Mass transit passes set to launch in July, 20 cities and counties on board

Mass transit passes set to launch in July, 20 cities and counties on board

2023-03-22

The Executive Yuan is fast-tracking a monthly transport pass for commuters. So far, 20 of Taiwan’s 22 cities and counties have joined the program. The transport chief is forecasting a summer rollout. Let’s hear from him.

Wang Kwo-tsai
Transport minister
The commuter circles we’re more certain of are Taipei-New Taipei-Keelung-Taoyuan, as well as Taichung-Changhua-Nantou-Miaoli and Tainan-Kaohsiung-Pingtung. We’re expediting the entire effort. Generally speaking, our target is July – we are aiming for a July launch.

These monthly transport passes are set to hit the market in three major commuter circles, as early as July. The Executive Yuan will shoulder the cost of upgrading card-reading systems to accommodate these new passes. For transportation networks overseen by local governments, the Executive Yuan pledges to cover 90% of the expense. If local governments can meet a specified deadline for the modifications, the Executive Yuan will subsidize the entire cost.

三大都會區月票何時上路? 王國材:原則上7月開通

2023-03-22

行政院推動的公共運輸通勤月票，目前已經有20個縣市加入，何時能上路？來聽聽交通部長怎麼說。

[[交通部長王國材]]
“現在比較明確的是北北基桃、中彰投苗、南高屏。全力在加速，原則上就是七月，以七月開通為目標。”

交通部長王國材承諾，三大都會區最快七月開通。關於票證系統建置及程式開發與修改，若是由中央主管的公共運具，由中央全額補助；地方主管的公共運具則以中央補助九成、地方負擔一成為原則；但地方政府如果能依限期完成，中央將全額補助。

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China has ‘no reason’ to react to Tsai’s US transits: US security official

Tensions are rising as President Tsai Ing-wen gears up for two transits in the U.S. during her upcoming Central American tour. The Chinese foreign ministry has blasted the move as a ploy to promote Taiwan independence. The U.S. National Security Council brushed off the accusation, pointing to a history of similar visits by Taiwan’s presidents.

President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday attended the opening ceremony of an international sports expo. In just one week, she’ll be setting off on her first international tour in three years, going on state visits to Guatemala and Belize, two of Taiwan’s Central American allies. She’ll also be making stopovers in New York and Los Angeles, and that’s ruffled feathers in Beijing.

Wang Wenbin
China foreign ministry spokesperson
We strongly oppose any form of official interaction between the U.S. and Taiwan, strongly oppose any U.S. visit by the leader of the Taiwan authorities regardless of the rationale or pretext. China has raised strong objections to the U.S. side on this matter. The reported trip is not so much a “transit,” but an attempt to seek breakthroughs and propagate “Taiwan independence.”

John Kirby
National Security Council
There’s no reason for China to overreact. Heck, there’s no reason for them to react. I mean, this is something that, as I said, is commonplace and has happened before, will likely happen again. It’s personal. It’s unofficial. There should be no reason for Beijing to react in any way to this. Again, business as usual here.

National Security Council official John Kirby said that every single Taiwan president had at some point transited in the U.S., and that Tsai herself had made six U.S. transits since her inauguration in 2016. He stressed that it was not uncommon for Taiwan’s presidents to meet with members of Congress during their stays and that China had no reason to overreact to the transit.

In related news, the American Institute in Taiwan has a new chairwoman, Laura Rosenberger, who was appointed after the retirement of James Moriarty. In a tweet on Tuesday, Rosenberger said, “It’s an honor and privilege to become the new chair of AIT. Looking forward to working closely with our friends in Taiwan to continue to broaden and deepen our close partnership at this important time.” In another tweet, she spoke positively of a meeting with the AIT’s “good friend and partner Hsiao Bi-khim.” Meanwhile, Hsiao tweeted a selfie with the new and former chairs, all three wearing big smiles. With Tsai soon to transit in the U.S., another selfie may be on the horizon, featuring the president with her ambassador and the new AIT chair.

2023-03-22

Taiwan visits by German ministers could become ‘routine’: Stark-Watzinger

2023-03-22

Taiwan raises US$40.89 million in earthquake relief for Turkey

2023-03-22

A pop-up restaurant in a classroom: a graduation project for culinary students

2023-03-22

Registration opens for NT$6,000 cash handouts

2023-03-22

South faces tighter water rationing as drought worsens

2023-03-22

Taiwan’s GDP growth to drop below 1.91%: think tank

A leading think tank has released a gloomy economic picture for the year ahead. The Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute expects GDP growth to contract to just 1.91% in 2023. This projection is lower than the central bank’s estimate of 2.53%, and the statistics agency’s estimate of 2.12%. The think tank cited faltering demand in manufacturing and exports, amid aggressive rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve. ##

Jerome Powell
Fed chairman
Although inflation has been moderating in recent months, the process of getting inflation back down to 2% has a long way to go, and is likely to be bumpy.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Federal Reserve reaffirmed its hawkish stance, saying it was committed to getting inflation back below 2%. But since then, crises at Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse have put the Fed in a precarious position, in which it must balance inflation control with calming the financial markets. With all eyes on the Fed’s policy decision on Wednesday, the reaction of Taiwan’s central bank has also come under focus.

Charles Yeh
Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute head
The U.S. Federal Reserve aggressively raised interest rates by 4.25 percentage points last year, and the repercussions will first be felt by the financial market. The economic downturn will accelerate, and the unemployment rate will rise. It could take one or two years or more to recover. In the second half of this year, the U.S. will likely maintain its current stance as it monitors the market. If it does lower interest rates, it would more likely do so next year.

Aggressive rate hikes have been felt in the global economy, with Taiwan’s GDP contracting by 0.4% in the fourth quarter of last year. For the year 2023, Taiwan’s statistics agency forecasts growth of 2.12%, while the central bank estimates 2.53%. But the Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute is less optimistic, projecting just 1.91%. Manufacturing and exports will face strong pressure and inventory adjustments. The government should roll out support and stimulus measures to cushion the blow, it says.

Charles Yeh
Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute head
Service prices have risen, and we need to monitor the effects of the April power price hike. Exports dropped by about 18% in the previous two months. The central bank is unlikely to raise interest rates this quarter. The upcoming cash handouts and rent – and some other subsidies – these measures can boost the GDP, to an extent.

Experts say the upcoming NT$6,000 cash handout will lift the GDP by 0.2 percentage points. They say such measures can help shield Taiwan against the headwinds of inflation and rising interest rates.

2023-03-22

Trip down memory lane: the memories of youth stored in phone cards

2023-03-22

Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival kicks off

The 2023 Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival has kicked off and will run till mid-June. During the festival, there will be a series of DIY activities and even calla lily picking lessons. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us to a calla lily water field in Zhuzihu to learn how to make a bouquet from hand-picked flowers.

Before heading into a calla lily field pond you will have to change into this "frog jumpsuit" and rubber boots.

Once you’re all geared up, you can go out to the water fields to pick calla lilies.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
I am currently at a calla lily field in Zhuzihu. Calla lilies bloom here every March and April. After changing into this outfit, you can come down to the field and pick calla lilies.

The first step is to enter the field. After finding the flower you want to pick, lunge with one foot forward, and then slowly reach the bottom of the flower stem, and then gently pull the flower out. Here at this calla lily field in Zhuzihu, flowers are already in bloom. This calla lily field began 50 years ago. Visitors can get a lesson from the owner Lu Chih-ming to learn the basics of how to correctly and safely pick calla lilies, and return home with their own calla lilies.

Lu Chih-ming
Calla lily farmer
When you find a flower you like, lunge and move slowly to the end of the flower stem. Instead of grabbing the flower and pressing it down, reach down till your hand touches the water, then hold the base tightly and then pull up. When you pull it up, you have to make sure you stand firmly on your feet. Our field has a history of about 50 years since my father first started it. We used to cultivate calla lilies with traditional methods, but now with my daughter we are improving our methods and transitioning into eco-friendly farming. In the past, we used chemical fertilizers and pesticides, but now we don’t use pesticides, and it’s organic. March and April are the peak harvest period for calla lilies. It is now the blooming period, so the blooms will get better and better.

This year, the owner of the field has also designed several installations and seats for people to snap photos. There’s a mirror to create a reflection of the mountain and pond if you snap a photo. Many students have come to catch a glimpse of the beautiful blossoms and pick their own calla lilies to take home.

Member of the public
When you step into the pond, it is full of mud. It is a very special feeling. I was very happy.

Member of the public
It’s a little soft when you step into it, and you can’t really lift your feet up and walk forward, but it’s fun. And the flowers are very beautiful

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
After picking calla lilies, you can also make DIY souvenirs to take home.

Visitors can also participate in a DIY flower arranging class by wrapping their hand-picked calla lilies and other flowers into a bouquet while enjoying some afternoon tea. Lu Pin-fang, the daughter of the owner of the field, offers DIY courses inspired by her experience living in Italy for 13 years.

Lu Pin-fang
Calla lily farmer
When you come to class, there will be a small welcome gift and a small snack. After picking calla lilies, you can eat the small snack and wrap up the bouquet.

The Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival has already kicked off. This year, the festival features activities across more than 30 farms in Zhuzihu. For the first time, the organizers have also combined the calla lily and hydrangea seasons together to prolong the festival till June 18. The Taipei City government encourages people to take public transport to Zhuzihu during the festival period.

2023-03-22

Mother and son invent “Butternut Squash Bowl” to showcase flavors of Nantou

Visitors to the Indigenous village of Alang Rongan in Nantou are in for a special surprise. A pair of chefs – mother and son – have invented a new local classic dish. The “Butternut Squash Bowl”: a warming winter recipe, using local vegetables and herbs, for a filling meal all in one bowl. Even local officials are heading over to Ren’ai Township to try it for themselves.

Nantou Deputy County Commissioner Wang Jui-teh is delighted by this unusual dish – the butternut squash bowl.

Wang Jui-teh
Nantou Deputy County Commissioner
The scent of the egg is mixed in with the sweetness of the butternut squash. It’s sweet, light and silky.

The eggs are steamed inside a hole in the butternut squash, with a sprinkling of chopped prickly ash leaves for seasoning. This is the Wang family’s special recipe.

Mother and son work together. He carves seeds out of the squash while she picks the prickly ash leaves. They get eggs from their own home-raised hens. The stuffed squash go into the steamer basket and come out ready to eat. It looks simple, but the recipe is full of local ingredients and thoughtful details.

Mrs. Wang
The idea is to put our own local-grown produce on the table. It’s a way of sustaining life.

Mrs. Wang has run a restaurant in Ren’ai Township for more than 20 years. Her son Wang Hsiao-liang grew up with an interest in cooking, but chose as a young man to make his way in Thailand. Just as he was about to open his own restaurant there, his mother got sick. He gave up his budding business to come home to his family.

Wang Hsiao-liang
Head chef
In Taiwan we say “filial piety” is very important. So I was struggling to establish something, and in the middle I decided to give up that chance to work abroad, and come home to Taiwan.

That sacrifice allowed new doors to open for the family. Mrs. Wang recovered her health, and mother and son jointly invented the squash bowl recipe. The flavors of their hometown have become a family project warming visitors from near and far.

2023-03-22