US commander calls Guam attack video ‘propaganda’

The commander of Andersen Air Force Base on Guam yesterday said that a Chinese air force video that seemed to show a simulated attack on his facility was “propaganda” designed to coerce and antagonize. The video showed H-6 bombers striking what appears to be Anderson, though it did not directly mention the base, as regional tensions rise and the US carries out a major biennial drill near Guam. “I’m always concerned about our ability to protect our service members and their families,” US Brigadier General Jeremy Sloane, Andersen’s commander, told reporters on a conference call about the ongoing Valiant Shield exercises. “The video itself — they know the timing of the exercise,” he said. “It’s a propaganda video ... although we’re always concerned about the protection of the island and the protection of our people, the video itself is just purely propaganda designed to coerce and antagonize us.” The Chinese government has not commented on the video, which lifted scenes from Hollywood movies such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, to the amusement of posters on Chinese social media. It was released on Saturday last week on the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) Sina Weibo account, in the midst of the Valiant Shield drill, lasting from Monday last week to yesterday. Sloane said that Valiant Shield continued as scheduled. “The exercise itself is going to go on as planned, because it’s designed to make sure that we’re trained and ready to conduct ourselves across a variety of operations in the Indo-Pacific and to support our allies and partners,” he said. Guam is home to major US military facilities, including the air base, which would be key to responding to any conflict in the Asia-Pacific region. The video also came as China carried out a second day of drills near Taiwan, to express anger at the visit of a

Democratic HK lawmakers stage brief protest in legislature against arrests

Pro-democracy Hong Kong politicians yesterday staged a brief protest in the territory’s legislature to call for the release of 12 activists arrested by Chinese authorities at sea last month as they tried to flee to Taiwan by boat. Chinese police have said that the 12, who are all suspected of crimes in Hong Kong related to anti-government protests that erupted last year, were suspected of illegal border crossing. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called them “separatists.” Their detention in Shenzhen has become a lightning rod for criticism of Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed government. About a dozen opposition members of the territory’s legislature surrounded Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung (張建宗) before a meeting on mitigating the economic impact of COVID-19, and demanded he meet the detainees’ families and try to bring them back. “Release the 12 Hong Kongers immediately,” the politicians shouted, while holding up placards with the same message and delaying the start of the session. The failed bid by the 12 to flee to Taiwan has highlighted fears that many people feel in the semi-autonomous territory about what they see as China’s determination to end any push for greater democracy in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s government has said that it cannot interfere on their behalf and they must face legal proceedings in China before they can come home, although it says it is willing to provide “feasible” assistance to their families. “They were fugitives who committed serious crimes, skipped bail, violated laws in mainland waters,” Cheung said before leaving the room. “The immigration department and security bureau are the professional department to handle the matters. Senior management will continue to pay attention to the incident,” he added. Mainland authorities have said the legitimate rights of the 12 were being protected according to the law. In other news, a student arrested in Hong Kong on suspicion of selling weapons online

Poll finds 62.6% identify as Taiwanese

CONSOLIDATION? Taiwan Thinktank deputy executive-general Doong Sy-chi said Beijing’s intimidation tactics are further alienating those who identify as Chinese

Only 2 percent of respondents to a poll on constitutional amendments and national identity identified as Chinese, while 62.6 percent identified as Taiwanese, the Taiwan Thinktank said yesterday. Legislators have proposed amendments to the Additional Articles of the Constitution (憲法增修條文), which would change the definition of the nation’s territory, remove the Taiwan Provincial Government as an entity, prioritize the use of “Taiwan” for national groups at international events, and remove restrictions on defining the national emblem, national flag and national anthem. The poll showed that 80.5 percent of respondents agreed that the nation should participate as “Taiwan” at events organized by world bodies, while 12 percent disagreed. Ethnically, 62.6 percent identified as Taiwanese, while 2 percent identified as Chinese and 32.6 percent identified as both, the results showed. If they were forced to choose between Taiwanese and Chinese, 86 percent chose Taiwanese and 6.3 percent selected Chinese, while 1.1 percent adamantly maintained that they are both. When asked what name the nation should use at global events, 51.2 percent of respondents said “Taiwan,” while 33 percent said the “Republic of China,” 9.7 percent said “Chinese Taipei” (中華台北), 0.6 percent said “Zhongguo Taibei” (中國台北), and 2 percent said “Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu,” while 0.1 percent said other names, 2.9 percent said they did not know or had no opinion, and 0.5 percent refused to answer. Under a 1981 agreement with the International Olympic Committee, the Republic of China Olympic Committee was renamed the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee. In 2008, China used “Zhongguo Taibei” instead of “Chinese Taipei,” saying that there was no difference between them in Chinese. To join the WTO in 2002, Taiwan used the name “Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.” The poll results show a consolidation of Taiwanese national identity as Beijing’s intimidation tactics further alienate those who identify

By Yang Chun-hui and Jake Chung

Ministry to aid artists in suit against Global Art Net

‘INDENTURED SERVICE CONTRACT’: The Ministry of Culture has arranged legal representation for the artists and plans to file a class-action lawsuit against the firm

The Ministry of Culture yesterday said that it would assist artists with litigation against an online art gallery and distributor, Global Art Net, which used contracts to allegedly bilk the artists out of commissions on all of their sales. Ink painter Liu Kuo-sung (劉國松) first brought the issue to light four years ago when he discovered that Global Art Net was selling reprints of his work, the ministry told a news conference. Liu, Wu A-sun (吳炫三) and other alleged victims took part in the news conference. “I was going to take them to court, but they produced a contract, that I signed, which authorized them to sell all my work — current, past and future — and take 40 percent of the profit,” Liu said. The contract included official and private deals, Liu added. Likening the contract to an “indentured service contract,” Liu claimed that more than 500 artists had signed contracts with the Web site, which demands a 40 percent commission from sales of their work. Investigations have shown that Global Art Net owner Lin Chu-nan (林株楠) might have begun defrauding artists as early as 2011. Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得) yesterday extended an apology to all of the alleged victims, saying that the ministry learned about the company’s actions too late and could not deliver justice before now. The ministry has asked prosecutors to urge the court to expedite a review of the case. The ministry has arranged for the artists to have legal representation and plans to file a class-action lawsuit against Global Art Net, in the hope of annulling the contracts by declaring them illegal. The case is “absurd,” Lee said. “If we can’t defend and protect our artists’ rights, what right do we have to talk about the development of national arts and culture?” he added. Lee called on other artists who might have been deceived

By Jake Chung

Four more mask firms probed for ‘MIT’ deception

Four companies have become embroiled in an investigation of alleged business fraud as authorities searching factories in central Taiwan have since June found 1.2 million masks imported from China and repackaged as “Made in Taiwan.” The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office said that it yesterday questioned and detained the owner of Chong Kuang Co (崇光), surnamed Lin (林), while the owner of Income Co (英肯), surnamed Chi (紀), was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$5,116) and the owner of Lih Yow Enterprise (立祐), surnamed Chen (陳), was released on bail of NT$50,000. Complaints were earlier this month followed by searches at Chong Kuang Co in Taichung’s Dali District (大里), Income Co in Yunlin County and Lih Yow Enterprise in Changhua County. From business receipts and other documents, prosecutors said that about 1.2 million imported and falsely labeled masks were sold at local pharmacies and other shops at an estimated NT$4.4 million. The owners are to be charged with fraud, they said. Chong Kuang Co in June imported 5.5 million non-medical-grade masks from China, but as Lin only had a sales license, he made a deal with Lih Yow Enterprise to “borrow” its manufacturing license, prosecutors said. Under this arrangement, Lin presented the China-made masks as medical-grade masks that were “Made in Taiwan” by Lih Yow Enterprise, they added. Transaction records showed that Lin sold about 200,000 of the masks to Income Co, which in turn repackaged them as being “Made in Taiwan” under the “Polar Bear” brand, which belongs to the Kaohsiung-based Ryh Sheng Medical Supplies Co (日昇醫療器材), they said, adding that Ryh Sheng is part of the national alliance of mask manufacturers and has a good reputation. The probe found that Chong Kuang Co sold about 1 million China-made masks as “Made in Taiwan” under its “Chong Kuang” brand. In related news, a father and son duo surnamed Hsu

By Jason Pan

Palau voices virus fears, speaks on behalf of Taiwan

As one of the smallest countries on Earth, the Pacific island nation of Palau does not always get to command the world’s attention. However, every member gets to take the world stage at the UN General Assembly’s premier annual meeting and Palauan President Tommy Remengesau on Wednesday used his turn to illuminate the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic and speak out on behalf of Taiwan. He also pressed environmental issues and said that no nation is an island unto itself in the international system, especially during a pandemic. Palau has been virus-free, but “we are certainly not free of the consequences of this pandemic,” Remengesau told the General Assembly by video. The pandemic has inflicted “a level of isolation we have not known for many, many years,” he said. Palau has struggled to keep food and medicine flowing in, to provide some medical treatment for which residents usually travel to larger countries and to contend with private-sector unemployment, which is approaching 50 percent, Remengesau said, adding that Palau needs financial support and equitable access to potential vaccines. “In a global community, parts of the world cannot be made safe in isolation,” he said. Palau is a biodiversity hotspot about 970km east of the Philippines, with 20,000 people scattered across a 250-island tropical archipelago. It was administered by the US for half a century before gaining independence in 1994. A compact with the US governs economic and other relations, and US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper last month visited Palau in a first for any US defense chief and a reflection of US-Chinese competition for influence in the Pacific. Palau is one of only 15 states with official diplomatic relations with Taiwan and Remengesau said that tensions keeping Taiwan from participating in the World Health Assembly over the past few years have “made the world less safe,” as Taiwan has

China expanding Xinjiang re-education camps: report

China is running hundreds of detention centers in the Xinjiang region across a network that is much bigger than previously thought, research presented yesterday by an Australian think tank showed. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said that it identified more than 380 “suspected detention facilities” in the region, where China is believed to have held more than 1 million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking residents. The number of facilities is about 40 percent greater than previous estimates, the research said, and has been growing despite China’s claims that many Uighurs have been released. Using satellite imagery, eyewitness accounts, media reports and official construction tender documents, the institute said that “at least 61 detention sites have seen new construction and expansion work between July 2019 and July 2020.” Fourteen more facilities have been under construction this year, and about 70 have had fencing or perimeter walls removed, indicating that their use has changed, or that they have been closed. Beijing, which has said the sites are vocational training centers used to counter extremism, yesterday again denied the existence of detention sites. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) called ASPI “the vanguard of anti-China forces, whose academic credibility is seriously questionable.” US lawmakers recently voted to ban imports from the Xinjiang region, citing the alleged use of systematic forced labor. Beijing has published a white paper defending its policies in Xinjiang, where it says training programs, work schemes and better education mean that life has improved. It said that “training sessions” have been given to an average of 1.29 million workers per year from 2014 to last year. Following the publication of the ASPI report, the Global Times cited “sources” as saying that contributors Clive Hamilton and Alex Joske were banned from entering China. Wang yesterday did not confirm whether the two academics had been banned, but said

Travel rules eased if no symptoms

EFFICIENCY: The rules for Philippine arrivals were revised after 17.6% of arrivals with symptoms tested positive, compared with 0.7% of those with no symptoms

Starting today, Chinese spouses who hold a reunion permit can apply to enter Taiwan and travelers without symptoms from the Philippines do not need to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival, but are to be tested after a 14-day quarantine, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that from today, Chinese who are married to a Taiwanese citizen and hold a reunion permit can apply to the National Immigration Agency for entry into Taiwan. Chinese who are married to a foreign national and hold an accompanied reunion permit and their minor children can also apply, but all travelers that arrive in Taiwan would need to undergo a 14-day home quarantine, he said. Deputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), who is deputy head of the center, said that 740 people are eligible to apply: 666 Chinese spouses that hold a reunion permit and 74 Chinese spouses that hold an accompanied reunion permit. Since July 26, all arrivals from the Philippines have been tested for COVID-19 at the airport, Chen Shih-chung said. Of the 1,238 arrivals tested as of Sunday, 17.6 percent of those with symptoms returned positive, which was significantly higher than the 0.7 percent of arrivals without symptoms, Chen Shih-chung said, adding that this led the advisory specialist panel to modify the policy. “All arrivals with symptoms must be tested at the airport, while testing for arrivals without symptoms will be canceled,” he said. “All arrivals from the Philippines must be quarantined at centralized quarantine facilities, where they are to be tested before the 14-day quarantine ends.” Foreign arrivals who do not hold an Alien Resident Certificate would still need to provide a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test result obtained within three days of boarding their flight and pay NT$1,500

By Lee I-chia

TSMC makes north its hub for beyond 2 nanometers

BALANCED DEVELOPMENT: TSMC chairman Mark Liu said the firm is committed to local investment: a third in the north, a third in the center, a third in the south

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday said that, based on its strategy of balancing capacity, it plans to make northern Taiwan its manufacturing hub for advanced technologies that go beyond 2 nanometers. “As the company is committed to investing in Taiwan, we try to deploy one-third [of our total production capacity] in the north and have one-third each in the center and south” of the nation, TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) told reporters on the sidelines of Semicon Taiwan’s Master Forum in Taipei. TSMC last year reached its goal of deploying capacity equally across those parts of Taiwan, but the balance is soon to be tilted, as the chipmaker is rapidly ramping up production of 5-nanometer chips at its fabs in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (南部科學工業園區) this year and 3-nanometer chips in 2022, Liu said. To rebalance its capacity deployment, TSMC plans to build a new fab in Hsinchu to produce 2-nanometer chips, and might also allocate certain facilities to its Taichung fab to support the capacity expansion plan, Liu said. The 2-nanometer chips are one generation more advanced than the 3-nanometer chips. TSMC last month announced that it plans to build a research and development center in Hsinchu to develop and produce 2-nanometer chips, as well as more advanced chips. Hsinchu Science Park’s (新竹科學園區) administration office is in the process of requisitioning land to support TSMC’s expansion plan. The chipmaker does not have a near-term investment plan for Kaohsiung, Liu said. His clarification came after TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) on Thursday last week said that the chipmaker would not rule out the possibility of building new fabs in Kaohsiung. To woo TSMC, the Kaohsiung City Government has set up a task force to provide tailored assistance, given that building an advanced fab usually costs hundreds of

By Lisa Wang

President, advocate make ‘Time’ list

President Tsai ing-wen (蔡英文) and Taiwanese gay rights advocate Chi Chia-wei (祁家威) have been included in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world this year. It was released on Tuesday. In an introduction on Tsai, US Senator Ted Cruz praised her as “a signal lamp casting out China’s looming shadow, conveying to the world that Taiwan will not acquiesce to the Chinese Communist Party.” “While Taiwan stands a mere 100 miles [161km] from mainland China, under President Tsai’s leadership, it is neither adrift, nor drawn in,” Cruz wrote. “Freedom is its North Star, which has been clear in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taiwan has proved that the virus can be controlled — without emulating China’s drastic policies,” he wrote. Cruz said some cynics have claimed that Taiwan “was too small and too isolated to stand up against China’s regional ambitions,” but “President Tsai stood tall.” It is the second time Tsai has been named by the magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people. Tsai made the list in 2016. Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) thanked Cruz for the introduction to Tsai, adding that the US politician has been a long-term supporter of Taiwan and the nation’s participation in international organizations. Tsai’s inclusion on the list is the whole country’s achievement and not hers alone, Chang said. The president thanked everyone in Taiwan for their efforts in combating COVID-19, he said. Chi, a gay rights advocate and one of the petitioners who brought the case to legalize same-sex marriage to Taiwan’s Constitutional Court, is also included on the list. In an introduction to Chi written by Tsai, the president praised Chi as a leader of Taiwan’s LGBTQ community and “a symbol of hope to the next generation, the living embodiment of the idea that it truly does

HK police tighten control on media over credentials

Hong Kong authorities have moved to further constrain the territory’s free press with an announcement by police that they would no longer recognize certain types of media accreditation. Critics accused the police force of infringing on the constitutionally enshrined free press by attempting to create a government licensing system and reduce independent monitoring of their activities. Under the announcement, the police force would only recognize journalists from “internationally recognized and renowned” foreign outlets or from media organizations that are registered with the government information system. It explicitly states that it would no longer recognize the accreditations given by major associations such as the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) and Hong Kong Press Photographers Association (HKPPA), which represent hundreds of journalists. The new policy would restrict those not recognized from attending news conferences, and would likely see less protection or assistance for individual journalists during protests and police-run operations. The HKJA, HKPPA and five media unions have demanded that the new policy be withdrawn — “or we will respond by taking any possible and necessary measures.” “The amendment allows authorities to decide who the reporters are, which fundamentally changes the existing system in Hong Kong,” they said. “It will be no different from an official accreditation system, which will seriously impede press freedom in Hong Kong, leading it toward authoritarian rule.” Freedom of the press has deteriorated sharply in Hong Kong over the past 18 months, particularly since the introduction of national security legislation almost three months ago, and subsequent police raids on newsrooms. The territory has since 2018 dropped 10 places on the Press Freedom Index. Hong Kong police face numerous accusations of targeting journalists and photographers when deploying tear gas, pepper spray and other crowd-control measures during pro-democracy protests that swept the region last year. A letter from the media groups said that existing guidelines were a product of

Xi eyes top climate role with carbon neutral goal

The US is guilty of “obstructing” the global fight against emissions, China said yesterday, as it seized the climate agenda by vowing to go carbon neutral by 2060 — a target welcomed by environmentalists, despite its patchy detail. The goals, which include a pledge to reach peak emissions in 2030, are still the most concrete yet announced by China, which is the world’s biggest polluter and accounts for one-quarter of the planet’s greenhouse gas. The goals also open a new divergence in relations with the US, which are already pinched by squabbles over trade, technology, defense and human rights. Speaking to the UN General Assembly, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Tuesday renewed his support for the Paris climate accord and called for a green focus as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Under US President Donald Trump, the US — the world’s second-largest polluter — pulled out of the agreement, blaming China for the stalled momentum on tackling global emissions. “This clearly ... seriously obstructs the progress of reducing global emissions and promoting green, low-carbon development,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said in a statement yesterday. “What qualifications does such a country have to criticize China,” he asked, citing the US’ hunger for plastics and its exports of waste. In his speech to the UN, Xi set China out as a climate leader, saying that the Paris accord “outlines the minimum steps to be taken to protect the Earth, our shared homeland, and all countries must take decisive steps to honor this agreement.” China aims to have “carbon dioxide emissions peak before 2030, and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060,” Xi said. Welcoming China’s pledge with a post on Twitter, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen added that “a lot of work remains to be done.”

Tsai pledges to defend ROC’s airspace

PENGHU INSPECTION: Taiwan cannot let its enemies strut around in its airspace, Tsai said, one day after a Chinese spokesman denied a median line exists in the Taiwan Strait

Following China’s assertion on Monday that there is no “median line” in the Taiwan Strait, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday pledged to defend the nation’s airspace during a visit to an air force base in Penghu, saying that Taiwan cannot allow others to flex their military muscle in its territorial airspace. Tsai praised the “heroic performance” of the pilots of the Indigenous Defense Fighters who have been intercepting Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force planes in recent days. “I have a lot of confidence in you. As soldiers of the Republic of China [ROC], how could we let enemies strut around in our own airspace?” she said, implicitly rejecting Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin’s (汪文斌) comment on Monday that the median line of the Taiwan Strait does not exist, because ‘Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.” “I’m aware that facing the provocative behavior of the communist planes that have encircled the island and damaged regional peace in recent days. Your duty at the front line of the airspace in Penghu must be even heavier,” Tsai told the members of the Tien Chu (天駒, Heavenly Colt) unit, who are stationed at Penghu Airport from April to September every year. “Our men and women in uniform have the will & ability to defend #Taiwan & are not intimidated by #PRC intrusions in our airspace. We are dedicated to maintaining peace & stability in the region,” she later wrote in English on Twitter. As of yesterday, a total of 43 Chinese air force planes have flown into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone since Wednesday last week, with some crossing over the median line of the Strait on Friday and Saturday, the Ministry of National Defense’s Web site showed. “The CCP [Chinese Communist Party] claims there’s no median line of the #Taiwan Strait after

By Lin Chia-nan

China sharply expands mass labor program in Tibet

XINJIANG MODEL? Researcher Adrian Zenz calls the program a coercive change from nomadism and farming, and targeted attack on traditional Tibetan livelihoods

China is pushing growing numbers of Tibetan rural laborers off the land and into recently built military-style training centers where they are turned into factory workers, mirroring a program in Xinjiang that rights groups have branded coercive labor. Beijing has set quotas for the mass transfer of rural laborers within Tibet and to other parts of China, according to more than 100 state media reports, policy documents from government bureaus in Tibet and procurement requests released between 2016 and this year and reviewed by Reuters. The quota effort marks a rapid expansion of an initiative designed to provide loyal workers for Chinese industry. A notice posted last month to the Web site of Tibet’s regional government said more than half a million people were trained as part of the project in the first seven months of this year — about 15 percent of the region’s population. Of this total, almost 50,000 have been transferred into jobs within Tibet, and several thousand have been sent to other parts of China. Many end up in low paid work, including textile manufacturing, construction and agriculture. “This is now, in my opinion, the strongest, most clear and targeted attack on traditional Tibetan livelihoods that we have seen almost since the Cultural Revolution” of 1966 to 1976, said Adrian Zenz, an independent Tibet and Xinjiang researcher based in Minnesota, who compiled the core findings about the program. These are detailed in a report released this week by the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington-based institute that focuses on policy issues of strategic importance to the US. “It’s a coercive lifestyle change from nomadism and farming to wage labor,” Zenz said. Reuters corroborated Zenz’s findings and found additional policy documents, company reports, procurement filings and state media reports that describe the program. In a statement, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly denied

Forum hears call for EU-Taiwan BIAs

EU members should “capitalize on the current circumstances” and sign bilateral investment agreements (BIA) with Taiwan to further trade ties, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at the first EU Investment Forum. Citing “common values” and “complementary strengths,” Tsai said it was time for Taiwan and Europe to “take it forward” to an “even stronger partnership.” “By negotiating a bilateral investment agreement, a solid existing foundation can become a cornerstone of future success,” Tsai told the forum, held at the Taipei International Convention Center, which attracted 1,400 registrants. “A BIA is the key to this success and will help us all thrive in the digital age,” she said. “Where others see volatility, we see the opportunity for prosperity and building global partnerships.” Taiwan is prepared to become a top partner for the EU in several sectors, she added. In his address to the opening ceremony, European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Filip Grzegorzewski said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of world markets, and the time has come for Taiwan and the EU to “change ... before we have to,” to “work together” and “embrace new opportunities.” “The EU and Taiwan speak the common language of human rights, democracy and rule of law. We both share the values of an open, transparent and fair international trading system; we both aspire to create a sustainable, green and digital society,” Grzegorzewski said. The one-day forum included an investment fair, where Taiwanese investors could speak with EU representatives. Alain Berder, head of the economic department at the French Office in Taipei, said that Taiwanese companies are missing out on investment opportunities. “Twenty percent of FDI [foreign direct investment] coming into Taiwan is from the EU, making the EU the biggest investor in Taiwan, but only 1.6 percent of Taiwan’s FDI goes to Europe, while 56 percent

By Angelica Oung

Blaze at illegal Taipei nursing home kills two

Two men died after a blaze broke out yesterday afternoon at an unregistered private nursing facility in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖). The Taipei Fire Department said that after a team broke into the house, three men were found in their beds, all of whom had burns and had inhaled smoke. “No one else was found at the scene,” it said, adding that the fire could have been caused by overheading equipment, as burned wires were found. A 70-year-old surnamed Chuang (莊) and a 59-year-old surnamed Liu (劉) were confirmed dead at a nearby hospital, while a 69-year-old surnamed Chen (陳) was in critical condition, police said. The nursing home was not registered, Taipei Social Welfare Department Director-General Chou Yu-hsiu (周榆修) said, adding that an unregistered long-term care facility can be fined NT$60,000 to NT$300,000 under the Long-Term Care Services Act (長期照顧服務法). The owners could also be punished for negligence under the Senior Citizens Welfare Act (老人福利法), officials said. A nearby resident who did not want to be named said the nursing home has been operational for one to two years, and the owner never talked to her neighbors. Department of Social Welfare officials had visited the house once, but the owner refused to allow them inside and let a dog out to scare them, the resident said. The owner, a 58-year-old woman surnamed Ting (丁), was reportedly monitoring the building from a nearby coffee shop when she saw the flames and fled, but was later picked up by police and taken for questioning. Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said that the city would reach out to the families of the victims, and would hold the owner accountable, she said. Additional reporting by Cheng Ching-yi and Wang kuan-jen

By Tsai Ya-hua, Tsai Ssu-pei and Dennis Xie

World leaders take the stage, virtually, at key UN meeting

The UN’s first virtual meeting of world leaders started yesterday with pre-recorded speeches from some of the planet’s biggest powers, kept at home by the COVID-19 pandemic that is likely be a dominant theme at their video gathering this year. Leaders have been invited to send in pre-recorded messages, to be played over the coming week in the vast General Assembly hall, where each delegation can send a single masked diplomat. Among those scheduled to speak yesterday were US President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose countries have reported the highest and second-highest COVID-19 death tolls respectively, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After Monday’s introductory session marking the UN’s 75th anniversary, the meeting’s central event — speeches from each of its 193 member nations — started yesterday. “When we met in New York a year ago, no one could have imagined that 2020 would arrange such a powerful crash test for our world,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his video speech for Monday’s anniversary commemoration. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov used his speech to complain about countries using sanctions to meddle in the domestic affairs of other nations, saying that such penalties hamper an effective worldwide response to issues such as the pandemic, climate change, military conflicts and terrorism. In a speech delivered when it was early yesterday in Moscow, but still Monday in New York City, Lavrov said in a speech on behalf of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which consists of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, that the attempts by some countries to “meddle in the domestic affairs of other states, using unilateral sanctions” interfere with addressing “challenging threats the world is facing today.” A record number of heads of states and governments are due