Prince of Pommel Horse Lee Chih-kai takes gold at Asian Games

2023-09-28

Now on the action at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Prince of Pommel Horse Lee Chih-kai nailed his routine on Thursday to win Taiwan’s third gold medal of the games. Lee finished first in the final with a score of 15.5. This marks his second straight gold in the event.

Lee entered the pommel horse finals with the top qualifying score, and he was the third gymnast to compete. His routine earned him 6.5 points for difficulty and 9 for execution, for a total of 15.5. Competing after him was compatriot Hsiao Yu-jan. Hsiao earned 15.066 points and narrowly missed out on a bronze medal.

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李智凱完美落地達成亞運鞍馬二連霸

2023-09-28

亞運台灣隊再添一金！「鞍馬王子」李智凱，今天的男子鞍馬決賽完美落地，拿下15.500分，個人達成亞運二連霸，也為台灣隊添得第三面金牌。

李智凱以預賽第一的成績晉級決賽，今天他排在第三位出場，難度6.5分加上高達9分的執行分，以15.500分排在第一。緊接在李智凱之後登場的蕭佑然也表現精采，8.966的執行分，完成6.1難度，15.066分可惜排在第四，與銅牌擦肩。

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Taiwan launches first sub prototype for testing

Taiwan has unveiled its first domestically made submarine prototype. The Hai Kun, hull number SS-711, was christened at a Kaohsiung ceremony presided over by President Tsai Ing-wen. It was the warship’s first public appearance. Hai Kun will now begin a series of underwater tests. Taiwan aims to have three combat-ready submarines by the end of 2025.

The ship is launched with the traditional smash of a bottle. At long last, Taiwan has unveiled its first domestically built submarine prototype.

In line with global convention, the bow of the ship was covered for confidentiality, wrapped with the “blue sky with white sun” national emblem. The moment was a milestone for Taiwan’s indigenous submarine program. President Tsai Ing-wen hailed the achievement.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
History will forever remember this day. Previously, it was considered impossible to build submarines domestically. But today, this Taiwan-made, Taiwan-designed submarine is here before us all. We’ve done it.

The sub prototype cost NT$49.3 billion to build. It can dive to a depth of 350 to 380 meters, which makes it superior to existing submarines. It can also be armed with 18 Mark 48 torpedoes. Harbor acceptance testing is set for October, with sea trials slated for April of next year. The goal is to deliver the sub to the Navy by the end of next year, to boost its combat capabilities.

Tsai Pei-hua
FTV reporter
Submarines are a crucial asset in asymmetric combat. In the past, the Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-jeou administrations tried to purchase submarines from abroad, but the efforts came to nothing. During her presidential campaign, in her 2014 defense blueprint, President Tsai mentioned the need to build submarines domestically. That goal has now been realized.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
This was a matter of national security. Despite the risks and numerous challenges, Taiwan had to take this step. By 2025, Taiwan will have three combat-ready submarines: this ship, along with two Chien Lung Class submarines that are currently in service.

The christening ceremony drew international attention. Some 80 journalists were at the scene, with several foreign media outlets covering the launch. As Taiwan presses on its quest for defense autonomy, the global community is looking on.

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2023-09-28

Taiwan, India in talks on labor agreement

Taiwan and India are in talks to sign a deal on labor importation. Amid its severe worker shortage, Taiwan aims to hire Indian workers in several sectors, primarily from northeast India. According to Indian media, an agreement could be signed as early as next month. Taiwan officials confirm that discussions with India are underway.

Taiwan faces a severe labor shortage in sectors including construction, manufacturing and services. To resolve the issue, the Ministry of Labor is trying to bring in more workers from abroad. Since taking office in mid-September, India’s representative to Taiwan has met with labor minister Hsu Ming-chun and Premier Chen Chien-jen, to discuss collaboration on labor.

Manharsinh L. Yadav (Sept. 12)
Indian representative to Taiwan
We have a couple of MOUs we’re negotiating, one on migration and mobility and the other one on traditional medicine.

Chen Chien-jen (Sept. 12)
Premier
This year, India became the most populous country in the world. With its vast market, demographic dividend and potential business opportunities, it has become a top investment destination for many businesses around the world.

According to the Hindustan Times, an MOU on migration and mobility could be signed as early as next month. Sources say Taiwan will focus on workers from northeast India, due to greater similarities in culture and diet. With a population of more than 1.42 billion, India has overtaken China as the most populous country in the world. Its massive demographic dividend is a big draw for businesses. Taiwan is currently home to 745,000 migrant workers employed in the manufacturing and caregiving sectors. About 260,000 of them are from Indonesia, and just as many are from Vietnam, each nationality accounting for 35% of the total. About 152,000 workers, or 20%, of the total are from the Philippines. About 68,000, or 10%, are from Thailand.

Voice of Su Yu-kuo
Workforce Development Agency
We very much welcome cooperation with new source countries, based on the principles of equality and reciprocity. We hope to help our economy develop and assist families in need.

Jeff Liu
Foreign ministry spokesperson
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to discuss the matter closely with the Ministry of Labor and Indian authorities. We will make an announcement at the appropriate time.

The labor and foreign ministries say talks on a labor agreement are underway, with more details to be announced.

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2023-09-28

Government to provide night-shift incentive for nurses

2023-09-28

Yulon opens New Taipei’s largest department store in Xindian District

Taiwanese carmaker Yulon has cut the ribbon on its newest venture: a giant department store. The Yes!Life shopping center boasts more than 250 brands, including Eslite and Vieshow cinemas. Located in Xindian, New Taipei, it stands on land that used to be Yulon’s first car factory. At Thursday’s grand opening, Yulon’s chair said the site was where the company’s hopes and dreams took flight.

Yulon Motor Chairperson Yen Chen Li-lien pulls up in her company’s latest electric car, wearing a black cape blazer over a red blouse. The occasion is the grand opening of Yes!Life, the automaker’s department store.

The chairperson appeared in high spirits. To celebrate its 70th anniversary, Yulon Motor transformed its old Xindian factory site into the largest department store in New Taipei. The venture not only marks the anniversary, but also realizes a dream of late Yulon chairperson Kenneth Yen.

Yen Chen Li-lien
Yulon Motor chair
This is the place where it all started. It’s a completely different feeling. It’s my home. Thinking of all the changes we’ve gone through makes me want to cry.

Tears fill her eyes as she thinks of her company’s history. Also at the event were Yen Chen’s son and daughter, along with Pegatron Chairperson Tung Tzu-hsien, Eslite Chairperson Mercy Wu, and VieShow Cinemas Chairperson Charles Wang.

It’s all smiles onstage. Residents say they are excited about the new shopping venue. Before Yes!Life opened, Kingstone had been the only major book shop in the district, and residents had to go to Taipei’s Gongguan to watch a movie. Now, Xindian is home to a VieShow IMAX theater and the largest Eslite Spectrum outlet in Asia.

Member of public
The bigger the bookstore, the more I’ll like it.

Member of public
I came over a little earlier in the morning to walk around the shopping area and see the launch ceremony. Now there’s a new place to hang out. We don’t always have to go all the way to Taipei.

Shoppers flocked to the shopping center on opening day. The interior’s high ceilings make the building feel almost like a castle. A giant bunny installation in the entrance hall makes for the perfect photo op. The Eslite Spectrum is packed with spaces dedicated to arts and culture.

Mercy Wu
Eslite chair
There is a creative space with ceilings 12 meters tall and a total floor area of more than 300 pings. All sorts of events and exhibitions can take place there. We hope to attract more than 11 million visits every year.

Yao Chen-hsiang
Yulon Motor president
The Transportation Department helped out with things like the electrical wiring, and Taipower made adjustments. They also helped with traffic signaling and they dispatched many volunteers to direct traffic. The situation is much better than it was during the soft opening. I don’t think there will be any problems now.

The department store has opened just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend. It aims to make more than NT$4 billion every year, and offer a new shopping experience to 700,000 local residents.

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2023-09-28

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman visits Taiwan

Yonglin Foundation held an AI Forum themed “Redefining Tomorrow: The AI Revolution." Among the speakers was Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. During his speech, he emphasized his optimism about the future of OpenAI and promised to continue optimizing ChatGPT and solve the risks that AI poses. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has the details.

This is Sam Altman’s third visit to Taiwan. Speaking at an AI forum in Taipei, he said that despite public doubts about AI, he is optimistic about the future of OpenAI. He sees great potential in employing OpenAI in the fields of education and health care.

Sam Altman
OpenAI CEO
We have been calling for regulation but only for the most powerful systems. Let the small models go. Let open source go. Models that are like 10,000 times the power of GPT-4. Models that are as smart as human civilization. Those probably deserve some regulation. It seemed to me like the least controversial thing that I was going to say this year. I got and still am getting bashed for it by the tech industry. There is this reflexive anti-regulation thing but regulation has not been a pure good. But it has been good in a lot of ways. Some areas I am particularly excited about are about are education, health care, and personal productivity tools like what we see people do using those coding tools that has been amazing.

When asked about AI’s risks like misinformation and reinforcement of biases, Altman said it was important to set boundaries and input human feedback.

Sam Altman
OpenAI CEO
It is certainly true that if you just train a model on the raw Internet you are going to get something that most reasonable people will call biased in different ways. But with techniques that we and others have developed like reinforcement learning from human feedback and a whole bunch of other things, you can surprisingly steer these models. And so, you can figure out how you want OpenAI to make some decisions but you can change it a lot. This idea of empowering individuals, but setting the edges, and also the sort of standard behavior well I think is very important.

Speaking on the ways to make AI more sustainable, Altman said that fusion or solar nuclear-powered green energy may be able to provide a safe, clean, and cheap source of power at scale.

Sam Altman
OpenAI CEO
Fusion and if that doesn’t work, solar. The energy needs as we look out are enormous. I think the cost of intelligence over time should trend towards the cost of energy. There is going to be a huge demand for intelligence and, thus, a huge demand for energy. If we can create abundant, cheap, clean, safe energy. And again, I think we are going to have this very soon, fusion at a massive scale. Like the scale that you need for everybody on earth to get to enjoy the fruits of AGI. That is our plan.

Experts speaking at the forum said that while there are concerns surrounding AI, they hope to work together to solve its risks.

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2023-09-28

Taiwan tennis duos on verge of gold at Asian Games

Meanwhile in tennis, Taiwan is making history. On the men’s side, a gold medal is within reach, after Hsu Yu-hsiou and Jason Jung beat Thailand in the semis. Historically, Taiwan’s best performance in men’s doubles was a bronze. As for women’s doubles, the Chan sisters powered through their semifinal on Thursday, setting up a showdown against compatriots Liang En-shuo and Lee Ya-hsuan .

In the women’s doubles semifinal, Liang En-shuo and Lee Ya-hsuan were up against Korea’s Jeong Boyoung and Back Dayeon. The four played a fierce 100-minute match that ended with Taiwan on top, 2-1, booking a ticket to the final.

Liang En-shuo
Taiwanese tennis player
I played in the mixed doubles yesterday, so I started to feel unwell after the second set. I wasn’t in good form today. I’m very thankful to my partner for covering for me.

Lee Ya-hsuan
Taiwanese tennis player
I played as usual and we all did our best. We wouldn’t want to get injured. So playing to the end of the match is good enough.

In the other semifinal, the seasoned Chan sisters made short work of their Indonesia opponents, winning 6-2, 6-2. This means the final will be Taiwan versus Taiwan. Regardless of the outcome, Taiwan will add a gold and a silver.

Latisha Chan
Taiwanese tennis player
Our upcoming opponents had some close calls in their matches this past week, but thanks to their resilience, they managed to pull through at the critical moments and win. I think that is a huge strong point for them, an advantage they have. When we go up against them in the upcoming final, we have to pay especially close attention to that.

Over in the men’s doubles semis, Hsu Yu-hsiou and Jason Jung staged a dramatic comeback against Thailand in the third set, earning a spot in the final.

Hsu Yu-hsiou
Taiwanese tennis player
I really want to win gold. My initial goal was to at least get a medal. And somehow I made it to the men’s doubles final and have a chance at gold. I hope that tomorrow, I’ll be able to maintain the good form of these past few days, do well, and win that gold medal.

Jason Jung
Taiwanese tennis player
We’ll keep up our hard work. We really want to win. But we shouldn’t set our expectations too high. We can just take our time and have fun.

In previous Asian Games, Taiwan’s best result in men’s doubles was a bronze medal. By making it to the final, Hsu and Jung have already made history.

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2023-09-28

Taiwan gets first Go gold at Asian Games

2023-09-28

94 Taiwanese players competing in the Asian Para Games

The Asian Para Games is a multi-sport event that is held every four years for athletes with physical disabilities. This year, a total of 94 Taiwanese athletes will participate in 14 sports categories. FTV reporter Stephany Yang met some of the athletes before the games to see how they are preparing.

The Asian Para Games will kick off on Oct. 22 and last until Oct. 28. Ninety-four Taiwanese players will participate in 14 sports categories including track and field, swimming, judo, taekwondo, archery, bodybuilding, table tennis, badminton, wheelchair tennis, and more.

One wheelchair player representing Taiwan is Huang Chu-yin. She is Taiwan’s first professional wheelchair tennis player. After a car accident, she was paralyzed and could not even hold a racket. After rehabilitation, she continued to play tennis. She competes against male players and is actively training to qualify for the 2024 Summer Paralympics.

Huang Chu-yin
Wheelchair tennis player
I am currently working very hard with my coach to make adjustments and formulate some new strategies. Then, add some techniques and dynamic skills. My goal for myself is to see if I can enter the semi-finals or bronze in singles.

One player representing Taiwan in badminton is Fang Zhen-yu. He has a nerve plexus injury in his left shoulder due to dystocia at birth, resulting in muscle atrophy in his left upper limb. He finished fourth in the Tokyo Para Games. He is currently setting his sights on the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics, hoping to qualify to represent Taiwan again.

Fang Zhen-yu
Badminton player
I competed in more tournaments this year and accumulated more experience. I traveled abroad to compete and gain points before the Asian Para Games, and the competition was quite intense. I have yet to win a medal in a major competition. I finished fourth in Tokyo. I hope I can do it this time. The goal is to win gold and win one game at a time.

Since Taiwan started participating in the Asian Para Games in 2010, it has achieved an impressive track record, winning 14 gold medals, 26 silver medals, and 49 bronze medals. The Asian Para Games which is regulated by the Asian Paralympic Committee was suspended in 2022 due to the pandemic. The players have made adequate preparations and look forward to winning gold.

Mu Min-chu
Chinese Taipei Paralympic Committee
This is the first time we have such a large group in disability sports. We are participating in 14 sports competitions. We have a strong team. We are looking forward to winning medals in sports like table tennis, where both men and women are very strong. Then there is badminton, which also has the potential to win gold medals. In addition, our track and field, swimming, wheelchair fencing, archery, and wheelchair tennis are also excellent. We are looking forward to returning home with medals.

The number of athletes representing Taiwan in this year’s Asian Para Games has reached a new high. The Asian Para Games 2023 will kick off in Hangzhou on Oct. 22.

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2023-09-28

Nantou Global Tea Expo opens on Oct. 7, features tea-themed banquet

The 13th annual Nantou Global Tea Expo opens on Oct. 7. Just in time for National Day, Nantou is gearing up to show off its huge tea industry over the nine-day expo. It features dozens of halls with different teas on show, and a deluxe banquet, where each dish will incorporate different types of tea leaves. Nantou County commissioner Hsu Shu-hua was on hand to entice visitors to come to the expo. She extolled the tremendous economic impact of tea and its potential to create international exchange.

Children perform bunny rabbits hopping across the stage to open the press conference. The Nantou Global Tea Expo kicks off on Oct. 7 in Zhongxing New Village.

The nine-day expo features 28 special halls and exhibition sales zones. Visitors will be able to taste the best tea, purchase the best tea, and of course sample leaves from Taiwan, as well as all over the globe. Organizers have built an international tea pavilion to promote multicultural exchange.

Hsu Shu-hua
Nantou County commissioner
The tea industry in Nantou County brings huge economic growth into Taiwan every year. In the last few years we have been promoting products in many countries, and, with our international tea pavilion, we also want to introduce our friends to the world’s best teas.

There will be a “Thousand Seat Tea Banquet” this year, with tea leaves incorporated into sumptuous dishes.

Hsu Shu-hua
Nantou County commissioner
Lots of Nantou tea leaves are actually made into different types of cuisine. It’s not just about drinking tea – they can also be incorporated into food in many places. We recommend the “Thousand Seat Tea Banquet,” because it’s themed on tea, and there will be 13 dishes, each with the flavor of a different township. And our twist this time is how to perfectly marry that with tea.

About 55% of the total land used for growing tea in Taiwan is in Nantou County. The significant economic profits of the industry are huge for the county, and the expo will be a big draw for tea lovers on National Day weekend.

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2023-09-28

Prince of Pommel Horse Lee Chih-kai takes gold at Asian Games