‘WEAK POSITIVE’: The man arrived in Taiwan in May and was quarantined for two weeks, Chen Shih-chung said, adding that he might be infected a long time ago
The government is considering tightening mask-wearing rules again in light of a potential domestic COVID-19 infection, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) confirmed seven new COVID-19 cases, six of which are imported. The other case involves a Belgian engineer who entered Taiwan on May 3 and remained in quarantine until May 17, said Chen, who heads the CECC. Although the source of infection has yet to be identified, the case could end the nation’s record of not having any domestic cases in the previous 110 days. The Belgian, in his 20s, is a technician
RECEIVING TREATMENT: President Tsai Ing-wen, Vice President William Lai and Premier Su Tseng-chang visited former president Lee Teng-hui yesterday morning
Taipei Veterans General Hospital yesterday rebutted speculation that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) had died a day earlier, saying that he was weak, but receiving treatment. The hospital said the 97-year-old Lee was not in good condition and needed ongoing care, adding that if there are any changes in his condition, it would make those public. The comments came after rumors emerged online on Tuesday that Lee had died after being hospitalized since early February. Soon after the unsubstantiated rumors emerged, reporters started flocking to the hospital seeking confirmation. Lee was admitted to Taipei Veterans General Hospital on Feb. 8 after choking while drinking
Softbank Group Corp plans to keep a stake in the chip designer Arm Ltd, even if it sells a partial interest to Nvidia Corp, the Nikkei reported. The companies are negotiating terms, the newspaper reported, citing sources. Softbank might take a stake in Nvidia after it buys Arm, the report said. Nvidia and Arm might also merge through a share swap, and Softbank would become a major shareholder in the combined company, it said. The two parties aim to reach a deal in the next few weeks, the sources said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Nvidia is the
ROAD TO HISTORY: When Lee Teng-hui joined the KMT, the likelihood of a Taiwanese becoming ROC president, much less its first directly elected one, was hard to imagine
Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who was born on Jan. 15, 1923, in the farming community of Sanshi Village, Taihoku Prefecture — now New Taipei City’s Sanzhi District (三芝) — during the Japanese colonial era, and rose to become mayor of Taipei and not only the Republic of China’s (ROC) first Taiwan-born president, but its first directly elected one as well. Educated in the Japanese educational system of the time, Lee, who spoke Japanese, Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese), Mandarin and English, won a scholarship to Kyoto Imperial University, but his studies were interrupted by World War II. He earned a bachelor’s
BRIBERY CASE: President Tsai Ing-wen accepted Su Jia-chyuan’s resignation as he said that he deeply regretted causing trouble for the president due to the investigation
Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) yesterday resigned after his nephew, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清), was implicated in a bribery case related to a dispute over the ownership of Pacific Sogo Department Store (太平洋崇光百貨). “I resigned from the post so that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would not be bothered by it anymore, and the prosecutors can investigate the case in a fair and just manner. I thank President Tsai once again for supporting me. May the country continue to prosper under her leadership,” Su Jia-chyuan said in a statement. The Presidential Office said that Tsai has accepted
‘INCREASINGLY FAVORED’: Taiwan’s ‘transparent laws and efficient courts’ as well as its financial institutions give it a major advantage to become a financial hub, Tsai said
Taiwan would liberalize banking and investment rules to establish itself as a regional financial hub, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Taiwan Capital Market Forum in Taipei yesterday. Recent world events could be an opening for Taiwan to become an international center for business investments and financial management, Tsai said at the forum, which was organized by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister publication of the Taipei Times). “We’re facing unknowns in the world right now, including the continuing impact of US-China trade tensions and the reorganization of the global supply chain after COVID-19,” Tsai said. “These bring new challenges and opportunities.” Tsai
Taipei prosecutors yesterday charged Far Eastern Air Transport Corp (FAT, 遠東航空) chairman Chang Kang-wei (張綱維) with fraud after he allegedly embezzled NT$3.59 billion (US$121.61 million). The prosecutors also charged First Financial Holding Co (第一金控) chairman Jason Liao (廖燦昌) — who also heads First Commercial Bank (第一銀行) — and Land Bank of Taiwan (臺灣土地銀) chairman Hwang Bor-Chang (黃伯川), along with several executives of Taiwan Cooperative Bank (合作金庫銀行). The charges sent shock waves across the financial sector, as the scandal implicated the nation’s foremost banks, and Liao and Hwang lead state-owned banks — although the incident happened in 2016, when Liao and Hwang
DIGITAL PLAN: The NPP said the Ministry of Culture must explain the controversy surrounding the platform and what it plans to do with the budget allocated for it
The Ministry of Culture yesterday scrapped the Public Television Service’s (PTS, 公視) “international video platform” after it sparked controversy following reports that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) tried to use the platform as a mouthpiece and interfere with its personnel plans. The ministry in a statement thanked the PTS board — which on Monday voted 11-4 to pass a pilot project to develop an “international communication digital plan” — for its support. However, the ministry said that to prevent the controversy from spreading, it has terminated the international video platform commission following a careful and comprehensive assessment. The direction of the ministry’s policy
The Supreme Court on Tuesday found four men guilty of attempted murder in the 2017 stabbing of Spanish surfer Ignacio Prio on a Pingtung County beach in the final ruling in the case, sentencing them to three-and-a-half to six years in prison. The defendants had appealed their convictions for attempted murder in the first and second rulings, which had also led to prison sentences ranging from three-and-a-half years to six years. The then-42-year-old Prio went to Jialeshui Beach (佳樂水) near Kenting (墾丁) on March 31, 2017, was attacked after he asked four men to remove their fishing lines from an area
The White House in a statement on Friday marked the passing of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), while Lee’s alma mater Cornell University issued an obituary remembering his academic achievements and his 1995 speech during a visit to the campus. It followed a statement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo marking Lee’s contributions to Taiwan’s democratization. Lee died due to septic shock and multiple organ failure in Taipei on Thursday evening. He was 97. The White House statement said that “President Lee was Taiwan’s first popularly elected leader and stepped down in adherence to term limits. President Lee was the architect
‘IMMORAL, INSINCERE’: Huang Kun-huei said that Ma was ‘distorting history’ in claiming that Lee Teng-hui laid the foundation for the so-called ‘1992 consensus’
Former Presidential Office secretary-general Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) on Saturday rejected former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) claim that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) had been a proponent of Beijing’s “one China” principle. Lee, who served as president from 1988 to 2000, died in Taipei on Thursday last week. After visiting the Taipei Guest House on Saturday to pay his respects to Lee, Ma posted on Facebook that “28 years ago on this day” Lee hosted a session of the now-defunct National Unification Council, during which he passed a resolution on the “one China” principle. That resolution became the basis of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s
‘PUBLIC TRUST’: President Tsai Ing-wen thanked David Lee for accepting the new post at such short notice and expressed confidence in his ability to adjust to his new role
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday appointed Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman David Lee (李大維) as the new Presidential Office secretary-general, as she warned the Cabinet against damaging the public’s trust in the government. Lee replaces Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), who resigned on Sunday, after his nephew, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清), was implicated in a bribery case. Su Jia-chyuan said that he was worried it could negatively affect Tsai’s presidency. Su Chen-ching is accused of taking bribes from businessman Lee Heng-lung (李恆隆) to lobby for a legal amendment. Lee Heng-lung has been engaged in a legal fight with Far
A SUPERLATIVE LEADER: Shinzo Abe said that the Japanese ‘have special feelings’ for Lee, ‘a person who laid the foundation of Japan-Taiwan ties’
Many foreign dignitaries of democratic countries are mourning the passing of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) on Thursday and celebrating his vital contributions to Taiwan’s democratization, while China has said that a push for Taiwanese independence begun by Lee cannot work. As of yesterday afternoon, 206 foreign dignitaries from 45 countries and organizations had expressed sadness over Lee’s death, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Among the first to express grief on Thursday night, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Representative Hiroyasu Izumi said in a statement that he was deeply saddened about losing Lee, who “embodied the mental bonds of Japan and Taiwan.” “Since the
The US and Australia on Tuesday reaffirmed Taiwan’s vital role in the Indo-Pacific region, and expressed concern about China’s efforts to erode Hong Kong’s autonomy. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper hosted Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne and Australian Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds in Washington for the 30th Australia-US Ministerial Consultations. They issued a joint statement afterward to declare their shared commitments in regional and global issues. They reaffirmed that the Indo-Pacific is the focus of their alliance, and that the US and Australia are working side by side, including with ASEAN, India,
NEW ERA: Taiwan, which has controlled its virus outbreak, now faces the challenge of safely resuming economic exchanges with other nations, Chang Shan-chwen said
People should not focus entirely on having zero new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan, but neglect overall control over the disease situation, Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) specialist advisory panel convener Chang Shan-chwen (張上淳) said yesterday. Chang made the remark at a forum in Taipei discussing the steps Taiwan should take in the post-pandemic era, organized by the Chinese-language magazine Global Views Monthly. Chang, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩), and Stanford University’s Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention director C. Jason Wang (王智弘) each made a presentation, followed by a panel discussion with Chang, Wang and Buddhist Tzu
ANOTHER IMPORT: A Filipina who arrived on Friday to visit family developed a fever on Saturday and test results yesterday were positive, making her Taiwan’s 465th case
The government’s real-name mask purchasing system is to be continued until at least the end of the year, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported a new imported COVID-19 case from the Philippines. The center would continue to requisition mask production to ensure people can buy masks using the real-name system until the end of December, said Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), the CECC’s spokesman. While the CECC requisitions about 8 million masks per day to ensure there are enough for the real-name system, more than 10 million masks are produced per day
MEDICINAL HERB: The FRIL protein extracted from hyacinth beans helped laboratory mice survive H1N1 infection and effectively neutralized the coronavirus
A protein isolated from hyacinth beans, a medicinal herb known for centuries, has been found to restrict the activities of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses in laboratory experiments, a team of Academia Sinica researchers said yesterday. The beans’ curative effect is documented in the 16th-century Chinese medicine classic Compendium of Materia Medica (本草綱目) and they are also a food source in some countries, the Genomics Research Center’s Chemical Biology Division Director Alex Ma (馬徹) told a news conference in Taipei. Center senior research specialist Jan Jia-tsrong (詹家琮) experimented with up to 500 medicinal herbs to see if they could restrict influenza viruses and
The Central Weather Bureau yesterday issued a sea warning for Tropical Storm Hagupit and said that the storm would continue to affect the nation today. As of 8:40pm, the storm’s center was 280km southeast of Hualien, moving northwesterly at 20kph, with a maximum wind speed of 83kph near its center, the bureau’s data showed. Hagupit was approaching northeastern Taiwan, threatening vessels operating near the northeast and north coasts, bureau forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The storm would become slightly stronger as it moves closer to Taiwan, he said. Heavy rainfall is forecast for the north and south of Taiwan today due
WORSENING: The CECC head acknowledged a ‘tidal wave’ of COVID-19 infections affecting nearby countries, urging Taiwanese to practice protective measures
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that it would not ease border restrictions in the short term, as the COVID-19 pandemic is still in a dangerous situation globally, reiterating that mass testing is not necessary in Taiwan at this time. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that no new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the nation yesterday, so the number of confirmed cases remains at 467, of whom 441 have been released from isolated treatment, while 19 remain hospitalized. As the CECC reported nine imported cases on Monday and Tuesday, Chung Shan
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