Eye On Taiwan

Darts, iRacing and baseball from Taiwan. A guide to the sports airing now, since most go-tos are gone Posted: 22 Apr 2020 12:00 PM PDT CNN Date: April 22, 2020 By: Leah Asmelash, CNN (CNN)With sports largely on hold because of coronavirus, this can present a problem for many fans. Namely, what is there to watch now? Where to turn to get that beloved adrenaline rush? Have no fear. There are still (yes, still!) some sports available for sports fans. We may not have NBA playoff games, but at least we can get something. Darts. Yes, darts Hear me out. Professional darts games have been able to proceed where other sports have not, though without fans. Darts may be easy to dismiss at first. It's not as fast paced as some of America's favorite sports, like basketball, doesn't have the same regional alliances as football, or the institutional history of baseball. But what the sport may be perceived to lack it far makes up for in other ways.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan baseball boosted by NT$2 million English-language broadcasts Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:55 AM PDT Taoyuan government spends big on Eleven Sports' CPBL broadcasts up to end of season Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/22 By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer CPBL Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions players. (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is the only league in the world playing, so the Taoyuan government said on Wednesday (April 22) it would stump up NT$2 million (US$66,500) for English-language broadcasts until the end of the season. The CPBL started giving trial English commentaries after the baseball season started April 11. Games are played behind closed doors and broadcast live on Eleven Sports Network and Twitter, for the first time since the league began in 1989. Due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, most sports have shut up shop. This includes baseball, which is not being played professionally anywhere else in the world but Taiwan. The English broadcast is by Richard Wang (王雲慶) and fellow commentator Wayne McNeil. They have done five English-language broadcasts, as of April 22, and the games mainly take place at Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium.    [FULL  STORY]

I Squared Capital completes divestment of Chenya Energy to Marubeni Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:49 AM PDT Power Technology Date: 22 APRIL 2020SHARE Global infrastructure investment management firm I Squared Capital has closed the sale of its solar platform Chenya Energy in Taiwan to Japanese company Marubeni. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asia Cube Energy, Chenya Energy was engaged in solar development, construction and operating the platform in Taiwan. Asia Cube Energy is a pan-Asian renewable portfolio company, which was established by I Squared Capital in 2017. I Squared Capital managing partner Gautam Bhandari said: “In three years under I Squared Capital’s stewardship, Chenya Energy grew from 2.3 to 344.4MW of solar capacity across multiple technologies, including floating, ground-mounted and rooftop solutions.    [FULL  STORY]

Chinese TV groups use coronavirus pandemic to gain Taiwan market share Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:45 AM PDT OTT services could soon be joined by state-controlled CCTV Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/22 By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer Chinese OTT services are grabbing Taiwan market share (screenshot from WeTV Taiwan Facebook page)  TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese media groups are using the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to push their over-the-top (OTT) streaming services in the Taiwanese market, with even state-owned China Central Television (CCTV) expected to put in an appearance, the Liberty Times reported Wednesday (April 22). Taiwan has been fighting the growing infiltration of Chinese communist propaganda, especially the distribution of “fake news” during the campaign for the Jan. 11 elections and during the coronavirus pandemic. While Chinese TV companies are officially banned from launching Taiwan-based services, some evade those restrictions by cooperating with local media groups. Tencent Holdings Ltd. advertises for its WeTV product on Taipei City’s streets, while its Beijing-based rival iQiyi also offers online video services. [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s jobless rate edges up in March Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:42 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/22/2020 By: Tsai Peng-min and Chiang Yi-ching CNA file photo Taipei, April 22 (CNA) Taiwan's unemployment rate increased slightly in March due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said Wednesday. The jobless rate showed a 0.02 percentage point rise in March from a month earlier to 3.72 percent, but after seasonal adjustments, it was 3.76 percent, a monthly increase of 0.06 percent percentage points and the highest since last May, DBGAS data showed. In March, the number of unemployed persons in the country increased by 2,000, or 0.45 percent, from the previous month to 445,000, according to the DGBAS. The number of workers who lost their jobs due to downsizing or closure of companies increased by 7,000 in March, while the number of employees who quit to seek other jobs decreased by 2,000, as did the number of first-time job seekers, the data showed.    [FULL  STORY]

VIDEO: Taiwan set to hammer out COVID-19 contingency plan Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:38 AM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 22 April, 2020 By: John Van Trieste The COVID-19 pandemic is keeping much of the world under lockdown, but in Taiwan it’s still business as usual. Still, what if the outbreak here were to worsen? The central government isn’t taking chances. It’s planning talks with local officials this week on a unified plan of action for a worst-case scenario. Taiwan has been spared the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that’s not a matter of luck. Early, decisive government action has kept the number of cases low and made it so that people can still move around freely. But officials know that things could always get worse, and they are making sure they are prepared, just in case. Local officials have already made contingency plans. In New Taipei, Mayor Hou You-yi ordered a simulated 21-day lockdown. Next door, in Taipei itself, Deputy Mayor Huang Shan-shan says that a similar drill is being planned, with experts set to look for gaps in the city’s preparations. And in Yilan County, health authorities say they will implement a lockdown if the number of local cases hits 186. [FULL  STORY]

Check Out Taiwan’s New Fleet-Killer Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:33 AM PDT The National Interest Date: April 22, 2020 By: David Axe Taiwan’s loading up on new minelaying vessels. And it’s not hard to see why. With no realistic prospect of matching the Chinese navy warship for warship, the Taiwanese fleet is hoping that underwater minefields might help to sink an invasion fleet. Taiwan’s loading up on new minelaying vessels. And it’s not hard to see why. With no realistic prospect of matching the Chinese navy warship for warship, the Taiwanese fleet is hoping that underwater minefields might help to sink an invasion fleet. Lungteh shipyard on April 17, 2020 laid the keel for the third and fourth Min Jiang-class minelayer. The Republic of China Navy plans to begin accepting the minelayers in 2021. The Taiwanese fleet’s existing minelayers are modified landing craft.   [FULL  STORY]

Tour scenic attractions in Shigang, Taiwan Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:28 AM PDT Bike around beautiful destinations like converted railroad, dam, lake Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/22 By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —The Shigang district in Taichung City boasts many attractions, most of which are easily accessible by bike. During the COVID-19 pandemic, avoiding crowds and following social distancing guidelines are essential preventive measures for fending off the virus; engaging in outdoor activities, such as cycling, is an ideal way to get exercise and build up resistance against the disease. Shigang has a lot to offer the cooped up city dweller in these difficult times.    [FULL  STORY]

Government targets 900,000 relief payments by week end: premier Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:21 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/22/2020 By: Ku Chuan, Yu Hsiang and Elizabeth Hsu Premier Su Tseng-chang. Taipei, April 22 (CNA) About 900,000 people around Taiwan will have received relief payments from the government by the end of the week, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said Wednesday. They include 710,000 low and middle-income households and underprivileged people, who will have a monthly subsidy of NT$1,500 (US$49.88) remitted directly to their accounts and have already received payments for April, Su said at a press event on the execution of the government's relief and revitalization plans amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, 58,000 of 100,000 taxi and tourist coach drivers around the nation eligible for a monthly wage subsidy of NT$10,000 received payments this week, according to Su. These payments will be issued for three months to those whose livelihoods have been hardest hit by the pandemic, which had resulted in more than 171,000 fatalities worldwide as of Wednesday. [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to join US in helping Pacific nations respond to COVID-19 Posted: 22 Apr 2020 11:17 AM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 22 April, 2020 By: Shirley Lin The United States Department of State The United States says that it will work with countries including Taiwan to help Pacific nations respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pacific region is home to most of the remaining countries that have not yet reported cases of COVID-19. Among these unaffected Pacific islands nations are Taiwan’s four allies in the region—Palau, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Tuvalu.    [FULL  STORY]