ISSUE 157                                                                             September 1, 2022
Taiwan Weekly
Reliable report and analysis of the most important issues in Taiwan
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KMT Vice Chairman Visits Mainland China to Ease Cross-Strait Tensions
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At the end of his visit to mainland China, Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) stated that the purpose of his trip is to extend care to Taiwanese people on the mainland and ensure that the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) will not be terminated.
(Photo from: China Times)
Featured News

Andrew Hsia: Mainland China Will Not Terminate ECFA

China Times, August 28, 2022

 

Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) returned to Taiwan yesterday after concluding his visit to mainland China, and he held a video press conference to report the results. People in Taiwan are concerned whether the products list for early tariff reductions (the so-called early harvest list) under the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) will be terminated because of the deterioration of cross-strait relations. According to Hsia, Deputy Director Chen Yuanfeng of the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) of the State Council clearly stated that mainland China does not want to see worsening cross-strait relations impacting the early harvest list. So Hsia believes that the issue should not present a problem at the present time. Responding to questioning by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Hsia emphasized that his visit was to show and convey cares for Taiwanese people living on the mainland. Hsia added, “The DPP administration should thank us instead of fabricating rumors to attack us. Shouldn’t we care for Taiwanese people living on mainland as brothers and sisters?”

 

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From: https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20220828000272-260108

Featured Editorial
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According to media commentary, the DPP government made a big fuss about Hsia's meeting with President Zhang Zhijun of mainland China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). But it has also allowed the United States and China to secretly talk about Taiwan, which shows a complete lack of Taiwan-centric thinking.
(Photo from: United Daily News)

Both Sides Must Communicate Pragmatically to Aovid War

United Daily News Editorial, August 27, 2022

 

Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) led a delegation to visit mainland China and met with President Zhang Zhijun of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS). Afterwards, Communist China announced that it would conduct naval exercises along the coast of Fujian. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has strong doubts and believe that Hsia’s trip is sending a wrong message to the world, and is affecting the unity domestically. Former DPP Chairman Hsu Hsin-liang stated that Hsia’s visit let those across the strait believe that there is still room for discussion when it comes to the Taiwan issues, that it is not to the point where force is the only choice. This move is beneficial for Taiwan, and that the DPP should not attack all of those who have a different ideology.

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From: https://udn.com/news/story/7338/6567618

Featured Opinion
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According to a commentator, half of the posts at the newly established Ministry of Digital Affairs are non-civil servants, feeding doubts about whether the government is maintaining a cyber-army with national resources.
(Photo from: United Daily News)

Ministry of Digital Affairs Launches, Official Recruitment of Cyber-Army?

By Lee Ching-kuo

China Times, August 27, 2022

 

On August 27, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) officially unveiled its plaque, creating great sensation. The reason is that, in the central government budget for 2023 passed by the Executive Yuan days ago, the MODA takes up a large sum of NT$2.11 billion (about US$7.03 billion), with budget-specified posts of 600, including 300 contract employees.

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From: https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20220827000455-260109?chdtv

This Week in Taiwan
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Recently, a video circulated on social media shows mainland Chinese drones crossing the sea to Erdan Island of Kinmen to shoot footage of guard posts, and Taiwan officers and soldiers tried to throw stones to drive them away.
(Photo from: United Daily News)
August 23: The Yilan District Prosecutors' Office charged 15 people including County Executive Lin Chi-miao, alleging money laundering and money flow from unknown sources amounting to more than NT$78.4 million (about US$2.5 million). Lin stated that the prosecution was politically motivated and timed after she announced her leading the polls and before her registration the following week for re-election.  
 
Chairman Eric Chu of the KMT expressed support for Lin and stated that he is not considering to change the party's nominee. He believes that the court will rule in her favor and hold her innocent. 
 
August 24: Two police officers in Tainan were killed in an attack close to noon on August 22 while pursuing motorcycle theft. The suspect took the police gun and fled for 17 hours. He was arrested at the Hsinchu Bus Terminal 4 AM on August 23. Two innocent people of interest were mistakenly identified during investigation. 
 
The suspect is a fugitive named Lin Hsin-wu, age 46, who did not return to Mingde Service Prison seven days beyond his return date. The Ministry of Justice stated that the prison should notify the local prosecutor's office within two hours of the prisoner's escape at the latest, and the prosecutor will arrest the prisoner or issue an arrest warrant immediately. The warden of the prison was transferred to a different post and awaiting investigation. 
 
August 24: The master thesis of former Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien was determined by National Taiwan University (NTU) to be plagiarized, and his master degree from the Graduate Institute of National Development was revoked. On August 24, Chung Hwa University (CHU) determined that Lin's master thesis was plagiarized, and the circumstances are serious. CHU also revoked Lin's master degree from the Department of Management. Lin became the first political figure in Taiwan to have his master degrees "double-killed." According to the opposition KMT and Taiwan People's Party (TPP), President Tsai Ing-wen should solemnly apologize to the people for her ignorance and blind endorsement which have harmed Taiwan's academic ethics. 
 
August 24: During his tenure as Minister of Health and Welfare, DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung sealed the procurement contract for coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines for 30 years. Critics question whether there is any unspeakable secret. Academician Chen Pei-che of the Academia Sinica stated that Chen Shih-chung's explanations are increasingly being questioned. Nowadays, when buying a home, consumers can check house prices through official registration channels. The government should accordingly disclose the purchase price of vaccines. Only with honesty and transparency can the government avoid related controversies.
 
August 25: A video was posted on mainland Chinse social media, showing a mainland civilian drone flying over the Army's Kinmen Defense Command on Erdan Island and filming officers and soldiers throwing stones trying to drive it away. 
 
The Kinmen Defense Command stated that the drone flew away quickly after the sentinel notified and warned it according to standard operating procedures. 
 
Military experts criticized that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) still has no specific measures to respond to mainland drones that have infested Taiwan's outlying islands for at least half a year. The media ridiculed that if they had not seen the video, the people would not have known that the equipment and response of Taiwan's military defense were still in the "Stone Age." 
 
The MND stated on August 25 that it has approved the use of more than NT$4.3 billion (about US$141 million) to purchase remote control drone defense system developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. 
 
August 26: Five days after the police murder case in Tainan, another gangster attacked police with a knife. A 44-year-old man broke into a police station in Tainan on August 26. He tried to slash and kill the police officer on duty. The officer fired 13 shots in a row to subdue him. The officer was commended with one small merit for correctly using firearms. 
 
August 26: President Tsai Ing-wen received the United States delegation led by Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn. According to Blackburn, both the United States and Taiwan love freedom and democracy. She looks forward to continuing to help Taiwan in the future, so that Taiwan can maintain its independence and freedom. 
 
The Blackburn delegation arrived in Taiwan on the late evening of August 25 by a special U.S. military jet. The third U.S. Congressional delegation to visit after Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Ed Markey in August, it departed on Taiwan on August 27. Mainland China's People's Liberation Army announced that live ammunition will be fired along the coast of Fujian on August 26 and 27, interpreted as a strong warning. 
 
August 27: The much-anticipated Ministry of Digital Affairs was launched, with a total budget of more than NT$21.7 billion (about US$713 million). Of 600 posts, 300 are contract personnel, setting a precedent for a government agency. KMT legislators criticized the phenomenon as unbelievable and undermining the civil service system. 
 
Some Internet users compared and found that the budget of the National Police Administration, Ministry of the Interior, which has more than 13,000 personnel, is only NT$24.5 billion (about US$805 million), exclaiming that no wonder police were killed.
Taiwan Weekly is a newsletter released every week by Fair Winds Foundation and Association of Foreign Relations which provides coverage and perspectives on the latest developments in Taiwan.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Taiwan Weekly article are solely those of its author(s) and do not reflect the views of the institutions that publish the newsletter.

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