It is noteworthy that India’s new representative to Taiwan, India Taipei Association Director-General Gourangalal Das, was a department head at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs prior to his move to Taipei in July, Tien said. Taiwan’s success in containing the pandemic and medical aid to India put the nation in sharp contrast with China, Tien said. The warming ties between Taiwan, India and the US herald new opportunities for Taiwanese businesses, especially in the electronics industry, Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center director Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈) said. Separately, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) in an interview with India Today on Thursday said that the nation hopes to advance ties with India. Taiwan has traditionally had good relationships with the US, Japan and Australia — which are involved in the dialogue — while ties with India are “getting better and better,” he said.

Nearly 80% willing to fight: surveyPROTECTING THE HOMELAND: In a scenario where China attacks because Taiwan had declared independence, 71.5 percent said that they were willing to defend the nationBy Peng Wan-hsin / Staff reporterAsked if they would be willing to go to war if China attempted to take Taiwan by force, 79.8 percent of respondents said they would, according to a survey released yesterday by the government-funded Taiwan Democracy Foundation. The figure is 11.6 percentage points higher than when the same question asked in a survey last year. The results showed that 12.7 percent of respondents said that they would be unwilling to go to war, down from 20.5 percent in the survey last year. An M60A3 Patton tank fires a shell during the annual Han Kuang military exercises on July 16. The survey, conducted by the foundation from May 6 to May 10, collected 1,226 valid samples and had a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.

Subverting the present, envisioning the ‘femture’The Women Make Waves Film Festival opens today with a selection that encourages the audience to imagine what it means to be a woman in the futureBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterPecha Lo (羅珮嘉) isn’t concerned that fewer female Taiwanese filmmakers are focusing solely on gender equality. Argentine/Italian film Maternal will open the Women Makes Waves Film Festival at tonight 7pm. “I’ve purposely blurred the portrayal of the woman, so that people are free to imagine what a woman might look like in the future,” Lo says. Photo courtesy of Women Makes Waves Film FestivalLast year, the festival addressed the big issues such as the MeToo movement and women regaining control over their bodies. The “Proud to Fail” section deals with a constant theme within the festival: “How to be a cool loser,” Lo says.

Virus Outbreak: EVA Airways streamlines virus-prevention boardingBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterEVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday said it would change its boarding processes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing social-distancing measures without sacrificing efficiency. An aircraft operated by EVA Airways Corp takes off at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Sept. 23. EVA yesterday said it would change its boarding processes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing social distancing measures without sacrificing efficiency. Calling the procedure “diagonal” boarding, EVA said that the method would allow passengers to place their carry-on bags in the overhead compartments without interacting with others. “The boarding methods are here to stay even after the COVID-19 outbreak ends,” EVA said.

“Although pit bulls might look ugly, they have a very mild disposition,” DPP Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) told a news conference in Taipei. DPP Legislator Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜) agreed, adding that they are tame and can be very clingy. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kao Chia-yu, second left, and other dog lovers attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday to urge the government not to ban pit bulls. Statistics from the council’s national pet registry showed that about 1,000 pit bulls are kept as pets in Taiwan. It is how owners treat and raise their pets that determine their behavior, DPP Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) said.

Xpark dismisses accusations of poor animal careSEA LIFE: Allegations of animal abuse come from a lack of understanding of the creatures or how they are adapting to their new home, the aquarium saidBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterTaoyuan-based aquarium Xpark yesterday said it has adopted the highest standards to care for marine life, after reports by individuals and civic groups alleging mistreatment of the creatures. Jellyfish with their tentacles entangled are pictured swimming in a tank at the Xpark Aquarium in Taoyuan in an undated photograph. Xpark in a statement rejected allegations of animal abuse, saying it has adopted rigorous standards to attend to the animals. The aquarium would improve its public communication and promotion of ocean life, it said, but added that it would take legal action against false accusations. The Ocean Conservation Administration said it has no power over the aquarium’s operations, except to review applications for importing marine creatures.

Teaching load soars with new guidelines: surveyBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterNearly 97 percent of senior and vocational high school teachers said their teaching load increased after the implementation last year of new curriculum guidelines, a survey by the National Senior High School Teachers’ Union showed yesterday. In the survey, 93.9 percent of teachers said they were teaching more than the basic 16 class periods per week that full-time senior and vocational high school teachers should teach. From left, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wan Mei-ling, National Senior High School Teachers’ Union president Kao Meng-lin and KMT Legislator Lin Yi-hua attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesThe survey asked teachers whether the number of subjects or types of classes they taught increased after the implementation of the new curriculum guidelines. The union urged the government to increase the quota for senior and vocational high school teachers and to reduce their teaching hours.

“Moving into the fourth quarter, we expect our growth in revenue to be supported by strong demand for our industry-leading 5-nanometer technology driven by 5G smartphone launches and HPC-related applications,” TSMC chief executive officer C.C. This quarter, revenue would grow mildly to between US$12.4 billion and US$12.7 billion, representing growth of between 2.14 and 4.61 percent from US$12.14 billion last quarter, TSMC said. TSMC said that Huawei Technologies Co (華為) would not contribute to its revenue this quarter, as it stopped shipping chips to the Chinese company on Sept. 15. Asked by an investor whether Washington’s export restrictions on Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co (中芯國際), China’s biggest foundry, would provide a boon for TSMC, Wei said the company is evaluating the impact. The chipmaker also adjusted upward its worldwide revenue forecast for the semiconductor industry to a 5 percent annual growth, rather than a slight increase.

Workshop focuses on protecting trade secrets, IP rightsStaff writer, with CNAThe international community must protect trade secrets and intellectual property rights, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) told the opening day of a Taiwan-Japan-US workshop yesterday. The discussion yesterday focused on protecting trade secrets and intellectual property rights (IPR), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in statement. Photo: Lu Yin-hsuan, Taipei TimesAt the opening ceremony, Tien urged unity to protect trade secrets and intellectual property rights, saying that they are important components of economic growth and competitiveness, the ministry said. “Advanced economies all recognize that intellectual property rights protection is the key ingredient to attract investment and encourage innovation in order to compete in our modern global economy,” Christensen said. Prosecuting theft of trade secrets and stopping digital piracy of copyrighted content are the issues being highlighted at the workshop, which concludes today, the AIT said.

Central bank Governor Yang Chin-long speaks at a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-feng, Taipei TimesThe NT dollar rose 1.38 percent against the US dollar last month. He said that the central bank does not have a defense in mind and the floated figure is purely a fabrication. Central bank Deputy Governor Chen Nan-kuang (陳南光) earlier this month wrote in The Taiwan Banker magazine that the central bank should put macro-prudential policies in place before expectations of property price increases take hold. The central bank would continue to closely monitor the property market, he said.

The Chinese embassy in New Delhi last week e-mailed more than 300 outlets, calling on them to observe this protocol. #Taiwan’s Indian friends will have one reply: GET LOST,” Wu wrote on Wednesday last week. Hashtags related to the national day were also trending inside and outside India, at least, during the first half of the day. Notwithstanding its official “one China” position, the Indian government continues to upgrade and strengthen its ties with Taiwan. Manik Mehta is a New York-based journalist with writing experience on foreign affairs, diplomacy, global economics and international trade.

Statebuilding Party pushes amendments to clearly distinguish Taiwan and ChinaBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Taiwan Statebuilding Party yesterday proposed constitutional amendments to clearly distinguish Taiwan and China as separate countries, and remove the goal of unification from the Constitution. From second left, Taiwan Statebuilding Party Organization Department director Lee Yu-chen, Legislator Chen Po-wei and Chairman Chen Yi-chi, and World United Formosans for Independence chairman Richard Chen pose for a picture at a news conference in Taipei yesterday to promote amending the constitution. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times“I also support the ‘one China policy’ because there is a country called China, and another country called Taiwan,” he said. This is why our party wants to help create a new constitution, to closely conform to people’s core values,” Taiwan Statebuilding Party Chairman Chen Yi-chi (陳奕齊) said. In many of the nation’s laws, the terms that define “free area” and “mainland area” are imprecise and open to interpretation, Chen said.

Foreign arrivals expected to plunge 89% this yearBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe number of foreign arrivals in Taiwan is estimated to drop from 11.86 million last year to 1.35 million this year, an 89 percent drop, after countries around the world imposed travel restrictions to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tourism Bureau said in a report yesterday. The report, which was presented at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, showed that from January to August, 1.29 million foreign tourists visited Taiwan, down 83.84 percent from a year earlier. For the full year, the bureau expects inbound tourism would drop to a 20-year low of 1.35 million. An empty duty-free shopping area is pictured at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on June 19. On a brighter note, the number of domestic trips taken by citizens could top 210 million this year, a 10-year high, it said.

No ban on toddlers eating treated pork, ministry saysWORRIES PERSIST: A mother at a legislative committee meeting said she was concerned about how parents can ensure the safety of pork purchased at food stallsBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Health and Welfare would neither encourage nor ban feeding toddlers US pork containing ractopamine, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung speaks during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. “Why else is [pork containing ractopamine] banned in the military and schools?”KMT Legislator Lin Te-fu (林德福) asked Chen if US pork containing ractopamine was safe for toddlers, who usually have weaker immune systems, as several authorities have announced that military personnel, police, athletes and students would not eat it. She also questioned how the government would conduct thorough inspections on pork served at food stalls and other sites. If the government does not designate a specialized standard classification code for imported US pork containing ractopamine, the ministry would be unable to conduct strict inspections from the source, KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said.

Market exit for NSF following March entranceBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe National Stabilization Fund (NSF, 國安基金) yesterday decided to exit the local stock market, saying it has achieved its goal of stabilizing the local bourse, which has rallied firm above 12,000 points since the fund’s previous meeting in July. The National Stabilization Fund Committee said it made the decision at its quarterly meeting because the TAIEX has made a comeback from its March lows. Minister of Finance Su Jain-rong speaks at a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. The main board has since swelled 49.27 percent to close at 12,955.91 points yesterday on a large turnover of NT$228.745 billion, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. Minister of Finance Su Jain-rong (蘇建榮) told a legislative meeting that the fund has stayed put since April, after spending NT$757.19 million in March.