“As a foreigner, I don’t face that directly, but when I’m with people who speak Taiwanese, I see it.”A-iong is one of a growing number of social media content creators who are promoting Taiwan’s struggling non-Mandarin languages that were suppressed for decades by the government. While attitudes and policy are changing, stereotypes or the lack of resources make preserving these languages a challenge. “Mintamasaz” means “cheer up” or “be strong” in the Bunun language. Umav Ispalakan’s Facebook page featuring Bunun language illustrations has become a conduit to present deeper issues such as cultural identity, Aboriginal rights and persistent stereotypes. Photo courtesy of Umav Ispalakan“Their first reaction was to reply in Mandarin, but I kept telling them, speak the language, speak the language,” she says.

Property firm Kaisa suspends tradingCONFIDENCE CRISIS: It is the second time in the past month that the debt-ridden firm has suspended trading and comes on the heels of China Evergrande missing a paymentAFP, HONG KONGChinese property firm Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd (佳兆業集團) yesterday suspended share trading in Hong Kong as questions swirl over its ability to make repayments and contagion spreads within the nation’s debt-ridden real-estate sector. Kaisa, China’s 27th-largest real-estate firm in terms of sales, but one of its most indebted, became the latest company to spook investors when it announced on Friday that it had failed in a bid for a debt swap that would buy it crucial time. Photo: AFPIt is the second time the company has suspended trading in the past month. The most indebted Chinese property firm is China Evergrande Group (恆大集團), which set off the current confidence crisis earlier in the summer. Wealthy owners of at least seven Chinese real-estate companies have also sold off some of their own luxury assets in the past few weeks to help prop up their firms, Bloomberg added.

Cryptocurrencies, payments, debit cards Visa’s focusBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterVisa Taiwan Co (台灣威士卡) is to focus on providing new cross-border payment solutions, issuing debit cards for young people and collaborating with the cryptocurrency sector to boost its competitiveness, general manager Michelle Jao (趙麗芳) said yesterday. Visa Taiwan Co general manager Michelle Jao attends a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The issuance of debit cards has risen at a double-digit rate this year, Jao said, adding that hopefully more young people would use Visa’s other payment tools as well. Meanwhile, Visa has collaborated with more than 50 crypto wallets or trading platforms worldwide to allow people to buy cryptocurrencies with their Visa cards, Jao said. The value of cryptocurrency-related transactions made with Visa cards surpassed US$1 billion in the first half of this year, she said.

Consumer prices for last month rise 2.84%‘NO INFLATION’: A DGBAS official said that prices are likely to taper off, as tariffs on imported beef, wheat, cement and other items have been brought downBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterConsumer prices last month rose 2.84 percent from a year earlier to the highest in nearly nine years with almost every consumption category becoming more expensive amid soaring fuel and food prices, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. It is the sixth time this year that the inflationary gauge has exceeded the 2 percent alarm, but the agency reiterated that consumer prices remained stable and would subside this month. “Consumer prices would likely taper off this month after the government lowered tariffs on imported beef, wheat, cement and other items,” DGBAS official Tsao Chih-hung (曹志弘) said. Photo: CNARising cases of infection with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 abroad have cast a shadow over the global economy and put a damper on international oil prices, Tsao said. Living costs increased 1.6 percent owing to rent hikes and higher home repair costs, the agency said.

New rules limit travel for Chungshan Institute staffBy Aaron Tu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerNew regulations governing international travel for Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology personnel would take effect “in the coming days,” a source said on Sunday. The institute president, vice president or supervisors of units under the board of directors would need permission to travel from the minister of national defense, the source said. Supervisors and directors who need to travel abroad on business related to the institute would need permission from the institute’s chairman of the board, and level-one supervisors would need permission from the institute president, the source added. Institute employees would be prohibited from traveling to, or transiting through, China, the source said, adding that border officials would share the employees’ travel data with the National Immigration Agency and the military. The majority of weapons in the Executive Yuan’s procurement plan for the special budget are anti-ship and anti-air missile systems being developed by the institute, the source added.

Next pandemic could be more lethal: AZ creatorThe GuardianThe COVID-19 pandemic that has so far killed more than 5 million people worldwide is far from over and the next one could be even more lethal, the creator of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine has said. Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford, poses with her Barbie doll in her office at the university in Oxford, England, on Aug. 2. Photo: EPA-EFE“This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods,” she said. “The truth is, the next one could be worse. “We cannot allow a situation where we have gone through all we have gone through and then find that the enormous economic losses we have sustained mean that there is still no funding for pandemic preparedness,” she said.

Ian Easton On Taiwan: Miracles vs MenaceDo you remember where you were last year at this time? President Joe Biden has said in recent weeks that Taiwan is independent, and America will defend Taiwan if China attacks. The legacy of Washington’s troubled Taiwan policy makes it difficult for the US government and military to get ready to defend Taiwan. His volumes on World War One and World War Two repeatedly recount the story of an old man in his twilight, reflecting on his life story. Ian Easton is a senior director at the Project 2049 Institute and author of The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan’s Defense and American Strategy in Asia.

Navy mulls construction of eight light patrol shipsBy Wu Su-wei and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe navy is reportedly considering building eight light patrol ships with displacements between 2,000 and 2,500 tonnes amid a delay in plans to update the nation’s fleet of guided missile frigates. First are destroyers and patrol vessels led by a captain, followed by patrol ships larger than 1,000 tonnes led by a commander and smaller patrol boats led by a lieutenant commander. However, ships fitting the second category are no longer in commission, requiring 500-tonne Ching Chiang-class patrol boats to assume the duties previously assigned to 1,000-tonne vessels. If it wants to build light patrol ships, they cannot be “super warships” equipped with a full suite of capabilities, he added. After all, modern patrol ships without vertical launch systems to fire anti-aircraft missiles or phased array radar could hardly stave off a saturation attack, he said.

Minister defends policy to keep bayonet drillsMARTIAL ART? Chiu said that he agrees with Hsu’s bayonet training policy, adding that the drills build up the mental and physical conditioning of soldiers. Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Chang Yuan-hsun (章元勳) said that bayonet drills are carried out within the time allotted to units for training. A retired general who requested anonymity on Thursday said that public interest in the bayonet policy is evidence that the nation is paying attention to the threat from China. “Bayonet drills are necessary for the individual soldier to wield the weapon effectively to complete their mission,” they said.

Oil posts longest run of weekly losses since 2018BloombergOil slid for a sixth straight week, marking the longest stretch of weekly declines since 2018, as the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 jolts markets and OPEC+ continues to hike supply. West Texas Intermediate for January delivery declined 0.36 percent to US$66.26 a barrel, down 2.77 percent from a week earlier. Brent crude for February delivery rose 0.3 percent to US$69.88 a barrel, posting a weekly decline of 3.9 percent. A maze of crude oil pipes and valves is pictured in Freeport, Texas, on June 9, 2016. Photo: ReutersThe spread of the Omicron variant has investors concerned about any potential damage to demand as the US reported at least six states with cases.

Chinese jet incursions reach 159MONTHLY DATA: There have been more than 1,000 sorties since the defense ministry began making data public, with October the busiest month with 196 planesAFP, TAIPEIChinese warplanes made 159 incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone last month, Agence France-Presse data showed, the second-highest monthly number on record. Over the past 14 months, the sabre-rattling has reached new peaks after Beijing began sending an increasing number of warplanes into the zone, which Chinese military aircraft had previously largely avoided. In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense began making the Chinese warplane incursions public in September last year and AFP has built a database collecting details of the flights, which have been increasing in size and frequency. The incursions last month included 100 by fighter jets and nine by China’s nuclear-capable H6 bombers. October remains the busiest month on record with 196 incursions, 149 of which were made over just four days as Beijing marked China’s National Day.

The company said that its Chinese partner cited customs authorities as saying that any merchandise or shipments related to Lithuania would be refused, effective immediately. The foreign ministry said that Lithuanian firms have been facing difficulties shipping their goods to China. The foreign ministry is looking into the issue and has reached out to the governments of other EU members to jointly respond to the issue, it said. China on Nov. 21 downgraded its diplomatic ties with Lithuania, expressing dissatisfaction with the Baltic state after Taiwan opened a de facto embassy in Vilnius. The office bears the name “Taiwan” instead of “Taipei,” as is common for the nation’s missions in other European countries.

Afghanistan boxing team are stuck in SerbiaAFP, BELGRADEBoxing is risky at the best of times, but Hasib Malikzada now faces one of his most unpredictable opponents yet — the uncertainties of life as an Afghan refugee. In the weeks since the tournament, Malikzada and the members of the Afghanistan national boxing team have been bouncing between hotels, while finding the occasional gym for training. The boxing gym provided an environment where violence could be managed — with rounds, weight classes and rules. “We didn’t sleep, but we did a good performance every day,” Afghan Boxing Federation secretary-general Waheedullah Hameedi said. “The honor of every athlete is in his own country.”However, for the boxers in Serbia, life outside of Afghanistan is far from ideal.

To mark Betel Nut Prevention Day today, the Taiwan Alliance for Areca Nut Control and Oral Cancer Prevention convened a news conference highlighting its dangers and calling for a dedicated law governing the narcotic. Australia, the US and Turkey control betel nut as a drug to different extents, but Taiwan classifies it as a fruit product, alliance vice chair Shu Ching-hsien (舒靜嫻) said. TPP Legislator Tsai Pi-ru (蔡壁如) called for stronger discouragement of the use of betel nut, considering its addictive nature and association with oral cancer. Most betel nut chewers are blue-collar workers who as their families’ main breadwinners, Tsai said. Tsai also raised concerns about betel nut being imported in greater amounts after joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, making the control of the betel nut problem more difficult without regulation.

Tsai nurtures ‘solid alliance’ at forumBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterBuilding a solid alliance against authoritarianism is the common goal of democratic nations worldwide, and Taiwan is willing to share its experience with the world, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday. Tsai made the remarks at the Open Parliament Forum in Taipei, a two-day event that began yesterday. In her opening speech, Tsai said that the participants were all key members of a solid democratic alliance that was expanding worldwide to repel authoritarianism. President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at the Open Parliament Forum in Taipei yesterday. In his speech, US National Democratic Institute president Derek Mitchell recalled visiting Taiwan 33 years ago as a Mandarin student.