Biden, Albanese underscore importance of peace and stability in Taiwan Strait

Biden, Albanese underscore importance of peace and stability in Taiwan Strait

2023-10-26

U.S. President Joe Biden met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House on Wednesday. After the high-profile meeting, the two leaders issued a joint statement. They reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. They stressed their opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo, and urged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.

Anthony Albanese
Australian prime minister
We want a peaceful and secure region, but we want one as well that’s based upon the rule of law and where national sovereignty, including issues such as the South China Sea and the — the right of passage in that important waterway there — the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait — is respected.

In a joint press conference, Biden said Australia was a critical partner. He said the two sides shared a commitment to upholding freedom of navigation and other “international rules of the road.” Biden emphasized the role of Australia, as well as other Quad partners India and Japan, in ensuring the freedom and security of the Indo-Pacific.

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拜登與澳總理雙邊會談重申台海和平穩定重要性

2023-10-26

美國總統拜登今天在白宮與來訪的澳洲總理艾班尼斯舉行雙邊會談，會後兩人發表聯合聲明，重申維護台海和平穩定重要性，反對片面改變現狀，並呼籲透過和平對話解決兩岸問題。

[[澳洲總理艾班尼斯]]
“我們要區域和平安全，但希望是基於法律規則，且國家主權被尊重，包括南海議題，及東海重要航道台灣海峽的航行權”

拜登表示，由美、澳、印度和日本組成的「四方安全對話」，是維持台海及印太區域穩定的重要部分，雙方都強調自由航行與飛行的重要，強烈反對在南海採取破壞穩定的行動。

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Lai says China’s name-calling is only hurting Beijing’s international image

DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te returned to his hometown on Thursday, making a visit to the Jinshan and Wanli area of New Taipei. Speaking to reporters there, he responded to Beijing’s recent criticism of him. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office has referred to him as a “Taiwan independence liar” and a “hoodlum to the extreme.” Lai said that such remarks were damaging China’s international image and dignity. He said that name-calling was not conducive to regional stability.

On a visit to Jinshan, New Taipei, Lai Ching-te stopped by Chengtian Temple, where he had gone to often as a child. He prayed to the gods for a smooth election season. But on the other side of the strait, Beijing is continuing efforts to undermine his campaign.

Zhu Fenglian
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson
Lai Ching-te has evolved from being a “Taiwan independence madman” to a “Taiwan independence liar.” Lai trumpets Taiwan independence while waving a flag for peace. He is a hoodlum to the extreme. Taiwan independence will bring about war. So how can there be peace? The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair, and is not an international issue.

Lai Ching-te
DPP presidential candidate
This approach damages China’s dignity and its international image. These verbal attacks are just like their intimidation tactics with aircraft and vessels in the Taiwan Strait. They are not conducive to regional peace and stability. I hope China will reconsider.

Lai moved to appeal to Beijing, which has continued to disregard Taiwan’s sovereignty.

China’s Patriotic Education Law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024. It includes measures that are supposedly to be implemented in Taiwan.

Lai Ching-te
DPP presidential candidate
Chinese law does not apply in Taiwan. That’s common knowledge. If China wants to unite the Chinese people, it should first consider human rights, and give people their freedoms back. You can’t get unity by passing laws and reinforcing controls. That’s like trying to get fish by climbing a tree, it’s futile.

Lai urged China to face reality, saying that verbal attacks and intimidation would only push Taiwan away.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Southeast Asian tourism prompts growing demand for language skills

The tourism industry is facing a transition, as more and more visitors come to Taiwan from Southeast Asia. By contrast, fewer visitors are coming from China and Japan. A shortage of tour guides who can speak Southeast Asian languages is fueling a shift in priorities. Experts are holding more training events for guides who can speak Thai and Vietnam. They’re also calling for rules to be relaxed on who can take the official training for national tour guides, to make it easier for new immigrants of Southeast Asian heritage.

Since the pandemic, there’s been rapid growth in the number of tourists coming to Taiwan from Southeast Asia. But few tour guides have appropriate language skills. Some travel agencies can’t take on such clients.

Luo Hsuan-hung
Tourist industry
Visitors from Vietnam, Indonesia and even South Korea have grown 20-30%. So obviously there aren’t enough tour guides. Even if a group comes to us, our agency can’t take them on.

So how big is the shortage? This year to the end of September, 46,000 people got certified as official national tour guides. Just 174 of them speak Thai, and 168 speak Vietnamese. But since the pandemic, tourists from those countries grew 30%. Experts think there’s a Vietnamese-speaking guide shortage of 25%, and a Thai-speaking guide shortage of 10%. The majority of tour guides work in Mandarin. But those 35,000 Mandarin-speaking guides are facing a shortage of clients. Eighty-five percent have no groups, due to the Chinese ban on travel to Taiwan. Global inflation rates and the depreciation of the Yen have also turned off Japanese travelers, and work has halved for Japanese-speaking guides.

Hsu Kuan-pin
R.O.C. Tourist Guide Association
Although we have more than 100 tour guides making up the shortfall this year, we want to keep on holding training events, so that within the short-term, within two or three years, we can rapidly make up the difference. There are more candidates taking the tour guide exam next year. I think we can resolve this problem quickly.

Experts say a lack of language skills is just one facet of the issue. They want criteria for certification to relax, to allow new immigrants and international students to take the exam. That could go a long way to rebalancing the post-pandemic tourist market.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Taipei becomes first to integrate AI in public education system

Taipei has adopted the use of artificial intelligence in public school education. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Taipei has launched a cloud-based AI-assisted curriculum for use at elementary and junior high schools. The curriculum uses AI to answer student questions, and to help children practice English speaking and listening. It helps teachers out, too, by grading papers, writing test questions, and giving insights on each student’s learning journey.

The children swipe and tap away, each engrossed in a tablet. They’re not playing a video game, but participating in a digital lesson. Taipei has become the first of the six special municipalities to incorporate artificial intelligence into education.

Fourth-grader
Rixin Elementary School
If there’s something I don’t understand, I ask AI.

The AI-assisted teaching system has three main features. Besides answering students’ questions, it can also help kids practice their English speaking and listening. It can also analyze user data to assess each student’s progress and produce customized learning materials.

Yang Wen-yi
Rixin Elementary School teacher
I think that children today are quite tech-savvy. That helps save a lot of time when they’re entering information. At the same time, this tool lets teachers cut down on the long lectures onstage. Through these interactions with digital media, they actually have more fun when learning.

AI assistance doesn’t just benefit students, she says. AI can help teachers write test questions and review essays, greatly enhancing work efficiency. By spending less time making manual corrections, teachers can give each student more individual attention.

Chen Chih-yuan
Taipei City digital learning center head
This lets all students learn independently after class, to have that opportunity. On the teacher’s interface, teachers can see the whole class, can see every student’s educational progress.

Chiang Wan-an
Taipei mayor
We want to help students learn more efficiently, happily, and intelligently. I think that’s our main goal.

Generative AI is bringing sweeping changes across the globe. In Taiwan, Taipei is pioneering its use in cloud-based online courses. Last month, 17 schools were invited to test the curriculum, which officially launched on Thursday. All primary and junior high schools city-wide can now adopt this new learning paradigm, using AI to support education.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-10-26

E-commerce platforms slash prices for Double 11 shopping season

The Double 11 shopping holiday is just around the corner. E-commerce platforms are already slashing their prices to attract customers. Shopee is offering NT$3,000 off for purchases above NT$3,000. Over at Yahoo Shopping, products are 50% off site-wide. Consumer electronics brands have also launched offers of their own, with 50% of on vacuum robots and 86-inch TVs.

Sitting on the floor, she swipes her phone and the vacuum robot leaps to action, sweeping and mopping to bust the dust. With an appliance like this, cleaning the house is a breeze. And it’s 50% during the Double 11 shopping holiday.

She turns on the TV, which boasts 4K resolution and a 120 hertz refresh rate. This super-large 86-inch screen is also half off. There’s also this 6.5-liter air fryer big enough to cook a whole chicken. If you want a smartphone instead, you can grab the flagship for 10% off, with a power bank thrown in for free.

Hsu Chin-jung
Consumer electronics company
In the first half of the year, there wasn’t clear growth. As you probably all know, there was more consumption in travel than in consumer electronics. So consumption in electronics wasn’t especially prominent. But in the second half of the year, momentum has picked up. So we are cautiously optimistic about this Double 11 sales period.

With post-pandemic travel in full swing, the Double 11 shopping season faces stiff competition for dollars. To attract customers, one e-commerce platform is offering rock-bottom prices, such as brand-name vacuum cleaners for 42% off and vibration plates for 63% off. On top of that, spend NT$11,111 to get a discount of NT$1,111.

Cheng Chu-ni
E-commerce platform spokesperson
We’re offering bargain prices of up to 62% off at our online and physical stores. We expect sales to be 20% higher than last year’s.

Big brands like Xiaomi and 486shop are pulling out all the stops. Shopee is offering each customer 11 coupons for free shipping, as well as a discount of NT$3,000 for spending NT$3,000. All combined, customers can save an average of 89%. Yahoo Shopping is 50% off site-wide. It’s also giving out NT$330 in virtual credit for spending NT$3,000 in one day. Meanwhile, PChome is handing out discount coupons every day, and electronics are as much as 66% off. With such good deals, it’s time to get spending.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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A gym for office workers

With the fast-paced and busy lifestyle of Taiwanese office workers, gyms catering to busy office workers are on the rise. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us to a gym that offers 45-minute high-intensity training sessions.

Machines are arranged in rows, with a trainer leading the class at the front. Other coaches walk around the studio to assist students correct their posture.

In the workout studio, a series of TVs are mounted on the wall. It allows gym-goers to monitor their heart rate, the total calories burned, percentage of their maximum effort, and number of sets to go. This gym specializes in functional training, high-intensity training, and circuit training group workout sessions for busy office workers. In each class, students will perform a combination of strength, resistance, cardio, and hybrid exercises.

Away
Gym member
I have always enjoyed working out. I am an office worker, and I hope to be able to exercise very quickly and effectively. My company is nearby. I have been looking for gyms nearby. I have been here for almost a year. My muscle endurance, my posture, and muscle mass have all increased significantly.

Albert Ho
Gym member
My frequency of exercise went way up. Now I do about five times a week. What is really great about here is that you just come and kind of shut your mind off. They plan everything for you and they help you clean up too.

Pedro
Gym member
The courses here are different every day. There are weight training and aerobics courses. The past six months have been very helpful because it will make you want to continue to exercise.

This gym is a franchise of an Australian gym. The Taiwanese branch located in Taipei was founded by Justus Wah, a Singaporean who moved to Taiwan when he was 10 years old. After graduating from high school, he moved to Singapore to study and work for a few years. After working as a software engineer, he decided to move back to Taiwan to follow his passion. He found a branch of this Australian gym in Taiwan in November 2021.

Justus Wah
Founder
I started to get into this fitness trend. I lost a lot of weight. I started to eat healthy and workout really often. I felt good about myself. At the same time because I was bored of my job and didn’t really know what to do. I kind of felt stuck a little bit in my career as well. When that happened, I took a very bold move of just taking out all my savings and investing in a gym to help change lives because my life was changed. Most people today they don’t have an hour, two hours, or three hours to spend in the gym. They want to get results fast. We do that in a high-intensity setting with high energy.

Besides being results and efficiency focused, the gym hopes to create a tight-knit community for like-minded fitness enthusiasts.

Justus Wah
Founder
I think that a lot of times for fitness it is already really challenging for someone who is struggling with weight, struggling with their body image, struggling to get a good routine in to continue. I think as much as we want results which is super important, the main part of driving to that and the main way of getting results is by joining a community where you change the environment around you. You change the people around you. Our main target audience is office workers who are within the vincinity. They had a long day of work but they still want time to get a good workout in.

Taiwanese office workers live a fast-paced and busy lifestyle. Gyms like this one are becoming increasingly popular among gym-goers.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-10-26