Taiwan News Archives

Taiwan's Information Technology Month 2009, one of its biggest computer and IT products trade shows, has generated sales on the first two days that were up 20 percent year on year, according to the Taipei Computer Association , the organizer of the event.

President Ma Ying-jeou faced criticism for forcing motorists in front of his motorcade to veer out of his way, according to the top story in the Chinese-language Liberty Times Monday.

Chinese mainland actors and movies received a series of titles of the 46th Taiwan Golden Horse Award Saturday night.

Microsoft's Bing search engine downgrades Taiwan in its map search and reduces the nation's status below that given other countries. All country names on Bing's maps are written in dark red text, but Taiwan is written in greenish-gray, just like the names of China's provinces.

The Chinese communist regime is determined to "unify" with Taiwan by 2012, according to exiled Chinese law professor Yuan Hongbing.

Taipei, Nov 28: Two Chinese actors Saturday won awards at Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Festival, dubbed the Oscars for Chinese-language films.

There s a reaction among young women, who see how many children their mothers had, and watched them spend all that time looking after household matters, and that s not necessarily what they want to do.

The agreements, signed by trade associations from the two sides, will give Taiwanese firms more exposure to China's car market, the center said in a statement at the end of a two-day cross-strait auto makers forum.

Taiwanese actor Chen Wen-pin and director Leon Dai display their awards for, at the 46th Golden Horse Awards, Saturday, Nov.

Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has decided to hold a mass rally in central Taiwan's Taichung City on Dec. 20 to protest against the fourth round of negotiations between Taiwan and China, DPP officials said.

Delta Electronics Inc. unveiled yesterday its newly developed petrol-electric hybrid propulsion system, making it the first Taiwanese company to enter the sector.

" The Apple Daily accused the Taipei City Government of pushing for a return to martial law Friday after it was fined a total of NT$1 million for the violent content of its animated news service.

Those with a passion for orchids, for the newest cultivated creations of this endlessly variable flower, stopped in at the Greenwich Garden Education Center recently to enjoy the twice-yearly visit of The Orchidphile -- also known as Carol Raven -- and her Orchid Trunk Show.

Industry operators do not expect solid state drives to gain deep penetration in the PC market till 2011 TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Prices of NAND flash will come down considerably in 2011, when major chip suppliers upgrade to 20nm-class processes, say industry operators and observers from China and Taiwan.

Xie Fengkun from southwest China's Chengdu City performs the making of sugar sculpture at the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Show held in Taipei, Taiwan, Nov.

Taipei - A Taiwan man was turned over for prosecution on Saturday after hiring two men to chop off his hand in order to claim insurance worth T$24-million . Chiang Chi-wei, 38, told police on November 8 that he had been attacked by two men who chopped off his left hand in Chunghe, a satellite city of Taipei.

Taipei, Nov. 27 Taiwanese banking institutions' exposure to debts in Dubai totaled about US$195 million, the Cabinet-level Financial Supervisory Commission said Friday.

The cream of Asian cinema is set to gather in Taipei on Saturday for the Golden Horse Film Awards, considered the Chinese-language "Oscars". Famed Taiwan directors Ang Lee and Hou Hsiao-hsien will join Hong Kong peers Johnnie To and Stanley Kwan to present the best director award at tonight's gala ceremony.

Consumer white-box handsets and electronics devices will be the main areas in growth for Taiwana s IC design houses TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Holtek Semiconductor, Sunplus Technology, Realtek Semiconductor, MediaTek, Sonix Technology and many other consumer IC design companies based in Taiwan recently raised their wafer production at foundries thanks to ...

On Nov. 25, a week after the publication of his new book “Taiwan Disaster,” Yuan Hongbing held a press conference in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan. He explained that Taiwan’s democracy has become a major threat to communist China, and the regime has made elaborate plans to deal with Taiwan.

A new public opinion poll of Americans has found that a large majority of the American people regard communist China as a potential enemy.

Bryan Chuang, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES [Friday 27 November 2009] Taiwan's legislative economics committee on November 26 voted unanimously against the Ministry of Economic Affairs' request for funds to invest in Taiwan Innovative Memory Company .

Taiwanese authorities imposed another fine and took other measures Friday against a newspaper for illustrating stories of crime and violence with vivid animation on its Web site, but the publication refused to drop the service.

Taipei, Nov. 26 The Executive Yuan approved Thursday a NT$3.99 trillion budget for the i-Taiwan 12 projects, which involve carrying out major infrastructure construction to boost economic growth and create jobs.

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute showed off a number of flexible display screen technologies in Taipei on Thursday as part of a show promoting e-readers and e-paper. One of the newest technologies from ITRI was a flexible 4.1-inch color OLED display.

Taiwan's economy contracted at a slower pace year-on-year in the third quarter and the government raised its growth forecast for 2010 as rising demand from mainland China spurs a recovery.

Taiwan's president has urged the island's armed forces to become a small, elite unit, saying a voluntary military rather than conscription was key to the island's defence, local media said on Thursday.

A daily newspaper in Taiwan has been fined for illustrating news stories involving crime and violence in vivid animation on its Web site, an official said Thursday.

Siu Han, Taipei; Yvonne Yu, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 25 November 2009] Taiwan LED players have raised funding of an estimated total of NT$26 billion in 2009 in anticipation of strong demand in 2010, according to market sources.

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-ping announced yesterday that Next Media will be fined NT$500,000 for violating the Children and Youth Welfare Law by posting obscene motion graphic news on the Internet.

American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt arrived Sunday to deliver assurances from U.S. President Barack Obama that Washington's policy toward Taiwan had not changed despite the statement of "respect" given by the U.S. to the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the authoritarian People's Republic of China and the lack of ...

The Nelson Report, the Washington insider report, carries news of that awful piece by Admiral Bill Owens in the Financial Times I blogged on a few days ago. Onward....

Yesterday's Nelson Report covered the Owens/Taiwan issue as well, with astute commentary by Eric McVadon. Chris Nelson reports that "the reaction across Washington has been shock and dismay at what is seen as a stunning lack of political sophistication. Chris adds "his long-standing affiliation with a PRC-sponsored talk-shop might be clouding both his political and strategic judgment."

The United States plans to resume arms sales to Taiwan and warned of a build-up of missiles aimed at the island by China, a top U.S. diplomat said Tuesday.

With only ten days left in the campaign for the December 5 county elections, vote buying was worse than ever, reports said Tuesday. As Justice Minister Wang Ching-feng arrived on the offshore island of Kinmen on the latest stage of her tour of election areas Tuesday, votes were being sold at NT$10,000 a piece, the Chinese-language United Evening News said.

Bryan Chuang and Harris Lin, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 25 November 2009] The Taiwan government should allow Taiwan-based LCD panel makers to set up plants in China, Lou Qingjian, vice minister of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology , has commented.

Daniel Shen, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Monday 23 November 2009] Lou Qinjian, China's vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology , will arrive in Taipei on November 23 for a three-day visit, according to industry sources.

A man in Taiwan was robbed of more than $2 million in cash that he had just withdrawn from the bank, a police official said on Tuesday.

Asia Pacific News.Net Monday 23rd November, 2009 A US model has flown into Taipei to sue a Taiwan man for using his photos to lure up to 20 women into sex and defraud others, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

WORTHY TRIP: A group of 16 blind hikers from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan celebrate after they felt their way to the peak of Jade Mountain in Central Taiwan.

Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES, Taipei [Tuesday 24 November 2009] Taiwan had 653,000 jobless citizens in October 2009, or an unemployment rate of 5.96% that was lower than September's 6.04% but higher than the 4.37% for October 2008, according to statistics released by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics on November 23.

Taiwan's export orders climbed in October for the first time in 13 months as stronger demand for electronics goods spurs the islanda s economic recovery.

Daniel Shen and Commercial Times, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 17 November 2009] Taiwan Mobile expects its purchase of handsets in 2010 to increase 10-15% from the 1.2 million units it purchased in 2009, the Chinese-language Commercial Times quoted Cliff Lai, COO of consumer business group at Taiwan Mobile as indicating.

Taipei, Nov. 21 The world's third largest fire training center will be inaugurated in Taiwan in January, featuring advanced facilities for the training of fire fighters and other rescue personnel, the National Fire Agency announced Friday.

Taipei, Nov. 19 Taiwan children do not get enough exercise, as only 10 percent of them exercise for at least one hour a day, according to the results of a survey published Thursday by the non-profit Child Welfare League Foundation .

It seems the KMT is expecting the results of the upcoming December 5th local elections to be generally poor for the party.

The Chinese Communist Party could turn democratic Taiwan into a political slave of its authoritative regime in the year 2012 by infiltrating the local media, economy and academia, said Chinese author Yuan Hongbing in his book "Taiwan Disaster."

Besides failing to sufficiently highlight the importance of human rights and democracy during his first state visit to the People's Republic of China, United States President Barack Obama left the 23 million Taiwan people troubling questions regarding the "U.S.-China Joint Statement" he signed with PRC State Chairman Hu Jintao last Tuesday in ...

The ruling Kuomintang called for solidarity for the local elections on Dec. 5 while the main opposition aims to significantly extend its seats of mayors and magistrates.

Nov. 21 - Taipei Beef Noodle Festival kicks off amid fears over the lifting of Taiwan's ban on U.S. beef imports.

Former Vice President Lien Chan and U.S. President Barack Obama had a warm meeting when attending this year's APEC leaders' summit in Singapore.

One day after President Obama concluded his China trip and after the introduction of H.R.4102 in Congress of legislation highlighting the stalled U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, Texas Congressman Joe Barton (Republican) introduced H.Res. 927 to boost the expeditious delivery of F-16s to Taiwan yesterday afternoon. Congress introduced two resolutions in 24 hours on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and Taiwan’s security right after President Obama issued a joint statement in China earlier this week.

The Taipei Times reported on a phenomenon which I've been discussing for weeks now: the absence of KMT Chairman and ROC President Ma Ying-jeou from the local election campaign, now heating up as we approach December.

Supporters of Taiwan in the U.S. Congress on Friday pushed for President Barack Obama to move toward selling arms to the island, a step that would likely set back warming U.S. ties with China.

A Taiwan man who had staggered drunkenly into the road was killed by a car after 81 vehicles passed by without stopping to help him off the road, the Apple Daily reported Sunday.

"Dozens of reports are released from around the world every year to tell the story of Taiwan's fishing fleets out of control," she said.

Harris Lin, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Monday 16 November 2009] Taiwan Mobile , a major mobile carrier in Taiwan, has offered a new rate scheme for its 3.5G Internet-access service.

Supporters of Taiwan in the US Congress pushed for President Barack Obama to move toward selling arms to the island, a step that would likely set back warming US ties with China.

On video: FAPA's Bob Yang on Al Jazeera presenting the pro-Taiwan side, and academic Bonnie Glaser of the CSIS think tank, which represents the center-right corporate Establishment view that wants sell Taiwan to China in the (vain) hope that China will turn up sweet (they will simply ask for more).

Taipei, Nov. 16 Taiwan should make a greater contribution to the worldwide effort to cope with climate change, President Ma Ying-jeou said Monday.

Taiwana s government will decide by the end of the year whether high-tech investments with China will be relaxed.

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009, shoes using recycled newspapers designed by Taiwanese fashion designer Colin Lin.

" New Vice Foreign Minister Shen Lyushun marked his debut appearance at the Legislative Yuan amid vehement verbal clashes with aides and lawmakers alike, reports said Friday.

Two articles caught my eye from the papers today: ECFA will reduce chance of war: Ma Contrary to almost all his previous statements, President Ma now wants the public to believe that a) the KMT/ROC is not that friendly with the CCP/PRC and b) that the ECFA is not a guaranteed outcome but one that will have to pass the legislature.

Jade Mountain, northeast Asia's highest peak and Taiwan's sole finalist for a "New 7 Wonders of the World" award, remains an alluring mystery due to its remoteness and tough permitting rules.

There's a persistent myth among KMTers and resentful PRC trollbots alike that the KMT stabilized the economy of Taiwan with the gold looted from China's treasury. WSJ featured a letter yesterday that sheds light on the gold issue.

Victims left homeless by Typhoon Morakot protested against government relocation plans in Kaohsiung County Thursday, 100 days after the disaster.

Taipei, Nov. 19 Vice President Vincent Siew said Thursday that the biotech and medical care industries will play a critical role in Taiwan's economic development.

This is not "free trade." This is trade that is managed, and at present, managed to keep it out of public scrutiny here in Taiwan, and apparently, in favor of China.

Before President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao released their joint statement , Obama's Asia trip was underwhelming.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party warned yesterday that the acknowledgement by United States President Barack Obama of Washington's "respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China" had gravely compromised Taiwan's national interest.

A professor at Chinese Culture University in Taipei expressed worry Tuesday that the United States seems to have further "comprehended, affirmed and accepted the position of China, " while underscoring the importance of the Taiwan issue in U.S.-Taiwan relations.

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council and Google announced the signing of a a oeFree Try-out Plan of Googlea s Keyword Advertisements for Taiwantrade Membersa on October 28, 2009.

Resolution Seeks to Reinvigorate Congressional Oversight on Defense Consultation. In an attempt to pressure the Obama administration to expedite a decision on F-16C/Ds sale and notify Congress of the remainder of the defense services and articles for Taiwan that were approved by the Bush administration, the resolution requires the administration to provide detailed briefings to Congress on U.S. arms sale to Taiwan.

The final details were minor compared with the substance of the financial cooperation deal between China and Taiwan, but carried significance of their own.

PRISON POTENTIAL: An additional trial date has been set to decide whether to try the former legislator on more serious charges than fraud and forgery.

The upcoming meeting between the chief negotiators of Taiwan and China will herald the beginning of formal negotiations on a cross-Taiwan Strait economic cooperation framework agreement , Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang said Tuesday.

If the Beitou Public Library is seen as a fresh breath of air among Taipei's lifeless concrete buildings, three planned exhibition halls for the 2010 International Flora Exposition in Taipei may end up being seen as a strong gust of wind sweeping nature through the city.

There is absolutely nothing unethical about a businessman advocating a particular policy position, namely, that Taiwan be sold out to China so that he can make heaping amounts of cash in the China trade. FT would have done nothing wrong had it clearly identified Owens as connected to a number of firms currently expanding in the China trade. The ethical breach occurs when the knowledge of his investments in the region he is advocating policy for is withheld from the reader and instead he is presented as if he were solely an analyst.

New Zealand will become the third country this year after Britain and Ireland to grant visa-free privileges to visitors from Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Wednesday.

TAIPEI a ' Wood artist Shih Chen-yang won the national achievement award for crafts, reports said Wednesday.

The Taiwan government is sticking to its plan of tightly examining imports of American beef products after the opposition Democratic Progressive Party blocked Tuesday the legislative meeting on revising existing regulations on food safety.

Taiwan once saw the world as the United States, but now all it sees is China, and forging a cross-strait economic agreement is the entirety of its current trade policy. Could Taiwan become another Hong Kong?

Taiwan and China are enjoying their warmest relations in years, with stronger economic ties that have been welcomed by the business community. But some on the island nation worry that Taiwan will pay a price for the closer ties. And as President Obama visits China for the first time, they say Americans need to understand the risks to the democratic principles the U.S. and Taiwan value.

TAIPEI: Chinatrust Financial Holding Co said yesterday it plans to buy a 30 per cent stake in Taiwan's Nan Shan Life Insurance Co.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Quartics, Inc. today introduced a new video solution for Netbooks and Laptops that will revolutionize the way consumers experience their movies, games, and streaming media.

Zheng Bijian can come to Taipei and claim that the Taiwanese independence movement is doomed ... but academics from the opposition are not invited.

A TRAP?: The nation's former Mainland Affairs Council chairman fears the Ma administration will leave Taiwanese with only one option: unification.

Taipei - Taiwan researchers have invented an robot that can act as a receptionist, tour guide, security guard and doctor's aide, the latest offering from an island seeking to make its name in the global robotics market.

The grandchildren of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and his arch-rival for control of China, Chiang Kai-shek, have met for the first time.

Chinese President Hu Jintao hailed U.S. President Barack Obama's recognition of sovereignty issues dear to China, after a bilateral meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.

President Obama hosted a “townhall” meeting in Shanghai, accepting questions from his Chinese audience. One questioner gave Obama the opening to discuss the prospect of arms sales to Taiwan, an issue that is sure to arise when the President meets with Hu Jintao in Beijing.

Former president Chen Shui-bian's office yesterday criticized law enforcement agencies for conducting long-term surveillance operations on elected representatives, urging the administration to stop such practices in the run-up to the planned visit of China s top cross-strait negotiator next month.

The drive by President Chen Shui-bian and Vice-President Annette Lu through the city of Tainan began cheerfully enough.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue urged Washington on Monday to strengthen bilateral economic and trade ties with Taiwan, while calling for an expansion of American businesses in the Asia-Pacifica region.

For those of you who are familiar with this blog, it will not be news to hear that I am generally quite critical of politics in Taiwan and that I do have a pro-Taiwan 'subjectivity'. That done and said I'd like to turn to Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi comments yesterday regarding unification (annexation).

Opposition Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen was more popular than President Ma Ying-jeou, a poll conducted for the Chinese-language China Times said Monday.

Business consultant Chien Yao-tang said the government may have overestimated the importance of the Chinese market.

Taiwanese prosecutors said on Tuesday they were investigating allegations that former president Chen Shui-bian, facing life in jail for graft, had laundered money in the Pacific island nation of Palau.

A Taiwanese man has been arrested for a scam in which he tricked up to 20 women into having sex because they believed they were helping to prolong his life, according to press reports Sunday.

A Japanese company will help Taiwan build the island's first undersea earthquake monitoring station, the Central News Agency said on Sunday.

The acquisition by Chi Mei Optoelectronics by Innolux over the weekend will heat up the competition between Taiwanese and Korean flat panel manufacturers.

Daniel Shen, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Friday 13 November 2009] Toshiba has launched its Qualcomm Snapdragon-based smartphone, the TG01, in the Taiwan market with a suggested retail price of NT$20,900 . Since the TG01 was launched in July, sales of the full touchscreen Windows Mobile-based phone have been strong in a number of markets in ...

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his speech on Asian policy in Tokyo Saturday, Nov.

STRAIT MOVES: SOAS lecturer Dafydd Fell said the government must open a genuine public debate and not just complete negotiations behind closed doors.

Taipei, Nov. 14 To boost sales of Taiwanese goods in China's Nanjing city, a key Taiwan trade promoter on Saturday signed an agreement with the Nanjing City government to set up a Taiwan Brand Street and a Taiwanese goods center in the historic capital city in China's Jiangsu province, officials said.

A retired People's Liberation Army general yesterday said Taiwan could more effectively protect itself by embracing the one-China principle than by having its own army.

Thousands of Taiwanese Saturday marched in the capital Taipei to protest against the end of a six-year ban on the import of some types of US beef products- which they fear could spread the deadly mad cow disease.

For those who are concerned that democratic Taiwan should continue to have the freedom to choose its own future, President Barack Obama's coming visit to Beijing brings back the memory of a regrettable episode during President Bill Clinton's visit to China in June 1998.

A local research team has developed a new lead-free piezoelectric material, called BiFe03, that will be able to produce clean energy very efficiently, Hsinchu City-based National Chiao Tung University announced Friday.

The Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration urged the public Saturday to swiftly report to local authorities or the EPA inspection squad any illegal dumping they find.

The two experts didn't actually visit any of the sites. It's been three months now -- heck, I've visited that many aboriginal villages by bike in the last three months.

Anatomy of a smear accusing Chen Shui-bian of hanky-panky in Palau.

Lin Cho-shui had a long commentary yesterday in the Taipei Times that showed how political theater and political reality are mixed in pundits' assessments of the ongoing ECFA/MOU sellout talks.

Taipei: Taiwan investigators probing the 2004 shooting of ex-president Chen Shui-bian said yesterday they found no blood or bullet hole in his trousers, adding mystery to an event that may have won him a second term.

The first batch of US beef exports under a relaxed ban is likely to arrive in Taiwan within a week after the US Department of Agriculture issued Quality System Assessment certificates to qualified suppliers, a Ministry of Economic Affairs official said yesterday.

Taiwan's biggest LCD monitor maker on Saturday agreed to buy the island's second largest LCD screen maker in a bid to compete with South Korea's market leading giants.

Improving ties across the Taiwan Strait were evident here Saturday, when Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met Lien Chan, Kuomintang honorary chairman.

Among the 30 Asian countries we track in our Global Monitor , Facebook grew by 9.6 million monthly active users over the month of October, from 50 million to nearly 60 million people.

At an academic seminar on Oct. 25, former presidential adviser Peng Ming-min predicted that China is likely to make every effort to help secure President Ma Ying-jeou’s re-election in 2012. Peng said Beijing is likely to withdraw missiles it is aiming at Taiwan, propose a peace agreement and stimulate Taiwan’s stock market to boost Ma’s momentum and lure Taiwanese into voting for him again.

China and Taiwan are poised to sign an agreement giving their banks, insurers and brokerages wider access to each othera s markets as relations between the two adversaries are at their best in 60 years.

A ruling party lawmaker yesterday admitted to having an extramarital affair, after being seen entering a motel with a woman, and apologized for setting a bad example for society.

As President Obama goes wheels up to Asia, it seems a good time to do a pulse check on his China policy.

Taipei - No bullet holes or blood were found on Taiwan ex-president Chen Shui-bian in a 2004 election eve shooting, raising new suspicion about the incident that preceded a razor-thin victory, investigators said on Thursday.

Yen-Shyang Hwang and Monica Chen, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 11 November 2009] Suning Appliance, the largest IT and consumer electronics retail chain in China, will help Taiwan-based own-brand vendors market their products in the China market and plans to partner with Taiwan retail operators to tap markets outside China and Taiwan, ...

Since one year, it's clear for the observers that Taiwan is putting all its eggs in the Chinese basket.

Taiwan could lose top academic talent because salaries for university professors were much lower than in neighboring countries, Nobel Prize laureate Lee Yuan-tse said yesterday.

Taiwan is expected to suffer a shortfall of NT$198 billion in tax revenue for 2009, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday.

The theme of the Fourth Taipei Digital Art Festival in 2009 is "Funky Light." This year's theme explores the artists' close attention to the advancement of technology, how it affects the way people think and live, and its continuous impact on our world in ways we have yet to understand.

WHITE PLAINS, NY, November 9, 2009...The International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show has announced winners of the coveted Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design.

Taipei, Nov. 12 The Ministry of National Defense is planning to establish a think-tank to facilitate studies on the cross-strait situation, and particularly on a proposed mechanism to foster mutual trust between the military on both sides, an MND official said Thursday.

The campaign by the restored rightist Chinese Nationalist Party government under President Ma Ying-jeou to stuff the political genies of Taiwan democratic national identity and Taiwan - centrism back into a "great China" bottle will reach a crescendo in the coming two years with the planned "celebrations" of the 100th anniversary of the founding of ...

During the past year a number of us, scholars and writers from the US, Canada, Asia, Europe and Australia, have publicly expressed to your government our concerns about a number of trends in Taiwan, as well as several specific developments.

Ruling Kuomintang Legislator Chang Hsien-yao expressed concerns Thursday on whether U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to China next week would adversely impact the U. S. sale of advanced weapon systems to Taiwan.

"conditions will be ripe for signing the proposed cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement only when public support exceeds 60 percent". In addition, Wu stated that ... "we would also like to see public opposition fall to 20 percent before proceeding to sign the ECFA," Wu said.

Global financial mavens are betting that Taiwan's currency is going to appreciate (go up in value), as Taiwan approaches the signing of the historic financial MOU with China, which probably won't have any benefits for the island as a whole, but which local financial firms appear to assume will make them big players in the emerging cross-strait financial market. In response, the government has moved to limit funds from foreigners invested in currency speculation.

The NCC has a proposal to relax restrictions on the government, political parties and the military from holding shares in media companies.

Wearing traditional straw farmer hats and white shirts, thousands of Taiwan citizens led by former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Lin I-hsiung and numerous civic and social movement activists assembled at Taipei's Lungshan Temple Sunday morning to begin a 49-day march around Taiwan to demand that President Ma Ying-jeou and his right-wing ...

News in today of two separate incidents in which Taiwan's identity and sovereignty as a nation have been subtly undermined by KMt politicians: Hsinchu Mayor Lin Junq-tzer who ... "... yesterday referred to President Ma Ying-jeou as "chairman" when he asked a Chinese official to convey Ma's greetings to Chinese President Hu Jintao .

Renowned Israeli pipe-organ musician Roman Krasnovsky will stage two concerts next week in southern Taiwan to raise funds for those who were affected by Typhoon Morakot, which devastated the southern half of the country in August.

Taiwan dollar forwards fell after the financial regulator banned foreign investors from placing funds in time deposits to prevent currency speculation.

A new US study on Taiwan s economy cautions that gains from current trade and investment talks with China may be limited and that Taipei needs to concentrate on internal economic restructuring and the cultivation of new and dynamic foreign relationships beyond the straits.

Revelations that Taiwanese Premier Wu Den-yih traveled abroad with a former gangster have excited great interest among this island's sensation-seeking media, but left few of its 23 million people gaping in surprise.

Taiwan hopes to sign a bilateral investment agreement with the United States, which can serve as a precursor to the signing of a free trade agreement between the two countries, an official said Tuesday.

Taiwan's premier on Tuesday sued an opposition politician who alleged that he had once tried to use his influence to help a gangster's business.

The long-stalled Trade and Investment Agreement talks with the United States are expected to resume soon, following Taiwan's recent lifting of its partial ban on U.S. beef imports.

TAIPEI a ' A 27-year-old policeman was stabbed to death in Taipei by a suspect he had failed to search and cuff, reports said Tuesday.

Remembering the events that brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall On November 9, 2009, Germans will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Taiwan Air Force has shelved nine Mirage 2000-5 jets due to a lack of spare parts supplied by France, a newspaper report said Sunday.

Taipei, Nov. 10 The Taiwan Stock Exchange's main index opened higher Tuesday, moving up 76.64 points at 7,613.34 on a turnover of NT$3.84 billion .

The nation's representative to an Asia-Pacific informal leadership meeting said yesterday he will help push for the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to sign a bilateral partial free trade agreement as early as possible.

At least $121 million in fresh Taiwanese investments in various fields are expected to be poured into the country particularly in Clark, Subic and Mindanao areas.

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Director Wang Yi of China's Taiwan Affairs Council said yesterday that a oemainland China is ready to sign the memorandum on cross-strait financial supervision cooperation, and therefore it's would be great if the memorandum on cross-strait financial supervision cooperation these two days.a Wang made the remarks after speaking at ...

For 400 years, Taiwanese have been subject to foreign colonizers -- first the Dutch and Spanish, then the Manchu Empire, then the Japanese empire and finally the "Republic of China" KMT Chinese Nationalist Regime of Chiang Kai-shek and his son.

Ma was referring to the artillery shelling flying across the Taiwan Strait as well as air and ship battles between the island and the mainland in the 1960s.

The decision to link the belated reopening of a national museum on the February 28th Incident of 1947 with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of China is likely to become a pretext for the sanitation of the role of the ruling Chinese Nationalist Party in the most traumatic event in Taiwan's modern history.

Nothing like a little time apart to rekindle the affections that could lead to a baby panda.

STRAIT: A senior official said an agreement on financial supervision would have to be inked before both sides could approve operations by financial institutions STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA Saturday, Nov 07, 2009, Page 12 Taipei and Beijing should sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in financial supervision as soon as possible for mutual ...

The average Asian beer is feather-light and forgettable, but every blue moon, a cookie-cutter lager can shake our belief in mass-produced suds.

PRESIDENT Barack Obama, set for a mission to China this month to boost warming ties, will stay firm on the US policy of supporting but not recognising rival Taiwan, an aide said on Friday.

Taipei, Nov. 6 More than 190 aftershocks had been recorded as of early Friday since an earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale hit central Taiwan a day earlier, seismologists said that day.

Two Barbour's Seahorses and black King Kong shrimps are seen at the Taiwan International Aquarium Expo in Taipei, Taiwan, yesterday.

Taiwan Peking opera "A Tale of Golden Locks," based on a novel of renowned writer Eileen Chang, will be staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Nov.

Taipei, Nov. 6 The two sides of the Taiwan Strait should sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in financial supervision as early as possible for mutual benefit, a senior Taiwanese official said Friday.

Press release; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES [Friday 6 November 2009] Elpida Memory and ProMOS Technologies announced on November 6 the signing of a DRAM foundry agreement.

Taiwan government announced October 23 that it would open an office of the Taiwan Strait Tourism and Travel Association in Beijing early next year with a mandate to promote tourism to Taiwan, increase the number of mainland Chinese visiting Taiwan, and set up mechanisms for facilitating communication for tourists and responding to emergencies.

Taiwanese Premier Wu Den-yih is attempting to play down his ties with a convicted gang boss as a scandal threatens to undermine the government and the chances of the ruling party in next month's local elections.

Council of Labour Affairs wants direct control of unions - is this democratic? Normally, I'm a big fan of unions in principle whilst keeping enough flexibility to recognise that an institution with such resources is often quite vulnerable to corruption or power hoarding by union representatives and officials.

Engineers measure in Xiamen Xiang'an Tunnel, the first undersea tunnel in Chinese mainland, in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, on Nov.

Taipei - A strong, 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit central Taiwan on Thursday, the government said, with initial reports stating that one person had suffered minor injuries.

A TAIWAN court has frozen the domestic assets of former president Chen Shui-bian, intending to use them to pay off a fine he was handed on top of a life jail term for graft, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

A plastic bottle thrown into a Taipei recycling bin could be reincarnated as a blanket to warm disaster victims in any of 20 countries, thanks to a unique project by the world's largest Buddhist charity.

November 4, 2009, 09:10 AM - - High Tech Computer on Wednesday launched the HD2 smartphone, a thin, light handset with a big 4.3-inch touchscreen.

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, right, puts the first certification logo at the entrance of a Matsusei Super Market in Taipei yesterday.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday that a review would be held later this month on requests for financial assistance from three DRAM manufacturers to support their restructuring plans.

The annual Taiwan LGBT Pride event was held in Taipei on Saturday with an estimated crowd of 25,000 people.

In Taiwan, the expression one would apply when strongly protesting something outrageous is pronounced the same as "cow". On the other hand, the mainland Chinese term "niu" , the new buzz word in cross-strait media, describes something/someone extraordinary as well as extraordinarily adamant.

VIA have announced their latest range of low-power processors, the VIA Nano 3000 Series, which are targeted at Windows 7-based thin-and-light notebooks and all-in-one desktops.

A Chinese expert on giant panda breeding will visit Taipei Zoo on Sunday to offer advice on breeding the two giant pandas given by China last year.

Taiwan's Health Ministry announced Monday its renewal of the import of US bone-in beef, accompanied by a tight inspection system to try to head off local uproar over the government's decision.

In an effort to raise the profile of southern Taiwan's port city Kaohsiung, the city government signed a contract with National Geographic Channels International yesterday to have the city featured in the widely-watched channel's Megacities documentary series.

A researcher of the Fujian Academy of Agriculture Sciences sprays weed killer on invasive water hyacinth yesterday in east China's Fujian Province.

Taipei's dogs are living it up at hotels, complete with VIP suites and pools, that aim to ease the problem of strays that has plagued the city for decades.

A prosecutor says authorities are investigating whether Taiwanese baseball players accepted bribes to fix games in the latest blow to the integrity of the sport on the baseball-loving island.

TAIWAN'S President Ma Ying-jeou on Monday named a close ally and former vice president to represent him at the Apec economic summit, reflecting easing relations with Beijing.

The student, Chu Cheng-chi, of the National Taiwan University's PhD programme in sociology, was shown placing the cow dung on an open hamburger bun, served with lettuce and sliced tomato, and eating the "dungburger" in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei.

Yen-Shyang Hwang, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 27 October 2009] Taiwan-based digital camera makers shipped 18.37 million units in the third quarter of 2009, a rise of 103.2% on quarter and 27.1% on year, according to Digitimes Research.

Wang Xiulian, a Chinese woman who married a man from Taiwan and has been living here for eight years, hates going to the market to buy vegetables.

David Tseng, who suffers from a genetic muscular disease, speaking at his "memorial service" in an auditorium of a medical school in the southern Taiwan city of Kaohsiung.

TAIPEI : Taiwan and Japan were urged to hold high-level dialogue and strike a free trade agreement despite the lack of diplomatic ties, reports here said on Sunday.