Headline News
President Tsai condemns shooting at Hong Kong protesters
Beijing and the Hong Kong government should not shoot at unarmed citizens, they should instead meet their commitments to democracy and freedom, said President Tsai Ing-wen via Facebook, referring to Hong Kong’s Basic Law.
The president further urged the Hong Kong government to listen and respond to the people's demands, arguing that it is the only approach to restoring stability to Hong Kong.
European political alliance against China’s interference in elections
The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), the EU’s third-largest transnational alliance, expresses its concern over Taiwan’s upcoming elections on 11 January 2020 and condemns China’s attempts to influence the outcome.
ALDE passed a resolution at its annual congress in Athens, calling on Europe to use its expertise and experience to support Taiwan in combating disinformation to ensure that the elections reflect the will of the Taiwanese electorate.
ALDE consists of 67 member parties and thousands of individual members from countries across Europe
FIDH convened in Taipei
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) held its 40th congress in Taipei, the first time the event was held in Asia.
More than 400 human rights advocates, government officials and experts from 184 NGO’s in 112 countries attended the five-days congress held in October in Taipei.
Taiwan was chosen to host this year’s congress, which is held every three years, because of its vibrant democracy, which “stands in stark contrast to many of its regional neighbors,” FIDH said.
FIDH was founded in 1922, and is the second oldest international human rights organization worldwide.
Economy & Society
WEF: Taiwan 4th most innovative country
In the Global Competitiveness Report 2019 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Taiwan stands out in “innovation capability,” ranking as the 4th in the world, following Germany (1st), the U.S. (2nd) and Switzerland (3rd).
“Innovation capability” gauges the quantity and quality of formal research and development as well as the capacity to turn ideas into new products and services.
The Netherlands is ranked 10th by WEF.
International companies to invest US$1 billion
Minister Shen Jong-chin of Economic Affairs signed letters of intent (LOI) worth US$1 billion with 13 international companies. Among the companies are ASML, Dialog Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, SUSS MicroTec, Air Liquide Far Eastern and JERA.
ASML will set up a global EUV training center, Dialog will expand its R&D center, STMicroelectronics will expand its R&D teamSUSS will set up a coating machine assembly plant, Air Liquide will increase investment in its advanced materials center and JERA will invest in offshore wind energy, photovoltaics and liquefied natural gas.
11.8 million tourists expected for 2019
The number of tourists visiting Taiwan this year is expected to amount 11.8 million, a rise of 7% compared to 2018, said Transportation Minister Lin Chia-lung at the opening of the Taipei International Travel Fair on November 8.
The expected rise comes in spite of a ban on individual Chinese travelers imposed by China.
HTC cooperates with Louvre Museum for Mona Lisa VR experience
Taiwan’s smartphone brand HTC Corp., has teamed up with the Louvre Museum in Paris to offer visitors a VR experience of the Mona Lisa as part of the museum’s seminal retrospective, which commemorates the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death.
“Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass,” the first VR experience presented by the Louvre, will bring to life the story of da Vinci’s masterpiece and runs through Feb. 24, 2020.