Ractopamine not in all US pork, Chen Shih-chung says
Ractopamine not in all US pork, Chen Shih-chung saysDOUBLE-EDGED SWORD: About 80 percent of US pork does not contain the additive, but Taiwanese might reject all US pork, the minister of health saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterNot all US pork contains ractopamine and just because pork contains the additive does not mean it is poisonous, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung attends a meeting of the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee yesterday at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The rally’s organizers said that more than 50,000 people attended the march, although Chen said it was uncertain if that many people opposed ractopamine pork. US pork does not mean pork containing ractopamine, and pork containing ractopamine is not equal to poisonous pork,” he added. Chen said that the government hopes that US authorities would understand that allowing imports of US pork containing ractopamine might not necessarily benefit US pork exports, as Taiwanese consumers might be suspicious of all US pork, including the nearly 80 percent without the additive.
Source:Taipei Times
November 23, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan and US sign MOU for annual economic talks
Taiwan and US sign MOU for annual economic talksLAYING A FOUNDATION: A petition signed by 50 US senators calling for a trade agreement signaled strong support for Taiwan, the minister of foreign affairs saidBy Wu Su-wei and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan and the US signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish annual economic talks, which could be extended another five years, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu speaks during a news conference at the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday. “This memorandum is a foundation on which the US and Taiwan can expand economic cooperation,” he said. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo initiated the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue with Taiwan to bolster cooperation. The talks follow repeated calls from Washington and Taipei for negotiations over a formal trade deal.
Source:Taipei Times
November 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Commission celebrates life of ‘mother’ of modern dance
Commission celebrates life of ‘mother’ of modern danceBy Chen Yun and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe National Human Rights Commission yesterday honored the “mother of Taiwanese modern dance,” Tsai Jui-yueh (蔡瑞月), who was imprisoned by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime during the White Terror era. The commemoration, held at the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute in Taipei, comes ahead of the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Wednesday next week. National Human Rights Commission chairwoman and Control Yuan President Chen Chu, front row fourth left, and others yesterday hold signs and wear purple to raise awareness about violence against women at a commemoration ceremony in Taipei. A documentary on Tsai’s life was shown at the commemoration, with many in attendance wearing purple ribbons to raise awareness about violence against women. “We must pursue human rights at all times.
Source:Taipei Times
November 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taipei tourism bid led by Tshing Shan Festival
Taipei tourism bid led by Tshing Shan FestivalBy Cheng Ming-hsiang and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Tshing Shan Festival — one of the three biggest temple festivals in Taipei — is to be held on Dec. 4, as the city government lines up several special events over the next four months in a bid to boost local tourism. To mark its 165th anniversary, the temple has expanded the scale of the festival in cooperation with the Taipei City Government and the General Association of Chinese Culture, Huang said. Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun, center right, Qingshan Temple chairman Huang Ching-yuan, center left, and representatives of other temples from across Taiwan attend the opening of the Tshing Shan Festival in Taipei on Tuesday. Other Wanhua festivals include the West-Taipei Life Festival — which started on Thursday and runs through Dec. 6 — and the Taipei Lantern Festival, Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) said. The West-Taipei Life Festival highlights local temples.
Source:Taipei Times
November 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
Tainan tackles mental illness with art therapy
Tainan tackles mental illness with art therapyBy Wu Chun-feng and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerChi Mei Medical Center and Chimei Museum in Tainan on Tuesday said that they are seeking to help people in the area regain confidence through art therapy classes as prejudices grow in tandem with sensationalized media reports. At an event at the museum, Tainan Public Health Bureau senior specialist Wu Chao-hui (吳昭慧) called on people to support and accept the 9,678 city residents who are under supervision because of a mental illness. Lin Ya-chi, an assistant at the Chimei Museum in Tainan, on Tuesday displays works of art created by people with schizophrenia. Art therapy is a good technique to help people with schizophrenia, as they can express themselves without language, Chang said. Art is at its essence medicine for society, Kuo said, adding that aside from offering art education resources, the museum also strives to bring art into everyday life.
Source:Taipei Times
November 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taoyuan city councilor recall vote authorized
Taoyuan city councilor recall vote authorizedBy Huang Hsin-po, Tsai Ching-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe Central Election Commission yesterday said that a motion to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taoyuan City Councilor Wang Hao-yu (王浩宇) had been approved and the vote would be held on Jan. 16. Eligible voters in the constituency represented by Wang number 315,143, of which 31,515 had to sign for the recall motion to proceed, the commission said. People protest against Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Chieh after delivering the signatures for the second phase of a recall procedure to the Kaohsiung Election Commission yesterday. In related news, a group seeking to recall independent Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Chieh (黃捷) yesterday delivered the second phase of signatures — totaling 40,918 — to the Kaohsiung City Election Commission. Huang yesterday said that she would remain focused on issues that require attention.
Source:Taipei Times
November 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
FSC mulls more policies to shore up the NT dollar
The central bank advised the bureau to raise the limit to 45 percent, so insurers could sell more US dollar-denominated policies, which would increase demand for the US dollar and slow the strong NT dollar, bureau Director-General Shih Chiung-hwa (施瓊華) told reporters by telephone yesterday. If the commission decides to raise the ceiling, it would ask life insurers to inform policyholders of the foreign-exchange risks, she added. For example, it is economical for people to exchange local currency into the greenback to pay their US-denominated premiums, as the NT dollar has remained strong, but if the NT dollar weakens, the foreign-exchange rate would no longer favor policyholders, the official said. The NT dollar yesterday closed lower at NT$28.82, approaching the central bank’s reported defense threshold of NT$28.50. “That would be too big of a change, as life insurance companies invest tens of trillions of NT dollars overseas,” Shih said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
KMT blocks Su again over pork
During the administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), then in opposition, strongly opposed the import of US pork containing the leanness-enhancing feed additive. However, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the DPP on Aug. 28 announced that the government would lift the bans on US pork containing traces of ractopamine and US beef from cattle more than 30 months old. “As we’ve stated multiple times over the past three months, the KMT is concerned about public health and is against the decision to allow imports of US pork containing ractopamine,” Lin said. The DPP’s former staunch opposition to pork containing leanness-enhancing feed additives is at odds with its Aug. 28 announcement, Lin said. Meanwhile, the KMT yesterday held a news conference in front of the Legislative Yuan to publicize the annual “Autumn Struggle” labor protest march tomorrow.
Source:Taipei Times
November 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Central bank meets lenders as property lending soars
Central bank meets lenders as property lending soarsBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe central bank met with eight local lenders on Thursday to call for restraint in real-estate financing, which approached a record high in September, sparking concern that it might drive up property prices. The central bank in Taipei is pictured yesterday. “Lenders must take up their social responsibility and guide funds to real investment that can create job opportunities and boost income rather than overly concentrating on property lending,” the bank said. Central bank Deputy Governor Chen Nan-kuang (陳南光) has several times expressed concern over the formation of a property bubble and pressed for pre-emptive measures to reverse the trend. The central bank said it has sent officials to visit lenders to see if they exercise due caution when handling real-estate loan requests.
Source:Taipei Times
November 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
‘New residents’ coalition launched
‘New residents’ coalition launchedFORCE FOR TAIWAN: ‘New residents’ are the bridges to link with their home nations, becoming the advance guard for international diplomacy, Lo Mei-ling saidBy Huang Hsin-po and Jason Pan / Staff reportersDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲) yesterday launched a coalition to advocate rights protection and improved welfare programs for “new residents” of Taiwan, many of whom had acquired citizenship through marriage to a Taiwanese. Lo said that she had received much help and support from across the political spectrum ahead of the inauguration of the Taiwanese New Immigrants’ Rights Advocacy Alliance of the Legislative Yuan. Malaysia-born Lo said that the alliance is needed because the number of “new residents” had reached 560,000, or nearly 1 million when combined with their children who were born in Taiwan. “We want ‘new residents’ who live in Taiwan to have security and happiness for their families, as they are the bridges for Taiwan to link with their home nations, becoming the advance guard for the government’s international diplomacy,” Lo said. I always remind officers in the immigration agency to treat them just like they are Taiwanese,” Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 20, 2020 15:56 UTC
Overseas bank branches’ profit falls
Overseas bank branches’ profit fallsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCombined net profit at overseas branches of local banks declined for the third consecutive quarter to NT$10.25 billion (US$355.68 million) last quarter, affected by bad loans amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) data released on Monday showed. Overseas branches this year generated less net interest income due to interest rate cuts worldwide and higher loan loss provisions amid the pandemic, the data showed. Branches there reported combined net profit rose 7.5 percent to NT$1.72 billion last quarter due to fewer bad loans, the FSC said. US branches reported a combined net loss of NT$460 million, compared with net profit of NT$1.59 billion in the third quarter last year, but net profit at branches declined 65 percent to NT$820 million, it said. Overseas branches of O-Bank Co (王道商業銀行), Chang Hwa Bank (彰化銀行) and CTBC Bank (中國信託銀行) were hardest hit, with their NPL ratios tallying 1.75, 1.71 and 1.46 percent respectively as of the end of September, the data showed.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 16:01 UTC
KMT urges public to support anti-ractopamine rally
A pig lies on the sidewalk outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei yesterday during a news conference promoting a protest march on Sunday. He urged people to come out on Sunday to “bravely stand up and say ‘no’” to pork containing ractopamine for the health and safety of themselves and of the next generation. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members in Taipei yesterday promote a protest march planned for Sunday against the government’s plans to allow imports of US pork products containing ractopamine residue. Photo: Lee Ya-wen, Taipei TimesThe KMT also released a video asking people to join Sunday’s protest. Supporters should gather at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei at 12:30pm, wearing black shirts and masks, the KMT wrote on Facebook.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
E Ink expects revenue to rise mildly this quarter
E Ink expects revenue to rise mildly this quarterBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterE Ink Holdings Inc (元太科技), the world’s sole supplier of e-paper displays, yesterday said that it expects revenue to rise mildly this quarter from last quarter — bucking a downturn in the electronics industry — as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive demand for e-readers, e-notes and electronic shelf labels (ESL). E Ink’s revenue for last quarter surged 22 percent to NT$4.45 billion (US$154.42 million) from NT$3.66 billion in the same period last year. E Ink Holdings Inc chairman Johnson Lee is pictured at a news conference in New Taipei City on Oct. 13. Capital expenditure this year might rise to NT$1 billion, higher than NT$600 million to NT$800 million over the past few years, it said. E Ink financial executive Lloyd Chen (陳樂群) attributed the results to the effects of remote working and online learning amid the pandemic.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
ShopeePay service faces ‘further scrutiny’: minister
ShopeePay service faces ‘further scrutiny’: ministerTENCENT FACTOR: ShopeePay has a six-month window to apply for a license, before which it needs more capitalization, which would be scrutinized over links to ChinaBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterShopeePay Taiwan Co’s (蝦皮支付) proposed e-payment service would “come under further scrutiny” over possible Chinese capital, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday. Although ShopeePay is deemed a non-Chinese foreign company, Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings Ltd (騰訊) is a major shareholder of SeaMoney’s parent company, Sea Ltd. Tougher rules over Chinese capital announced by the Investment Commission in August would apply in the ShopeePay case, Wang said. He said that the “sensitive nature” of e-payments would draw further scrutiny over possible Chinese capital. ShopeePay operates as a third-party payment service provider, servicing its e-commerce affiliate, Shopee Taiwan Co (樂購蝦皮).
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC
Cabinet takes up private school closures
Cabinet takes up private school closuresDECLINING ENROLLMENTS: Premier Su Tseng-chang said the draft act addresses the closure of private senior-high schools and universities struggling to surviveBy Lee Hsin-fang and Rachel Lin / Staff reportersThe Executive Yuan yesterday passed a draft act to govern the closure of private schools, in a bid to address low enrollment caused by Taiwan’s low birthrate. Under the act, two categories of private schools would come under the ministry’s close scrutiny. Schools in the second category would be announced to the public. Institutions in the second category to get its approval before finalizing procurement contracts of NT$1 million (US$34,701) or more, the ministry said. The act would not require private schools to maintain a student body of 3,000 and would change the sunset clause, increasing the funding leading to closure, the ministry said.
Source:Taipei Times
November 19, 2020 15:56 UTC