Eye On Taiwan

World’s first pro baseball game of 2020 takes place in Taiwan, gets mistaken as China Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:33 PM PDT Journalist semi-corrects himself by tweeting, 'It’s a Chinese baseball league in Taiwan' Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/13 By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hailed as the world's first professional baseball game in 2020, Taiwan's league went ahead with its regular season and played its opening game in Taichung behind closed doors on Sunday (April 13). Unfortunately, the game was mistaken by a baseball writer as having occurred in China, due to the misleading first word of the league's name: the "Chinese" Professional Baseball League (CPBL). The season opener in Taiwan has attracted heavy international media attention, as all the world’s sporting events have come to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, of Tainan, beat the home team Chinatrust Brothers, 4-1, according to CBS Sports.   [FULL  STORY]

CPBL game draws 650,000 viewers at home and abroad Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:29 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/16/2020 By: Flor Wang and Yang Chih-fang The Rakuten Monkeys celebrating their win. Taipei, April 16 (CNA) The sixth game in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) was watched by some 650,000 viewers around the world Wednesday, according to Eleven Sports, which broadcast the commentary in English. Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the game between the home team the Rakuten Monkeys and Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions was played to empty stands at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium but was broadcast live on the Eleven Sports network and streamed live on Twitter. According to the network, about 650,000 people tuned in to watch the CPBL game, which was the sixth in the only baseball season open anywhere in the world right now. The first game of the CPBL season was played last Sunday, also to empty seats, at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium between the Lions and Taichung-based Chinatrust Brothers, after the first two scheduled games were postponed the previous day due to heavy rains. [FULL  STORY]

CPBL to feature English commentary Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:26 PM PDT MESSAGE OF HOPE: Richard Wang said in addition to highlighting Taiwan’s success in halting contagion, the broadcasts would show that the pandemic can be beat Taipei Times Date: Apr 16, 20208/ By: Staff writer, with CNA The Rakuten Girls pose wearing personalized masks before the start of the Chinese Professional Baseball League game between the Rakuten Monkeys and the Uni-President Lions at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium yesterday. Photo: CNA Taiwan’s baseball season, the only one scheduled anywhere in the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic, was from yesterday to include English-language broadcasts to showcase the nation’s baseball to a wider audience, broadcaster Eleven Sports said on Twitter. The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) on Sunday held its first game at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium after the first two games were postponed a week earlier due to bad weather, making it the first professional baseball league in the world to start this year. However, the season — or at least the beginning of the season — is to be played without fans due to the nation’s social distancing regulations designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The English-language commentary, which is to be provided for Rakuten Monkeys home games, would be part of the broadcasts to come from the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium from yesterday to Sunday, said World Baseball Softball Confederation Asia correspondent Richard Wang, one of the commentators.    [FULL  STORY]

Kenney following Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea leads in reopening Alberta economy Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:21 PM PDT CTV News Edmonton Date: April 16, 2020 By: Alex Antoneshyn, Digital Journalist Alberta Premier Jason Kenney updates media on measures taken to help with COVID-19, in Edmonton on Friday, March 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson EDMONTON — Alberta’s premier says the province will follow the steps of other countries who’ve kept their economies functioning while keeping a second wave of COVID-19 cases at bay. Jason Kenney pointed to Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea as examples of jurisdictions from which he’d be taking inspiration. His plan consists of five main components: a strengthened effort to track the contacts of those who have tested positive; stronger border screening; public health order enforcement using technology like smartphone apps; and asking Albertans to wear masks in “crowded public spaces” like transit.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan MRT passengers down over 50% since start of coronavirus outbreak Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:16 PM PDT Apple's mobility trends show more people staying home, driving instead of taking public transit Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/16 By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer Taipei MRT. (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread worldwide and lockdowns are extended, an Apple mobility trends report shows a dramatic drop in the number of people taking public transportation worldwide, including in Taipei. The mobility data reflect the impact of the virus on the daily lives of Apple users across 131 countries and regions, showing them to have spent more time at home in the three months since mid-January, near the beginning of the outbreak. When they do have to go out, driving or walking is their first choice instead of taking public transit, the data reveal. Apple pointed out that the information is generated by counting the number of requests made to Apple Maps for directions. The data sets are then compared to reflect a change in the volume of people driving, walking, or taking public transit around the world. According to the data, Italy, which on March 9 became the first European country to implement a nationwide lockdown, recorded a 90 percent decrease in drivers in April as well as 94 percent and 95 percent reductions in those who walk and take public transit, respectively, compared to a month earlier.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese mask production units in high demand amid COVID-19 pandemic Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:11 PM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/16/2020 By: Chang Chien-chung and Chiang Yi-ching Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Numerous countries have ordered surgical face mask production units from Taiwanese manufacturers, after technicians in Taiwan successfully assembled 92 machines in record time to help boost the country's mask output amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Precision Machinery Research & Development Center CEO Lai Yung-hsiang (賴永祥), more than 20 countries have either sought to purchase mask production units from Taiwan, or asked for advice in ramping up their own mask output. Chang Hong Machinery Co., one of the largest companies in Taiwan that produce the machines, has received orders for 50 units so far, the company's Chairman Lu Ching-lin (呂清林) told CNA. The orders have come from businesses and governments from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Germany and Malaysia, Lu said, estimating that the units will be delivered by October.    [FULL  STORY]

TSMC cuts revenue growth forecast Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:08 PM PDT COST-GAP CHALLENGE: The company said that it is evaluating its US plans, with a requirement being ‘if we do a US fab, it has to be a leading-edge fab,’ or close to it Taipei Times Date: Apr 17, 2020 By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday cut its revenue growth forecast for this year as the COVID-19 pandemic is dampening demand for 5G smartphones and other consumer electronics, although it held US$15 billion to US$16 billion in capital spending for this year. The supplier of chips for iPhones said that it is continuing to invest in advanced 7-nanometer (nm), 5nm and 3nm technology, as 5G deployments and high-performance-computing-related applications are expected to drive growth for next several years. It said it plans to start volume production of 3nm technology in 2022 at its fab in Tainan, which would make TSMC the first contract chipmaker to offer the technology. The company is also “evaluating its US fab plan,” TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) said in response to an investor’s question.     [FULL  STORY]

Gov’t plans more charter flights to bring back citizens from China Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:04 PM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 16 April, 2020 By: Paula Chao Gov’t plans more charter flights to bring back citizens from China. (CNA file photo) The government has announced two more charter flights that will bring citizens stranded in China by the COVID-19 pandemic back home. The two flights will depart from Shanghai on April 20 and 21. Each is expected to carry around 220 Taiwanese citizens. That’s more than half of the 700 or so citizens still in China. [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s Health Diplomacy Didn’t Start With the COVID-19 Crisis Posted: 16 Apr 2020 12:00 PM PDT Despite diplomatic exclusion, Taiwan has worked to provide wide-scale humanitarian assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic — and beyond. The Diplomat Date:\ 0April 16, 2020 By: Marcin Jerzewski and Kuan-Ting Chen Credit: Office of the President, ROC (Taiwan) An unexpected consequence of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has been the recent shift in rhetoric on Taiwan among several high-ranking global political figures. Take Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, as an example. Although the EU has previously remained assertive in its adherence to the Beijing formulation of a “One China policy,” Taiwan’s generous donation of much sought-after medical supplies to several member states prompted the top EU official to directly address Taiwan in a message of thanks. Even though Taiwan’s generous assistance to Western countries stricken by the pandemic, as well as its effective containment of the virus domestically, finally provided media attention to the island, not all responses have been positive. World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently accused the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry of instigating the threats and racist abuse he has received in recent months. “This attack came from Taiwan,” said Tedros, the WHO’s first African leader. Importantly, the allegations emerged after a number of politicians from around the globe spoke up in favor of Taiwan’s participation in the work of the WHO, and as many voiced their criticism of the WHO’s questionable handling of the pandemic. It is noteworthy that Tedros consistently defended China’s response to the coronavirus outbreak while continuously ignoring warnings and best practices shared by Taiwan. The Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as President Tsai Ing-wen promptly dismissed the allegations as “baseless,” and emphasized that there was no evidence of Taiwan’s encouragement or participation in racist attacks against Tedros. It would be futile to argue that Taiwan is entirely free from the ills of racism. Instead, it is important to consider how it continues to support its overseas partners in their quest to strengthen their healthcare systems, while being systematically discriminated against by the international community. The recent donation of crucial medical supplies to Western countries is, of course, a much-needed response to the global health crisis without precedent in living memory. Nevertheless, we argue that it ought to be understood in the context of Taiwan’s long-standing commitment to acting as a responsible stakeholder within the global public health regime.    [FULL  STORY]

Video lists 20 ways Taiwan is fighting off coronavirus Posted: 16 Apr 2020 11:56 AM PDT American vlogger creates video listing 20 ways Taiwan is keeping Wuhan coronavirus at bay Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/16 By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer (YouTube, Dustin Pfundheller screenshot) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As Taiwan sees its second day with zero new cases of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) in a week, an American blogger has created a video expounding on how the plucky island country has been able to fend off the contagion, despite its proximity to communist China, the origin of the outbreak. The video's creator, Dustin Pfundheller, 33, who is currently living in Florida where he works as a dentist, told Taiwan News that he created the video because he was so impressed that Taiwan, a country that is at an extremely high risk of a COVID-19 outbreak, had so few cases. He said that he first became acquainted with Taiwan when he studied at Shih Hsin University in the fall of 2007 and wanted both foreigners and Taiwanese to know what Taiwan had done to protect their citizens from the deadly disease. The video, which was uploaded to Facebook on April 9, starts by explaining that before the outbreak started, four percent of Taiwanese worked in China, while 2,000 Chinese tourists on average visited the country per day. Pfundheller then pointed out that the epidemic first started during the Lunar New Year, the busiest time of the year for travel in both Taiwan and China, similar to Thanksgiving in the U.S. He noted that despite the fact that Taiwan had initially been ranked as the second-highest country at risk of experiencing a major breakout of the virus by a Johns Hopkins University model, it actually now has the lowest case rate per million over the past 50 days in the world. To counter claims that only authoritarian regimes have been effective at containing the virus, Pfundheller stated the fact that Taiwan is a democracy.    [FULL  STORY]