Group of Chinese students and faculty to visit Taiwan

Group of Chinese students and faculty to visit Taiwan

2024-11-15

The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation on Friday announced that the central government had approved an application to bring a group of Chinese students and professors to Taiwan for a short visit. The members of the group come from seven universities in China, including Tsinghua University. Among the visitors are two Chinese Olympians: table tennis legend and six-time gold medalist Ma Long, and two-time gold medalist sport shooter Yang Qian. Let’s hear from the central government.

Liang Wen-chieh
Mainland Affairs Council
The application is already in its latter stages, so there shouldn’t be any major problems. The necessary requests have been made and they will have to respect our rules.

Wang Mei-hui
Lawmaker (DPP)
They can come to experience Taiwan’s freedom and democracy. That way they can see the untruths that the Chinese government spreads through their media outlets and Tiktok.

DPP lawmaker Wang Mei-hui says she hopes the group will be able to see Taiwan in a different light. Meanwhile, Lawmaker Rosalia Wu, also from the DPP, says the group will have to respect the rules in place and avoid engaging in political issues that could cause controversy. The group’s nine-day itinerary includes visits to several universities including National Taiwan University in Taipei and National Tsing Hua University in Hsinchu. They’ll also visit Zhongshan Girls High School in the capital.

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

球王馬龍隨行! 馬英九邀請中國師生訪台行程九天八夜

2024-11-15

馬英九基金會邀請，清華大學等七所中國大學的師生訪台，其中還包含了奧運六金傳奇馬龍，以及射擊女子金牌楊倩，都是成員之一。馬英九基金會今天也證實，目前已經接獲教育部、陸委會以及移民署通知，同意邀請中生訪台團。

[[陸委會副主委梁文傑]]
“目前應該到最後階段，所以應該不會有太大的問題，我們該要求的也都會要求，他們也會遵守相關的規定”

[[立委(民) 王美惠]]
“請他們看看台灣的自由民主，不是說只依賴中國政府，透過他們的媒體和抖音，都說很多台灣的不是”

敞開大門，樂見中國師生團訪台，民進黨立委吳思瑤也強調，必須恪守不涉及政治的行為，避免不必要爭議。而九天八夜行程也曝光，除了到訪台大、政大之外，也會到新竹清大、陽明交大等大學，另外還預計訪問中山女中。

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China pressures Lima authorities to tear down large pro-Taiwan advertisements

The APEC annual summit is being held in Lima, the capital of Peru, and grandees in attendance include none other than China’s leader Xi Jinping. With such a high ranking Chinese visitor, the Lima authorities reportedly removed advertisements about Taiwan from public spaces. Even Taiwan’s economy was mislabeled in press materials as "China Taipei" rather than "Chinese Taipei", the formal name it uses for APEC, and was only corrected after Taiwan’s foreign ministry complained.

In this advertising space, the word “Taiwan” appears in large letters, as it encourages the world to “chip in with Taiwan for global prosperity.” This advertisement had been specially produced by Taiwan’s foreign ministry and was not only in the Jorge Chavez International Airport, but also at major street intersections in Lima. Unexpectedly, following pressure from China, many of these ads were taken down and can only be seen on just some of Lima’s streets.

Hung Meng-kai
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We will demand that Peru not succumb to such pressure. We should be able to make use of formal channels and official ways to put up these kinds of billboards. Why should the Peruvian government give into pressure from others?

Puma Shen
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This is a typical tactic from China. Overseas, they won’t only put pressure on governments, but also do this to private businesses. Although a part of our advertisements can’t appear anymore, for some of the others they refused to cave to pressure, so in the end we were successful in having a certain portion of our advertisements on show.

China was not content just to suppress Taiwan’s advertising. In press packages for the media about the leaders and representatives of various countries, it appeared that Taiwan’s formal APEC moniker had been changed from “Chinese Taipei” to “China Taipei.”

Huang Chien-hao
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We hope the Peruvian organizers will carefully review how such a mistake occurred and whether there was any political pressure involved. We hope that APEC can focus on economic issues rather than continually creating disputes over names.

Fortunately, after Taiwan’s foreign ministry communicated with the organizers, the problem was corrected. President Lai Ching-te appointed Lin Hsin-i as his APEC envoy. It’s the third time for Lin, a presidential adviser, to represent Taiwan at APEC. Lin, who has already arrived in Peru, has said he will make good use of Taiwan’s strengths in AI and silicon chips to win over international support, interact with leaders and representatives of various countries and engage them in bilateral talks, to help the world get to know Taiwan more.

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2024-11-15

A look at Trump’s foreign policy goals

Promising a return to the America First doctrine, US President-elect Donald Trump’s early conversations with leaders following his election victory indicate he aims to fulfill his promises to quickly end the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. VOA Chief White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports.

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, will be the global backdrop as Donald Trump and his “America First” foreign policy return to the White House.

Donald Trump
US president-elect
Nothing will stop me from keeping my word to you, the people. We will make America safe, strong, prosperous, powerful, and free again.

Trump’s term starts Jan. 20, but he has already spoken with world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Moscow denies reports that Trump has also spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump campaigned on ending wars quickly. Analysts say he is eager to deliver.

Charles Kupchan
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When it comes to the Middle East, I think in some ways, the message will be: "Hurry up and finish this war." For Ukraine, it’s going to be: “Stop.”

Trump has never explained how he will make wars stop but often criticizes the billions of dollars of US aid going to Ukraine. A rapid end to the war could mean major concessions by Kyiv, something Zelenskyy says is not likely to happen.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy
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We want a just end to this war. I am sure that a fast end of war means losses.

With North Korea sending soldiers to help Moscow, the war in Ukraine could have broader geopolitical implications, at a time of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Trump must also deal with Israel, which appears focused on maximalist aims rather than a cease-fire, not only with Hamas in Gaza but also with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the war’s second front. Both groups are proxies of Iran.

Benjamin Netanyahu
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We see the Iranian threat in all its components and the danger it poses. We also see the great opportunities before Israel in the field of peace and its expansion.

Trump promised to be tough on trade, especially against China. In his congratulatory message to Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “stable, healthy and sustainable” ties.

Mao Ning
China Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Xi Jinping pointed out that history has shown that China and the United States benefit from cooperation and suffer from confrontation.

Trump also promised to crack down on immigration, vowing to mass-deport undocumented immigrants. On Monday, he moved on that promise, appointing Tom Homan, his former acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, as incoming “border czar.”

Patsy Widakuswara VOA News, Washington.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Business leaders celebrate NTU’s 96th anniversary

National Taiwan University on Friday held its 96th anniversary ceremony. Honorary doctorate holder Morris Chang, the founder of TSMC, was among the guests. He told reporters that an opening ceremony for a new TSMC plant in Arizona, which had been expected for December, would not be held. There is speculation this is related to the election of US President Donald Trump. Alongside Chang were the brothers, Richard and Daniel Tsai, from the Fubon Group. Daniel Tsai, the group’s chairperson, was awarded an honorary doctorate in law. Alumni at the ceremony also included Quanta founder, Barry Lam.

Following TSMC’s Sports Day, company founder Morris Chang was in front of the cameras again.

Faced with repeated questions from reporters, Chang categorically stated that TSMC would not hold an opening ceremony for its new US plant. It had earlier been reported that plans to hold an opening ceremony for TSMC’s new plant in the US in December could change owing to the election of US President Donald Trump.

Brothers Richard Tsai and Daniel Tsai of the Fubon Group attended the 96th anniversary celebrations of their alma mater. Daniel Tsai, the group’s chairman, was awarded an honorary doctorate in law from National Taiwan University and released a video as a prelude, where he commemorated his late father, Tsai Wan-tsai, the founder of the Fubon Group.

Daniel Tsai
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The late Fubon Group founder Tsai Wan-tsai, like Daniel Tsai, was an alumnus of National Taiwan University’s College of Law. When Daniel Tsai delivered his speech, he specifically mentioned his father’s influence on him.

Daniel Tsai
Fubon Group chairman
If my father had not passed away, he would have been still a College of Law graduate and would have been even more qualified than me to be awarded an honorary doctorate in law. I will dedicate this honor to him and thank him for bringing me, at that time a young and fun-loving kid, to National Taiwan University.

As he emotionally thanked his father for his guidance, friends and entrepreneurs were lined up in the audience to witness Daniel Tsai’s moment of glory. The total net worth of all those present exceeded NT$1 trillion, making the National Taiwan University anniversary ceremony a focus of public attention.

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Qingshui Service Area reopens after 8-month renovation

The Qingshui Service Area in Taichung has reopened after some eight months of renovations to make it bigger and better. The service area is a must-stop for many travelers going on road trips along the west coast of Taiwan, with as many as 15,000 visits per day. The soft opening on Friday showed the new retail options on offer, including a famous pastry shop and Japanese-style desserts.

A famous bakery has opened its first store at a highway rest area in hopes of attracting car trippers. Besides limited edition pastries it’s giving out free snacks on its first day of trial operations, attracting many shoppers.

Member of public
This is their first shop here. It’s great, it really is. The snacks are great, I often buy some from them.

Member of public
They are very famous. Having an outlet here saves you the trip to Nantou.

Daisy Chiu
Pastry shop
There’s a lot of foot traffic at service areas. During the holidays, there will be high demand for gifts from people passing by the rest station. So we are offering gift boxes as well as ready-to-eat pastries.

Matcha soft serve gets an extra dusting of matcha powder for a deep flavor. This Japanese-style shop is also hoping to attract customers passing by on their way to Northern Taiwan.

Ms. Chen
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We hope to make more than NT$1 million every month, even more if there is a long weekend.

Located along the National Freeway 3, the Qingshui Rest Area is a gold mine, with more than 15,000 people stopping by every day. It closed for renovations in March. After eight months of construction, it’s reopened for trial operations to give motorists a sneak peek of its new look.

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The style feels newer.

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It’s quite nice to shop and walk around.

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Taipei residents cry SOS over Yuanshan night club noise

Taipei City residents are calling on the city government to enact stricter rules around nightclubs. The area of the EXPO Farmers’ market in Yuanshan is a famous clubbing spot, which attracts large crowds of partygoers at weekends and holidays. It’s a big part of Taipei youth culture, and a boost for the economy. But local residents say the noise pollution is ruining their sleep. Many local government officials and representatives are taking up the issue. The city promises that rules will be reviewed in December when the contracts are renegotiated. However,it remains to be seen how the clubs can come into symbiosis with their neighbors.

The middle of the night. A night club plays music onto the street. Crowds of partygoers drink, dance and sing along, in a scene reminiscent of a huge outdoor nightclub.

This is EXPO Farmers’ Market, in Taipei’s Yuanshan. Every weekend night it becomes a hot spot for young partygoers. But local residents say that the high decibels make it impossible to sleep at all on weekends.

Voice of Mr. K
Petition organizer
Every weekend, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, or any public holiday, there are huge crowds. They drink and then congregate in the nearby convenience stores, and then stand there chatting the whole night. There’s no point in reporting them to the police. After you chase one lot away, the next lot rocks up.

Yang Hsiu-lung
Zhisheng Borough head, Datong District, Taipei
The 24-hour convenience stores are where the drinkers go when the clubs close. After people have been drinking, they can’t control themselves. What we’re asking the government is to pass an amendment to the law, if possible.

The EXPO Farmer’s Market creates a lot of business. But local residents have been growing more and more fed up with it. They’ve petitioned the city council to enact stricter regulations.

Chen E-jun
Taipei City councilor
I looked up the records of the 1999 hotline over the last two years. There were almost 200 petitions. So we all think that this really needs to be looked at properly. Because, honestly, it’s fine to have a restaurant area at an expo park, but we should be taking more seriously the noise pollution regulations here, as well as the cleanliness of the environment.

Chen Chun-an
Taipei City Department of Economic Development
Their contract needs to be renegotiated on Dec. 6. In the process, we will take into account all kinds of measures, including the types of businesses, the hours of operation, operational regulations, as well as cleanliness of the surrounding area and maintenance of public order.

Taipei City Department of Economic Development says that it will renew contracts with the businesses concerned in December. At that time, it will review the regulations around the Expo Park in Yuanshan. It hopes these businesses can find a way to live in harmony with local residents.

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Taiwan’s first pet-friendly library allows dog reading companions

The Yumin branch of the New Taipei City Public Library in Xinzhuang is the country’s first pet-friendly library. You just have to apply for a special card, and on the last Sunday of every month, your furry companion can join you for a day of reading. Although it’s only open to dogs for now, they hope to open to other kinds of animals soon. Nearly 100 pets have already gotten their cards, and the number is quickly growing.

A visitor walks into a library, a dog by their side. Here, it’s not only people who can get library cards. Pets can also get a special card to accompany their humans as they read.

With just a photo and proof of vaccination, this adorable Labrador A-chiao got his card right away. The Xinzhuang Yumin branch of the New Taipei City Public Library is the country’s first pet-friendly library. On the last Sunday of every month, patrons are welcome to bring their pets.

Peng Chien-ying
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Dogs are the pet that’s most commonly brought outside the home, so we first opened to dogs. In the future, we might pair with holidays or hold special events to invite different kinds of pets.

Over 10 years, nearly 100 pets have signed up. At the moment it’s only open to dogs, but they hope to welcome more kinds of pets in the future. For those concerned about their dog’s behavior, there’s also an area set aside where they can move around and drink water.

Peng Chien-ying
Xinzhuang branch director
We hope that dog companions can help children who have just learned to walk or might have trouble reading develop an interest in books.

The library also sometimes organizes an event where they bring in a companion dog to give children without a pet at home someone to read to.

Parent
We can’t have a dog in our apartment, but here there’s a chance to interact with dogs and let the kids understand them better.

Bringing pets into the library not only enlivens the space, but also gives book-loving pet owners another place to bring their furry friends.

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