Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin receives Taiwan Employment Gold Card

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin receives Taiwan Employment Gold Card

2023-08-17

Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin has been granted a Taiwan Employment Gold Card. The Russian-Canadian programmer is a leading figure in cryptocurrency. He says Taiwan is home to a robust Ethereum community, and that the card will let him visit more easily in the future.

Line by line, Digital Minister Audrey Tang teaches a Taiwanese oldie to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

Tang also presented Buterin with a green bag of Kuai Kuai snacks: an indispensable amulet in the tech industry. The snacks are said to make machines “behave.”

Buterin co-founded Ethereum at the age of 19 and made his mark in software development. He later launched blockchain 2.0, making significant contributions to the field of cryptocurrency. He’s visiting Taiwan to attend a tech event, and also to collect a Taiwan Employment Gold Card, which will let him enter and leave Taiwan freely for three years.

Vitalik Buterin
Ethereum co-founder
I’ve come to Taiwan many times before, and I liked it a lot every time. We have a great Ethereum community here in Taiwan. With the Gold Card, it’ll be easier for me to come over more.

Buterin spoke on his fondness for Taiwan. Armed with a Gold Card, he can visit frequently for digital collaboration, bolstering Taiwan’s ties with the world.

「V神」維塔利克•布特林拿到台灣就業金卡 3年內自由來台

2023-08-17

以太坊創辦人「V神」維塔利克•布特林 (Vitalik Buterin)，近日受邀來台參加活動，這次還獲頒台灣的就業金卡，未來進出台灣更自由。

在數位部長唐鳳教唱下，以太坊創辦人維塔利克•布特林，學習經典的台語歌。

唐鳳更親送布特林「機台守護神器」，一包綠色乖乖，傳授電腦不當機的秘訣。

布特林在19歲時創立以太坊，開發出不少軟體，之後更開啟區塊鏈2.0，對加密貨幣貢獻不少。這回來台，除了出席活動，最重要的是，他還獲頒就業金卡，3年內，可自由進出台灣。

[[以太坊聯合創辦人維塔利克•布特林]]
“我之前很多次來過台灣，我每次都很喜歡，我們在台灣有一個特別好的以太坊社群，有了金卡來很多次會更方便。”

布特林強調很喜歡台灣，未來更會常常來台，共同專研數位領域，讓台灣和世界的連結更緊密。

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VP Lai meets AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger during San Francisco transit

Vice President Lai Ching-te touched down in San Francisco on Thursday at 7 a.m., Taiwan time. Upon landing, he was greeted by AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger, who accompanied him to a banquet with Taiwanese Americans. The event was also attended by high-profile political figures, including former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and the mayor of Phoenix.

After departing Paraguay, Vice President Lai Ching-te stopped over in the U.S. once again. He landed in San Francisco at 7 a.m. Thursday, Taiwan time, and was welcomed by AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger.

Rosenberger had not met Lai during his first transit due to attending her sister’s wedding. But this time around, she boarded Lai’s plane in a welcome on par with previous visits. Lai and Rosenberger then headed to a banquet with overseas Taiwanese. Along the way, they passed a group of protesters holding Chinese flags.

Although some protested the visit, many more were happy to see Lai.

Outside the venue, a crowd of people cheered for Lai. Inside, about 700 Taiwanese Americans eagerly waited for the VP to show up.

After stepping into the hall, Lai was quickly lost in the crowd, with participants rushing to embrace him.

Lai Ching-te
Vice President
I will do my utmost to use peace as my beacon and democracy as my compass to lead Taiwan forward.

Laura Rosenberger
AIT chair
And our commitment to help Taiwan’s self-defense capacity is rock-solid, just as the Taiwan-U.S. friendship is unwavering.

At the banquet, two guests caught media attention. One was Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who visited Taiwan in July. Speaking at the event, she said she was delighted with TSMC’s US$40 billion investment in her city. The other guest was former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

Janet Napolitano
Former US secretary of homeland security
I love Taiwan, and we are proud to call you in Taiwan true friends and partners in this wonderful experiment that is free enterprise, freedom and democracy.

According to political analysts, Lai has used his trip to show he’s ready to lead. They say his welcome by U.S. officials is a sharp rebuke to claims he’s mistrusted by Washington.

2023-08-17

Presidential Office denies rumor that Taiwan will pay for Paraguay villas

As Vice President Lai Ching-te wraps up his trip, a new rumor is getting traction online, concerning his time in Paraguay. A social media post claims that Lai agreed to spend more than NT$10 billion on social housing in Paraguay. The post alleges that during his Paraguay state visit, he signed a deal to build single-family villas. But the Presidential Office denies the claim, saying that Lai signed nothing during his visit. It says the rumor is part of a disinformation campaign meant to undermine Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts.

In a post on the PTT online forum, the title reads “Another NT$10 billion for Paraguay to build social housing.” The post claims that during Vice President Lai Ching-te’s visit to Paraguay, he signed an agreement with President Santiago Pena, pledging to invest US$320 million -- or about NT$10.1 billion -- to build social housing in Paraguay over the next five years. The post contains a photo of the supposed agreement, as well as images of the single-family “villas” that Taiwan would allegedly build in Paraguay. The forum user called on Lai to bring Paraguay’s housing justice to Taiwan. A DPP lawmaker and the Presidential Office have denounced the post as disinformation.

Liu Shih-fang
DPP lawmaker
In the supposed agreement, the Spanish text says that the total amount of cooperation funds is US$150 million, but the numerals say US$320 million. It’s sloppy work. The document was also signed in December 2023. As you all know, it’s only August now. So what are we looking at here? And the signatures are all forged.

Lin Yu-chan
Presidential Office spokesperson
The fact is that during his state visit, Vice President Lai Ching-te did not sign any documents with the government of Paraguay. The pictures and signatures in the rumor were forged with the intention of spreading disinformation to confuse the people of Taiwan. It is clearly a deliberate attempt to attack the government. After a preliminary investigation, it has been determined that this is part of a systematic disinformation campaign carried out jointly by foreign and domestic actors to undermine Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts.

Jeff Liu
Foreign ministry spokesperson
The foreign ministry’s stance on disinformation is just like our stance on sexual harassment: zero tolerance. The ministry reported the incident to police immediately, and the Criminal Investigation Bureau has received all the relevant documents provided by the foreign ministry.

The foreign ministry urged the public not to believe or share the post with others. It said that the key to fighting cognitive warfare was to enhance one’s own awareness and knowledge.

2023-08-17

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Chain restaurants raise wages amid expansion drive

The dining sector is in full expansion mode after three lean years due to the pandemic. To drive recruitment, the Chun Shui Tang teahouse hiked wages by 8% to 12% in March. It also rolled out flexible work schedules, with an eye on recruiting middle-aged and older workers. Wowprime Corporation is also hunting for staff, to fill 50 new locations. This month, it raised wages at its Chinese dining brands by as much as 12%.

A lobster bigger than your hand sizzles on a hot plate, releasing a mouthwatering aroma. This chain restaurant attracts diners with its tasty dishes. To attract employees, it’s raised salaries for the third time this year.

Wang Shu-ting
Wowprime PR
We’ve reached our target of opening 50 new shops early, so we’re looking to fill 500 full-time vacancies. For that, we’ve decided to raise salaries for the third time this year. In the first half of the year, we were the teppanyaki restaurant brand with the largest salary increase. Altogether we’ve hiked salaries by almost 12%.

As of July, restaurant operations staff have started at NT$40,000 at Wowprime’s teppanyaki brand. Newcomers without experience have started at NT$36,000. This month, wages got an 8% boost at the group’s Chinese dining brands, with newcomers starting at NT$35,000.

Hot pot chain Jhu Jian is also expanding. It’s announced its fourth pay raise this year, and two annual revenue shares for supervisors. The company is hoping to fill 1,000 vacancies.

Back in March, the Chun Shui Tang teahouse raised salaries by 8% to 12%. It also introduced flexible work schedules for middle-aged and older employees.

At the start of August, Mala International Catering Group raised salaries by NT$2,000 to NT$5,000 a month. The hot pot chain aims to attract talented staff.

Vina
Mala International Catering Group PR
We expect to expand to 50 outlets in Taiwan this year. So we have a labor shortage of about 20%, that is, between 300 and 400 employees. We welcome anyone from fresh graduates, people reentering the job market, and middle-aged and older applicants to join us.

Restaurants are raising wages to boost recruitment and to drive their growth in the food and beverage sector.

2023-08-17

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Millions of Chinese turn to cab driving amid slowing economy

We now look across the strait to China, where millions of people have turned to driving taxis to survive. As of June 30, China had issued 5.79 million driving licenses for online taxi services. That’s a 45% increase compared to last year. In China’s major cities, long lines of waiting taxicabs are now a common sight. According to experts, the influx of cabbies is a sign of widespread unemployment and trouble in China’s economy.

Underneath the overpass, taxis are bumper to bumper, as far as the eye can see. In many major cities of China, there are now far more cabs than customers.

Cab driver
China
On the morning of Aug. 14 at Daxing International Airport, there were 150 taxis in line. I had to wait five hours before getting a journey. The trip was 48 kilometers and I earned 162 yuan. Then I picked up a 7.4 kilometer journey and made 26 yuan. I spent six hours on two rides and made 188 yuan.

With China’s unemployment rate surging, the jobless have turned to driving to survive. As of this June, China had granted 5.79 million taxi licenses, a yearly increase of 45%. In cities like Shanghai and Changsha, authorities have suspended applications for transport service permits.

Jimmy Wang
Financial analyst
The sharp increase in taxicabs signals that the unemployment crisis is not limited to the 18-to-24-year-old demographic. It may extend to those in the 30s, 40s, and even people aged 45 and older.

Fu Linghui
Chinese National Bureau of Statistics spokesperson
Starting this August, the release of urban unemployment rates for youth and other age groups across the country will be suspended.

Amid rising joblessness, China has stopped releasing its youth unemployment rate. According to Peking University professor Zhang Dandan, the true youth unemployment rate may have hit 46.5% in March. That’s well above the official rate of 19.7%.

Jimmy Wang
Financial analyst
When Biden was running for president, he said that China’s economy was heading toward recession. This remark may have dealt a blow to Xi Jinping’s confidence, to the point where he’s covering up the data altogether, so that no one can see the real situation. But what happens when you conceal data is that international investors have no way of assessing the state of China’s economy. They can’t make effective investments. Recently the biggest impact of this might be seen in the exchange rate.

So far this year, the Chinese yuan has depreciated by about 5% against the U.S. dollar, making it the worst-performing currency in Asia. Experts say that China’s economic recession caused the plight of its major property developer, Country Garden. By moving to scrub official data, China is only worsening investor fears, driving a vicious cycle of economic woes.

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Taitung native offers ‘adventure therapy’ in the form of tree climbing

A Taitung native is offering “adventure therapy” in the form of tree climbing. Hsu Yueh-ping is a social worker as well as tree-climbing coach. She says that humans and trees recover from injuries in basically the same way: with good care. Students come to Taitung Forest Park to get a workout and get close to nature.

A child is helped to put on their helmet and check the harness. Care is needed for each step in the process of getting ready to climb a tree. Taitung Forest Park offers these treeclimbing events to bring people closer to nature and help them take care of their emotions.

Student
It’s very cool, and fun, and it feels good.

Student
It’s relaxing. I feel relaxed.

Tree climbing is good for young and old alike – but it does take some expertise, both to set up and to climb. The climbing wear and ropes as well as the techniques all require an expert on hand for guidance.

Hsu Yueh-ping
Tree-climbing coach
Tree climbing and rock climbing are quite different. You pull some of the main ropes much tighter for rock climbing. In tree climbing, you need to keep your legs really relaxed, to make it easy to reach out with the legs.

Climbing coach Hsu Yueh-ping throws the rope out. Her students range in age from four to 60. But this is not her only job.

Hsu Yueh-ping
Tree-climbing coach
My main job is social work. At that time I wanted to find a tool I was good at, to offer adventure therapy. Recovery means that after we’re injured, and we’ve gotten good care, then we recover. Trees are just the same.

Lee Chih-peng
Taitung County Forestry Bureau
Taitung Forest Park is a national wetland, and a conservation forest. It has beautiful natural scenery. We wanted to see how we could use it imaginatively.

As a Taitung native, Hsu knows how beautiful her county is. She combines her social care expertise with her tree climbing mastery in these special classes. Students learn not just how to climb, but also learn about how to prune trees and ecological knowledge, and how to relax in the arms of a woody friend.

2023-08-17