Category: General

All passengers arriving in Taiwan from abroad starting in June will have saliva samples collected at the airport, rather than be subject to a nasal swab, for PCR testing, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Tuesday.

Effective Wednesday, all arriving travelers will receive the less invasive test, but should not drink or eat in the period between landing and sample collection to ensure the quality of the sample, the CECC said in a statement.

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (???) said at the CECC’s daily press briefing Tuesday that using the saliva-based test will reduce the amount of time needed to queue up at the airport, hence avoiding unnecessary gatherings.

“If everybody is queuing up to have nasal swabs, the chance of cluster infections increases,” said Chen, who heads the CECC.

When asked if saliva was less sensitive than nasopharyngeal swabs for diagnosing COVID-19, Chen replied that the test should be adequate if done correctly with the appropriate amount of sample collected.

“The benefits are that it will be able to catch the majority of cases and also lower the risk of cluster infections caused by many people waiting and queuing up,” Chen said.

Furthermore, Chen noted that the positive rate for imported cases is lower than in the past and around the same or lower than the positive rate domestically.

Taiwan on Tuesday recorded 80,705 new COVID-19 cases — 80,656 domestically transmitted and 49 imported, according to the CECC.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan’s military said recently that it will start recruiting twice the annual number of special reservists next year, as part of a reform project to create a more reliable backup force for the country’s regular troops, amid China’s growing military threats.

In a report sent last week to lawmakers, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said that in 2023 it plans to recruit about 100 “weekend warriors,” compared to the 49 it is expected to train this year.

The MND uses the term “weekend warriors” to describe reservists who participate in a short-term voluntary service program, under which they obtain training at military bases on weekends and holidays.

In the report, the MND said Taiwan’s military is expected to set up new boot camps, reserve brigades and training centers in the coming years to beef up its reservist training capacity, as China’s military threats continue to escalate.

The project will include a larger contingent of “weekend warriors” who are familiar with the regular troops’ operations and training, the MND said.

Previously, the defense ministry had said that Taiwan’s military could train only 120,000 reservists per year, at the most, although the number of eligible reservists in the country was around 320,000.

In a 2020 report, however, the MND said the military was working to establish five new boot camps and three reservist training centers in the coming years, which would increase its annual training capacity to 268,000 reservists.

The “weekend warrior” project was initiated in 2017 to recruit military retirees who still have high combat capability, skills and expertise, according to the MND.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan on Sunday recorded 76,605 new COVID-19 cases and another single-day high of 145 deaths, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

The country’s previous daily record for COVID-19 deaths was 127 on Saturday, according to CECC data.

The 145 people reported Sunday to have died of COVID-19 complications ranged in age from their 30s to 90s and included 136 who had chronic illnesses or other severe diseases, the CECC said.

Ninety-five of the new COVID-19-related deaths were among people aged 80 and over, while 70 were people who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the CECC.

The youngest fatality reported Sunday was a man in his 30s, who suffered from chronic lung and kidney diseases. He died of pneumonia and sepsis after contracting COVID-19, the CECC said.

The CECC also said Sunday that 168 previously-reported COVID-19 cases had developed into severe infections, while 210 other patients had developed moderate symptoms of the disease.

The newly reported severe cases included 1-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy, both of whom had developed encephalitis but have since improved with medical treatment and are no longer on ventilators, the CECC said.

Of the 1,788,230 domestic cases recorded in Taiwan this year, 1,454 have been classified as severe infections and 3,363 as moderate, accounting for 0.08 percent and 0.19 percent of the total, respectively, according to CECC data valid as of May 29.

In all other cases, the patients were either asymptomatic or had mild infections, the CECC said.

On Sunday, New Taipei reported the highest number of domestic cases, with 14,848, followed by Kaohsiung with 9,563, Taoyuan 9,379 and Taichung 8,959.

Taipei reported 7,402 cases, Tainan 5,913, Changhua 3,882, Pingtung 2,554, Hsinchu County 1,976, Hsinchu City 1,699, Miaoli 1,667, Yilan 1,558, Keelung 1,216, Hualien 1,112, Yunlin 1,059, Nantou 999, Chiayi County 955, Taitung 858, and Chiayi City 527.

Penghu reported 204 cases, Kinmen 179 and the Matsu Islands 30, the CECC said.

Meanwhile, of Sunday’s 76,605 new COVID-19 cases, 66 were imported, including 37 travelers who had tested positive on arrival in Taiwan, according to the CECC.

To date, Taiwan has recorded 1,892,272 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began in early 2020, including 1,879,336 domestic infections.

With the 145 deaths reported Sunday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 fatalities in the country rose to 2,056, CECC data showed.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan received more international support this year for its inclusion in the World Health Assembly (WHA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Sunday, although a proposal by 13 countries to allow Taiwan to join as an observer failed to be put on the WHA’s official agenda.

Backing for Taiwan’s WHA bid came from higher levels and in a more diverse manner this year during the May 22-28 assembly, with more than 3,800 government officials, parliamentarians, and opinion leaders from 88 countries showing their support, according to MOFA.

Taiwan’s 13 diplomatic allies that are also World Health Organization (WHO) members tabled a motion to put the issue of the country’s inclusion on the WHA’s agenda, MOFA said. The proposal, however, was rejected at a WHA plenary session on May 23.

The WHA — the WHO’s decision-making body — saw national representatives attending in person for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several countries also spoke up for Taiwan either directly or indirectly during the assembly, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand, MOFA said.

Among those countries were also France, Germany, Luxembourg, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic, each of whom voiced their support for Taiwan’s WHA bid by directly mentioning Taiwan in their addresses at the annual gathering for the first time, according to the ministry.

In addition, Taiwan saw public support from senior officials worldwide, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde.

Taiwan cannot automatically participate in United Nations activities because it is not a U.N. member. Under its official name, the Republic of China, it lost its seat at the U.N. in 1971 and then was expelled from the WHO in 1972.

It was able to send delegations to participate in the WHA as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under the designation “Chinese Taipei” when relations between Beijing and Taipei were warmer during the then Kuomintang administration.

Since 2017, Taiwan has been excluded from the WHA due to opposition from China, which has taken a hard line against President Tsai Ing-wen (???) and her Democratic Progressive Party for their stance that Taiwan is an independent state.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

About one third of companies in Taiwan’s industrial and service sectors, which are the biggest private-sector employers in Taiwan, raised regular wages in 2021, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

Citing a survey released earlier this week, the DGBAS said 30.3 percent of employers in the industrial and service sectors hiked the regular salaries of their workers in 2021, as the bottom lines of those companies had improved amid a stable global economy.

Overall, 20.3 percent of employers in the two sectors in Taiwan raised regular wages for more than 50 percent of their workers in 2021, the DGBAS said.

Sector by sector

Among the different sectors, 76.9 percent of financial and insurance companies raised regular wages for their employees last year, which was the highest ratio among all sectors, followed by 41.7 percent in the manufacturing industry, the DGBAS said, citing the poll.

Commenting on the survey, Chen Hui-hsin (???), deputy director of the DGBAS census department, said the pay hikes in the financial sector reflected a booming equity market in 2021, which boosted the profitability of many financial firms.

Last year, the Taiex, the weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, soared 3,486.31 points, or an annual 23.7 percent, its third largest annual gain ever.

Chen said export-oriented tech companies also benefited from robust global demand for emerging technologies, which prompted them to raise their workers’ pay.

The wage hikes in the industrial and service sectors were most noteworthy, as they account for the largest number of private sector employees in the country, the DGBAS said.

According to the DGBAS, 34.7 percent of employers in the industrial sector and 28.7 percent in the service sector raised regular wages last year.

Factors in pay hike decisions

Among the employers that hiked pay, 50.2 percent took their employees’ performance into account, 36.0 percent recorded higher profits, and 34.5 percent followed the government’s minimum wage increase, the DGBAS said, citing the poll.

About 16.8 percent of them took into consideration the effects of inflation on their workers, the DGBAS said.

Meanwhile, in the first three months of this year, 33.6 percent of employers in the industrial and service sectors said they were planning to raise regular wages, while 67 percent of companies with a workforce of more than 100 employees had either already hiked pay or were planning to do so, according to the DGBAS.

Chen said, however, that there is growing uncertainty about the domestic economy, due to high inflation caused by a spike in commodity prices amid the Russia-Ukraine war and the explosion of domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases.

It remains to be seen, therefore, whether those employers that have planned wage hikes this year will go through with them, he said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

The relaxation of Taiwan’s border controls will depend on the country’s ability to maintain health system capacity, Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) head Chen Shih-chung (???) said Saturday.

With Taiwan experiencing a COVID-19 infection rate similar to that around the world, at around 6 percent, it will be reasonable to ease border controls given that the risk of contracting the disease in Taiwan or overseas is basically the same, Chen said.

The key is to make sure that the relaxation does not increase the burden on the country’s hospital system since medical personnel are under pressure at the moment, he said during the CECC’s daily press briefing.

Chen pointed out that there had been positive developments, such as that on Friday, people who had COVID-19 and were discharged from hospitals outnumbered those who were hospitalized for the first time during the ongoing surge of domestic COVID-19 cases. However, he did not specify a time frame so it is unclear whether he meant since April or just for May.

Chen said the CECC had held discussions with the Ministry of Economic Affairs on the easing of border controls and will soon involve the tourism sector for related talks, with details likely to be announced in June.

Given that countries around the world are reopening borders, Chen explained, it is important for Taiwan to consider similar measures in order to stay competitive economically.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

The Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) Saturday called on the public to avoid activities that disturb little terns, a type of seabird that usually breeds from April to July on coastal areas and inland waterways in parts of Taiwan.

According to the OCA, one of the principal threats to this shore nesting migratory bird is from human disturbance.

During last year’s breeding season, the administration said conservationists found several nesting sites which had been attacked by stray dogs, while some also had signs of human disturbance as tire tracks were found running over the nests.

All this can affect the breeding success rate of little terns, which are also known as Sternula albifrons sinensis, it said.

Working in collaboration with National Taiwan University and volunteers from local wild bird societies, the OCA said the conservationists did a survey last year on the bird’s known natural nesting sites in Yilan, Changhua, and Chiayi counties.

For the first time, the OCA said they also spotted new nesting grounds, including in the estuaries of Hualien River and Xihu River in Miaoli’s Houlong Township, in Budai Wetland Park in Chiayi, and in a detention pool in Kaohsiung.

Based on last year’s survey, the conservationists were able to discover 2,250 nests, the ocean administration said, noting that these seabirds can be found in the wild year-round, and are often spotted alone or in flocks around coastal regions, estuaries, swamps, and fish farms.

The birds typically lay one to three eggs in a nest, and both the male and female little terns take turns in incubating them, the OCA said.

According to the administration, the little tern is a protected species in Taiwan.

Anyone caught disturbing, hunting, or killing little terns could face criminal charges under the Wildlife Conservation Act, the OCA warned as it urged the public to avoid engaging in activities that could harm these birds.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Taiwan’s Startup Terrace village on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Lithuanian counterpart to share resources and build closer links, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

In a statement released Saturday, the ministry said the MOU was inked between Lithuania’s Public Institution Innovation Agency and Startup Terrace, the largest startup village in Taiwan, which works to create links with other nations and attract foreign accelerator startups.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-chyi (???), who is leading a 24-member delegation on a three-day visit to Lithuania to expand bilateral trade and economic ties, the MOEA said.

Lithuania’s Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation Egle Markeviciute and Taiwan’s representative to Lithuania Eric Jiun-yaw Huang (???) also attended the MOU signing ceremony, the MOEA said.

At the ceremony, Chen said the two innovation startup groups have shouldered the responsibility, on behalf of their governments, to create an innovation ecosystem and open a channel for such exchanges, according to the MOEA statement.

It said the agreement is expected to lay a foundation for Taipei and Vilnius to facilitate exchanges, share resources and strengthen their friendship.

Meanwhile, Chen and his delegation on Friday launched an event — The Best Passage to ASIA-Startup Ecosystem & Resources in Taiwan — in Vilnius to inform people there of Taiwan’s innovation efforts, the MOEA said.

At the event, Startup Terrace, which is based in New Taipei, presented information about the resources available to foreign startups that wish to grow in Taiwan, according to the MOEA.

Six Taiwanese startups also demonstrated their solutions in a wide range of innovations, the MOEA said, naming wireless communications service provider Ubiik, health monitoring technology provider Singular Wings, and Turning Drive, the first Taiwanese firm to develop self-driving technologies for buses, among the six.

The previous day, the six startups attracted great attention at the Startup Fair in Vilnius, according to the MOEA.

The ministry said that on Wednesday, Chen held talks with Lithuanian Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation Jovita Neliupšiene on expanding economic cooperation between their two countries, which was the first bilateral economic dialogue at that level.

According to the MOEA, Chen and his delegation have visited Vilnius Tech Park, the largest information communications technology startup center in North Europe; Vilnius City Innovation Industrial Park; and several Lithuanian venture capital firms.

Before arriving in Lithuania, the Taiwanese delegation stopped in Brussels, where they met with European Union officials May 23-24 to discuss bilateral economic ties.

Last November, Taiwan opened a representative office in Lithuania to facilitate bilateral trade and economic exchanges.

Lithuania, however, has come under heavy political and economic pressure from China over the name of the office — Taiwanese Representative Office.

Taiwan typically names its overseas representative offices “Taipei Economic and Cultural Office” or “Taipei Representative Office,” in keeping with the host countries’ preference to avoid any references that would imply Taiwan is a separate country from China.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported the death of a 12-year-old boy from COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the number of those in Taiwan under the age of 13 to die from the disease to eight.

The CECC also reported that a 5-year-old girl with COVID-19 was currently being treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) for suspected viral encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, making her the 17th individual under the age of 10 to develop severe symptoms of COVID-19.

The 12-year-old boy whose death was reported Friday was a long-term acute care patient suffering from a nervous system disease caused by genetic mutations. He was already on a ventilator prior to contracting COVID-19, Lo Yi-chun (???), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, said at a daily press briefing.

According to the CECC, the boy, who was not vaccinated, was confirmed as having COVID-19 on May 21 after developing a fever the day before.

The boy passed away on May 23 from pneumonia and respiratory failure linked to COVID-19, Lo said at the CECC’s daily news briefing.

According to the CECC, the 5-year-old girl in intensive care returned a positive COVID-19 rapid antigen test result on May 22 after developing a fever of 37.6 degrees Celsius.

After developing additional COVID-19 symptoms including vomiting, muscle spasticity, and loss of consciousness, the girl was admitted to intensive care.

Hospital staff then treated her with drugs and performed intubation to relieve respiratory distress, Lo said.

She has since been taken off artificial ventilation following an improvement in her condition, but is still being treated with high-flow nasal cannula therapy at the ICU, Lo said.

Of the seven other deaths of individuals under the age of 18 with COVID-19, five had encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, one died of septic shock, while one was ruled as caused by COVID-19 despite doctors being unable to determine exactly how the disease progressed.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

China is changing the status quo in the region by conducting military sorties near Taiwan, Premier Su Tseng-chang (???) said Friday after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) maneuvers were criticized by the United States’ top diplomat a day earlier.

Sending military planes to conduct exercises near Taiwan is “an act of changing the status quo” and an “inappropriate use of force,” Su said when asked to comment on the speech on the U.S.’ China policy by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday.

In his speech, Blinken criticized Beijing for its “increasingly provocative rhetoric and activity” against Taiwan that he said were “deeply destabilizing,” risked miscalculation, and threatened the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.

Blinken specifically cited the sorties of PLA aircraft in airspace near Taiwan on an almost daily basis as an example of the destabilizing behavior.

The U.S. continued to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side of the Taiwan Strait and expected cross-strait differences to be resolved peacefully, Blinken said.

While thanking Blinken for voicing concern over China’s military maneuvers, Su said Taiwan would defend itself and work with other countries to contribute to the peace and stability of the region.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said it was pleased to see the secretary of state reaffirming the U.S.’ commitment to Taiwan’s security.

According to MOFA, Blinken’s speech showed that the U.S. is very concerned about China’s attempts to exert military and economic pressure on Taiwan and isolate the country.

Meanwhile, Ting Shu-fan (???), professor emeritus at National Chengchi University, observed that Blinken merely reiterated the U.S.’ existing stance by saying the country would try to strengthen its relationship with Taiwan in accordance with the one China policy.

Blinken’s remarks did not come as a surprise, nor did they contain the more assertive wording used by President Joe Biden, Ting said, referring to the president’s off-the-cuff comments at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday suggesting the U.S. would be willing to intervene militarily if China were to attack Taiwan.

Biden later stressed that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed, something that Blinken once again stated during his policy speech.

The U.S. “remains committed to our one-China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiqués [and] the Six Assurances,” the top diplomat said.

Nevertheless, Chen Fang-yu (???), a political science professor at Taipei-based Soochow University, took note of Blinken’s use of a Taiwan Relations Act provision in his speech.

Blinken said the U.S. would “maintain our capacity to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security or the social or economic system of Taiwan.”

Chen, one of the editors of the Facebook page US Taiwan Watch, argued that although the provision remains ambiguous, it could serve as the legal basis for a U.S. intervention in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel