiwan at the moment.
Bruno Duparc has served as the director of Alliance Française Taiwan since September 2016 and his term will expire at the end of August. Alliance Française has centers in 135 countries in the world with the aim to promote the French language learning and culture. Bruno Duparc’s next post will be Sri Lanka and he said he is impressed with the hospitality of the Taiwanese. Even though he is leaving Taiwan, Taiwan will always have a place in his heart so in a way, he never actually leaves Taiwan. Bruno Duparc has been posted in many countries in the world including Australia and Madagascar.
The German Trade Office Taipei, with offices at 130 locations in over 90 countries, was established in 1981 and the Chief representative and Executive Director, Mr.Axel Limberg said his office is to promote bilateral trade between Taiwan and Germany. Mr.Axel Limberg has been in Taiwan since 2017 and he said he is happy to be in Taiwan to help German companies start their business operations in Taiwan and to help Taiwanese companies interested in investing in Germany. As one of the most important services of The German Trade Office Taipei is to promote trade relations, this month they will take part in the Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition running from August 19th to 22nd and there will be a German Pavilion with 11 world leading companies showcasing their products and technology. During the exhibition,the German Trade Office Taipei and the Taiwanese Smart Machinery Promotion Office will also jointly host the German Industry 4.0 Seminar. Axel Limberg, Chief Representative and Executive Director of the German Trade Office Taipei said his office is pleased to inform that Taipei Automation 2020 is the first B2B industrial trade fair which is going to take place despite the current COVID-19 pandemic emphasizing that Industry 4.0 will be the key to a modern industry and future prosperity.
The German Trade Office Taipei is the official Delegation of German Industry and Commerce and a member of the worldwide network of German Chamber of Commerce Abroad, with offices at 130 locations in over 90 countries. The German Trade Office Taipei was established in 1981 and the Chief representative and Executive Director, Mr.Axel Limberg said his office is to promote bilateral trade between Taiwan and Germany. Mr.Axel Limberg said COVID-19 has impacted many business plans. German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHKs) conducted a flash survey among its 140 locations in 92 countries from June 15 to June 26, 2020. The survey shows that German companies remain committed to Taiwan and Mr.Axel Limberg said 90.5% of the participating companies consider travel restrictions as the greatest burden for business operations adding that some business operations require the presence of manpower for example to repair machinery on site. 81% of the German companies in the survey think that an economic recovery will take place in 2021 and Mr.Axel Limberg said it is going to be a challenging year ahead.
The CEO of World Vision Taiwan, Mr.Andrew Wang said COVID-19 has caused a great impact on the organization in many ways, for example many suffer from the economic slump due to COVID-19 and the donation amount will becomes less. And as more suffer from the economic slowdown, more need financial support as well. According to the Regional Manager of Africa & Latin America and Caribbean of World Vision Taiwan, Shine Liu, what is worrisome is domestic violence and child abuse cases as they have been on the rise since the pandemic and they estimate a rise of 20% in the next two years.
World Vision Taiwan was founded in 1964 and the CEO, Andrew Wang said he is grateful to the people of Taiwan who have been with them for the last 56 years. This year 30 Hour Famine Taiwan hopes to raise $0.25 billion NTD (USD$8.5 million) to enable them to provide assistance to those who are in need. Another project of World Vision Taiwan is Child Sponsorship Program, according to the Regional Manager of Africa & Latin America and Caribbean of World Vision Taiwan, Shine Liu, is a long term development program which they ask donors to sponsor a child for 10-15 years (from childhood to adolescence). World Vision Taiwan works with local partners including the local government to provide better environment for children to grow.
The 30 Hour Famine is a World Vision event in 21 countries. It started in 1971 when a group of young Canadians staged an event i to see what it was like to be hungry and raise money and awareness for children suffering from famine in Somalia. According to the CEO of World Vision Taiwan, Mr.Andrew Wang, in 1989, World Vision Taiwan started The 30 Hour Famine project and this year, as the world is suffering from COVID-19 pandemic, even though Taiwan has had no local transmission cases for more than 80 days, still for the safety and health of the public, Andrew Wang said World Vision Taiwan decided to hold the program on line. In the meantime, to celebrate the 31st 30 Hour Famine project in Taiwan, 31 celebrities famous Taiwanese singers and actors have joined the ranks in order to raise the awareness of the public about what it is like to live in poverty and to suffer from famine. The drive is also to call for the public to make donation to help the children in Syria and Africa and this year, Yemen is added on the list, according to the Regional Manager of Africa & Latin America and Caribbean of World Vision Taiwan, Shine Liu.
Cédric Alviani, East Asia bureau director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said every country should respect independent reporting in order to guarantee basic human rights. Independent reporting has been abused in many totalitarian countries and even what is worrisome is that some democracies do not support journalism such as in the Philippines, the arrest of Maria Ressa, founder of Rappler as well as in the US, the use of force against journalists or journalists taken into custody while covering protests. Cédric Alviani also discusses press freedom in Hong Kong after the HK National Security Law is passed.
Cédric Alviani, East Asia bureau director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said china has never ceased to grip its control of media freedom. More than 6 journalists and 900 netizens have been detained in China during the coronavirus pandemic and he said if information had been shared with the international community, COVID-19 would have been contained much earlier. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is a press freedom watchdog based in Paris, France and their first office in Asia is in Taipei. Recently, RSF released a list of 30 “coronavirus information” heroes that save lives. One of them is Wenliang Li, who first alerted the world to the existence of a fast-spreading disease in December 2019. Our guest today is Cédric Alviani, a French national and graduate from Strasbourg University’s journalism center, currently serves as East Asia Bureau Director for press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Cédric has worked in Asia since 1999, mainly based in Taiwan, and has directed projects at the intersection of diplomacy, culture and media
On May 28, the Chinese central government passed the HK National Security Law which caused international condemnation. Prof.Yen Chen-shen, a researcher and professor of Institute of International Relations at National Cheng Chi University, said many think the passage of the law means the end of One Country Two Systems in Hong Kong but he said Hong Kong is still different from the mainland in a way that Hong Kong still enjoys a limited democracy such as access to the social media and the internet, the prevalence of English in the street signs and government services and so on.
China’s National People’s Congress, the rubber stamp parliament passed the national security law of Hong Kong on May 28. The Chinese central government passed the HK National Security Law to set up the legal framework to prevent and punish subversion, terrorism, separatism and foreign interference. How will it affect the democracy in Hong Kong? Prof.Yen Chen-shen a researcher and professor of Institute of International Relations at National Cheng Chi University shares with us his perspectives.
Prof.Isaac Ben-Israel, a professor of Security Studies Program at Israel’s Tel Aviv University said lockdown is not a total solution but instead the public should be asked to wear masks and practice social distancing. He cited the examples cities and countries that imposed a lockdown at that time such as Italy and New York as well as Israel to countries that lived a normal life such as Taiwan and Korea. His study was published in April, first in Hebrew and then in English worldwide indicating that coronavirus would disappear after 70 days meaning that the decline in number of affections should happen at the end of June. To find out more, we are joined on the phone all the way from Israel by Prof.Isaac Ben-Israel, a professor of Security Studies Program at Israel’s Tel Aviv University and chairman of the National Council for Research and Development under the Ministry of Science.
Taiwan condemned China for passing the Hong Kong Security Act on May 28, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, a semi-government agency in charge of cross-strait relations, said the passage of the law betrays China’s promise that Hong Kong would remain autonomous for 50 years and it shows “one country, two systems” formula doesn’t exist. The US along with major countries such as the UK, Australia, Japan and Canada expressed grave concern. The US threatened to withdraw Hong Kong’s preferential trade and financial status. The UK is exploring the possibility of giving more rights to Hongkongeres who possess a document known as BNO (British National Overseas), which granted Hong Kong residents to register before the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.Join us today to find out more as we talk to Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a distinguished chair professor of political science department at Chinese Culture University.
Martha Sorren is a freelance writer for Bustle, Refinery 29 and Insider. She has written a few articles about the lifestyle in Taiwan including McDonald’s in Taiwan as well the recently published 7-11 in Taiwan. Last year her article on the subway in Taiwan attracted quite a lot of attention. She compares the metro system in Taiwan with the one in New York City, a city she once had lived for 7 years. Apart from punctuality, she likes the cleanliness and the safety of the metro. By safety, she refers to both, her personal safety and the safety of the metro system. When comparing 7-11 convenience stores to the ones in the US, she points out that a 7-11 in Taiwan functions more than just a convenience store we know. So how unique are they? Let’s hear from Martha Sorren herself who joined us on the phone all the way from California, USA.
Taiwan Fact Check Center works closely with other fact-checking organizations in the world to curb disinformation. Summer Chen Hui-min, Editor in chief of Taiwan Fact Check Center (TFC) cited a few examples in the interview where information is shared between fact checkers. She said some of the fake news targeted at Taiwan does not only have Chinese but also English translation to make it appear more international but some of these false reports were obvious because they were written in simplified Chinese using phrases popular in China and are not used in Taiwan. (For your information, the language in China and Taiwan is basically the same except that Taiwan uses traditional Chinese writing and China uses simplified and also some phrases and expressions might be different just like in the US, Australia and the UK.)
IFCN (International Fact-checking Network-Poynter) launched a chatbot on WhatsApp on May 4 and the public may use the platform to fact check information you have seen or heard. The system will allow you to navigate through translated work of more than 80 fact-checking organizations in the world including articles from Taiwan Fact Check Center. Since the major outbreak of COVID-19 in January 2020, more than 5,000 hoaxes have been debunked by professional fact-checkers all over the world. To use the chatbot, please save the number +1 (727) 2912606 as a contact on WhatsApp messenger and text it “hi” through WhatsApp.
Dr.Chen Mu-kuan (陳穆寬院長), Superintendent of Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH) said his hospital has taken measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) including patient flow, setting up check points, checking patients’ travel history, allocation of beds for pneumonia patients apart from 36 negative-pressure isolation beds and buffer area in emergency department. Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH), located in central Taiwan, was founded in 1896 by a British missionary and it is the only medical center in Changhua area in central Taiwan.Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH) published the first journal on COVID-19 released in February, by New England Journal of Medicine, one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals and it was the first article on COVID-19 from a Taiwan hospital, regarding a locally transmitted case.
The relations between Washington and Beijing seem to have improved after President Trump got on the phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This can be seen from the way President Trump dropped the term “Chinese virus” in early April, according to Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a distinguished chair professor of political science department at Chinese Culture University. But still President Trump signed into law the Taipei Act (Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act) of 2019 a move which, of course, angered Beijing. In April, a number of Chinese military fighter jets and transport planes operated near Taiwan and a local newspaper reported that USS Barry (DDG-52), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer was seen off the coast of Taiwan and Prof.Chen it is clear the Chinese wanted to warn Taiwan and the US, on the other side, hoped to convey the message to China not to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to exert itself in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.
Taiwan has been successful in containing COVID-19 and has won praise from main leaders of the world and Taiwan is now exporting its success to the world. Taiwan has recently made a donation of medical-grade masks to countries that need them. A Kenyan professor who has been in Taiwan for a number of years, Dr.Kennedy Ondieki said the millions of masks donated to other countries are the masks that Taiwanese save in order to make a contribution to the world adding that he himself is thankful to the government of Taiwan for the generous donations to assist the world to fight COVID-19. Dr.Kennedy Ondieki said Taiwan should even be considered for a Noble Prize for discovering that the virus was transmissible from human to human before the outbreak in December.
Taiwan on April 9th angrily condemned accusations and demanded an apology from the chief of WHO (World Health Organization) Dr.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Dr.Tedros said he had been subjected to racist comments from Taiwan for months. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan's 23 million people have been excluded from international organizations and Taiwan knows better than anyone else what itfeels like to be discriminated against and isolated. A Kenyan professor who has been in Taiwan for a number of years, Dr.Kennedy Ondieki said as a black, he has never felt any form of discrimination during the period he has lived in Taiwan. Dr.Kennedy Ondieki is a Kenyan and a native speaker of Swahili. He once taught African music, Swahili and culture at national Cheng Chih University in Taiwan, one of the most prestigious universities.
Taiwan Fact Check Center was jointly founded by Taiwan Media Watch and the Association for Quality Journalism in July 2018. The objectives of the Center are to conduct fact checks on information relevant to public affairs as well as to improve the information ecology and news quality of Taiwan. Taiwan Fact Check Center works with ITCN (International Fact-checking Network-Poynter), an umbrella organization of news checking organizations.Summer Chen Hui-min, editor in chief of Taiwan Fact Check Center said her Center also teaches digital literacy to the public in Taiwan and sends media alerts to debunk disinformation and she urges the public to verify sources of information via their website or the website of ITCN.
Taiwan and Guatemala have enjoyed diplomatic relations for over 80 years and the ambassador of Guatemala, Ambassador Willy Alberto Gómez Tirado said Guatemala will continue to support Taiwan’s participation in the international organizations. Ambassador Willy Gómez presented his credentials to President Tsai Ing-wen in August 2019 and he said his mission here is to continue to promote Guatemala to the people of Taiwan adding that they plan to open Guatemalan coffee shops. Due to its growing conditions, Guatemala produces excellent coffee with a different variety of coffee types. Coffee, the Ambassador believes, can connect the peoples of Taiwan and Guatemala even more closely.
Taiwan and Guatemala have enjoyed diplomatic relations for over 80 years. Faced with the coronavirus outbreak or COVID-19, Guatemala has taken a step ahead and has declared a maximum alert over the possible arrival of coronavirus to the country and since January 31, the government has imposed blanket travel restrictions on people who have been to China. As part of the measures to contain COVID-19, the government has closed borders for two weeks since March 17. Guatemalan Ambassador Willy Alberto Gómez Tirado said Taiwan and Guatemala have worked closely sharing information on how to contain the disease.
The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) is an international center for vegetable research and development in the world. The center was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Shanhua, Tainan, Southern Taiwan. The head of Communications and Information of the World Vegetable Center, Maureen Mecozzi said the Center has also released around 200 tomato varieties in various countries in the world and they have also developed a new variety known as the golden tomatoes which many in Africa would not dare to try in the beginning as in their traditional concept, tomatoes are supposed to be red in color, Maureen Mecozzi said after some promotion and cooking demonstrations, they were able to convince the local consumers.
The head of Communications and Information of the World Vegetable Center, Maureen Mecozzi said the center helps grow tropical vegetables and traditional vegetables such as African eggplants, okra and amaranth which is a popular traditional leafy rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Some traditional vegetables are known only in a particular region but these plants adapt well to the environment and she added that some traditional crops have made a great impact on the health, income and livelihood of the local farmers. The Genetic Resources and Seed Unit of the World Vegetable Center houses the largest collection of vegetable seeds in the world and Maureen Mecozzi said they share it with companies or research institutions who ask for vegetable germplasm.
The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), formerly known as AVRDC (Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center) is an international center for vegetable research and development in the world. The center was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Shanhua, Southern Taiwan. The Center conducts research and carries out training activities to raise awareness of the role of vegetables for improved health. The World Vegetable Center also helps alleviate poverty by creating new jobs for farmers by encouraging more people to grow vegetables. The head of Communications and Information of the World Vegetable Center, Maureen Mecozzi said breeders need to keep on developing new crops with different traits to respond to different kinds of environment adding that it can take as long as ten years to develop new traits and fix them in a particular crop.
When people say it is just a health issue, it is never just a health issue because it is always related to politics. When Taiwan first proposed the evacuation of its citizens, in the beginning, the Chinese government did not approve as they said evacuation happens only when a foreign country wants to evacuate its nationals and Taiwanese fall into the category of “Chinese” people, but the Chinese government eventually agreed to the evacuation on February 3 using only a Chinese airline company. Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a distinguished chair professor of political science department at Chinese Culture University explains the political game and the impact of COVID-19 on the Washington-Taipei-Beijing relations.
The Diplomacy Training Program (DTP) is an independent, non-government organization (NGO) providing education in human rights advocacy based in Sydney, Australia. DTP provides training on various issues such as the rights of the indigenous peoples, migrant workers, modern day slavery activists campaigning against poverty and homelessness, torture, political killings and death penalty. Patrick Earle, Executive Director of DTP said he hopes to work with NGOs in Taiwan on various issues such as death penalty, rights of the indigenous peoples and migrant workers.
The Diplomacy Training Program from Australia wins the 2019 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award. The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) established the annual Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award to honor individuals or organizations that have long dedicated to the promotion of democracy in Asia. Patrick Earle, the Executive Director of the Diplomacy Training Program (DTP) came to Taiwan in December 2019 to receive the award. The Diplomacy Training Program (DTP) is an independent, non-government organization (NGO) providing education in human rights advocacy based in Sydney, Australia. Since 1990, it has trained more than 3,000 human rights defenders from more than 60 countries.
Even though artistic swimming has been an event at the summer Olympics since 1984 that is not the case with the Paralympics. In 2014, the founder of Synchronized Swimming Association of Taiwan, Julia Startch along with other 8 countries worked hard to make it possible for artistic swimmers with disabilities to compete in Paralympics. In 2020 the sport will be presented to Paralympics committee and Synchronized Swimming Association of Taiwan will travel to Tokyo this year with the sponsorship of Da Jung Company and B.Happy Corporation fromTaiwan.
Cédric Alviani, East Asia Director of Reporters without Borders (RSF or Reporters Sans Frontières) takes us to look at the challenges of press freedom in the last couple of years, from a democracy in Australia to government-controlled media in China. He also analyzes the fake news situation in Taiwan circulated largely especially before the elections.
According to France-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF), political interference is rare but journalists in Taiwan suffer from media environment dominated by sensationalism and the pursuit of profit. Taiwan retained 42nd in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index, the second freest country in Asia in terms of media freedom after South Korea which ranked at 41st. Cédric Alviani, East Asia Director of Reporters without Borders (RSF or Reporters Sans Frontières) said journalists in Taiwan can freely distribute the information but they receive economic pressure from major groups that control the media.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen won the re-election as president of Taiwan in January 11th presidential election. She won a landslide victory garnering around 8.17 million votes. Her opponent of the KMT, Han Kuo-yu won about 5.5 million votes. On the part of the legislative elections held on the same day with the presidential election on January 11th, the ruling DPP won 48 of the 73 directly elected seats and 13 at-large seats, having gained 33.9 % of the political party vote. Meanwhile, the major opposition KMT won 25 directly elected seats and 13 at-large seats winning 33.3 % of the party vote.President Tsai Ying-wen of the DPP won 57% of the votes for the president, but for the voting of the political party, it only gained 33.9% of the political party vote and the KMT won 33.3 % of the party vote. What does the figure tell us? Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a distinguished chair professor of political science department at Chinese Culture University tells us more.
Around 110 thousand international students study in Taiwan every year and the International College of Mingchuan University has a large number of students from different parts of the world. On our show today, we have the chance to talk to some students from five different countries, Damian Walters from Saint Kitts and Nevis, Tenduma Shongwe from Eswatini, Alex Croppel from the US, Thandwa Mndzebele from South Africa and Chanolde Munroe from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
This week’s On the Line featuring Year in Review 2019. We take a look back at segments of some of the important interviews that you may have missed in 2019. We begin with a part of the interview with former Brazilian representative to Taiwan, Mr.Fabio Franco who has been assigned to the post of the ambassador in an African country now. Other segments of the interviews include interviews with German representative, Dr.Thomas Prinz; Mr.Rolf Frei, the former Swiss representative; Israeli expert in cyber technology, Prof.Israel Ben-Israel.; Ms.Kuanpai Chen, founder of a zero-waste fashion brand; Mr.Tommy Kunji, the representative of Papua New Guinea Judge Ken Starr from the US; Ms.Tania Berschem, the Luxembourg representative; Ambassador of Palau, Ambassador Dilmei Olkeriil; Mr.Mike de Pulford, the president of ARISE Foundation; Mr.George Sassine, the president of the Association of Industries of Haiti; Ambassador Andrea Bowman, the ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and former Israeli representative, Mr.Asher Yarden.
Malaysian representative Sharon Ho said Malaysia My Second Home that began in 2012 is aimed at foreign residents who plan to reside in Malaysia for a long period and not for s short stay. The program is recognized by more than 100 countries and Taiwan is one of the top ten partners with around 1300 participants. Sharon Ho said that cultural exchange between Taiwan and Malaysia have been vibrant and she cited an example of Taiwan X Malaysia Musician Exchange held in August. In education, Taiwanese students have shown growing interest in Malaysia by attending summer programs. Malaysian representative Sharon Ho said next year is Visit Malaysia 2020 and she hopes to showcase Malaysia to the Taiwanese and encourage more tourism-related investment as well as enhance cultural and educational exchanges.
Malaysian representative Sharon Ho said Taiwan and Malaysia have worked closely together in many areas and can also cooperate in the areas of medical and halal tourism.
H.E.Rtiquette is a non-profit social club that aims to bridge the social and cultural gap between expat students and the Taiwanese community. This year, the event was held for the second time and it attracted both expats and Taiwanese to take part and the founders of H.E.Rtiquette decided to have a spa day for a limited number of twelve young women and a workshop on how to groom their nails and become an expert at DIY nail artistry. The purpose is to help them find a shop that is affordable and last year, their focus was on fashion with the purpose to help expats and foreign students find stores that suitable for them. H.E.Rtiquette was founded in 2018 by Zee N. Dlamini (Spouse to Ambassador of The Kingdom of Eswatini) and Mandisa Mditshwa from The Republic of South Africa.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained its independence from the Great Britain in 1979 and has had diplomatic ties with Taiwan since 1981. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island state in the Caribbean Sea and it has a chain of 32 islands with a population of 110,000. Taiwan and Saint Vincent have had close cooperation the areas of agriculture, health and medicine as well education. Currently, there are more than 100 students from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines studying in Taiwan. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has openly supported Taiwan’s participation in the international organizations and in May this year, the minister of health and environment for the Caribbean Island group, Minister Robert Luke Browne said at the World Health Assembly in May that “the interests of Taiwan’s 23 million people should not be held ransom by political preferences”. The video went viral in Taiwan.
The embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) was opened in August in Taipei at a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of SVG Dr.Ralph Gonsalves, Taiwan’s Vice President Chen Chien-Jen and Foregin Minister Joseph Wu. The embassy officially began service in October and the first ambassador is Andrea Bowman who is a career educator. On October 27th, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines celebrated its 40th anniversary of its independence. A series of events were held in Taiwan to mark the occasion.
Professor Meron Medzini was born in Jerusalem, Israel and he studied in the United States and holds a BA degree from the College of the City of New York; MA from Georgetown University and Ph.D. from Harvard University where he majored in the history of modern China and Japan. Professor Meron Medzini has visited Taiwan several times since 1970s and is working on a book in Hebrew on the history and politics of Taiwan. He said Taiwan and Israel share a lot of similarities because both are small in area, we are both threatened by neighbors and experience growing diplomatic isolation and both have special relations with the US. Since 2016, Professor Meron Medzini he is an Associate Fellow at the Truman Peace Institute of the Hebrew University. His research focuses on Israel's relations with the Asian nations.
Art Taipei 2019 was held in Taipei from October 18 and 21. Art Taipei 2019, an international art exhibition, is the landmark of Asian art and it attracts artists from all over the world to exhibit their works. One of the artists, Beverly Barkat, is from Israel. Her four-meter high installation, After the Tribes denotes 12 tribes of Jacob, the biblical forefather whose sons became the tribes of Israel and Beverly Barkat created 12 circular paintings on translucent PVC fabric, each one meter in diameter.
International Youth Fellowship (IYF), an international youth organization, was founded in 1995 and officially changed the name to International Youth Fellowship in 2001 and has branches in more than 80 countries in the world.The main purpose of IYF is to raise leaders of tomorrow, provide social services and volunteer service with local organizations, international exchange as well as cultural exchange. Two members of IYF Taiwan, Bissainthe Josué from Haiti and Yum, Jong Eun from South Korea says to promote cultural exchange, IYF Taiwan will hold a musical event “Christmas Cantata” throughout three major cities in Taiwan in-mid November.
Mr.Gary Cowen, the Representative of Australian Office in Taipei said there has been close cooperation between Taiwan and Australia in the area of agriculture and aquaculture. Cairns-based supplier and fish farm export grouper fingerlings and coral trout fingerlings to Taiwan. Both Taiwan and Australia also conduct research on disease resistant banana strains. In terms of indigenous links, Australia has the world’s oldest continuous cultures in the world with around 500 different clan groups and each of them, according to Mr.Gary Cowen, has a distinctive culture and language. One similarity between Taiwanese aboriginal people and Australian indigenous people is that both groups make up around 2.4% of the entire population and both governments have paid attention the development of the indigenous cultures. Starting October 4 this year, his office will bring the Old Masters Exhibition showcasing the works of Australia’s great bark painters to Taiwan and to celebrate the International Year of Indigenous Languages, they will invite two women from Queensland to present the project “Yamani-Voices of an Ancient Land” with the aim to protect indigenous languages in Australia
Mr.Gary Cowen, the Representative of Australian Office in Taipei said the number of Taiwanese tourists to Australia has increased over the last few years. More than 300 thousand Taiwanese travel to Australia every year and Taiwanese are able to use SmartGate access in Australia increasing the level of convenience when entering Australia. Many Taiwanese also travel to Queensland and Cairns. Cairns is the number one base for Far North Queensland and the Great Barrier and Wet Tropics, world heritage site that consists of around 8940 square km wet tropical forests including some of the oldest rainforests in the world. According to Mr.Gary Cowen, some species are extremely old, more than a hundred million years old. Working Holiday Maker or WHM program makes Australia the number one destination for Taiwanese who are interested in holiday-work scheme. Many young Taiwanese aged between 18 and 30 have obtained new life experience and skills working in Australia including in Cairns in the areas of tourism, agriculture and hospitality.
Luke de Pulford, a member of the UK Conservative Party’s Human Rights Commission and the director of Arise Foundation, has been known for his work to defend human rights. He has worked to promote the awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking and his report shows that around 40.3 million modern slaves spread out in the world today. He recently visited Taiwan and hopes to work together with the government of Taiwan to raise awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking. He said Taiwan has around 700 thousand migrant workers from Southeast Asia and Taiwan maintains Tier 1 status in the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report released by the US Department of State, but Taiwan can still do more to safeguard human rights. A Tier 1 means one particular country has met the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s minimum standards.
Georges B. Sassine, the President of the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH) along with other important guests from Haiti arrived in Taiwan in early October with the hope to meet local businesspeople to lure more investment from Taiwan. ADIH is an organization that represents 106 members in the manufacturing industry in Haiti with the purpose to boost trade and improve local economy. Georges B. Sassine has been involved in the advocacy of HOPE act 1 and 2 as well as HELP. HOPE act 1 is Haitian hemispheric opportunity through partnership encouragement Act of 2006 passed by the US Congress to include special trade rules to give preferential access US imports of Haitian apparel and Act 2 of 2008 affords preferential treatment for imports of apparel, textiles, and certain goods from Haiti. HELP provides duty free treatment for additional textile and apparel from Haiti to the US.
Ambassador Michel Ching-long Lu, a seasoned diplomat said Taiwan has been performing well in the international community. Taiwan’s GDP value represents 0.95% of the world economy, ranking 19th highest in the world. He added that PRC should not block Taiwan's participation in the international organizations including the WHO. Taiwan can help and is willing to help other countries in the area of health, according to 2019 health index released in August this year by business magazine CEO World, Taiwan has the best healthcare system in the world.
Ambassador Michel Ching-long Lu is a seasoned diplomat who had been previously posted in France and Haiti. He obtained his Ph.D in Far-East Research from Université Paris VII, Paris Didoret University or Paris 7. Ambassador Lu said the fact that he speaks French helps him during his posting in France and Haiti.
Amb.Michel Ching-long Lu was born in 1947 in Chiayi, southwestern Taiwan and started his career in diplomacy in 1976. Amb.Michel Ching-long Lu is a seasoned diplomat who had been posted in the Netherlands, Haiti, Geneva, Switzerland, and France and had held different posts at the foreign ministry and retired from the post as the ambassador to France. His professional career spanned 42 years and he had served in France for three terms for a period of 16 years.
SATMA (South African Traditional Music Achievement) Awards recently visited Taiwan and Jayson Faber, CEO of SATMA said they brought two groups of performers to Taiwan this time, Thee Acapella and 6 individual artists. Ms. Sibongile Mabasa deputy representative of the South African Liaison Office in Taipei said her office hopes to promote more cultural exchanges in the future adding that there will be exchanges between museums in Taiwan and South Africa.
SATMA (South African Traditional Music Achievement) Awards brought award-winning performers to Taiwan. They are top artists from South Africa, says the CEO of SATMA, Jayson Faber. SATMA was founded in 2005 and launched in 2006 with the purpose to bring different races and ethnic groups together to preserve the cultural heritage of South Africa.They have performed in various countries in the world and this time they were in Taiwan to promote cultural exchanges between Taiwan and South Africa.
One of the best sellers on the Amazon “Israeli Business Culture” was launched in Taiwan in traditional Chinese version in early August. The author, Osnat Lauman said it took her 3 years to complete the book and she interviewed 350 people from different parts of the world who have done business with the Israelis. Osnat Lauman is also the founder of OLM Consulting and she uses the word ISRAELI™ as an acronym to depict the general profile of Israeli’s business characteristics. (Informal, Straight-forward, Risk-taking, Ambitious, Entrepreneurial, Loud, Improvisational)
Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je founded Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in early August and sparked more speculations that Ko Wen-je will announce his bid for the presidential election in Taiwan. Ko Wen-je said the party will offer Taiwanese voters options other than pan-blue KMT and pan-green DPP. Some analysts also said that Terry Guo, founder of Foxconn and former Legislative Speaker, Wang Jin-pyng might join forces with Ko Wen-je. With only five months away from the presidential election scheduled to be held on January 11, 2020, will President Tsai turn the tables faced with China’s hostility and other domestic issues? The ruling DPP suffered a major setback in 9-1 elections in November 2011 and Han Kuo-yu, KMT’s presidential candidate, rose to a political star when he won the Kaohsiung mayoral election. Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a distinguished chair professor of political science department at Chinese Culture University will share with us his views on the current political situation in Taiwan.
Demonstrations against the Hong Kong anti-extradition law occurred in March and have continued until today as Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam refused to withdraw the bill, but rather, she said she suspended the law in June and added that the law is “dead” in July. Protests have continued and peaceful demonstrations have intensified and escalated into confrontations with the police. Many fear that if the bill is passed, it would allow local authorities to detain and extradite those who are wanted in territories that Hong Kong does not have agreements with including China and Taiwan.
Mr.Asher Yarden, the representative of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office (ISECO) in Taipei said Taiwan and Israel have signed 27 agreements over the last few years and he has worked on working holiday agreement and mutual recognition of driver license but he said the agreements will not be inked until the election is over in Israel in September.
Mr.Asher Yarden, the representative of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office (ISECO) in Taipei said many achievements have been made during his posting in Taiwan but none could have been made possible without the dedication and support of the team in his office.
The National Development Course (NDC) of National Defense University serves the aim to provide military training and college courses tointernational students from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Some students are career soldiers at home and some are just regular students who wish to learn military training and professional knowledge. Since 1971, the NDC has taught more than 8,000 international students and some of them have served as state leaders including the president of Nauru, the former president of Ecuador, etc. Today, we talk to three foreign students who decide to go to the military academy and navy academy in Taiwan. They are Kwane Thabo Revelation Magongo from Eswatini as well as Tkel Francis and Shandle Techitong from Palau.
Taiwan and Palau signed an agreement to cooperate in sea patrols in March and Amb.Dilmei Olkeriil, the Ambassador of Palau said the sea patrol cooperation has a significant meaning as Palau has limited resources and a vast area of ocean. Apart from Taiwan, Palau also receives assistance from the US, Japan and Australia to help secure border security to prevent illegal fishing. The marine sanctuary in Palau covering an area of 500,000 square km is the world’s sixth largest fully protected area and Amb.Dilmei Olkeriil said now divers can see not only golden jellyfish but also sharks. The world's first shark sanctuary was established in 2009 in Palau.
President Tsai Ing-Wen visited Palau in March this year and met with Palauan President Remenesau. The state visit was to share experiences in promoting democracy and sustainability as well as garnering support for Taiwan's participation in international organizations. Ambassador Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil from Palau reiterated the strong relations enjoyed by Taiwan and Palau adding that Palau will continue to support Taiwan in its bid to join international organizations such as WHO.
Ms.Tania Berchem, the executive director of Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office (LTIO) Taipei said Taiwan-Luxembourg working holiday program was signed last year and went into effect this year. The program allows young Taiwanese and Luxembourgers, aged between 18 and 30 to travel and work in Luxembourg and Taiwan respectively for up to one year.
Luxembourg is a small country in western Europe and is the second richest country in the world ranked by its GDP. It is a multicultural country with citizens more than 170 nationalities. According to Ms.Tania Berchem, Executive Director of the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office in Taipei
B.OOM is an international dance project that crosses borders and it was first held in 2016 and this year, B Dance from Taiwan will create a dance platform that enhances international cultural exchanges through collaboration with award-winning choreographers and performers from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Luxembourg and Vietnam. You can experience six different artists performing in one night. Joining us in the discussion today are two Spanish artists, Carmen Fumero Alfonso and Miguel Ballabriga Alfonso as well as B.Dance artistic director, Benson Tsai Po-Cheng. They will perform in Taipei on June 28th and 29th.
Randy Mulyanto is a Taipei-based freelance journalist who is from Indonesia. But he is not writing in Indonesian, instead, he writes for English publications, and not just any publications, but some of the biggest names in the media industry such as the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Vice, Cathay Dragon's Silkroad magazine, etc.
Judge Kenneth Winston Starr recently visited Taiwan to attend Taiwan International Religious Freedom Forum. Judge Starr applauds the democratic development in Taiwan adding that Taiwan respects human rights and religious freedom. He said he has continued to plead with the PRC government to live up with its obligation under the UN charter to respect religious freedom.
Prof. Surguei Alex Oushakine, Professor of Anthropology and Slavic Languages and Literatures at Princeton University, USA, recently visited Taiwan to give lectures to students at National Cheng Chi University. He said Princeton University and Cheng Chi University can work together especially now that both universities are working on Russian avant-garde artists. Prof. Surguei Oushakine obtained his Ph.D degree in anthropology from Columbia University. He is currently a professor of anthropology and Slavic Languages and Literatures at Princeton University, a private Ivy League research university in the US.
The Third Symposium for Athletes with Disabilities will be held in Taichung, Central Taiwan from May 31st to June 2nd. Julia Startch is the chairwoman of Russian Club in Taiwan and the founder of Synchronized Swimming Association of Taiwan. She has been coaching children with disabilities for more than 20 years and she said everyone has the right to exercise and needs to be included in every sports event.
The Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy was launched in 2008 to help the public to better understand the development in democracy. The Forum, the first conference on citizens’ democratic rights worldwide, has taken place eight times since its inception in 2008, in eight different countries, on five continents.
President Tsai thanked the US for announcing an arms sales package for Taiwan, saying that it shows US commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act. Prof.Edward I-hsin Chen, a distinguished chair professor of political science department at Chinese Culture University said the US$500 million package is to renew F-16 pilot training program and maintenance crews at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. As for the sale of jet fighters to Taiwan, Prof.Chen quoted sources from Time that the US has postponed the sale until the trade agreement has been reached between the US and China. The proposed sale to Taiwan includes spare parts for Taiwan's F-16, C-130, F-5 and other aircraft systems.
April 10th this year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act. The Taiwan Relations Act was signed into law on April 10, 1979 by the US Congress serving as an important foundation for the relations between Taiwan and the US. The act was passed a few months after the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) delivers around 14% of the world’s tuna catch and the value of the tuna catch, according to Mr.Tommy Kambu Kunji, is about US$ 400 million. Currently, more than 50 fishing vessels owned by Taiwanese are licensed to operate in the Papua New Guinea waters and Taiwan has an investment of US$ 200 million in the fishing industry.
Papua New Guinea Trade Office in Taiwan was established in January 2016 with the aim to promote trade, investment and tourism between Taiwan and Papua New Guinea (PNG). The representative of Papua New Guinea (PNG) Trade Office in Taiwan Mr.Tommy Kambu Kunji said Taiwan is now Papua New Guinea's 5th largest trading partner after Australia, Japan, China and Singapore with the bilateral trade volume of over US$ 1 billion.
Kuanpai Chen, is the founder of Story Wear, a zero-waste fashion brand that produces ready-to-wear products made from recycled denim jeans and fabric. Kuanpai Chen has a glass show room at Huashan Creative Park, featuring a 300 cm tall denim tree made from 75 pairs of donated jeans and to commemorate the Fashion Revolution Day, she and other groups initiate an event called Fashion Revolution Event on April 19th and 20st at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. Fashion Revolution Taiwan is the largest fashion activism movement in Asia.
Cannie Min, the founder of Han You Chinese Learning Institute in India said when she first moved to India more than 10 years ago, there was no Chinese language school in New Delhi owned and operated by a Mandarin Chinese native speaker. Life was difficult and she basically started from scratch with not much help and had to overcome all kinds of challenges. But today, she runs a Chinese language school, a travel agency and consultancy business in New Delhi, India.
Dr.Nina Kao Hsiao-Ling, CEO of Overseas Medical Mission Center of Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH) said the most common diseases found in “New Southbound Policy” (NSP) target countries are related to heart disease and diabetes and the Overseas Medical Mission Center has to make an assessment before dispatching a team to a certain country.
Changhua Christian Hospital (CCH) was founded in Changhua, central Taiwan in 1896 and the Overseas Medical Mission Center was established to provide medical service to other countries in the world. In support of the government's "New Southbound Policy”(NSP), Dr.Nina Kao Hsiao-Ling, CEO of Overseas Medical Mission Center of Changhua Christian Hospital said they have had cooperation with India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Prof.Isaac Ben-Israel recently visited Taiwan and gave a speech at the Taipei International Book Exhibition. Prof.Isaac Ben-Israel is a professor at Tel Aviv University and chairman of Israel Space Agency. He persuaded the government of Israel to invest in cyber security back in 2010 and now he has been asked to promote artificial intelligence (AI) development in Israel.
Mr.Rolf Frei, the Director of Trade Office of Swiss Industries said Switzerland invests more than 3% of its GDP in research and development. Strong cooperation with universities, the presence of multinational companies, good financial system and strong IP protection are some factors that contribute to the success of biotechnology in Switzerland. Innovation, Mr.Rolf Frei, said is the driving force behind competitiveness adding that the Swiss government grants funds for special projects submitted by universities and private companies.
Taiwan’s cocoa industry has experienced a boom in recent years after chocolate made from cocoa grown locally in Taiwan received numerous international awards. CEO of Fu Wan Chocolate, International Chocolate Award Gold Prize Winner, Warren Hsu said he has won 45 awards. In 2018, Fu Wan chocolate won a gold medal with its Tie Guan Yin tea-flavored dark chocolate bars. Warren Hsu said Taiwan produces the best tea and chocolate, so he thought why not blend tea with chocolate? The result was amazing. When people first discovered his chocolate, they were curious about the shrimp chocolate he made, and in the future, Warren Hsu said he plans to make chocolate blended and infused with Chinese medicine or flowers.
For chocolate lovers, it's very hard to associate chocolate with Taiwan and if you are one of them, then you are wrong because Taiwan does produce chocolate and high quality chocolate as a matter of fact. Cocoa from Taiwan is the most expensive in the world but it is also a high end product, according to CEO of Fu Wan Chocolate, Warren Hsu who is also an international chocolate award gold prize winner.
Germany is one of the largest solar producers in the world despite being among the countries with the least sunshine hours. In 2018, the share of renewable energy in Germany has grown up to 40 % from less than 5 % in 2000 with a mix of wind energy, biomass, solar energy and off-shore wind energy. Dr.Thomas Prinz, the Director General of German Institute Taipei said Germany has worked closely with Taiwan in the area of renewable energy adding that Taiwan has been expanding offshore wind development and Taiwan can be seen as a stepping stone into Asia Pacific.
Taipei International Book Exhibition is the largest international book fair in Asia and the fourth largest in the world. It is also an important annual meeting point for world publishers This year’s Taipei International Book Exhibition with Germany being the guest of honor and the theme of “German Stories” will kick off from February 12th to 17th. Dr.Thomas Prinz, the Director General of German Institute Taipei (German representative office) said 13 German writers including an award winning illustrator, Axel Scheffler and Ferdinand von Schirach, a famous German lawyer and writer will present their works at the exhibition along with other Taiwanese authors.
In Taiwan, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day has been observed since 2015, with the active participation of Taiwan's presidents and this year the vice president. Vice President Chen Chien-jen said at the ceremony on Jan.27th that Taiwan has to learn from Israel and Germany as Taiwan is pursuing transitional justice adding that Taiwan can learn to transform past suffering into educational resources to inspire tolerance.
Mr.Fabio Franco, the director of Commercial Office of Brazil to Taipei said he enjoyed his posting here in Taiwan and he will take good memories of Taiwan with him to his next destination. He said it’s important to immerse yourself in a new culture when you arrive in a certain country and then you will be happy there.
Mr.Fabio Franco, the director of Commercial Office of Brazil to Taipei said the commercial relations between Taiwan and Brazil have been growing citing the fact that the bilateral trade was valued at US$5 billion in 2015 and the trade underwent a slight decline in 2018. But, Mr.Fabio Franco said the prospects are good for the future and the trade volume is getting back on the track.
On January 2nd, Chinese President Xi Jin-ping reiterated its willingness to discuss peaceful unification issue with political parties in Taiwan calling for China’s unification with Taiwan can be based on “one country two systems” framework. President Tsai, on January 5th, said that Taiwan will never accept the 1992 consensus as it is defined by China as “one country two systems”.
On today’s show, I will revisit some of my favorite interviews from the past 12 months in 2018. There are quite a number of issues that made the headlines for example a new initiative has been taken by Palau to protect the environment, that is “passport pledge” that visitors must sign before entering Palau. July 18th is Nelson Mandela International Day, an annual international day in honor of Nelson Mandela. 2018 marked 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela and the centenary is an occasion to honor his devotion to fighting poverty and social justice for all.
B Dance was founded by a Taiwanese award winning choreographer Benson Tsai Po-cheng in 2014. His work Floating Flowers won the Audience Award and the Gauthier Dance/Stuttgart Theater Production Award in Germany in 2014. He has won various awards ever since then. Just about two months ago, Benson Tsai worked with a Luxembourg dancer for the Blah Blah Blah production and in January 2019, B Dance plans to launch Millennials working with Marcos Morau, international artistic director and founder of a Spanish dance company La Veronal as well as Dr.Ryan Somerville, a renowned US composer.
East Asia and Taipei Bureau Director, Cédric Alviani of RSF (Reporters Sans Frontières/Reporters without Borders) said disinformation has caused a great impact on journalism. When the public receives too much information, they tend to believe what they are told. Every government should fight against fake news but he does not agree using censorship to deter fake news. He added that the government of Taiwan is considering revising the law to stop fake news and he calls upon the government to engage in positive measures to fight against fake news.
RSF (Reporters Sans Frontières/Reporters without Borders) is an NGO that promotes freedom of information and freedom of the press. East Asia and Taipei Bureau Director, Cédric Alviani said it is hard for journalists to operate today as there is a growing wave of harassment and intimidation of journalists and anti-press statements. Last year, two journalists were assassinated in the EU and around 70 are killed every year
Zee Dlamini recently organized an event called H.E.Rtiquette to provide a lifestyle resource forum for women of color in Taiwan. Zee Dlamini is a fashion stylist and blogger and she is also the wife of the ambassador of the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). Zee said the forum will let more women of color in Taiwan to be able to adapt to Taiwan more easily and quickly. She cited an example of some who have just arrived in Taiwan do not even know where to get their hair braided. The event on Dec.1 was a great success and attracted both Taiwanese, foreign students and the public to attend.
President Tsai Ing-wen stepped down as the chairperson of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after the party suffered a major defeat in the 9 in 1 elections that just concluded on Nov.24.
Dr.Dan Shechtman visited Taiwan in mid-November to share his endeavors in promoting the development of startup ecosystem in Israel. Dr. Shechtman was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of quasicrystals. His advice to the young people in Taiwan is that they should not fear failure even though failure is one of the cultural constraints for Taiwanese, adding that the young scientists should go ahead and get involved in startups. Israel has become a high-tech startup powerhouse that attracts major players from different parts of the world and Dr. Shechtman believes with the history of technology innovation Taiwan has, it will become a launch site for startups if young people are not afraid to try and make new discoveries.
Ambassador Tessie Eria Lambourne said Kiribati is one of the eight signatories of the Nauru Agreement Concerning Cooperation in the Management of Fisheries of Common Interest or Parties to the Nauru Agreement. PNA controls 25-30% of the tuna supply.
Taiwan and Kiribati have had diplomatic relations since 2003. The two countries have had more than 100 cooperative projects and some of the projects include medicine and public health, agricultural cooperation, fisheries, infrastructure, education and clean energy.
Haitian dancer-choreographer Jean-René Delsoin and members of Compagnie de Danse Jean-René Delsoin (COJRD) recently visited Taiwan to perform at the Nan Ying International Folklore Festival in Tainan, Southern Taiwan. Jean-René Delsoin talks about his career and his performance in Taiwan adding that he hopes to bring the richness of Haitian dance to the Taiwanese audience.
The owner of Omolewa Osain Project from Belize, Carlos Perrote and his band is in Taiwan to perform at Taipei Jazz Festival.that runs between October 26 to 28th. Carlos Perrite said Omolewa means powerful and Osain means mind. Carlos developed affection for the steel pan which is very popular in Belize and he brought together a group of talented musicians to form the band, Omolewa Osain Project.
Blah Blah Blah” will be performed at the Kuandu Arts Festival in Taipei on October 20th and 21st. The dance is a co-production by Taiwanese choreographer Tsai Po-cheng and Luxembourg artist Jill Crovisier. Tsai Po-cheng has won many international awards and has been named by German Tanz magazine to be one of the world’s 32 most promising dancers and choreographers. Jill Crovisier is a rising star on the international stage and has been travelling around the world since 16.
St.Kitts and Nevis is an island country located in the West Indies and Senior Minister, Vance Amory visited Taiwan recently to join the celebration of the independence of the 35th Anniversary of the Caribbean nation. Senior Minister, Vance Amory is the Minister of Nevis Affairs, Labor, Social Security and Ecclesiastical Affairs and he visited Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor and discussed a wide range of issues including minimum wage, pension, universal health care, etc.
St.Kitts and Nevis is an island country located in the West Indies. Taiwan and St.Kitts and Nevis established ties in 1983, making Taiwan to become the first country to forge diplomatic ties after the independence of St.Kitts and Nevis.
In August this year, President made an official visit to Paraguay and Belize and made brief stopovers in Los Angeles and Houston.
Mrs.Tamar Yarden, head of public affairs of Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei said she has been stationed in Taiwan for 2 years now and her main work is to promote Israel to the people of Taiwan. During the last two years, she and her team have worked hard to increase the publicity so that Taiwanese people will get to know Israel more.
Tamar Yarden, Head of Public Affairs of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei said her office in has done a lot to promote Israel in Taiwan, it is a long list and to name a few, taking part in the Taipei International Travel Fair and the international book exhibition in Taipei, Israeli movie screening, cooking demonstration, inviting Israeli artists to promote Israel and the list can go on and on.
A group of journalists from the Asia Pacific region visited Taiwan in August and we have a chance to talk to some of them. They share with us the challenges the media face with the growing use of social media and what the media in their respective country does to survive and yet keep the quality of the content.
Andrew Pittam, deputy representative at the British Office said the role of the British Office is to promote links between Taiwan and the UK especially in the areas trade, culture, education as well as science and technology. Andrew Pittam has been in Taiwan for more than a year now and he has enjoyed his time in Taiwan. The British Office in Taipei has worked to promote the UK on the Facebook and Twitter as well.
The UK got into the World Cup semi-finals at World Cup 2018 and the last time was in 1990 and Mr.Andrew Pittam, deputy representative at the British Office, Taipei shared the joy of the British people on the Twitter and at the same time thanked Taiwan for providing the environmentally-friendly textile techniques with the innovative fabric for the Team England jerseys. Taiwan did not compete in the World Cup but had a unique presence because of the football jerseys worn by most of the national players. The jerseys are made from yarn using recycled PET bottles.
Mr.Seraki Matsebe, the Representative of the Liaison Office of South Africa in Taipei said SMEs (Small and Medium-sized enterprises) are the backbone of Taiwan’s economy and South Africa is moving on the same track adding that SME’s in South Africa, in order to survive, need to engage in partnership with other countries including those from Taiwan. Taiwan’s minister of economic affairs led a delegation to South Africa recently to foster such connections.
July 18th is Nelson Mandela International Day, an annual international day in honor of Nelson Mandela. This year marks 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela and the centenary is an occasion to honor his devotion to fighting poverty and social justice for all.
A group of media executives from different news organizations visited Taiwan in July and one of them is The Jakarta Post, a leading English newspaper in Indonesia. Mr.Nezar Patria, the Editor in Chief of The Jakarta Post said they provide online content apart from the newspaper version of the English newspaper in Indonesia adding that they also produce video contents in order to attract more young readers. Mr.Nezar Patria said the media in Indonesia should work more closely with those in Taiwan as there are around 300 thousand Indonesian migrant workers in Taiwan and the government of Taiwan is pushing for the New Southbound Policy.
Mr.Martin Eberts, the German representative in Taiwan said the investment Germany hopes to attract from Taiwan includes high tech sector, automotive industry, e-mobility and machinery.
In April, Taiwan and Germany signed an agreement on Taiwan-Germany cooperation in the area of emissions trading. The agreement was signed by representatives from both countries. The agreement includes monitoring, reporting and verifying emissions.
Dr.Nina Kao Hsiao-Ling, CEO of Overseas Medical Mission Center of Changhua Christian Hospital said before sending a team overseas, they have to work with various government departments and NGOs adding that overseas medical assistance has to do with the local environmental protection and nutrition improvement as it involves not only medical service but also nutrition, food security, safe water and education.
Taiwan has provided medical aid to many countries in the world. A number of NGOs and hospitals in Taiwan have done so and one example is Changhua Christian Hospital in central Taiwan that launched its overseas medical missions in 2008. Dr.Nina Kao Hsiao-Ling, CEO of Overseas Medical Mission Center of Changhua Christian Hospital, said Changhua Christian Hospital has provided medical assistance to Africa, South Pacific, the Caribbean countries and some Asian countries.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France is back and Bruno Duparc, the director of Alliance Française of Taiwan said French is back and the number of students learning French has been increasing. There are around 2,000 Taiwanese students at Alliance Française of Taiwan, not to mention those who major in French at universities in Taiwan. Alliance Française 850 centers in around 130 countries in the world and there are two centers in Taiwan, Taipei and Kaohsiung. Bruno Duparc hopes to establish another center in the central Taiwan city of Taichung in the future.