IPAC urges solidarity with TaiwanStaff writer, with CNA, LONDONMembers of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) yesterday called for global solidarity with Taiwan and Lithuania, as the nations face intense pressure from the Chinese government. In a video statement posted on Twitter, IPAC members appealed to democratic countries to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” with Lithuania, and raise awareness of China’s retaliatory tactics against nations such as Taiwan and Lithuania. Sakaliene is a member of Seimas, the Lithuanian parliament, and one of several IPAC members to have been targeted by Chinese retaliation. IPAC was founded last year as an international coalition to create a coordinated response to China on global security, human rights and trade issues. It has previously initiated movements encouraging governments to back Taiwan’s inclusion at the World Health Assembly, and voiced its support for Australian wine producers who were affected by Chinese trade sanctions.

Japan’s defense minister calls for peace in StraitStaff writer, with CNA, TOKYOJapanese Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi in a speech in Vietnam on Sunday highlighted the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and the vital role Taiwan can play in the world. “Taiwan is located at the nexus of the East China Sea and the South China Sea, which is a key point for regional maritime security. Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are important to both the region and the international community,” Kishi said during his first overseas trip as defense minister. Japanese Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi, left, and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc pose for a photograph in Hanoi on Sunday. In the South China Sea, China has continued to militarize disputed rocky outcrops, frequently conducted military exercises and is believed to have launched ballistic missiles, Kishi said.

Elliott injury overshadows Liverpool’s win at LeedsAFP, LEEDS, EnglandVirgil van Dijk offered his support to Liverpool’s teenage star Harvey Elliott after the 18-year-old midfielder’s left ankle was dislocated, overshadowing an impressive 3-0 win for the Reds at Leeds United on Sunday. Leeds midfielder Pascal Struijk was sent off for a challenge from behind on Elliott midway through the second half. By that point, Liverpool were already comfortably ahead thanks to Mohamed Salah’s 100th English Premier League goal and Fabinho’s 50th-minute strike. Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott receives medical attention after sustaining an injury in their English Premier League match against Leeds United at Elland Road in Leeds, England, on Sunday. Van Dijk’s own long-term injury — cruciate ligament damage in his right knee — derailed Liverpool’s title defense last season.

Ricciardo had nipped past pole-sitter Verstappen at the start to lead virtually throughout, with the Australian followed across the line by his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo celebrates after winning the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on Sunday. Marshalls remove Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s car after a collision with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on Sunday. “Thank God for the halo which saved me, and saved my neck.”“I am so grateful I am still here. For McLaren to be on the podium it’s huge, let alone one-two... For once I’m lost for words.”

Myanmar junta, coup critic vie for UN positionThe Guardian, BANGKOKThe UN faces a dilemma when its General Assembly convenes next week, after Myanmar’s military junta and the country’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) launched rival bids to fill the country’s seat. Myanmar’s military, which seized power in February, has sought to replace Burmese Ambassador to the UN Kyaw Moe Tun, an outspoken critic of the coup. The junta and the NUG, which was set up partly by ousted politicians, are believed to have submitted applications to the UN’s credentials committee. Burmese Ambassador to the UN Kyaw Moe Tun addresses the Human Rights Council at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 11, 2019. This could mean an empty seat, or it could allow Kyaw Moe Tun to continue on a provisional basis.

Taiwanese movies to be featured in London film festivalStaff writer, with CNAFifteen Taiwanese films are to be screened in cinemas across London later this month at the Queer East Film Festival, which is to showcase films from 15 Asian countries, its organizers have said. Veteran actor Chang Feng is pictured in a scene from director Tsai Ming-liang’s film Days. Wang said that Taiwanese LGBTQ+ films cover a wide range of topics, such as cross-gender issues, adoption, surrogate mothers and Taiwan’s White Terror era. Chou, former Democratic Progressive Party legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) and Vita Lin (林杏鴻), founder of the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival, are to be among the panelists sharing their experiences and stories with people across Asia, the organizers said. Launched last year, the Queer East Film Festival seeks to facilitate a better understanding of the richness of queer Asian heritage and to bridge the cultural distance between the UK public and the Asian region, the festival’s organizers said.

Feminist love stories? Photo: AP“Feminist love stories are our genre,’’ Cohen says in an interview alongside West. But our perspective as documentary filmmakers is that it’s kind of like a gold mine.’’It’s an ongoing project. Cohen and West are currently editing another documentary about an extraordinary American woman they expect to release next year. And, yes, Cohen promises, this film, too, features what she calls a great feminist love story.

The foreigners on YouTube defending ChinaAFP, BEIJINGWith YouTube videos “debunking” allegations of human rights abuses and diatribes on Western “conspiracies” against China, an unlikely set of foreigners is loudly defending Beijing against international critics. Lee Barrett speaks on his YouTube channel, as seen on a computer screen in Beijing on Sept. 2. Their backgrounds are often in fields unrelated to current affairs or politics, while their videos blend scenes of everyday life with passionate commentaries defending China. His videos have featured tours sponsored by the government-run China Radio International, where he interviews other YouTubers about criticisms of China and explores rural development projects. It is difficult to quantify the influence of the YouTubers outside China, with many of their commenters claiming to be grateful Chinese.

F1 Saturday sprint ‘not fish, not meat’: Mercedes’ WolffReutersMercedes team boss Toto Wolff on Saturday dismissed Formula One’s experimental sprint format as “not fish, not meat,” adding that it was not doing much for the sport either. The 100km qualifying race was trialed for the second time at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, but drivers struggled to overtake. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas drives during the sprint race of the Grand Prix of Italy in Monza, Italy, on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFEValtteri Bottas won the sprint for Mercedes, leading all the way, but the Finn was to start last yesterday due to engine penalties. “We don’t want gimmicks, we don’t want to cannibalize, we don’t want to affect the integrity,” he added.

The commission on Wednesday last week announced initial plans for erasing traces of authoritarianism from the memorial hall, starting with its “axis of worship,” or the 6.3m-tall bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) in the main building. The front gate to Liberty Square frames the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei on Oct. 28 last year. “The nation should not be spending so many resources to commemorate an authoritarian ruler,” the commission said, adding that original plans for the space did not even include a memorial hall. Under the party-state system created by Chiang, all political and military power was controlled by one individual, the commission said. The memorial should be given back to the people and reinterpreted to inspire education about the nation’s past, it added.

Han Kuang military war games are to begin todayStaff writer, with CNAThe Han Kuang exercises, the nation’s major war games, are to start today and run for five days. The drills are to include a military aircraft emergency takeoff and landing exercise on a regular roadway on Wednesday, featuring all three fighter jet models in Taiwan’s fleet, a military source said last week. An F-16V jet takes off from a freeway in Changhua County during the Han Kuang military exercises on May 28, 2019. Previously, emergency landing exercises have been held on sections of the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. The Han Kuang exercises have been held annually since 1984, including live-fire drills and computerized war games, to test Taiwan’s combat readiness in the event of a Chinese invasion.

Ticket uptick for food delivers: reportTRAFFIC VIOLATIONS: The National Audit Office said that deliverers last year ran red lights in 19,868 cases and exceeded the speed limit by 20kph to 40kph in 9,054 casesBy Hsieh Chun-lin / Staff reporterTraffic violations and accidents involving food deliverers increased by more than 3,000 cases over the past four years, a report released by the National Audit Office said. The agency compiled data on 101,992 food deliverers registered with Uber Eats Taiwan and Foodpanda Taiwan between October last year and February, and traffic accident data on the vehicles registered to food delivery service providers between 2017 and last year. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesLast year, 30,683 vehicles registered by service providers and driven by 29,378 food deliverers, or about 29 percent of all food deliverers, were involved in 50,224 major traffic cases or 50,841 individual traffic violations, the data showed. Some registered deliverers conveyed meals on unregistered vehicles, such as rental scooters or other private vehicles, while some unregistered drivers borrowed a deliverer’s Uber Eats or Foodpanda registration to deliver meals, the report said. The ministry said that food delivery service providers use motor vehicles to transport goods and get paid for it, so they should obtain motor transportation industry licenses or commission a legal motor transportation company to make the deliveries.

A self-made billionaire’s quest to save EvergrandeAFP, BEIJINGFrom rural poverty to real estate billions, the fortunes of Evergrande Group (恆大集團) chairman Xu Jiayin (許家印) tracked China’s runaway growth for much of the past two decades — but now he is battling to save his conglomerate from a quagmire of debt. They warned that Evergrande is “close to collapse,” with large losses looming for banks, bondholders and home buyers. Evergrande Group chairman Xu Jiayin speaks at an earnings conference in Hong Kong on March 26, 2019. In 2010, Xu bought an embattled Guangzhou soccer team, renaming it Guangzhou Evergrande and pouring money into world-class players and coaches. Without the country’s reform and opening up, Evergrande is not what it is today,” he said.

Auto parts suppliers’ sales mixed amid chip shortageBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterAuto parts suppliers last week reported mixed sales performances for last month, as shipments of gasoline-powered and electric vehicles continued to be affected by tight auto chip supply for tier-one parts suppliers and automakers. A worker assembles vehicle parts at a factory in Xinyu, China, on April 27 last year. “Generally, electric vehicle and electrification-related supply chain firms saw sales grow in August,” Yuanta analysts said in the note. The auto chip shortage has forced automakers worldwide to trim production, pushing passenger vehicle sales in China to fall 15 percent year-on-year to 1.45 million units last month, while sales of light vehicles in the US dropped 17 percent to 1.09 million units, Yuanta said, citing industry tallies. “Amid low car inventory levels in the US and China and with high used car prices, we believe slower-than-expected car sales are mainly owing to supply chain disruptions rather than a car demand decline,” they said.

Listed firms’ revenue up 11.97%SHIFTING DYNAMICS An imbalance in supply and demand during the pandemic resulted in a boost to the shipping industry, while other sectors also benefitedBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterThe combined revenue of companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange last month increased 11.97 percent year-on-year to NT$3.145 trillion (US$113.5 billion), the bourse said on Saturday. The exchange said in a statement that 661 firms reported revenue growth, while 292 reported a decline. The combined revenue of listed firms last grew 14.16 percent from August 2019, before COVID-19 was a factor, it added. Accumulated revenue for the 953 listed firms in the first eight months of the year reached NT$24.1 trillion, up 18.61 percent year-on-year, the exchange said, adding that the increase compared with the same period in 2019 was 16.45 percent. Firms in the shipping and transportation, plastics, and iron and steel industries reported the highest revenue increases during the eight-month period, the exchange added.