Hsiao Bi-khim meets Czech Senate speaker during Europe visit

Hsiao Bi-khim meets Czech Senate speaker during Europe visit

2024-03-19

After last week’s personal trip to the U.S., Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim is now in Europe. Though the itinerary of her visit has not been made public, on Monday, Hsiao was in the Czech Republic. There, she met with the President of the Czech Senate Milos Vystrcil, who posted a photo with Hsiao on social media.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Hsiao visited Czechia to speak at a seminar held by Sinopsis, a Prague-based think tank. The visit also allowed her to meet with friends in the country before her inauguration as vice president. Amid the warming of Taiwan-Europe ties, DPP lawmakers have praised Hsiao’s stop in the continent, saying it can deepen exchanges with democratic partners before May 20.

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蕭美琴上任前拚外交! 赴歐洲訪問會見捷克議長

2024-03-19

準副總統蕭美琴上任前，上週以個人身份低調訪美，現在又轉往歐洲，行程依舊保密，不過今天捷克參議院議長韋德齊在社群平台上PO出照片，與蕭美琴相見歡，參與捷克智庫舉辦的研討會。

外交部表示，蕭美琴此次訪問捷克，是應當地智庫解析中國的邀請，前往訪問並發表演講，並在就職之前與友人交換意見，互動交流。近幾年台歐關係日益升溫，不少綠委也樂見蕭美琴的走訪，發揮外交專長，在520上任前，和國際民主夥伴更進一步接觸交流。

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Large crowds form at Penghu’s Observatory Island to see naval technology up close

A navy friendship flotilla is on an island-wide tour of Taiwan, and today and tomorrow the fleet will be docked at Penghu’s Observatory Island. Both this strategically-located island and navy ships are not usually open to the public, so today’s event attracted a large crowd. Among the attendees were excited children, interested onlookers, and even two centenarian naval officers.

A fleet of navy ships is stopping at different locations around Taiwan, and today the friendship flotilla visited Observatory Island under the jurisdiction of Magong naval base. Attending the event was a large group of people, including children that were very excited to see enormous naval vessels.

Of all the spots the friendship fleet is visiting on its trip around all of Taiwan, Observatory Island is the closest location to the median line of the Taiwan Strait. Not usually open to the public, the base welcomed a crowd of people who took advantage of the rare opportunity to step onto the island.

Hung Tung-Lin
Penghu Cultural Affairs Bureau
Observatory Island used to be an actual island, but later on during the Japanese colonial period it was connected to Penghu’s coast. It became an important island for the navy during the Japanese colonial period. Under the governance of the R.O.C., the island kept being used to guard the Taiwan Strait. It’s a really important naval base.

The guest list included two centenarians, who were originally members of the communication brigade at a navy shipyard in Penghu. It’s been several decades since these two men last worked together, and so the two were very happy to see each another again.

On site were a host of vendors from different branches of the military, which were looking to find future talent at the event. But not every vendor was military-based, as a small truck selling snacks surreptitiously showed up at the event.

Voice of Naval officer
The visitors who came here might feel a bit hungry after walking around for a while, so they might buy a little something to eat.

The public was able to step onto a warship and see active duty weapons up close. Visitors were treated to a visual feast, as they witnessed how Taiwan is developing in terms of its military’s advanced weapons, the defense ministry’s defense autonomy, and the nation’s art and culture.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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2024-03-19

Taipei restaurant launches Chilean culinary month

Today we take you to a Taipei restaurant that serves up delicacies from different countries. From March to May, diners can enjoy eight Chilean dishes. FTV reporter Stephany Yang finds out more.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
For its first culinary food month event of 2024, this restaurant has prepared eight Chilean dishes.

First up is tortilla de penne, also known as Chilean pasta and sausage omelet. In Spain, people use eggs and potatoes to make omelets, while in Chile, they add noodles and vegetables.

Camilo Cheng
Restaurant founder
It is like a Spanish-style tortilla made by potato. But in Chile, they mix with penne, the pasta, Italian pasta penne with egg and other ingredients which is very delicious as well.

There is also a traditional Mapuche farmhouse stew. This dish was inspired by the Mapuche, a group of Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina.

Camilo Cheng
Restaurant founder
Mapuche is the name of the Indigenous people. Mapuche, and they have a stew in their daily lives mixed with sausages and vegetables. This is quite unique of Chile. Another dish is barbecue because Chileans they will enjoy their weekend with their families in parks and riversides to have barbeque together.

Chilean cuisine is mainly derived from traditional Spanish cuisine, but it’s shaped by local Indigenous culture, local ingredients in Chile, and other European cuisines. Chile is also home to many agricultural products, whose diverse flavors make its traditional cuisine famous.

Fernando Schmidt
Chilean Trade Office director
I would highly recommend the pastel de choclo. Even though they are all amazing dishes. Pastel de choclo is very traditional for Chileans and it is something that we always like to have on our tables, particularly during the weekends when we meet with our families. And of course, the empanadas which are not only from Chile, they are from all of Latin America. We have different variations of empanadas. Bilateral trade between Chile and Taiwan is very stable. It has been very stable over the past decade I would say. We are the largest exporter of salmon. Frozen salmon to Taiwan. As well as one of the key exporters of giant squid, king crab, and abalone.

This restaurant in Taipei is offering a three-month culinary event featuring Chile. Camilo Cheng founded the restaurant in 2015. In 2021, he began partnering with embassies of Taiwan’s Caribbean allies to serve up authentic dishes, to help locals better understand the nation’s allies. He later also expanded to include countries from South America.

Camilo Cheng
Restaurant founder
My undergrad major is Spanish. My professor is Chilean. He is also a father. He went back to Chile this year so I want to do something special for him. I asked him if there were any Chilean dishes I can make in my restaurant. He gave me lots of information so to remember him and try to promote Chilean culture, so we have this Chilean food season.

The restaurant’s “culinary months” have featured dishes from countries including Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Lucia. Now the restaurant will serve up Chilean cuisine till the end of May.

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

2024-03-19

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang shows off new AI chip platform called Blackwell

Nvidia is back in black. Jensen Huang, the CEO of the AI chip behemoth, just announced a new platform called Blackwell. TSMC lent a helping hand by making a customized 4-nanometer chip for the new powerful product, which is expected to dominate the market for at least the next two years.

Wearing his customary black leather jacket, Jensen Huang was up on stage at the semi-annual Nvidia GTC Conference. In his hand was a new product that is primed to be a game-changer in the industry.

Jensen Huang
Nvidia CEO
This is Hopper. Hopper changed the world. This is Blackwell.

Huang pointed out that Blackwell isn’t a chip, as it’s actually the name of a new platform.

Jensen Huang
Nvidia CEO
That the two dice think it’s one chip. There’s 10 terabytes of data between it, 10 terabytes per second, so that these two sides of the Blackwell chip have no clue which side they’re on.

Blackwell is made of 208 billion transistors, which is two times more than anything else currently on the market. The new Nvidia product uses 4-nanometer chips custom-designed by TSMC. With its trillion-parameter GPU computing power, the platform can train AI and large language models 30 times faster than Nvidia’s H100 Hopper. That’s not all; Blackwell accomplishes these feats at up to 25 times less cost and energy consumption than previous chips. One expert predicts that in the next two years no competitors will be able to release a product with similar capabilities. Nividia’s primary partners Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Tesla will all use the new Blackwell chip platform.

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I think what’s driving markets mostly today has to be both of the news from Apple and Alphabet with regards to the potential Gemini partnership across the whole suite of Apple devices, as well as the Nvidia conference where we seeing the release of the B100 chip.

Foreign media outlets have reported that Apple is currently in talks to license Google’s AI model Gemini for use in the next generation of iPhone. AI fervor is driving the U.S. stock market, with the Dow up 0.2%, Nasdaq closing up 0.82%, and the S&P 500 rising 0.63%. Only the Philly Semiconductor Index experienced a small drop of 0.1 points.

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Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Thousands of worshippers bid Baishatun Gongtian Mazu farewell at Dajia

The Shanbian Mazu and the Baishatun Gongtian Mazu have departed from Dajia’s Jenn Lann Temple, after a historic meeting with the local Mazu. The last sighting of the three Mazus together was 18 years ago. On Tuesday thousands of worshippers rushed to Dajia to bid the visiting Mazus farewell, asking them for a blessing.

The Shanbian Mazu and the Mazu from the Baishatun Gongtian Temple are ready in the palanquin. Its bearers warm up for the procession.

The Mazu from Dajia’s Jenn Lann Temple had hosted the two other Mazus overnight. And after 15 hours together, it was time to say goodbye.

Yan Ching-piao
Dajia Jenn Lann Temple
We shouldn’t spread the visits out so much. You should come often. If possible we should do this every year.

Eighteen years on from the last visit, the Shanbian and Baishatun Gongtian Mazus came back to Dajia Jenn Lann Temple for the third time ever. Before their departure, the two temples involved agreed to organize another visit in the near future.

Hung Wen-hua
Baishatun Gongtian Temple
It so happens that Dajia is going to have a ritual this year, so of course, the Baishatun Mazu will attend the festival.

Worshippers bid farewell to the pink palanquin leaving Dajia. Tens of thousands of followers lined the streets to see it off and witness the final moments of the historic meeting between the three Mazus.

Tuesday was the second day of the Baishatun Gongtian Mazu’s travels, and it was a rainy and windy one. Worshippers braved the elements to see her and her companion. Thankfully, stands with warm food were to be found along the way.

Snacks and piping hot ginger tea were supplied throughout the parade, to keep thousands upon thousands of worshippers warm on their way. At Qingshui District, a snack stand that had opened on Monday had to deploy more than a dozen additional volunteers after finding out that the two visiting Mazus would spend the night at Dajia. The stand distributed snacks for free for a whole two days.

Wang Chen-kai
Snack stand volunteer
We ran out of goods yesterday. We had to rush to find more things this morning to keep the stand running.

Despite the cold and wet day, worshippers lie prostrate on the ground to get a blessing from the Mazus as the palanquin passes overhead. Among them was a bachelor who made a sign asking the goddesses to help him find a partner.

Mr. Wu
Worshipper
I hope that the Baishatun Mazu can bless me. I received a message from a potential suitor yesterday. We haven’t met in person, but we added each other on Line.

The Baishatun Mazu continues heading south with the Shanbian Mazu. No matter wind or rain, their worshippers’ enthusiasm accompanies them on their travels.

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

2024-03-19

Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival kicks off

The 2024 Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival has made its annual return. Due to warmer weather this year, calla lilies have already begun to bloom. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us there for an inside look.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
Calla Lily season has kicked off. We are currently at a calla lily field in Zhuzihu. The theme of this year’s festival is childhood memories.

This year’s festival features 10 farms. The farms have designed a variety of installations that people can snap photos of. Many people have come to catch a glimpse of beautiful blossoms and take pictures of fine-looking flowers.

Member of public
The background is very beautiful. There are calla lilies in the front, and mountains and small streams in the background. It all looks very nice when photographed.

Member of public
When you come here, you can escape from the reality of your work life, and instead relax and have afternoon tea.

Ruby Lu
Calla lily farmer
The theme this year is "Childhood," which is something that’s full of fun memories. I designed a big school bag. In addition, there are desks, chairs and a cute frog hat. You can take photos of them.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
At this calla lily field, you can change into this outfit and learn how to pick calla lilies. Mr. Lu, can you please tell us the first step?

Visitors can also get a lesson from the owner to learn the basics of how to safely and correctly pick calla lilies. After finding the flower you want to pick, lunge with one foot forward, and then slowly reach towards the bottom of the flower stem. Lastly, gently pull the flower out.

Lu Chih-ming
Calla lily farm owner
After entering the field, the first goal is to find the water channel and slowly enter the field. Once you’re standing firm, move forward, and you should walk in a straight line. You need to pick flowers backwards; reach to the bottom, lunge, and pull it up. This year, the flowers bloomed two weeks earlier, so take advantage of this season to come. Around late March or early April will be the best time.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
After picking calla lilies in the fields, you can come inside to take a flower arrangement class.

Visitors can pick their own calla lilies and participate in a DIY calla lily bouquet lesson. This lesson was designed by Ruby Lu.

Stephany Yang
FTV reporter
After about 20 minutes, you can bring the bouqet home with you.

Ruby Lu
Calla lily farmer
We decided on a macaron color scheme for people to experience putting together a bouquet. They can bring home a very colorful bouquet.

The 2024 Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival will be held till April 28. During the festival, there will be guided tours and vendors that sell cotton candy and coffee. The calla lilies are expected to bloom until late April. The Taipei City government encourages visitors to take public transit to the venue.

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

2024-03-19