Taipei Liaison Office in the RSA SA- eNews NOVEMBER 29TH 2019 PUBLISHER: MATTHEW CHOU ISSUE 11

I, and the South African Government, have enormous appreciation for the contribution that the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has made to the commitment of the Govern- ment sector in the economic development in Africa. The ROC (Taiwan) further, made a gener- ous and much appreciated contribution to South Africa's transition to democracy .

Statement by President Nelson Mandela—27 November 1996

CEC announces ROC (Taiwan) 2020 presidential election candidates

Candidates from the ruling ernor of Taiwan Province from Democratic Progressive 1993 to 1998 and head of the Party and opposition Kuo- defunct Government Informa- mintang and People First tion Office from 1979 to 1984, Party will contest the up- will run a fourth time as presi- coming ROC (Taiwan) presi- dential candidate. His running dential race, according to mate is Sandra Yu, former chair- the Central Election Com- woman of local advertising firm mission Nov. 22. United Communications Group.

The DPP’s Tsai Ing-wen will According to the CEC, 650 can- seek a second term. She is the The KMT’s Han Kuo-yu, mayor of didates will compete for 113 first woman to hold the country’s Kaohsiung City in southern Tai- seats in the Legislative Yuan. In highest office after winning 6.89 wan and a legislator from 1993 January 2016, the DPP claimed million votes, or 56.12 percent, to 2002, is the main challenger. 68 seats to become the majority in the 2016 election. His vice presidential pick, Chang party for the first time followed San-cheng, was premier from by KMT, 35; New Power Party, 5; Running mate Lai Ching-te was February 2016 to May 2016 and PFP, 3; Non-Partisan Solidarity premier from 2017 to 2019; minister of science and technol- Union, 1; and independent, 1. mayor of Tainan City in southern ogy from March 2014 to Decem- Taiwan, 2010 to 2017; and a leg- ber 2014. The presidential and legislative islator, 1999 to 2010. elections are set for Jan. 11, PFP Chairman James Soong, gov- 2020.

November Snapshots of Taiwan

Left,Hu Jong-i (second left), director-general of Agriculture and Food Agency under the Council of Agriculture, displays locally grown bananas Nov. 26 at a news conference in Taipei City announcing plans to increase produce exports to Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture. (Courtesy of AFA) ;Middle, A representative (left) from Equal Love Taiwan, a Taipei City-based nongovernmental organization advocating for same-sex marriage, receives a HERO Award at a ceremony organized by Bangkok-based NGO APCOM Nov. 22 in the Thai capital. (Courtesy of ELT) ;Right,A Tamsui System train featuring characters created by renowned Taiwan illustrator Jimmy Liao is launched Nov. 25 in to celebrate the service’s one-year anniversary. (Courtesy of New Taipei Corp.) ISSUE 11

SA-TAIWAN ENEWS Headline News Page 2 President Tsai meets US Congressmen Bill Flores and Guy Reschenthaler

During a meeting with US Congressmen Bill Flores and As the strategic forefront of Guy Reschenthaler on the the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan morning of November 26, is the first line of defense for President Tsai Ing-wen democratic values. Over the stated that the situation in past months, the people of Hong Kong demonstrates Hong Kong have continued to the importance of Taiwan pursue freedom and democ- and the United States' joint racy, only to be met with vio- defense of free, democratic lent suppression. values. As the strategic forefront of the Indo-Pacific re- wan. Congressman Flores is a The worsening situation in Hong gion, she said, Taiwan is the first member of the Congressional Kong only further demonstrates line of defense for democratic Taiwan Caucus, and he has lent the importance of Taiwan and values. We will continue to strong support to bills supporting the United States' joint defense strengthen our cooperation with Taiwan, including our participa- of free, democratic values. the United States in all fields, so tion in international organiza- that we can make greater contri- tions and the signing of a bilat- We have also noted that the US butions to regional stability, eral trade agreement between House and Senate recently prosperity, and development, Taiwan and the United States. passed a bill supporting human she stated. rights and democracy in Hong Since taking office earlier this Kong. This effort proves that A translation of the president's year, Congressman Reschen- these core values are not split remarks follows: thaler has staunchly supported along party lines. They are the I still remember when Congress- Taiwan as well. In addition to overwhelming consensus of all man Flores came to Taiwan in signing the TAIPEI Act (Taiwan democratic countries. 2016 right after I took office. It is Allies International Protection wonderful to see you again. I and Enhancement Initiative Act) This year, Taiwan and the United also want to welcome Congress- and the Taiwan Assurance Act, States hosted the first-ever Pa- man Reschenthaler on his first he has also voted in support of cific Islands Dialogue. We will visit to Taiwan. Meeting with all Taiwan-friendly resolutions. continue to strengthen our coop- of you before Thanksgiving Thanks to your hard work and eration with the United States in makes this feel like a reunion of the efforts of many others, the all fields, so that we can make friends. Taiwan-US partnership has greater contributions to regional grown stronger across the board. stability, prosperity, and devel- I want to personally thank both In a speech last month, Vice opment. of you for your support for Tai- President Mike Pence said that the United States has "stood Taiwan-US relations enjoy strong by Taiwan in defense of her bipartisan support in the United hard-won freedoms." I would States. I hope that you will con- like to take this opportunity to tinue to support Taiwan, and say that Taiwan will be a help bring our partnership to a steadfast partner to the new level. United States. ISSUE 11

SA-TAIWAN ENEWS Business and Economics Page 3 President Tsai touts Taiwan’s economic potential at AmCham’s Annual General Meeting President Tsai Ing- contributed to wen said Nov. 19 that local economic the local economy is development moving ahead in leaps and plays a key and bounds, and role in advanc- there are many poten- ing Taiwan-U.S. tial-laden areas in trade ties. This which Taiwan and the President Tsai Ing-wen (front, center) and AmCham Taipei President involvement is U.S. can cultivate mu- William Foreman (from, second right) are joined by business represen- of great value as tually beneficial op- tatives and officials from Taiwan and the U.S. at the organization’s the government portunities. Nov. 19 Annual General Meeting. (Courtesy of Presidential Office) continues trans- forming the Taiwan’s economic country into a growth topped the Asian tigers clude the establishment of the pat- world center for financial and over the first three quarters in ent linkage system in August and wealth management R&D and top- 2019, Tsai said. In addition, home- announcement of the Talent Circu- end manufacturing, she added. bound investment of nearly lation Alliance announced in April, NT$700 billion (US$22.9 billion) Tsai said. According to Tsai, Taiwan and the forecast to produce more than U.S. are economic partners of sig- 55,000 quality jobs was The patent linkage system allows nificant standing. From January to greenlighted by the government, for the speedy resolution of dis- October, the country’s U.S. exports she added. putes pertaining to patent invalidity recorded a sizable increase of 17.7 and infringement among big-name percent year on year, she said. Tsai made the remarks while ad- drug companies and generic manu- dressing the American Chamber of facturers. It was contained in 2018- Closer cooperation is the way for- Commerce in Taipei’s Annual Gen- approved amendments to the Phar- ward, Tsai said, adding that a bilat- eral Meeting. maceutical Affairs Act. eral investment agreement would pave the way for strategic alliances According to Tsai, employment op- TCA is a public-private partnership in value-added sectors of the future portunities created by homebound between lead organizations such as like artificial intelligence, internet investment are complemented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, of things and Industry 4.0 while de- those stemming from an uptick in Industrial Development Bureau, fending rules-based order in the interest from technology heavy- state-backed Institute for Informa- Indo-Pacific. weights like Amazon.com Inc., tion Industry and the American In- Google, Microsoft Corp. and Micron stitute in Taiwan. It encourages the Established in 1951 with more than Technology Inc. These firms recog- free flow of human capital between 1,000 members from 500 compa- nize Taiwan’s robust business cli- Taiwan and like-minded partners, nies, AmCham Taipei is a nonprofit, mate and its abundance of highly as well as creates a deep pool of nonpartisan organization dedicated educated talent, she said. digital professionals with a global to promoting the interests of outlook. American and international busi- Other achievements underscoring nesses in Taiwan. Taiwan’s economic credentials in- Tsai said AmCham Taipei has long ISSUE 11

SA-TAIWAN ENEWS Science & Technology Page 4 MOST launches two new ocean research vessels in Keelung Two ocean research vessels commis- he said. sioned by the Ministry of Science and Technology were launched Nov. According to the MOST, the two new 25 in the northern port city of Kee- 811-metric-ton vessels will join the lung, marking a milestone in domes- 1,000-metric-ton R/V New Ocean tic marine research development. Research 1 set to be delivered in early 2020, and will be operated by At the launch ceremony, Vice Presi- National Taiwan University in Taipei dent Chen Chien-jen said the two Oceanography involves disciplines City, National Taiwan Ocean Univer- indigenously developed vessels un- spanning atmospheric science, biol- sity in Keelung and National Sun Yat- derscore the government’s commit- ogy, chemistry, geology and physics, sen University in the southern city of ment to enhancing the country’s Chen said, adding that developing Kaohsiung, respectively. oceanographic research capabilities expertise in the subject is key to Tai- and cultivating local talent. wan’s sustainable development as an They will join the 2,629-metric-ton island nation. Legend operated by National Applied Manufactured by CSBC Corp. Taiwan, Research Laboratories in carrying out R/V New Ocean Researcher 2 and 3 Promulgation of the Ocean Basic Law exploration or scientific missions are shining examples of the country’s earlier this month by President Tsai while promoting cross-border coop- shipbuilding prowess, he added. Ing-wen is proof of the value that the eration in marine research, the MOST government places on marine affairs, added. Taiwan, US stage GCTF workshop on good energy governance

The Workshop on Good Energy Gov- Energy, JTEA head ernance in the Indo-Pacific held un- Izumi Hiroyasu der the Taiwan-U.S. Global Coopera- and AOT head tion and Training Framework kicked Gary Cowan. off Nov. 20 in Taipei City. During his opening address, Deputy the U.S. Jointly organized by the Ministry of MOFA Minister Hsu Szu-chien said Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign effective energy governance is key to Taiwan is a reliable and experienced Affairs, Taiwan Institute of Economic achieving prosperity and sustainable partner, with the workshop being an Research, American Institute in Tai- development in the Indo-Pacific, ideal platform for promoting sustain- wan, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Asso- where energy consumption has able and responsible energy govern- ciation and Australian Office Taipei, grown rapidly since 2000. ance structures suitable for a free, the three-day event underscores the open and prosperous Indo-Pacific, he commitment of the like-minded part- Taiwan is a regional leader in renew- added. ners to deepening cooperation. It is able energy development, Hsu said, the first time Australia has attended adding that the workshop can give The workshop is the 22nd staged un- a GCTF event. participating countries new insights, der the GCTF since the framework’s as well as promoting partnerships launch in June 2015. More than 430 According to the MOFA, 25 experts and innovative solutions to the chal- representatives from 38 countries and officials from 13 countries and lenges faced. and territories have taken part in the territories are participating in the events, spanning topics such as disas- workshop. High-profile names in- Echoing Hsu’s remarks, AIT Director ter relief, education, environmental clude Elizabeth Urbanas, deputy as- Brent Christensen said the event is protection, humanitarian assistance, sistant secretary for Asia and Ameri- another example of the long history public health and women’s empow- cas under the U.S. Department of of collaboration between Taiwan and erment. ISSUE 11

SA-TAIWAN ENEWS Art and Culture Page 5 Taiwan International Festival of Arts set for next February in Taipei Taiwan International Festival of Arts story of a complicated relationship is scheduled to kick off Feb. 21, 2020 between father and son. in Taipei City, showcasing the crea- tive energy of participating artists Another standout is the epic nine- and the country’s vibrant cultural and-half-hour drama “Players, Mao scene. II, The Names” written and directed by French filmmaker Julien Organized by National Theater and Gosselin. Adapted from a trilogy of Concert Hall, the two-month festival novels about terrorism and collec- features 17 shows spanning dance, tive worship by American novelist drama and music performances with bringing thought-provoking and fresh Don DeLillo, the show is performed entertainers from 10 countries and perspectives to audiences while invit- as one continuous piece featuring territories including France, Ireland, ing them to join the conversation real-time image projections and live Italy, Japan and the U.K. Sideline regarding the role of performing arts music. events are also being held containing in modern life, she added. 40-plus exhibitions, lectures and Launched in 2009, TIFA aims to raise seminars. One highlight is set to be the opening Taiwan’s profile in the international Taiwan musical “Bando” directed by community by highlighting the full NTCH General and Artistic Director local artist Fan Chung-chi. Starring breadth of the country’s arts land- Liu Yi-ru said during a news confer- Yang Lie, winner of best male singer scape and bringing together the lat- ence Nov. 25 that the twelfth edition at the Golden Bell Awards in 1986, est pieces from around the world for will be titled “To Inspire For All,” and vocalist Emerson Tsai, it tells the fans to enjoy. LAITO raises Taiwan’s international cultural profile Living Arts International Taiwan Office SEA’s brief includes setting up a net- The MOC-LAI partnership also includes is playing an integral role in raising the work of administrators, artists, manag- supporting the successful participation country’s global cultural profile while ers and policymakers seeking to link of two under-25 Taiwan musicians in fostering collaboration among related works with challenges connected to January’s Ethno Cambodia. The week- nonprofits from home and abroad. the U.N. Sustainable Development long session saw the local talents Goals, as well as building civil society share, learn and teach traditional mu- Established by the Ministry of Culture through arts and culture. sic alongside peers from the Southeast and New York-based Living Arts Inter- Asian country and Mekong region. national under a four-year agreement Running from November to September in 2018, LAITO is based at Taiwan Con- 2020, SEA affords 10 participants from According to the ministry, cooperation temporary Culture Lab on the site of Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, between the MOC and LAI is in line what was formerly the headquarters of Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet- with efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s the ROC (Taiwan) air force command in nam, the Philippines and U.K. the links with New Southbound Policy tar- Daan District of Taipei City. chance to take part in four gatherings get countries. centered on Southeast Asian sustain- LAITO is considered a peerless plat- able cultural development. A key plank in the government’s na- form for cultivating talent, expanding tional development strategy, the NSP exchanges and opening new opportu- The first, kicking off Nov. 21 in Cambo- aims to deepen Taiwan’s ties across nities for cross-border cultural and dia, is a four-day workshop in which the board with the 10 Association of creative sector tie-ups. Some of its attendees will formulate a 12-month Southeast Asian Nations member highlight achievements include cooper- plan for promoting cultural experimen- states, six South Asian countries, Aus- ating with Mekong Cultural Hub and tation undertakings in four different tralia and New Zealand. the British Council in staging the sec- Asian cities. It is expected to highlight ond edition of the Society, Education, the role arts can play in strengthening Environment and Arts program (SEA). societal connectivity and resilience. ISSUE 11

SA-TAIWAN ENEWS Medical & health care Page 6 Public satisfaction in Taiwan’s NHI system hits record high Public satisfaction with Taiwan’s Na- percent cited perceived superior results serve as the basis for further tional Health Insurance system hit a treatment at major hospitals as the NHI reforms and upgrades, Lee record high 89.7 percent this year, up main reason. Nearly half felt the ap- added. from 86.5 percent in 2018, according proach was potentially problematic to the NHI Administration under the as they could not discern the severity Established in 1995, the NHI is regu- Ministry of Health and Welfare Nov. of a health issue. larly praised at home and abroad as a 26. model health care system. It covers On the service provider side of the more than 99 percent of Taiwan’s 23 Ease of access to treatment topped survey, physicians and dentists indi- million people, and offers a compre- the survey at 41.6 percent, followed cated satisfaction levels of 33.7 per- hensive range of leading-edge medi- by inexpensive medical care, 41.5 cent and 36.6 percent, respectively, cal services. percent; and reasonably priced insur- with dissatisfaction levels at 19.1 per- ance premium, 19.9 percent. The cent and 14.9 percent. The annual survey was conducted by needs-based approach, which en- Taipei City-based National Yang-Ming courages users with nonserious ail- Lee Po-chang, director-general of the University between July 1 and Sept. ments to seek treatment at small NHIA, said increasing satisfaction lev- 10 via landline, mobile and online clinics so as to reduce pressure on els of users and service providers platforms. Respondents comprised a Taiwan’s major hospitals, recorded a reaffirms the success of government random sampling of 7,234 NHI users 70 percent approval. policies aimed at improving health aged 20 and above. care in Taiwan and the well-being of Of those in disagreement, nearly 70 the country’s 23 million people. The NCKU Tainan’s chronic kidney disease solution bags iGEM gold

An innovative solution for chronic health issues kidney disease developed by a team such as cardio- from Tainan City-based National vascular disease. Cheng Kung University in southern Taiwan is winner of gold at the re- According to cently staged International Geneti- NCKU, the 24- cally Engineered Machine competi- member student tion in Boston. -faculty team beat out 200-plus rivals from leading The students genuinely outper- The solution manages p-Cresol accu- international tertiary institutions to formed, Huang said. They designed a mulation stemming from CKD with a claim the prestigious undergraduate viable solution with full consideration two-pronged approach utilizing division honor. It also finished on top for the challenging primary care con- NCKU-developed CreSolve and Cre- in the categories of hardware, meas- sideration of patient convenience Sense. The former consists of a type urement, model, presentation and and safety, he added. of engineered probiotic, while the therapeutics. latter is a quantification device meas- Staged Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 at Massa- uring p-Cresol levels in plasma via Huang I-hsiu, team principal and an chusetts Institute of Technology in blood separation and living bacteria associate professor in the Depart- Boston, the 15th edition of iGEM in- bio-sensing techniques. ment of Microbiology and Immunol- volved 353 teams from 44 countries ogy at NCKU, said it was the first time and territories. The competition is Those with CKD record increasing in more than decade for a Taiwan considered a global showcase for levels of p-Cresol as the condition team to triumph in such spectacular advances in the fields of electrical progresses. This leads to a variety of fashion at iGEM. engineering, energy, information en- complications and life-threatening gineering, medicine and physics. ISSUE 11

SA-TAIWAN ENEWS Entertainment Page 7 Ministry of Foreign Affairs releases short film ‘Riding the Wind’, on Taiwan’s imple- mentation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change In order to galvanize friendly voices and is now live and being broad- Taiwan has taken in Asia in terms of in the international community to casted around the world. wind power. The overlapping images call for Taiwan’s participation at this of green energy and scenes from life year’s UNFCCC Conference of Parties, The film starts with a narration de- represent how humans can flourish which will open on December 2 in scribing how the earth has provided in harmony with nature, and how Madrid, the Ministry of Foreign Af- the resources which have fueled the energy transition isn’t just a global fairs published the short film ‘Riding development of human civilization, trend, but also a sign of Taiwan’s ac- the Wind’ on November 25. The and how the demand for power amid tion to protect the environment go- video concerns Taiwan’s landmark this development has exacted a ing forward. construction of its first offshore wind heavy toll on the environment. Given farm, explaining that Taiwan not only the global climate challenges we MOFA welcomes to watch the short shares the objectives of the UNFCCC, face, as a responsible global stake- film on the Ministry of Foreign Af- but also putting them into practice, holder, Taiwan must make choices fairs’ Trending Taiwan YouTube chan- and that Taiwan is fully implementing that will ensure sustainable develop- nel, the Trending Taiwan Facebook the reduction of global carbon emis- ment for future generations. The film page, the MOFA Facebook page or sions. The video is subtitled in 10 lan- also includes the perspectives of two the MOFA Taiwan Instagram ac- guages, Mandarin, English, Japanese, people who work with the subject of count. Spanish, French, German, Vietnam- the sea and wind, in documentary ese, Thai, Indonesian and Russian, style, pointing to the pioneering role Team Taiwan shines at APICTA Awards in Vietnam Team Taiwan came second with with its micro-vibration detector three gold medals and eight mer- Vibrasee, and Taipei- its at the 19th Asia Pacific Infor- headquartered Sloth Tech Co., mation and Communications Ltd., which won first place in the Technology Alliance Awards held business service category and Nov. 18-23 in Halong Bay, Viet- finished second in the blockchain nam. application category with its Pointree app used for storing loy- Led by the Industrial Develop- alty cards. ment Bureau under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, 24 Taiwan en- abroad since officially releasing ear- First organized by Malaysia-based tries competed against 324 oppo- lier this year. APICTA in 2001, the annual competi- nents from 15 other economies en tion honors creativity, innovation and route to delivering the country’s best At the awards ceremony, Director of excellence among entrepreneurs, ever performance in the contest. SSI Feng Ming-whei said Taiwan is individuals, organizations and stu- investing heavily in smart technolo- dents in the region. Smart System Institute under the gies for Industry 4.0 and the Internet Taipei City-based Institute for Infor- of Things, adding that the institute’s Widely regarded as the Oscars of the mation Industry claimed the top anomaly detection solution is one of ICT industry, the awards recognize honor in the industrial manufacturing the fruits of these efforts. outstanding solutions in 17 catego- category with its anomaly detection ries, which include communications, solution, a technique for judging ma- Other winners included National industry applications, startups as well chine status and identifying errors. Central University-based Rongseng as sustainability and environment The system has been adopted by sev- Laboratories, which came first in the technology. eral companies from home and research and development category ISSUE 11

SA-TAIWAN ENEWS Tourism Page 8 Taipei ranks 6th in PICSA inclusive prosperity index Taipei City placed sixth out of 113 representatives from other cities and metropolises in the inaugural Pros- learn more about their governance perity and Inclusion City Seal and experiences, he added. Awards index published Nov. 21. According to PICSA, Taipei has long Taiwan’s capital was the highest been recognized as a leader in the ranked city in Asia, finishing ahead of global information and high-tech in- famous locations such as Oslo, sev- dustries. The city also stands out for enth; Geneva, 10th; Washington, its implementation of circular econ- D.C., 11th; Amsterdam, 17th; Paris, international experts and business omy solutions and outstanding con- 32nd; London, 33rd; New York, 38th; leaders from a range of private and tributions to sustainable develop- and Tokyo, 39th. Zurich, Vienna and public organizations. Taipei scored ment, the organizers said. Copenhagen topped the rankings, in highly for affordability of housing, that order. environmental quality and access to Formed as part of a project commis- healthcare. sioned in 2017 by the autonomous Co-conducted by Switzerland-based government of Spain’s Basque re- D&L Partners SA and the govern- At the awards ceremony in Bilbao, gion, the PICSA index aims to provide ments of Spain’s Biscay province and Taipei City Government spokesper- a productivity metric that accurately Bilbao, the index evaluated cities son Chou Tai-chu said TCG was de- reflects social and economic inclu- based on prosperity, social inclusion lighted with the result. The event sion in order to identify policies and and spatial inclusion by surveying was a great opportunity to meet with practices that work for citizens. Taiwan climbs 7 spots to 20th in IMD World Talent Ranking Switzerland heads the table overall, followed by Denmark and Sweden in Cabinet-level National Development that order. Council welcomed the result, adding that the government is committed to The sixth edition of the annual report promoting policies aimed at attract- assessed 63 economies using 32 indi- ing and retaining world-class class cators in three categories: appeal, talent. investment and development, and readiness. Appeal evaluates the ex- In particular, 13th for the indicator Taiwan moved up seven spots to tent to which an economy attracts student mobility underscores the 20th in the latest World Talent Rank- foreign talent and retains local pro- success of talent cultivation initia- ing published Nov. 18 by Switzerland- fessionals; investment and develop- tives aimed at expanding exchanges based International Institute for ment measures resources committed with New Southbound Policy target Management Development. to nurturing homegrown human countries, the NDC said. capital; and readiness quantifies do- The country finished fifth in the Asia- mestic skills and competencies. A key plank in the government’s na- Pacific ahead of Malaysia, 22nd; tional development strategy, the NSP South Korea, 33rd; Japan, 35th; Indo- Taiwan ranks 29th in appeal, 24th in seeks to enhance Taiwan’s agricul- nesia, 41st; China, 42nd; Thailand, investment and development, and tural, business, cultural, education, 43rd; and the Philippines, 49th. It 12th in readiness. It achieved top-10 tourism and trade ties with the 10 trailed Singapore, 10th; Hong Kong, status in four of the 32 indicators: Association of Southeast Asian Na- 15th; Australia, 16th; and New Zea- educational assessment, graduates in tions member states, six South Asian land, 17th. sciences, effective personal income countries, Australia and New Zea- tax rate, and health infrastructure. land.