Eye On Taiwan

Taiwan to issue stimulus coupons in both physical and electronic form Posted: 04 May 2020 03:34 PM PDT Economic minister says government could distribute coupons as early as May Taiwan News Date: 2020/05/04 By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin.  (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) said Monday (May 4) that the stimulus coupons issued by the government to help revive Taiwan's economy will come in both electronic and physical forms. Prior to his report on the project at the Legislative Yuan, Shen pointed out that the updated version of the stimulus coupons will allow Taiwanese citizens to choose between hard copies, electronic payments, or electronic stored-value cards. He told the media that the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) received complaints about the inconvenience of the original coupon design and has thus decided to adopt a more flexible approach to distributing them. As part of a campaign to counter the effects of the ongoing pandemic on the country's economy, the government announced in late February that it would provide NT$2 billion (US$66 million) worth of coupons to be used at night markets, shops, and restaurants. However, originally, each individual would have to spend at least NT$4,000 (US$134) before they could use an NT$1,000 coupon. Shen said that the MOEA has made a slight change since February and that individuals will now be able to enjoy an NT$500 discount with each NT$1,000 that they spend, reported Liberty Times.    [FULL  STORY]

Hon Hai says China plants operating normally amid furlough rumors Posted: 04 May 2020 03:27 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 05/04/2020 By: Chung Jung-feng and Frances Huang Taipei, May 4 (CNA) Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the world's largest contract electronics maker, said Monday its production sites in China are running normally and denied rumors it had put large numbers of workers on furlough. Hon Hai, known internationally as Foxconn, was responding to reports in Chinese and Hong Kong news media that it has asked some workers at its Shenzhen complex to take unpaid leave because of sharply falling orders due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Apple Daily in Hong Kong, Tencent affiliate qq.com and other media said Hon Hai's unpaid leave program began May 1 and will continue until Sept. 1, a move necessitated by Apple closing its stores outside China because of the spread of the new coronavirus disease. Hon Hai is the biggest iPhone assembler, and the widespread closure of Apple stores and lower iPhone sales have led to a big fall in its orders, the reports said.    [FULL  STORY]

Manufacturing PMI falls at record pace Posted: 04 May 2020 03:24 PM PDT CLOUDY OUTLOOK: Should the pandemic persist in the second half of the year, it would deal a heavy blow to Taiwan’s export-dependent economy, the CIER said Taipei Times Date: May 05, 2020 By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter An Evergreen Marine container ship is pictured at Kaohsiung Port on Aug. 7, 2017. Photo: Tyrone Siu, Reuters The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) last month tumbled to 47.6, falling at the fastest pace in the survey’s history, as the COVID-19 pandemic diminished economic activity, but biotech and electronics suppliers benefited, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) said yesterday. Last month’s figure ended six straight months of increases and signaled a substantial deterioration in the health of the nation’s manufacturing sector, with companies unprecedentedly anxious about the future, it said. PMI readings aim to capture the pulse of manufacturing activity, with values larger than 50 indicating an expansion and those lower than the threshold suggesting a contraction.“The industry has emerged from concerns over supply chain disruptions after China resumed manufacturing activity, but fears loom over languid demand, if the eurozone, the US and some Asian markets remain closed to combat the virus,” CIER vice president Wang Jiann-chyuan (王健全) told an online news conference. [FULL  STORY]

Government giving subsidies to 1.8 million affected by COVID-19 Posted: 04 May 2020 03:20 PM PDT Radio Taiwan Intertnational Date: 04 May, 2020 By: Natalie Tso Hualien’s Dongdamen Night Market on May 1 (CNA photo) The government is giving out subsidies and vouchers to help those hit hard by  COVID-19. It has given out NT$30 billion (about US$1 billion) to nearly 1.8 million people hit hard by the pandemic. That was the word from Premier Su Tseng-chang on Monday. The premier said the government has given NT$10,000 (US$335) each to people without labor insurance. These include temp workers, sidewalk vendors and people with a low household income. The government is also helping workers in the agriculture and fishing industries. Some have received NT$30,000 (about US$1,000) in subsidies. Others, whose annual income is less than NT$500,000 (US$16,750), have received NT$10,000 (US$335) in aid.

Taiwan says WHO has yet to send invite to upcoming meetings Posted: 04 May 2020 03:17 PM PDT New Europe Date: May 4, 2020 By: Elena Pavlovska A man (L) points to a sign saying in Chinese and English that passenger must wear face mask or be fined 15,000 Taiwan Dollars (US$500) at a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station in Taipei, Taiwan, 05 April 2020. To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Taiwan’s Transport Ministry has ordered citizens to wear face masks on train, MRT and bus starting in April., and people whose body temperature is higher than 37.5 degrees Celsius cannot ride public transportation. EPA-EFE/DAVID CHANG Taiwan on Monday said it has “not yet” received an invitation to a meeting this month of the World Health Organization’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly. It added, however, it will seek to take part of it. The country has been largely excluded from involvement with the WHO due to pressure from China, which refuses to acknowledge the island’s sovereignty. Last week, the WHO said the assembly will take place virtually from May 18. Taiwan foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said the government had “not yet received an invitation from WHO” and was “still awaiting” it so a delegation could attend as an observer and share the island’s experience in fighting the coronavirus. Taiwan attended the World Health Assembly as an observer from 2009-2016 when Taipei-Beijing relations warmed, but China blocked further participation after the election of Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen. Relations between Taiwan and China have been on the decline since 2016 when Tsai, who has taken a more pro-Taiwan stance than her main competitor, was first elected president. [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s hot air balloon festival postponed but not deflated Posted: 04 May 2020 03:10 PM PDT Scale of event will depend on course of coronavirus pandemic in coming months Taiwan News Date: 2020/05/04 By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer (Taitung County Government photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — This year’s Taiwan International Balloon Festival will be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taitung County Tourism Department Director Yu Ming-hsun (余明勳) announced on Monday (May 4). The balloon festival, a marquee event on the county’s summer tourism calendar, was originally scheduled to take place from June 27 to Aug. 16. It will now run from July 11 through Aug. 30, CNA reported on Monday. The 51-day event will be held at Luye Highland. However, the Taitung County government said that the size of the event will be dependent on how the pandemic pans out. Since the pandemic is still spreading across the globe, foreign balloon teams invited to the event will have to go through a compulsory 14-day quarantine once they enter Taiwan and another after they return home. The county government said this may discourage some aeronauts from leaving their countries to participate.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan takes part in PACAF teleconference on COVID-19 response Posted: 04 May 2020 03:06 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 05/04/2020 By: Chen Yi-wei, Matt Yu and Ko Lin PACAF Commander General Charles Q. Brown Jr. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mikaley Kline) / Image taken from PACAF’s website. PACAF Commander General Charles Q. Brown Jr. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mikaley Kline) / Image taken from PACAF's website. Taipei, May 4 (CNA) Taiwan was among 19 countries that participated in a video conference on the response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which was held last week by the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The virtual conference on April 29 focused on "sharing lessons learned regarding COVID-19 response, desires for resuming engagement and exercises in a post COVID world, and a commitment to continued cooperation across the Indo-Pacific region," PACAF said in press release on the weekend. The participants also addressed opportunities for cooperation in areas such as supply chain support, protocols on transport of patients, and applications for COVID-19 testing and tracing, PACAF said. A Taiwanese military official, who asked not to be named, told CNA Monday that military exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S., such as the PACAF teleconference, were nothing new. [FULL  STORY]

Virus Outbreak: Disease prevention might be ‘new normal’ Posted: 04 May 2020 02:57 PM PDT Taipei Times Date: May 05, 2020 By: Lo Chi / Staff reporter As the COVID-19 pandemic affects society and people’s lifestyles, the way people engage in international exchanges might change and disease prevention measures could become the new normal, an academic said on Saturday. When facing a disaster, such as an earthquake, people tend to adopt a mental state called “normalcy bias” and expect things to continue the way they have in the past, according to their experience, said Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元), an associate professor of urban planning and disaster management at Ming Chuan University. While this way of thinking generally works for most situations, people have a propensity to use their experience to try to understand even inapplicable future events, including unprecedented disasters, he said. People might at first believe that “everything is going to be alright, because it always has been,” and take much more time to recognize that the current disaster is an exception from the norm, Ma said. [FULL  STORY]

Commission says professor who died in 1981 may have been murdered Posted: 04 May 2020 02:54 PM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 04 May, 2020 By: Leslie Liao The Transitional Justice Commission released new details regarding Chen Wen-chen’s murder The Transitional Justice Commission released new details regarding Chen Wen-chen's murder[/caption] The Transitional Justice Commission says that Taiwan’s secret police were involved in the mysterious death of a university professor nearly 40 years ago. They say that the professor — Chen Wen-chen — who authorities said had committed suicide, was likely murdered. The truth behind the 1981 death of Chen Wen-chen has proven so elusive that it was once made into a Hollywood movie. At the time of his death, secret police said that Chen committed suicide. But now, the Transitional Justice Commission says he was probably murdered. Newly declassified files helped them come to four conclusions. Officials say that Chen’s phone number in the United States was closely monitored by the secret police.    [FULL  STORY]

Draft proposal would bring Taiwan to the table at WHO, in bid to push back at China influence Posted: 04 May 2020 02:48 PM PDT Fox News Date: May 4, 2020 By: Gillian Turner, Brooke Singman Watch the latest video at foxnews.com Is Trump's tough action against the WHO warranted? The U.S. halts funding to the World Health Organization pending an investigation into their handling of COVID-19; reaction and analysis on 'Outnumbered.' The Trump administration has circulated a draft proposal that would bring Taiwan to the table at the World Health Organization in an effort to push back against China and punish the global body for being “too China-centric,” Fox News has learned. Further, the administration’s national security team is even considering the creation of a new global health organization – one that would have more U.S. influence – among a range of options. GOP REP UNVEILS BILL TO PROBE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION'S CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE, PAST ACTIONS The move comes after President Trump last month announced he was suspending funding for the WHO altogether, amid accusations they helped China downplay the extent of the coronavirus before it became a full-blown pandemic.    [FULL  STORY]