Brother Elephants reach milestone in Taiwanese pro baseball

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) The Brother Elephants beat the Sinon Bulls 3-2 Friday for its 1,000th win in team history, becoming the second team to achieve the milestone in Taiwan's professional baseball history.

The Elephants, one of only two Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) teams that have been part of the league since it was established in 1990, has now registered 1,000 wins, 963 losses and 75 draws in its 21-year history.

The Uni-President Lions, the other original member, was the first team to reach the 1,000-win mark in June 2009.

The Elephants blanked the Lions 4-0 Thursday to win its 999th game on Sept. 9, leaving it one win away from the 1,000-win milestone.

Arguably the most storied and popular team in the league, the Elephants suffered a devastating blow after losing almost 20 players and staff to a major game-fixing scandal that broke out last October. It involved more than 40 retired and active players and coaches.

Despite the roster overhaul, the Elephants lead the four-team league's second-half standings with a 26-18 record, after finishing the first-half standings in third place with a 25-33-2 mark.

Uni-President leads the four-team CPBL with seven championships, followed by Brother with six titles. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Taiwan makes strides in World University Badminton Championship

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) Nine Taiwanese players stormed into the quarterfinal round of singles and doubles events Friday in the 2010 World University Badminton Championship in Taipei after Taiwan scored its best ever finish in the team event a day earlier.

Taiwanese players took three of the eight spots in the women's singles quarterfinals, two places in the men's doubles quarterfinals, and one spot each in the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles and men's singles in the competition that runs through Sunday.

Cheng Shao-chieh, Pai Hsiao-ma and Hung Shih-han all took two wins in straight sets Friday in the women's singles to reach the final eight.

Pai, the gold medalist in Taiwan's latest national tournament after sitting out for one and a half years due to injury, is scheduled to meet 19-year-old Asian Championship gold winner Li Xuerui of China in the quarterfinals.

Fang Chieh-min and Lee Sheng-mu, Taiwan's most competitive men's double pairs, defeated the Chinese pair of Huang Haitao and Wei Tingxiang to make the quarterfinals along with compatriots Chen Hung-lin and Lin Yu-lang.

Chen Hung-lin and Hsieh Pei-jung advanced to the mixed doubles quarterfinals while third-seeded Hsueh Hsuan-yi became Taiwan's lone men's singles quarterfinalist.

On Thursday, Taiwan lost to China 3-2 in a dramatic team final to take silver, its best finish in history in the team category. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Foreign health workers pay tribute to Taiwan counterparts

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) A group of foreign healthcare workers in Taiwan highly praised the country's medical service personnel, upon completion Friday of a training program for health professionals mostly from nations with diplomatic links to Taiwan.

The two-month program, now in its fifth year, provided training in the fields of medical laboratory science, biomedical engineering and hospital management for a record 41 participants from 17 countries.

Bakary Sanneh, a supervisor and laboratory scientist from Gambia's provincial Basse Major Health Center, said at the closing ceremony that he was impressed with the level of expertise, discipline and friendship that was shown by the Taiwanese professionals with whom he and the other group members worked.

"After five days of hard training, they would take us out on weekends to eat and to visit scenic spots, and they did so with smiles all the time," Sanneh said.

Sanneh's training was carried out at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital in southern Taiwan, while the other participants were assigned to 18 other hospitals across the country.

With the help of his Taiwanese friends, Sanneh said, he was able to make contact with a company that sells secondhand medical laboratory equipment, which is exactly what Gambia needs.

In keeping with the "Sharing" theme of the 2010 Healthcare Personnel Training Program, Taiwan's medical professionals shared their experience with the participants, who in turn will pass on that knowledge when they return to their countries, said Ileana Joy Downs Gonzalez of Nicaragua.

The program is managed by the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), the principal body that administers Taiwan's development projects abroad, and is geared toward improving human resources and medical services in the allied countries.

Since the launch of the program five years ago, it has trained 117 foreign healthcare workers, the ICDF said.

It has been held in collaboration with the International Healthcare Cooperation Strategic Alliance, a coalition of 37 hospitals. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Forum examines Taiwan's role in possible East Asia community

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) The European Union (EU) can be used as reference for regional integration in East Asia, and as a member of such a community, Taiwan would be better positioned to have an influential global role, scholars said at an international forum in Taipei Wednesday.

A contemporary East Asia is likely to build a common framework with a rising China, and if Taiwan joins the regional community, its security will be guaranteed over the long term in a peaceful multilateral mechanism, said Ken Endo, a professor of International Politics at Japan's Hokkaido University.

Taiwan would also find itself "better positioned in a more peaceful international environment, equipped with more resources and channels to tame Beijing and to exert influence in the world, " Endo said.

The discussion among scholars from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan focused on "Regional Integration in East Asia: with the European historical experience as a reference point."

The forum, organized jointly by Hokkaido University and the thinktank Taiwan Brain Trust, examined the idea of an East Asian community (EAC), which was promoted by Japan's former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama during the country's 2009 general election campaign.

Hatoyama proposed a trade and security bloc comprising 16 member countries of the East Asia Summit, including Japan, Korea, China, India, Australia and New Zealand.

In a keynote speech at the forum, Endo challenged a number of conventional views, including the idea the EU's supranational model would alienate or bypass Taiwan as it favors and is based on the rapprochement between Tokyo and Beijing, and Taiwan's sovereign rights will be compromised.

Citing the EU as an example, Endo said that inclusion in an EAC would actually enhance Taiwan's sovereignty, although Taiwan's legal status is always subject to dispute and Taiwan would probably have to apply for EAC membership under the name Chinese Taipei.

Like EU, the EAC will collaborate with the United States and will not be a bloc to offset the U.S.' influence, he said, adding that this would serve Taiwan's interest because its security heavily depends on the U.S.

But some of the other scholars said the EU model is not appropriate for implementation in East Asia.

Historical disputes between East Asian countries still run deep, which makes it extremely difficult to achieve regional integration, said Ohn Daewon, associate dean of the Graduate School of International and Area Studies at South Korea's Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Wu Chih-chung, Secretary-General of Taiwan's European Union Study Association, and Wang Szu-wei, an assistant professor of European studies at Nanhua University, both agreed that, unlike European countries, East Asian countries do not share the same values, religious rights or political systems and it will therefore be very difficult to establish a regional bloc.

However, "we can at least try to learn from the spirit of EU member states and their strong political will to create a better future for their children, " Wu said. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Taiwan helping diplomatic allies with ICT expertise

Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Taiwan is helping its Central American and Caribbean allies using its best-known expertise -- information communication technology (ICT) -- with the goal of boosting their e-commerce economies, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.

The National ICT Center of Belize, which officially opened Aug. 27 in Belmopan, Belize, marked Taiwan's latest effort in helping its four Caribbean allies promote "information societies, " said Valentino Ji Zen Tang, deputy secretary-general of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF).

The ICDF is the principal body overseeing Taiwan's cooperative development programs abroad.

The ICT technical cooperation project was launched in 2005 as part of a three-phase initiative to reduce the "digital divide, " develop systems of e-government and develop e-commerce economy, Tang said.

The construction began in May 2009 following a groundbreaking ceremony attended by both President Ma Ying-jeou and Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow.

In return, Tang said, the projects in Central America and the Caribbean will bring business opportunities for Taiwan's hardware and software industries.

Design concepts for the centers were eco-friendly, he said, adding that the ICT center in Saint Kitts and Nevis operates by solar energy.

In Central America, Taiwan has been helping Guatemala develop an e-commerce website that integrates tourism information, online booking and reservations, and an online payment mechanism.

"The project aims to help Guatemala, which arguably attracts the most tourists with the richest tourism resources in Central America, to boost its local economy as its tourism industry will be able to receive direct payments rather than remittances from brokers in North America," Tang said.

Taiwan is also planning to duplicate its success in the community empowerment program and One Town One Product (OTOP) program on foreign soil to help less developed areas in its Central American allies stimulate their economies, Tang said.

Taiwan, which has previously been accused of "checkbook diplomacy, " is attempting a more pragmatic approach, according to the MOFA. The country's projects in Central America and the Caribbean serve as an example of the new policy, the ministry said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

Culture up next on Taiwan-China exchange agenda

Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) Officials from Taiwan and China have recognized culture as the next area for the two sides to focus on, now that a historic trade agreement has been signed earlier this year, officials said Monday.

At the first ever Cross-Strait Cultural Forum, which gathered more than 130 cultural officials and personnel from both sides of the Taiwan Strait in Taipei Monday, officials agreed that Chinese culture is a basis for exchanges between the two sides.

"Chinese culture is the 'greatest denominator' in cross-strait relations, given that it's not as sensitive and both sides do share similar culture, " Liu Chao-shiuan, president of the National Culture Association and Taiwan's former premier, said in the opening ceremony.

Liu said Taiwanese people are proud of their preservation of traditional Chinese culture, as well as their Taiwanese culture, which has been known for its diversity and mixed influences from Japan, Western countries, and more recently, Southeast Asian countries.

Liu told the one-day forum that Taiwan would gladly share its distinctive culture with mainland Chinese people.

Chinese Minister of Culture Cai Wu, who is leading a delegation of more than 40 officials for a visit here from Sept. 2-8, urged Taiwan and China to work together to "create a positive atmosphere for the signing of a culture agreement."

He is only the second cabinet-level Chinese official to visit Taiwan, according to Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council.

Quoting Chinese President Hu Jintao, Cai said that "no misunderstanding between both sides of the strait is irremovable" and Taiwan and China should "deepen cultural exchange as soon as possible, after the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (the trade agreement) in June."

He also offered a four-point plan from the Chinese side which includes the institutionalization of bilateral cultural exchanges, collaboration on development and promotion of Chinese culture, establishment of a platform for further exchanges, and strengthening cooperation between Taiwan and China's creative industries.

The appeal echoed Hu's six-point proposition to Taiwan, which he announced in his public address on Dec. 31, 2008. They included "stressing common cultural links between the both sides."

While analysts believe China intends to push Taiwan to discuss political matters after the signing of the trade deal, which aims to liberalize trade, Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has stated that no political talks will take place during his current term or a possible second term.

So far, China has instead focused on cultural exchanges on its cross-strait agenda. Several cross-strait cultural creative exhibitions and seminars have been held in China, including the first-ever joint exhibition by the two sides national museums in 2009, and another upcoming joint exhibition by the museums.

Emile Sheng, Minister of Taiwan's Council for Cultural Affairs, acknowledged that "unlike politics most of the time, culture would not be a 'zero-sum game'" and suggested that Taiwan and China should establish official cultural offices on each other's territory.

However, Sheng pointed out that Taiwanese culture has developed over the years as "Chinese culture with Taiwanese characteristics" and "certain values should not be forced upon others."

He added that the two sides' governments have different approaches toward cultural development, with Taiwan's government viewing itself as the supporting cast and helping hands of cultural creative industries while its Chinese counterpart takes a front-seat role in cultural development.

Sheng told the media after the opening ceremony that there is no timetable on setting up official cultural offices and negotiations of a culture agreement, because bilateral culture exchanges take time.

(By Chris Wang) enditem/cs

Former basketball star urges athletes to prepare for life after sports

Richard Chang no longer plays basketball for a living, but he carries his hoop memories with him everywhere -- on an iPhone.

For the general manager of the Costco Taiwan, one of the biggest wholesale clubs in Taiwan, the photos and video clips stored on his smartphone remind him of the earlier part of his life when he played college basketball in the United States, represented Taiwan in international competitions and became a "legend" in local hoop history.

In a recent interview with the CNA, Chang said his cross-Pacific experience was why he was able to relate to the success of Jeremy Lin, the first Taiwanese-American player to sign a contract with a ball club in the U.S. professional league National Basketball Association (NBA).

"Jeremy Lin serves as a good role model for Taiwanese athletes, " Chang said of the Harvard graduate of Taiwanese descent who signed with the NBA's Golden States Warriors in July and became the first Harvard basketball player to make it to the NBA in 57 years.

Chang's experience was also why he encourages local players to strive for their best on the basketball courts while at the same time make plans for their lives off the courts.

Chang said the inspiration of Lin lies not only in the fact that he made the league with a height of 190 centimeters - considered relatively short by NBA standards - but that he has been able to successfully balance his academics and basketball career.

"Eight out of 10 Taiwanese players have no goals in life. Playing basketball is all they know and all they do," said Chang, who played college basketball for the University of California at Berkeley in the mid 1980's.

"Coupled with local basketball’s lack of management and commercial success, it’s not surprising that most Taiwanese parents do not want their children to play basketball."

Chang said he never thought about playing in the NBA when he was young, because "times were different back then."

He was invited to play for Taiwan's national team in the annual Jones Cup invitational tournament in 1985 and did well, helping the team to victories over Japan and South Korea and leaving local fans with a strong impression of his "power play" style of American basketball.

Soon, Chang found himself playing for the McDonald's team in the local league. Being able to play ball and get paid "was pretty cool for me at the time, " he said, adding that he also had a day job working at a trading company.

After a little more than two years, Chang felt that something was wrong. With the lack of competition in the league which was going nowhere, he learned that playing basketball "was not fun anymore."

Chang decided that his basketball career was over at age 25 and returned to the U.S. to look for work. He was sent to work in Southeast Asia by an American company before coming back to Taiwan to establish Costco Taiwan in 1995. The discount megastore now has six branches across the country.

For Taiwanese athletes, "a bad goal is better than no goals because at least you can work toward a certain direction, " Chang said.

Chang added that he has hired a lot of former athletes at Costco because he wanted to give them an opportunity to excel and athletes are often better at persevering than others are.

Playing sports and running a megastore might seem like completely different jobs, but Chang said there are many lessons in sports that one can apply to other fields, including business management, perseverance, time management, integrity, teamwork, and the belief that "practice makes perfect."

Sports management is also similar to business management in a lot of ways, Chang said. To vie for modern day consumers' "entertainment dollars, " people who run sports leagues are advised to have a "consumer first" mentality and produce the "best product, " which means the best sports competition and consumer service.

"You have to try to manage your sports like managing a brand, " he said.

The 2.0-meter tall executive from Huntington Beach, California also urged Taiwanese children and athletes against viewing basketball stars Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant as their role models.

"Let's face it, you're never going to be the next Jordan or Bryant because they are 'one in a million' type of athletes. But if you work hard, you can be a successful accountant or surgeon like your neighbors. That is a more realistic goal, " he explained.

Chang lamented that the sports scene in Taiwan remained unchanged after all these years as sports associations and ball clubs "had not done anything" to improve sports development to benefit athletes, especially professional ones.

As a result, most unprepared athletes can only find work as physical education teachers or coaches when they retire.

"But do we need so many coaches and PE teachers? " Chang questioned. By CNA Staff Reporter Chris Wang Photo No. 48 enditem/cs

Forum discusses ECFA, Taiwan's priorities for economic integration

Taipei, Sept. 3 (CNA) Taiwan is focusing on Asian regional economic integration after its historic trade agreement with China, panelists in a forum agreed Friday, but they had different opinions on Taiwan's priorities in the process.

Taiwan is able to leverage on the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA), which was signed in June to liberalize cross-Taiwan Strait trade ties with its largest trade partner, and prevent the country from being marginalized in Asia's economic integration, said Francis Liang, deputy minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

"This is the first step, but we know that it is not enough, " he said at a forum co-organized by the ministry and the Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI) with a theme of Taiwan's role in regional economic integration.

Taiwan is hoping that it will be able to sign free trade agreements (FTAs) with other trade partners after it liberalizes trade relations with China. It received a boost of confidence when Singapore announced last month that it would study the feasibility of signing a trade pact with Taiwan.

Southeast Asia should be the first region Taiwan sets its sights on after the ECFA, said Yang Yung-ming, a professor at National Taiwan University and former consultant of the National Security Council, adding that Taiwan should seek to strengthen its relations with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The ASEAN is Taiwan's fifth-largest trading partner after China, the United States, Japan and the European Union (EU).

With stalls in the WTO's Doha talks, which tried to establish a multilateral free-trade mechanism, countries have been looking to establish a free trade system bilaterally and regionally, Yang said.

The Free Trade Area of Asia Pacific (FTAAP) and the East Asia Summit, a forum held annually by leaders of 16 countries in the East Asian region, are not likely to be the solution because there are too many differences between member states in terms of political systems, religions and the size of their economies, he said.

Despite a Chung-hua Institution for Economic Research study concluding that a Taiwan-Japan FTA would benefit Taiwan the most, a lot of factors will have to be taken into account in FTA negotiations, including social factors, political situations and the impact on local industries, Yang said.

That appears to make the ASEAN market a realistic goal for Taiwan as the next target of regional economic integration, he added.

Yang's remarks reflected a similar mentality to Taiwan's government, which has stated that Southeastern Asian countries will be at the top of its FTA-seeking agenda.

Many local businesspeople, however, still view the U.S. and the EU as the preferred targets in the "FTA drive" because of the large trade volumes, said Rock Hsu, CNFI vice chairman and chairman of Kinpo Group, one of the largest electronics groups in Taiwan. Most Chinese products end up selling to the American and European markets, he noted.

Hsu also urged the government to lay out a vision and long-term plans so local industries will have a clearer view of the future.

"Do we want to be a 'Free Trade Island' in the future? If the answer is yes, what preparation should we be doing to achieve that goal?" he said.

Panelists in the forum praised the ECFA, with Leslie Koo, chairman of Taiwan Cement Co., saying that the deal "has helped Taiwan to regain its economic vitality and momentum and has opened a window of opportunity for a prosperous future."

"We have to grab the opportunity because it will be gone in three to five years," Koo said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

Taiwan reiterates goal of joining U.N. organizations

Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) Taiwan reiterated Thursday that it is aiming to achieve "meaningful participation" in international organizations and it appealed for continued global support for its bid to join two such organizations, two weeks ahead of the United Nations' annual General Assembly.

Deputy Foreign Minister Shen Ssu-tsun said at a news conference that the Taiwan government's strategy remains steady as it seeks to participate in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Taiwan has secured the support of various countries and organizations since last year, when the government listed entry to the UNFCCC and ICAO among its goals, he said.

International support for Taiwan's efforts in this direction has come from the European Parliament, the Australian Parliament, the United States Senate and 19 representatives of the U.S. Congress, he said.

Taiwan will also ask its diplomatic allies to state its case in the 65th session of the U.N. General Assembly, which is scheduled to open Sept. 14 in New York City and at the 37th ICAO Assembly which will be held in Montreal, Canada from Sept. 28-Oct. 8, Shen said.

The allies will also make a similar effort at the U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which will be held from Sept. 20-22, and the at ICAO Assembly, he said. An appeal will be made for Taiwan to be included in these bodies as part of the global cooperative effort on various issues, he added.

With respect to the 16th UNFCCC Conference of Parties to be held in Cancun, Mexico from Nov. 29-Dec. 10, Shen said, the ministry is still studying a proposal for that bid and will make an announcement at a later date.

Shen did not answer a question on whether Taiwan has a timetable for its entry to the UNFCCC and whether China has been putting up any roadblocks.

Taiwan has not been represented in the U.N. since 1971, when the Republic of China's seat was given to the People's Republic of China. Taiwan has tried unsuccessfully to have the world body consider the issue of its representation since 1993, but its efforts have been blocked by Beijing, which claims that Taiwan is part of China.

During the UNFCCC Conference in the Danish capital of Copenhagen last December, a China official voiced opposition to Taiwan's inclusion in the organization, citing Beijing's "one China principle."

He said that the initiatives by some nations in favor of Taiwan's bid to join the UNFCCC as an observer had "hurt the feelings of the 1.3 billion Chinese people."

However, since then, tensions across the Taiwan Strait have eased, particularly after the two sides signed a historic trade agreement in June -- a move that was welcomed by the international community.

Last month, Singapore and Taiwan jointly announced that they were studying the feasibility of a free trade agreement, which signaled a willingness on China's part to allow Taiwan more international space.

Shen said that in the wake of the cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement, he thinks China has a better understanding of Taiwan's position. Nonetheless, Taiwan will seek to win as much international support as possible before heading into the next phase, he said.

The Taiwan government said last September that the UNFCCC and the ICAO are the first two international organizations it will seek to join and that it has a three-phase plan toward that goal.

Shen did not elaborate on Taiwan's timetable or details of its phased strategy, saying only that it will be a continuing effort and that the foreign ministry will implement its plans based on the situation as it develops. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Former high school MVP No. 1 in Taiwan basketball draft

Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) Nineteen-year-old forward Sang Yi-ching was in the limelight again Wednesday when he was selected by Bank of Taiwan as the No. 1 pick in the annual draft for Taiwan's top basketball league, 18 months after winning Most Valuable Player as a high school senior.

"Today is an important day in my basketball career, but I know I have a lot to learn," Sang told the media after the 2010 Draft of the Super Basketball League (SBL), Taiwan's seven-team semi-professional league.

Sang, who led Song-shan High School to win the 2009 Taiwan men's high school championships and is currently a sophomore at National Taiwan Normal University, was joined by 10 others out of 23 total applicants who heard their names called by team representatives.

According to league regulations, university students must choose between playing exclusively in the university league or the SBL, which means Sang will not be able to play for Bank of Taiwan -- which finished last season ranked at the bottom -- before 2013 if he stays in school.

He said, however, that practicing with professional players will be a valuable experience and help him make the transition from center to small forward.

"I grew another two centimeters after high school, but I'm still too small to play as a center at the professional level, " said Sang, who is 1.95-meters tall and listed Lebron James, who plays for the Miami Heat in the U.S. National Basketball Association, as his favorite player.

Sang said he was very surprised about his No. 1 selection, which was expected to go to Taiwan national team member Chou Po-chen. Chou, a 1.98-meter forward who also came from Song-shan High School, was picked second by Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor, with 2.02-meter Lee Te-wei picked third by Taiwan Mobile.

Defending champion Yulon Luxgen picked up two young players -- 2.05-meter center Liu Yuan-kai and guard Chen Che-yu.

Under regulations reached between Taiwan's university athletic governing body and the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association, only two of the 11 draftees will be able to play in the SBL next season.

The 2010-11 season, which is the league's eighth, is scheduled to open Dec. 25. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc