Headline News
Taiwan among freest countries in the world
US-based Freedom House has rated Taiwan a free nation in its 2017 Freedom in the World report. The country achieved perfect scores in the survey’s categories of political rights and civil liberties.
The report states that Taiwan’s overall score increased steadily from 88 out of 100 points in 2015 to 89 in 2016 and 91 in 2017. This score placed Taiwan on the 26th spot globally and only second to Japan in Asia.
The overall rating is calculated from a country’s performance among 25 indicators including the electoral process, functioning of government and rule of law.
Economy
Cities in Taiwan among most intelligent
The New York based International Community Forum (ICF) ranked Taoyuan City and Chiayi City among the most intelligent communities in the world.
The ranking of cities, counties and rural areas is based on the use of digital tools which boost local economic and social development.
Taiwan has done well in the ICF rankings because the country has worked hard on the criteria used, according to Economic Affairs Minister Lee Chih-kung. The criteria are broadband, knowledge workforce, innovation, digital equality, sustainability and advocacy.
Taoyuan earned recognition for the i-Taoyuan Free Wi-Fi 2.0 project, which aims to optimize the existing wireless services and increase the number of free Wi-Fi hot spots. Chiayi was lauded for its Community Home Medical Care and Palliative Care Network program which aims to link senior and healthcare facilities through the Smart Health Cloud Platform.
Science & Technology
Taiwan research institutes win six US R&D awards
Two research institutes in Taiwan have been awarded six 2016 R&D 100 awards in an event organized by R&D Magazine in the United States. These are the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), which received five awards and the Institute for Information Industry (III), which received one.
Projects from ITRI includes a Long-Distance Floating Multi-Screen Head Up Display, which people can use to access information while driving without losing focus. Another project of note was the Wearable Walking Assistive Exoskeleton Robot (2WA-EXO), which allows individuals paralyzed from the waist down to move independently from a wheelchair to an exoskeleton and then walk.
The III project that was awarded is a Smart Glasses Guidance System. The system could be a great help to museums and the cultural and creative industry by making it extremely easy for users to access information on any object of interest, according to III section chief Ted Lin.
Tourism
Sun Moon Lake one of most scenic cycling routes
The bike path circumnavigating Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County in central Taiwan has been named one of the eight most beautiful bike routes in the world by global travel search engine Skyscanner.
In addition to providing a good view of the stunning green jade lake, the bike path also grants access to some of the most popular tourist spots in the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area.
The bikeway received similar recognition in 2012 when CNNGo, a travel website run by CNN, named it one of the world’s most breathtaking cycling paths.
Taiwan listed as one of top 10 countries to visit
UK-based Rough Guides UK ranks Taiwan as one of the top 10 countries to visit in 2017. The country was praised for its range of attractions, vibrant lifestyle and unique cultural landscape mixing Japanese and American influences with Chinese traditions.
Taiwan was also said to be very accessible for visitors, for there is a high-speed rail system linking cities. In this way they can visit the variety of environments, ranging from urban areas, forests, mountains and subtropical shores.
Rough Guides UK describes Taiwan as the only democracy in the Chinese-speaking world with a unique geography, mentality and identity.
