Philippines accuses Chinese coast guard of ‘brutal assault’

Philippines accuses Chinese coast guard of ‘brutal assault’

2024-06-20

Hostilities have escalated again between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea. The Philippines has accused China’s coast guard of a “brutal assault” earlier this week. It says its boats were punctured with knives and illegally boarded by Chinese personnel, one of whom carried an ax. According to Taiwan’s foreign ministry, this flare-up of aggression is due to China’s new coast guard rules, which grant authority to use deadly force in contested waters.

The rules took force on June 15. Taiwan lawmakers have raised concerns about the frequent presence of Chinese coast guard ships near Kinmen and Matsu. On average, four such ships have anchored near Kinmen each day in the first half of June. Taiwan’s policy is to avoid the use of firearms against China’s coast guard ships, as they are considered government vessels.

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中海警持斧頭強行登菲國船台海巡使用武器需署長同意

2024-06-20

中國與菲律賓南海再爆衝突，而且這回海警甚至「手持斧頭」強行登船、繳械扣人。外交部認為是因為中國「海警機構行政執法程序規定」15日上路後賦予中國海警更大權限。

海巡署統計，光是6月上半，中國平均每天都部署4艘海警船，在金門海域4個熱區內定點錨泊。立委提醒，中國海警傳頻頻出沒金、馬周邊水域，很可能也有衝突危機。海巡署表示，目前如需使用槍砲武器，還需署長同意，由於海警船屬於中國的公務船，應避免使用武力，只能用各種方式來驅離，如造浪等。

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One month after taking office, President Lai Ching-te’s approval rating stands at 56.8%. That’s according to a poll conducted last weekend by the Taiwan Brain Trust. His premier, Cho Jung-tai, is also riding high with a rating above 50%. But scholars warned that Lai has big challenges to tackle, including the crisis currently unfolding the Legislative Yuan.

President Lai Ching-te has completed one month in office with his approval rating at 56.8%, according to a Taiwan Brain Trust poll. Premier Cho Jung-tai’s rating also stands above 50%, despite ongoing strife in the legislature.

Chen Li-fu
Taiwan Association of University Professors head
Given such a high approval rating, the president has considerable political leverage. He can use his constitutional leverage – his constitutional power – to proactively seek ways to deal with the Legislative Yuan, where there’s a crisis centered on power expansion and constitutional issues.

Chen Chih-chung
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Of course there will be a tough battle ahead. People have certain hopes. There are high expectations. I think that this should serve as motivation for the Cabinet.

In contrast to the Lai administration’s ratings, public perception of the legislature is less favorable. Overall satisfaction with Taiwan’s legislators is below 30%, while dissatisfaction is close to 60%. When asked what they wanted the legislature to do, more than 80% of respondents said they wanted to see political reconciliation.

Tseng Kuan-chiu
National Taiwan Normal University professor
But overall, there’s a slightly higher percentage of people who are suspicious about the legislature expanding its power. Opposing the legislature’s attempt to expand its power doesn’t necessarily mean opposing legislative reform. Reforms of the executive and judicial branches, as well as other reforms, should continue. But what is clear is that the people do not want the legislature to be in a constant state of strife.

The poll also asked respondents about legislative speaker Han Kuo-yu. His satisfaction rate was 44%, while his dissatisfaction rate was 49%.

Chen Li-fu
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Nobody is happy seeing what’s happening in the legislature. The people who created this situation – for example, Fu Kun-chi of the KMT caucus and Huang Kuo-chang of the TPP caucus – need to stop and engage in some reflection. To make a comparison, Han Kuo-yu’s 44% approval rating is far above the ratings of the TPP caucus and the KMT caucus.

The scholar called out the conveners of the KMT and TPP caucuses, saying that their bills have sparked a public backlash. Even with the legislative session just beginning, public satisfaction with lawmakers is already on the decline. The scholar urged the opposition to take heed of public sentiment.

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Jen Yu-hsin
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Most of the businesses and residents in this area are doing fine. But I feel that restoring tourists’ confidence will be very difficult.

This year’s Dragon Boat Festival occurred more than two months after the earthquake. Online travel bookings for the holiday were down 80% compared to the previous year, while restaurant revenue dropped 47%. Even nearby Taitung hasn’t been spared by the fallout, with its revenue declining by 33%. To salvage local tourism, young Hualien residents are working with a consulting firm to find solutions.

Jen Yu-hsin
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Hualien isn’t just Taroko Gorge. It’s always offered a wealth of experiences, for instance marine activities like whale watching, rafting, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding. Indigenous villages also offer cultural experiences. We cherish this opportunity to reintroduce folks to all the other sides of Hualien.

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We encourage businesses that offer food and experiences to list them on the “experience platform.” This can help to secure more government subsidies, and more people can see what we offer. It’s very important to have an English-language booking system, because foreign tourism to Taiwan is still going strong.

In Hualien County, some 60% of residents work in the tourism industry. Local youth are working to promote the region’s offerings, to restore tourists’ confidence for the summer season and beyond.

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Jhubei’s new food waste disposal machine reduces occupational hazards

Jhubei in Hsinchu is home to Taiwan’s first mobile food waste disposal machine. Jhubei creates up to 100 tons of garbage every day, and food waste alone accounts for 25 tons. To reduce the workload on sanitation workers, the city government spent a year creating a food waste disposal machine that replaces traditional labor and reduces occupational hazards for sanitation workers.

Hearing the garbage truck’s familiar music, residents promptly bring out their trash. They toss trash bags into the truck one by one and take turns dumping their food waste. The sanitation workers must manually handle all the trash, which poses considerable dangers in the long run.

Now Jhubei has come out with Taiwan’s first mobile food waste disposal machine, reducing the labor required of sanitation workers.

Hsu Yan-ching
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It strains our backs and arms to handle all the trash. Since the food waste buckets are very heavy, if someone accidentally loses their grip, they will get hurt. It’s hard to avoid. Now we use an electric machine to do the work, so we won’t get injured.

As the population in Jhubei continues to rise, the city’s daily waste has reached100 tons, with food waste alone accounting for 25 tons. To reduce occupational hazards for sanitation workers, the city government spent a year and invested NT$250,000 to create this disposal machine to replace manual labor.

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The sanitation team captain and I worked together with a manufacturer to create this mobile food waste disposal machine. This way, our sanitation workers won’t get injured on the job.

Wang Wei-jen
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The machine is entirely electric. It doesn’t use any gas, so it won’t create any pollution. Also, when it dumps out the food waste, none will be spilled on the ground.

The Jhubei sanitation team also cooperated with the Hsinchu Lioneers basketball team, calling on residents to consider sustainability when throwing away garbage. They hope to make Jhubei a truly environmentally sustainable city.

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McDonald’s fires AI chatbots for getting orders wrong

Should an AI be fired for poor performance? McDonald’s in the U.S. has finally pulled the plug on its AI drive-thru, after years of ordering mishaps. Customers have highlighted ridiculous errors on social media, such as bacon added to ice cream and orders overflowing with chicken nuggets. The fast-food giant says that by August of this year, all of its AI systems will get the chop.

In a video posted to social media, McDonald’s customers in the U.S. struggle to order from an AI drive-thru. The system tries to give them 30 McNugget meals at a cost of more than NT$10,000.

One customer orders vanilla ice cream and gets three extra portions of butter. Another receives ice cream topped with bacon, a flabbergasting combo. Since 2021, McDonald’s has installed AI voice ordering systems in over 100 drive-thrus, in order to save on labor costs. But the AI’s gaffes have been continual, as have customer complaints.

Member of the U.S. public
What I can’t stand, and I hate it for the life of me, is this new AI ordering at the McDonald’s drive-thrus. I just want to be able to communicate that to a human being.

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People would order things, it would be completely wrong, you would get 1,000 of this, a 1,000 of that. (We) announced we are scrapping the entire IBM AI chatbot thing.

Due to the mountain of issues, McDonald’s in the U.S. announced that it will remove all automated AI-based order systems by the end of July. But the company says it still plans to use technology to assist with future operations.

AI ordering is not uncommon in the U.S. fast food industry. In Taiwan’s McDonald’s, humans are still king, although they’re supported by self-service ordering machines.

Member of the public
I use the self-service machines next to the counter to order food. These machines should be used in tandem with real people, and the real people should be on site.

Member of the public
It would be great if AI could take your order through voice recognition. Of course that would be great. But it shouldn’t make mistakes.

Some people want to try out AI ordering. Others worry they’ll be charged the wrong amount and that there won’t be people on hand to handle it. When it comes to AI versus humans, it’s Round 1 to the humans.

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