Trump cancels G7 summit, plans big meeting later on

EXTRA INVITATIONS: Russia, Australia, South Korea and India would be asked to a later summit dedicated to countering China, Donald Trump said

US President Donald Trump has been forced to cancel a planned face-to-face summit of G7 leaders this month and now wants to host an expanded meeting in September dedicated to countering China to which Russian President Vladimir Putin would be invited. Trump on Saturday announced that he had canceled the June meeting, which he had billed as a symbol of the US “transitioning back to greatness,” after German Chancellor Angela Merkel told him in a telephone call that she saw the summit in Washington as a health risk. Hundreds of security staff, journalists and officials also attend the two-day summits. Reports suggest the call between Merkel and Trump on Thursday was stormy, ranging from German plans for the Nord Stream gas pipeline, to Hong Kong and the potential health risks of a face-to-face summit. Trump’s new plan, outlined to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, is to host an expanded G7 meeting — including Russia, Australia, South Korea and India — dedicated to building an alliance against China. The plan is likely to be controversial because Russia has been banned from Western-led summits since Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and is not seen as a natural ally in the defense of human rights in Hong Kong. Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron would also be reluctant to provide Trump with a prestigious platform to set out his China strategy weeks before the US presidential election. Justifying the cancelation of this month’s meeting and his proposed new format, Trump said the current makeup of the group was “very outdated” and does not properly represent “what’s going on in the world.” He said he had not set a precise date for the new meeting, but suggested it might be around the time of the annual UN General Assembly in New York City, which is normally

Chinese media bristle over US moves over HK

China’s state media yesterday lashed out at possible retaliatory moves by the US to impose sanctions and end Hong Kong’s special status if Beijing imposes new national security laws on the territory. The China Daily said US President Donald Trump’s pledge to “take action to revoke Hong Kong’s preferential treatment as a separate customs and travel territory,” and to impose sanctions on unspecified individuals, would hurt the US, and unite Hong Kong with mainland China. “China has already prepared for the worst. No matter how far the US goes, China will keep its company. If Trump’s plan continues, Washington will soon run counter to the interests of most Hong Kong people,” the Global Times wrote. A Hong Kong government spokesman expressed regret the US continued to “smear and demonize the legitimate rights and duty of our sovereign” to safeguard national security. In a sign of diplomatic maneuvering, the US government said it would put one of its prime properties in Hong Kong up for sale — a luxury residential complex worth up to HK$5 billion (US$645.09 million). A US consulate spokesman said the move was part of the US’ global reinvestment program. Chinese government spokespeople and official media also compared the unrest in the US over the weekend with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. Chinese media also circulated video clips suggesting Hong Kong police were “restrained” in comparison to actions seen in the US. “US House [of Representatives] Speaker Nancy Pelosi once called the violent protests in Hong Kong ‘a beautiful sight to behold’… US politicians now can enjoy this sight from their own windows,” Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin (胡錫進) wrote on Saturday. Additional reporting by AFP

Trump acts on WHO, Hong Kong, visas

RELATIONSHIP ‘TERMINATED’: US Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the president’s action was ‘an act of extraordinary senselessness,’ a tone Chinese media echoed

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that Washington would withdraw funding from the WHO, end Hong Kong’s special trade status and suspend visas of Chinese graduate students suspected of conducting research on behalf of their government. Trump said in a White House announcement that Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to the WHO and pressured the organization to mislead the public about the outbreak. “We have detailed the reforms that it must make and engaged with them directly, but they have refused to act,” he said. “Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating the relationship.” The US is the largest source of financial support for the WHO and its exit is expected to significantly weaken the organization. Trump said that the US would be “redirecting” the money to “other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs,” without providing specifics. He said that the US contributes about US$450 million to the world body, while China provides about US$40 million. Congressional Democrats last month said that withholding money from the WHO would be illegal without approval from the US Congress and that they would challenge it. US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday described the move as “an act of extraordinary senselessness.” The WHO declined to comment on the announcement. At an event later on Friday, Trump was asked about ties with China. “Well, we’re certainly not happy with what happened with respect to China,” he told reporters. Tensions over Hong Kong have increased over the past year as China has cracked down on pro-democracy protesters and sought to exert more control over the former British territory. Trump said that his administration would begin eliminating the “full range” of agreements that had given Hong Kong a relationship with the US that mainland China lacked, including exemptions from controls on certain

US’ WHO exit an opportunity, minister says

The government yesterday said that it would closely monitor the situation after US President Donald Trump announced that he would withdraw US funding from the WHO, which Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said could create an opportunity for closer cooperation between the two nations. Trump on Friday said that the US is “terminating the relationship” with the WHO, accusing the global health body of failing to hold China accountable for its role in the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said in a news release that it would continue observing the situation and draft a response strategy prioritizing the nation’s best interests. Separately, Chen said that if the US established a new international public health body, Taiwan would strive to join it. While the government would wait for the US’ next steps, Taiwan certainly hopes to deepen collaboration with Washington to boost its disease prevention response, said Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that Taiwan has won global acclaim and appreciation for its successful response to the pandemic. “Taiwan can help. Taiwan is helping,” which is why many countries have voiced support for Taiwan’s bid to join the WHO, Su said. Taiwan hopes for there to be no borders in disease prevention efforts, as it could contribute more to the world if it is included in the WHO, he said. Former deputy minister of foreign affairs Michael Kau (高英茂) said that Taiwan should closely follow the next moves of the US and other like-minded partners while continuing to make its appeals known. Most importantly, the nation should demonstrate its legitimacy in containing the disease, Kau said. Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan executive director Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉) said that as the nation’s foreign policy is to side with the US, the government should prioritize national interests when

By Wu Liang-yi and Peng Wang-hsin

Virus Outbreak: FDA grants conditional nod to remdesivir drug

PREPAREDNESS: A CECC adviser said that information about the drug has been positive, so most specialists support its import, which will help if the virus surges

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has conditionally approved the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat people with severe COVID-19, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. At the CECC’s daily news conference in Taipei, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that no new cases have been confirmed, while 421 people have been released from isolation after contracting the novel coronavirus. “Taiwan remains the same — with no new domestic cases reported in 48 consecutive days,” Chen said. “However, the COVID-19 situation globally is still serious and almost 6 million cases have been confirmed, so we have to be extra careful about border controls.” After a specialist meeting on Friday, the FDA approved remdesivir to treat people with severe COVID-19, Chen said. FDA Director-General Wu Shou-mei (吳秀梅) said that to respond to the pandemic, Taiwan needs to prepare treatments, so the administration reached out to pharmaceutical companies. Gilead Sciences Inc, which produces the experimental antiviral drug under the brand name Veklury, on Monday submitted documents to have the drug approved, and the FDA and the Center for Drug Evaluation immediately launched a review, Wu said. The review was completed by Thursday and with the meeting on Friday, the agencies decided that based on Article 48 of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), conditional approval would be granted to import Veklury, she said. The drug can be used to treat severe cases in adults and children, with treatment limited to a maximum of 10 days, she said. Gilead must enforce a risk management plan and the results of new clinical trials must be immediately sent to the FDA for review, while technical data must be collated within a year, Wu said. Adult patients are to have 200mg of the drug injected on the first day and receive a 100mg injection once per day from

By Lee I-chia

Uncrewed SpaceX rocket explodes on ground in Texas

A prototype of SpaceX’s upcoming heavy-lift rocket, Starship, exploded on Friday during ground tests in south Texas as Elon Musk’s space company pursued an aggressive development schedule to fly the launch vehicle for the first time. The explosion was unrelated to SpaceX’s planned launch this weekend of two NASA astronauts from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center using a different rocket system, the Falcon 9 with the Crew Dragon capsule fixed on top. A prototype vanished in an explosive fireball at SpaceX’s Boca Chica test site on Friday, as seen in a livestream recorded by the Web site NASA Spaceflight. There was no immediate indication of injuries. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Starship, a rocket standing 120m tall, is designed to carry humans and cargo to the moon and Mars. It is the space company’s planned next-generation fully reusable launch vehicle, the center of Musk’s ambitions to make human space travel affordable. The south Texas facility sits beside a small neighborhood that SpaceX has been trying to buy for testing space, but some residents have pushed back on the company’s offers and have accused Musk’s attorneys of unrealistically low property appraisals. At Cape Canaveral in Florida, SpaceX was set for a repeat attempt at launching Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken for a mission that would mark the first spaceflight of NASA astronauts from US soil in nine years. The mission’s first launch try on Wednesday was called off with less than 17 minutes remaining on the countdown due to stormy weather around the Kennedy Space Center. The forecast for yesterday was likewise precarious. Mission managers planned to make an earlier decision on weather hazards in a bid to avoid unnecessarily wearing out the crew with another suit-up and full day of launch preparations. “Back-to-back wet dress rehearsals” disrupt the astronauts’ sleep cycles, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told

Georgia declares emergency as US protests intensify

Georgia’s governor yesterday declared a state of emergency to activate the state’s National Guard as violence flared in Atlanta and cities nationwide following the death in Minnesota of George Floyd after a police officer pressed a knee into his neck while taking him into custody. Another 500 National Guard soldiers were mobilized in and around Minneapolis, where Floyd died and an officer on Friday faced charges over his death. However, after another night of watching fires burn and businesses ransacked, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said that he was moving to activate more than 1,000 more and was considering federal help. The National Guard was also on standby in Washington, where a crowd outside the White House chanted curses at US President Donald Trump. Some protesters tried to push through barriers set up by the US Secret Service along Pennsylvania Avenue, and threw bottles and other objects at officers wearing riot gear, who responded with pepper spray. A person was killed in downtown Detroit just before midnight after someone in an SUV fired shots into a crowd of protesters near the Greektown entertainment district, police said. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp wrote on Twitter that up to 500 members of the National Guard would deploy immediately “to protect people & property in Atlanta.” Kemp said that he acted at the request of Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who earlier appealed in vain for calm. In scenes peaceful and violent across the US, thousands of protesters chanted: “No justice, no peace” and “Say his name. George Floyd.” Some demonstrators smashed police cars and spray painted the logo sign at CNN headquarters in downtown Atlanta. Atlanta officials said that crews were unable to reach a fire at the Del Frisco restaurant in the Buckhead neighborhood because of protesters there. “This is not in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr,” Bottoms said.“You are disgracing

Grand Justices decriminalize adultery

DETERRENT DEBATE: Lawyers were divided over whether the rules that were cut helped protect families, while one justice disapproved of Interpretation No. 791

Adultery was decriminalized in Taiwan yesterday after the Council of Grand Justices issued Constitutional Interpretation No. 791, declaring that Article 239 of the Criminal Code and a proviso clause for Article 239 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法) are unconstitutional and considered null and void, effective immediately. The 15 justices issued the interpretation after hearing debate on the article, which said that both people convicted in a case of adultery face up to one year in prison, although no trial was possible without a complaint by the spouse. The clause says that in the case of an offense specified in the Criminal Code, the withdrawal of a complaint against an accused spouse is not the same as the withdrawal of a complaint against the other party in the alleged adulterous relationship. The interpretation was issued after 18 judges and a man convicted of adultery this year asked the Council of Grand Justices to overturn Interpretation No. 554, which found the Criminal Code article constitutional. In issuing Interpretation No. 791, the council said that the Criminal Code article was a breach of sexual autonomy and the principle of proportionality, while the proviso clause violated the principle of fairness. The Criminal Code should only be cited against acts constituting severe legal transgressions and should not be cited in cases involving marital relations, the council said. An investigation by the state into a case of adultery, which usually occurs in private residences, could be construed as a breach of privacy, not only trampling on the core principle of sexual autonomy, but also ultimately affecting the relationship of the married couple, the grand justices said. The Code of Criminal Procedure clause, which was put in place to encourage married couples to remain together, while still allowing proceedings against the other party to the adulterous relationship, is ineffective, as investigations sour

By Wu Cheng-feng, Chang Wen-chuan and Jake Chung

Lawmakers slam China’s HK bill

FREEDOM THREAT: Any communication channels established by Hong Kong residents to help restore order would be supported, caucuses said in a statement

Lawmakers across party lines yesterday issued a joint statement to “sternly condemn” China’s national security legislation for Hong Kong, while asserting their support for Hong Kongers in their pursuit of freedom and democracy. The statement was signed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the Taiwan People’s Party and the New Power Party caucuses, and was read by Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The legislation was passed by China’s National People’s Congress on Thursday, bypassing review by the Hong Kong Legislative Council, exacerbating the situation in Hong Kong and posing a threat to the freedoms and safety of Hong Kongers, the statement reads. It disregards the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) promise to allow Hong Kongers a high level of autonomy until 2047, it reads. The situation worries legislators across party lines, who have united to sternly condemn Beijing’s actions, it reads. The caucuses stand with Hong Kongers in their quest for universal suffrage allowing them to directly elect the territory’s chief executive and legislative council members, it reads. They would support any communication channels established by Hong Kong residents to facilitate dialogue to restore order and attain sustainable economic growth in the territory, it reads. Taiwan would, on existing mechanisms and the condition that its security can be upheld, provide humanitarian assistance to Hong Kongers whose freedoms and safety have come under threat, it reads. The Legislative Yuan will closely watch developments in Hong Kong and, in the spirit of the Constitution, ask the Mainland Affairs Council to render a quarterly report on the special status conferred on Hong Kong to evaluate the territory’s autonomy in politics, economic activities and public issues, it reads. The Legislative Yuan would review provisions of the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門關係條例) if there are any

By Sean Lin

Taiwan will resist ‘one country, two systems’: premier

Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said that Taiwan would steadfastly resist Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework and vowed to defend the nation’s democracy. His Cabinet would follow President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) instructions to engage with China on the principles of freedom, parity and democracy, thereby facilitating positive exchanges, Su said in an administrative report to the legislature. The government would reject Chinese attempts to belittle Taiwan by imposing its framework on it, he said. It would closely monitor the situation in Hong Kong, provide people there with humanitarian assistance, and invite Hong Kong capital and professionals to Taiwan, he said. The government would continue to pursue “practical diplomacy” by reinforcing ties with Taiwan’s allies while expanding collaborations with like-minded nations, including the US, the EU and Japan, Su said. The government would develop a “multilateral model for collaboration” to defend the nation and improve its defense capabilities — for example by teaming up with the private sector to build military vessels and airplanes, which would help boost local industries, he said. The COVID-19 pandemic has led many nations to realize the importance of self-sufficiency, he said, adding that some are advanced countries that excel at engineering, but desperately lack basic necessities such as masks — of which Taiwan is a leading provider. Some nations have tried to combat the novel coronavirus, but have faced obstacles, as core pharmaceutical and medical technologies are controlled by China, Su said. Therefore, the government would not only ensure that Taiwan can achieve self-sufficiency in food and energy supply, as well as other daily necessities, but also form a team to provide or market such resources overseas, he said. Su said that his Cabinet would help further develop the nation’s democracy and make Taiwan a “land of bliss in tumultuous times.” Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) asked Su whether the nation has

By Sean Lin

Chinese general says an attack on Taiwan necessary last resort

China would attack Taiwan if there is no other way of stopping it from becoming independent, Chinese General Li Zuocheng (李作成) said yesterday. Speaking at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on the 15th anniversary of China’s “Anti-Secession” Law, Li, who is chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Central Military Commission, left the door open to using force. The 2005 law is China’s legislative basis for military action against Taiwan. “If the possibility for peaceful reunification is lost, the people’s armed forces will, with the whole nation, including the people of Taiwan, take all necessary steps to resolutely smash any separatist plots or actions,” Li said. “We do not promise to abandon the use of force and reserve the option to take all necessary measures to stabilize and control the situation in the Taiwan Strait,” he said. Li is one of China’s few senior officers with combat experience, having taken part in China’s ill-fated invasion of Vietnam in 1979. Chinese National People’s Congress Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu (栗戰書) told the same event that non-peaceful means were an option of last resort. “As long as there is a slightest chance of a peaceful resolution, we will put in 100 times the effort,” Li Zhanshu said. However, “we warn Taiwan’s pro-independence and separatist forces sternly, the path of Taiwan independence leads to a dead end; any challenge to this law will be severely punished,” he said.

Minneapolis police station torched amid US protests

Cheering protesters on Thursday torched a Minneapolis police station that the department had abandoned amid three days of violent protests across the US over the death of George Floyd in the custody of police after one officer had knelt on his neck. A police spokesman said that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, “in the interest of the safety of our personnel” shortly after 10pm. Livestream video showed people entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set. Protesters could be seen setting fire to a Minneapolis Police Department jacket and cheering. The nighttime scene veered between an angry protest and a street party. At one point, a band playing in a parking lot across from the 3rd Precinct broke into a punk version of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song. Nearby, demonstrators carried mannequins from a looted Target and threw them onto a burning car. Later, a building fire erupted nearby. Elsewhere in the city, thousands of peaceful demonstrators marched through the streets calling for justice. Much of the violence occurred in the Longfellow neighborhood, where protesters converged on the precinct station of the police officers who arrested Floyd. In a strip mall across the street from the station, the windows in nearly every business had been smashed, from the Target department store at one end to the Planet Fitness gym at the other. Only the 24-hour laundromat appeared to have escaped unscathed. “WHY US?” demanded a large expanse of red graffiti scrawled on the wall of the Target. A Wendy’s restaurant across the street was charred almost beyond recognition. Among the casualties of the overnight fires was a six-story building under construction that was to provide nearly 200 apartments of affordable housing. “We’re burning our own neighborhood,” said Deona Brown, a 24-year-old woman standing with a friend

Tsai says Taiwan to act on Hong Kong

MAC ATTACK: The council condemned Beijing’s passage of a ‘malignant’ bill that disregards the will of Hong Kongers, and damages freedom and the rule of law

“Taiwan will not sit by and watch democracy, freedom and human rights be degraded in Hong Kong,” and the Cabinet has plans to offer humanitarian assistance to Hong Kongers, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday after China’s National People’s Congress passed national security legislation for the territory. All Taiwanese — regardless of their political affiliation and whether they are in the government or private sector — have united to back Hong Kongers as well as the universal value of democracy, Tsai wrote on Facebook in Chinese. “Taiwan has the responsibility to work with partners of the global democracy alliance to support Hong Kong and its people,” she wrote. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a statement condemning the passage of the “malignant” legislation, saying that the move represented a blatant disregard for the will of Hong Kongers and has seriously damaged the freedom, democracy and rule of law of the territory. Earlier yesterday, MAC Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) outlined government guidelines to help Hong Kongers. A government-led, budgeted action plan is to feature interdepartmental efforts streamlined by the council and private-public collaborations, and coordinated by a state-sponsored legal person, Chen told reporters at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. With applications by Hong Kong residents seeking to immigrate to Taiwan rising, Tsai and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) have said that the plan would mainly address settlement and well-being, Chen said. At a question-and-answer session with lawmakers, Chen was asked by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Mei-hui (王美惠) whether Article 60 of the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門關係條例) would be invoked, which would suspend the entire act. When and to what extent the article would be invoked depends on the implications of the legislation that Beijing has imposed on the territory, Chen said. If the Hong Kong government has been compromised to the extent that it

By Sean Lin

China approves HK national security legislation

The Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) yesterday endorsed national security legislation for Hong Kong that has prompted new protests in the territory. Lawmakers approved the bill by a vote of 2,878 to one with six abstentions, in line with the largely ceremonial body’s custom of near-unanimous support for legislative changes decided by the Chinese Communist Party. The bill would alter Hong Kong’s Basic Law to require the territory to enforce measures to be decided by the NPC Standing Committee, which handles most lawmaking work. It reflects the determination of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government to tighten control over Hong Kong following 11 months of anti-government protests. Activists in Hong Kong say the legislation would undermine the “high degree of autonomy” promised to the former British colony when it was handed back to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” framework and might be used to suppress political activity. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) said that it is consistent with Beijing’s promises. “The decision adopted by the NPC session is designed for steady implementation of ‘one country, two systems,’ and Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability,” Li told a news conference. The proposed legislation led US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday to announce that Washington would no longer treat Hong Kong as autonomous from Beijing. That could hurt the territory’s attractiveness as a business center. Li called for mutual respect and Sino-US cooperation to promote “extensive common interests” in resolving global problems, and promoting trade, science and other fields. “Both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” Li said. Pompeo notified the US Congress that the administration of US President Donald Trump no longer regards Hong Kong as autonomous from mainland China. “Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under United States laws in the same manner as US laws were applied to Hong

MND to purchase US missile system

INVASION COMMENT CLARIFIED: Some media reports had mistakenly cited Joseph Wu as saying that China would seek to take Taiwan by force, Joanne Ou said

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday confirmed media reports that it plans to purchase coastal defense cruise missile (CDCM) systems from the US, saying that they could be delivered by 2023, should Washington agree to sell. At a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) asked the ministry to respond to rumors about plans to purchase CDCMs, a truck-mounted system of Harpoon anti-ship missiles made by Boeing Defense, Space & Security for mobile coastal defense. Deputy Minister of National Defense Chang Che-ping (張哲平) said that the ministry and the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) had reviewed national missile production capabilities through 2025. The review found that the nation is incapable of fielding sufficient missiles to annihilate 50 percent of enemy forces on Taiwanese shores in the event of a Chinese invasion, Chang said. Taiwan has operated indigenous Hsiung Feng II subsonic anti-ship missile systems since 1988 and its supersonic variant, the Hsiung Feng III, since 2007. After Tsai asked about annual production of the locally made missile systems, Chang said that he would have to verify the numbers. Harpoon missiles are similar to the Taiwanese weapons, although the Hsiung Feng II has greater range and a faster cruising speed, CSIST president Art Chang (張忠誠) said, adding that the truck-borne Harpoons allow for comparatively greater mobility than the Hsiung Feng II, which needs to be towed. Meanwhile, Chang Che-ping said that the ministry was not aware of Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu’s (吳釗燮) comments about potential Chinese People’s Liberation Army actions against Taiwan. In a video interview with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum on Tuesday, Wu said that Taiwan and the global community are watching Beijing’s actions in Hong Kong closely. Asked if it were possible that China might deploy its military against

By Aaron Tu and Jake Chung

Court rules Huawei Co’s Meng can be extradited to US

Huawei Technologies Co (華為) executive Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟) on Wednesday had a legal setback when a Canadian judge ruled that proceedings to extradite her to the US would go ahead. The decision on so-called double criminality, a key test for extradition, found that bank fraud accusations against Meng would stand up in Canada. The interim ruling denying Meng’s attempt to gain her freedom means she would have to continue to live in a Vancouver mansion under strict bail conditions while her case plays out. “The double criminality requirement for extradition is capable of being met in this case,” British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Heather Holmes said in a 23-page ruling. Prosecutors accused Meng of committing fraud by lying to a bank, in this case a US one. That is a crime in Canada and the US. Outside the courthouse, protesters held placards that read “Extradite Meng Wanzhou,” “No Huawei in Canada” and “Canada don’t let China bully us.” Inside, Meng was composed as the judge explained her decision, in contrast to a thumbs up the “Huawei Princess” had given while posing for photographs with family and friends on the steps of the courthouse days earlier. Huawei said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by the ruling and that it looked forward to Meng ultimately being exonerated. The Chinese embassy in Ottawa accused the US of trying “to bring down Huawei” and Canada of being “an accomplice.” “The whole case is entirely a grave political incident,” the embassy said in a statement. “We once again urge Canada to take China’s solemn position and concerns seriously, immediately release Ms Meng Wanzhou to allow her to return safely to China, and not to go further down the wrong path.” Beijing has long signaled that her repatriation was a precondition for improved bilateral ties and its release of two Canadians detained on espionage

Virus Outbreak: Executive Yuan unveils coupon plans

Stimulus coupons valued at NT$3,000 (US$99.85) are to be handed out, but would require proof of purchases totaling NT$1,000, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The plan is intended to help small stores and businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) told a news conference after the weekly Cabinet meeting, adding that Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) is to unveil details at a news conference on Tuesday next week. Most businesses affected by the pandemic are small stores and the Executive Yuan wants to help them, Ting said. Every Republic of China citizen is to receive a NT$3,000 coupon after spending NT$1,000, he said. The coupons can be obtained by presenting receipts from in-store purchases, electronic payments, electronic ticketing or credit cards, he said. With other government agencies announcing their own stimulus packages, digital platforms stand to benefit, as Taiwanese are accustomed to spending online, Ting said. The aggregate effect of the Executive Yuan’s package might exceed the amount invested, as 1.2 million disadvantaged families would be eligible to receive the coupons without providing receipts. National Development Council Deputy Minister Cheng Cheng-mount (鄭貞茂) said there was no simple answer to how the coupons would affect GDP. The NT$40 billion budget for the coupons was calculated by multiplying NT$2,000 by 20 million people, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) said. How this affects GDP would depend on capital turnover and stimulus policies, Tseng said. “You need to implement a policy to derive reliable data,” Cheng said. The government would adjust the system once the coupons are released, but they would have a noticeable effect on the economy, Cheng said. The Executive Yuan is aware of potential privacy concerns if coupon distribution is implemented in a similar way to masks, so privacy would be a priority, Ting said.

By Jake Chung