Eye On Taiwan

Foxconn offering university graduates starting pay of NT$45,000 Posted: 03 Apr 2020 12:09 PM PDT Master's degree employees will receive NT$52,000, while doctorate degree workers are offered NT$60,000 per month Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/03 By:  Central News Agency Taiwan-based manufacturing giant Foxconn Technology Group has launched a recruitment drive, offering a monthly salary of no less than NT$45,000 (US$1,485) to university graduates. For those with a master's degree, the starting pay will be NT$52,000 per month at the minimum, while doctorate degree holders will earn at least NT$60,000 a month, Foxconn announced in a statement issued earlier this week. The latest recruitment drive is aimed at attracting talent mainly in the core technology areas of artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and next generation mobile communications, and also in the emerging industries of electric cars, digital healthcare, and robotics, the company said. In addition, the company said, it will offer comprehensive training in technology, management, and general knowledge to help its new employees build successful careers. For example, all employees hired in the latest round of recruitment will be trained to become mid-range management staff in the future, said Foxconn. It urged interested persons to apply via its website and said interviews of selected applicants will also be conducted online. Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker, has been working to expand into the development of software and to integrate that with its hardware manufacturing proficiency.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s aid agency promotes financial inclusion in Palau Posted: 03 Apr 2020 12:05 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/03/2020 By: Emerson Lim Image taken from Pixabay Taipei, April 3 (CNA) The International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), a development aid agency founded by Taiwan's foreign ministry, will soon help cash-strapped people and businesses in Palau through a financial inclusion scheme. The program, which took effect after the signing of an agreement on March 30, is aimed at promoting inclusive and sustainable growth in the Pacific island nation, ICDF's public relations officer Alex Chang (張子弋) told CNA on Friday. Under the plan, the ICDF and National Development Bank of Palau (NDBP) will team up to offer microfinance services to women, young people, and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which often have trouble obtaining loans, Chang said. The ICDF will provide funds to NDBP, which will then loan out the funds based on its credit review procedures and also set up an assistance office to guide borrowers on how to utilize the money to improve their lives or create their own business, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

March housing transactions rose 7.8% Posted: 03 Apr 2020 12:01 PM PDT NO ILL EFFECT: Last month’s data mainly reflected deals made in February, when the spread of COVID-19 was still relatively mild in Taiwan, housing brokers said Taipei Times Date: Apr 04, 2020 By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter Housing transactions in the six special municipalities totaled 19,824 units last month, up 7.8 percent from a year earlier, brokers said, citing government data. Last month’s data mainly reflected deals made in February, when the pinch of the COVID-19 pandemic was not yet evident, they said. Taoyuan posted the largest improvement, with housing transactions soaring 36.6 percent year-on-year to 3,676 units, local government data showed. Taiwan Realty Co (台灣房屋) attributed the pickup to the completion of two presale residential projects in the municipality.    [FULL  STYORY]

VIDEO: Taipei opens its first training center for flying drones Posted: 03 Apr 2020 11:58 AM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 03 April, 2020 By: Shirley Lin A Taipei high school opens first training center for flying drones A Taipei high school opens first training center for flying drones[/caption] A Taipei high school has opened the city’s first center for training people to fly drones. The COVID-19 pandemic has done little to dampen the excitement at Taipei’s Taibei Senior High School. Not only is the school open, it has also just launched Taipei’s first training center for flying unmanned aerial vehicles. The school has even shown how drones can help keep the disease at bay. One drone shown off at a recent demonstration at the center broadcasts messages telling students to wear surgical masks, wash their hands frequently, and keep a safe distance apart from one another. The demonstration also included drones doing somersaults in the air. One student at the school found flying a drone exciting but difficult. He thinks the technology is amazing.    [FULL  STORY]

Kowtowing to China on Taiwan and the Coronavirus Posted: 03 Apr 2020 11:52 AM PDT The Daily Signal Date: April 03, 2020 By: Mike Gonzalez China’s isolation of Taiwan, which has been exemplary in fighting COVID-19, is counterproductive as the world struggles during the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: A couple embrace while waiting for a commuter train March 18 in downtown Taipei, Taiwan. (Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) China’s isolation of Taiwan, which has been exemplary in fighting COVID-19, is counterproductive as the world struggles during the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: A couple embrace while waiting for a commuter train March 18 in downtown Taipei, Taiwan. (Photo: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) China, where the new coronavirus first emerged, has reacted with the Chinese Communist Party’s trademark mix of obfuscation and truculence throughout the COVID-19 crisis. This week, this potent cocktail was again in evidence in the city of Hong Kong. Beijing promised that Hong Kong, an international port and British creation that was a crown colony until London ceded it to China in 1997, would enjoy several freedoms for 50 years, including freedom of the press. But China cried foul when a Hong Kong journalist used that freedom this week. The journalist asked the assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, Bruce Aylward, to comment on how Taiwan has performed during the coronavirus crisis and whether WHO would reconsider Taiwan’s membership.    [FULL  STORY]

US National Security Council thanks Taiwan for pledged mask donations Posted: 03 Apr 2020 11:46 AM PDT In an act of solidarity, Taiwan to donate 2 million masks to the US to combat Wuhan coronavirus Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/03 By:  Central News Agency Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (CNA photo) The United States National Security Council (NSC) on Thursday thanked Taiwan for its support in the fight against the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, in response to President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) announcement the previous day that Taiwan would donate 2 million surgical face masks to the U.S. "We thank the people of Taiwan for their generous support and collaboration as we continue our fight against the coronavirus," the presidential advisory body tweeted. The message was linked to a Reuters news story that detailed Taiwan's plan to spend an estimated NT$1.05 trillion (US$35 billion) to battle the coronavirus and to donate 10 million masks to countries seriously affected by the pandemic. The donation, which Tsai announced Wednesday (4/1), will allocate 2 million surgical masks to the U.S., 1 million to Taiwan's diplomatic allies, and 7 million to Europe, with 5.6 million going to nine EU member states and the remainder to the UK and Switzerland. According to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), 100,000 masks per week will also be shipped to the U.S. under a bilateral epidemic prevention cooperation agreement. The donation pledges followed a large-scale effort in Taiwan to increase its mask production, which has grown from 3.2 million per day in early February to around 13 million at present.    [FULL  STORY]

Centralized database key to COVID-19 control in Taiwan: study Posted: 03 Apr 2020 11:41 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/03/2020 By: Chang Ming-hsuan and Elizabeth Hsu People follow social distancing protocol in Taipei Taipei, April 3 (CNA) An article posted on a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has highlighted the early steps Taiwan took to contain the spread of the new coronavirus disease in the country, especially its coordination and use of information. "Of note, the centralized, real-time database of the country's national health insurance (NHI) helped support disease surveillance and case detection," said the essay, titled "Policy Decisions and Use of Information Technology to Fight 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease, Taiwan." The article, which appears on the U.S. CDC's "Emerging Infectious Diseases" journal and will be published in July, argued that the comprehensive response and innovative use of the NHI database by Taiwan's CDC effectively delayed and contained community transmission in Taiwan. That was accomplished even as the number of confirmed cases surged in neighboring countries in Asia starting in mid-February, said the article written by a research team that included members of Taiwan's CDC.    [FULL  STORY]

Doctor warns of smoking dangers Posted: 03 Apr 2020 11:35 AM PDT EARLY DETECTION KEY: A doctor said that a common lung cancer often shows no symptoms in the early stages and recommends that smokers be checked for it Taipei Times Date:  Apr 04, 2020 By: Chen Chien-chih and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer A man lights a cigarette on in Pingtung County on Feb. 29. Warning: Smoking can damage your health. Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Time A woman in her 50s who does not smoke was diagnosed with lung cancer after inhaling secondhand smoke from her husband and son, a doctor said on Thursday, urging people to be mindful of the dangers of secondhand smoke. Asia University Hospital doctor Liu Po-yi (劉柏毅) said a woman, surnamed Lee (李), was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma after she sought treatment following two weeks of excessive coughing. For more than 30 years, cancer has been the leading cause of death in Taiwan, with lung cancer claiming the most lives over the past decade, Liu said, citing data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Clinical statistics show that people with lung adenocarcinoma are predominantly non-smokers, and the average age of patients is decreasing, Liu added.    [FULL  STORY]

Plan for presidential inauguration to be decided by next week Posted: 03 Apr 2020 11:11 AM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 03 April, 2020 By: Leslie Liao President Tsai Ing-wen Plans for President Tsai Ing-wen’s second inauguration ceremony are set to be confirmed next week. The ceremony will mark the start of Tsai’s second term in office, which she secured in January’s election. President Tsai had announced in February that she was suspending planning for the ceremony in order to focus on combating the COVID-19 outbreak. On Friday, the Presidential Office said that this year’s inauguration will be simplified.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Continues to Lead in Fight Against Coronavirus Posted: 03 Apr 2020 11:07 AM PDT FDD Date: April 3, 2020 By: Mathew Ha   Taiwan announced on Tuesday that it will provide 10 million masks to countries hit hardest by the coronavirus crisis, including Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This responsible approach contrasts sharply with the hostility and duplicity of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which has prioritized the delegitimization of Taiwan over combating the pandemic. Taiwan has adopted a an extensive plan incorporating 124 steps to fight the virus, including quarantines, increased surveillance, social distancing, and travel bans. Although Taiwan’s first reported infection was on January 21, the Taiwanese government had begun testing for the virus as early as December 31, 2019. In addition, after hearing about the initial Wuhan outbreaks, Taiwanese health authorities boarded planes arriving from Wuhan to immediately check passengers for symptoms. Taiwan also implemented strict screening measures for all international arrivals and actively traced the interactions of those infected. Through these measures, Taiwan has kept its infection rates exceptionally low compared to the rest of the world: Taiwan’s population has suffered 329 infections and five deaths.   [FULL  STORY]