What's Up Taiwan – News at 14:00, November 3, 2023 - video Dailymotion

TaiwanPlus News

In today's show: - China Sends Warplanes After U.S. Ship Transits Strait - Taiwan's Quest for Satellite Internet Coverage - Presidential Candidates Attend Temple Event - Albanese Heads to Beijing as Australia-China Ties Thaw - Musk Calls AI "Most Disruptive Force" in History - Bankman-Fried Found Guilty in Crypto Fraud Trial - Gay Games To Open in Hong Kong and Mexico - Taipei International Travel Fair Opens

Transcript

00:00 What's up Taiwan?

00:12 I'm Louise Wat with news from here in Taiwan and around the world.

00:18 Taiwan's military says 39 Chinese warplanes have been spotted flying near the country

00:23 in the past 24 hours.

00:26 China regularly sends military planes into Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone,

00:31 or ADIZ.

00:32 This is not the country's territory, but it's used for defensive purposes.

00:37 Of the 39, 20 warplanes entered the zone, including a dozen fighter jets and three drones.

00:44 This comes after a US-guided missile destroyer and a Canadian warship sailed through the

00:49 Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.

00:52 Taiwan's military says it activated missile defence systems and is monitoring the situation.

00:59 Taiwan's largest international space conference is wrapping up with a focus on satellite technology.

01:06 As Jaime O'Connell reports, it's part of a push by Taiwan to become more digitally

01:10 resilient.

01:13 Staying connected.

01:15 This is the motivation behind Taiwan's first ever international space conference, which

01:20 brings together companies and analysts from around the world.

01:23 And the focus here is on satellite technology.

01:27 Satellites they help every aspect of modern life.

01:30 So we live in a digital world and whatever you care about, whether you care about your

01:34 position, knowing where you are on a map, or you want to connect seamlessly everywhere,

01:40 satellites are the way to do it.

01:41 This conference, hosted by Taiwan's space agency, is part of the country's push to become

01:46 digitally resilient.

01:48 Threatened by neighbouring China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory and surrounded

01:52 by water, Taiwan is reliant on undersea cables to connect to the internet.

01:58 In fact, there are 14 of these submarine cables connecting at four points on the main island.

02:03 These cables can be easily damaged and in the islands of Matsu, cables have been severed

02:08 more than 20 times in the past six years.

02:11 Early this year, two of those cables were allegedly damaged by Chinese ships.

02:16 "If the submarine is hit by a war or an earthquake, it will be a major threat to Taiwan's communication

02:32 with the outside world."

02:34 To resolve this weakness, Taiwan is turning to its space industry.

02:39 Taiwan is looking to invest more than $10 billion in its space sector by 2025, specifically

02:44 on its satellite capabilities.

02:46 The country recently saw successes in developing its first ever weather satellite, the Trident.

02:51 Now while its main function is to predict typhoon patterns, Taiwan is looking to take

02:55 that a step further and develop satellites that will keep the country connected in the

02:59 event of a crisis.

03:04 Another motivating factor has been Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

03:08 Even though Russia targeted key communication infrastructure in the initial stages of its

03:12 invasion, Ukraine was able to maintain contact with the outside world through satellite internet.

03:19 These kinds of cheap and accessible satellites are known as Low Earth Orbit Satellites, or

03:24 LEOs.

03:26 They're much easier to put into orbit compared with other far orbit satellites, which means

03:30 Taiwan could have hundreds of them in space, creating a network that still functions even

03:35 if one or two are knocked out.

03:38 This would be crucial for Taiwan in the case of an attack.

03:41 These satellites could be used to coordinate a defense plan and monitor military activity.

03:46 "And it's important because as we've learned from Ukraine in times of crisis, that kind

03:52 of redundancy is important not just for the connectivity but also for military planning

03:57 and the conduct of military operations."

04:00 Taiwan's digital minister, Audrey Tang, has already pledged to build more than 700 satellite

04:04 terminals to help the country stay connected in the event of an attack.

04:09 These would provide backup internet access, not only helping the military identify any

04:13 threats but also keeping the country connected to the outside world.

04:17 "One of the big lessons from Ukraine was the importance of the commercial space industry

04:22 in providing that information that was critical for Ukraine to call out Russian activity nice

04:28 and early.

04:29 Taiwan is on a very interesting growth path here in a new industry of space.

04:34 Already got a significant number of satellites in low earth orbit and big ambitions to build

04:38 more and more capabilities."

04:40 With Taiwan's space sector expected to lift off in the next few years, the country is

04:44 hoping to put the lessons learned from Ukraine into action.

04:48 Not only reinforcing its connectivity but also remaining digitally resilient and prepared

04:53 for any crisis.

04:55 Joseph Wu and Hami Okon in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.

04:59 All four of Taiwan's presidential candidates have been canvassing for votes in temples

05:04 as speculation grows over whether two of them will run on a joint ticket.

05:09 Three of the candidates appeared together at a pilgrimage event in the capital Taipei.

05:14 Hou Youyi of the main opposition Kuomintang is in talks with Ke Wenjie of the Taiwan People's

05:20 Party over whether they should run together.

05:23 But both sides disagree on how they should choose whose name will lead the ballot.

05:27 Ke has also suggested he could link up with independent Foxconn founder Terry Guo, who's

05:33 last in the polls.

05:34 The ruling party's Lai Ching-de is in the lead.

05:39 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travels to China on Saturday to meet President

05:44 Xi Jinping, the first trip of its kind in seven years.

05:49 It's part of a push by Australia to strengthen trade with its biggest economic partner while

05:54 building up military ties with the US.

05:57 For more on the visit, our reporter Stash Butler spoke to Griffith Business School's

06:01 Caitlin Byrne.

06:03 How have we got to this point?

06:05 I mean, how bad did ties get under the previous Prime Minister Scott Morrison?

06:10 And what's happened to make this kind of a visit possible?

06:14 Of course, over the last decade, we had seen a significant downturn in the relationship.

06:20 It began with Australia banning Huawei from participating in the 5G rollout.

06:26 And then, of course, Australia's suggestion that there'd be further inquiries into the

06:32 origins of COVID-19 and China's role in that.

06:35 And from there, the relationship really deteriorated.

06:38 China imposed a number of sanctions on Australian goods.

06:41 So over the last seven years, we've moved from something that was quite strong and deep

06:46 to almost a diplomatic freeze.

06:48 So I think we're seeing incremental moves to the stabilization of the relationship and

06:53 hopefully from here towards a more normalized relationship.

06:57 At the same time as Australia is kind of, as you say, stabilizing this relationship

07:02 with China, it's also pursuing closer security partnership with the US.

07:07 Albanese has just been in the US visiting President Biden, their landmark AUKUS submarine

07:12 deal.

07:13 How is Australia managing or not managing to balance these two relationships given the

07:19 competition between the US and China?

07:23 That word that you just used around balance is really the key word in this landscape right

07:28 now.

07:29 What we've seen of recent months, I think, has been a language related to strategic equilibrium.

07:35 This idea that for Australia, a middle power that does have to work with a number of countries

07:41 in the region, as well as with its ally, the United States, and its number one trading

07:46 partner, China.

07:47 Now, it's a difficult game to play, but that's what diplomacy is all about.

07:51 What do you see happening next in the Australia-China relationship?

07:55 That this is a relationship that has to find a new footing.

07:59 Times have changed.

08:00 The context has changed.

08:01 The region is changing.

08:03 We have seen China, for example, over the last couple of months, remove some of the

08:06 tariffs that had been in place in the preceding five years.

08:11 That's a great sign.

08:12 We also saw the release of detained Australian Cheng Lei just a couple of weeks ago.

08:17 So these are all positive signs of a relationship that is rebuilding, is repairing, and finding

08:23 a new and more normal footing in the diplomatic landscape.

08:28 That was Caitlin Byrne, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Griffith Business School, speaking to Snashbutler.

08:35 Tech billionaire Elon Musk has called AI the most disruptive force in history, predicting

08:40 a future where work will be a choice rather than a necessity.

08:44 Here's what he said.

08:45 There will come a point where no job is needed.

08:49 You can have a job if you want to have a job for sort of personal satisfaction, but the

08:55 AI will be able to do everything.

08:58 Musk was speaking with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of an inaugural

09:02 AI summit in the UK.

09:04 Over 20 countries, including the US and China, have agreed to cooperate on AI safety.

09:12 Musk also told Sunak he backs China's inclusion in the pact, which drew some scepticism given

09:17 Beijing's tense relationship with Washington and several European countries, especially

09:22 over technology.

09:25 Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of now bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been found

09:31 guilty on seven counts of fraud and money laundering in New York.

09:36 Sam Bankman-Fried perpetrated one of the biggest financial frauds in American history.

09:41 A multi-billion dollar scheme designed to make him the king of crypto.

09:47 The one-time crypto king faces decades in prison for allegedly stealing some $10 billion

09:53 from his customers.

09:55 FTX went bankrupt last November.

09:59 Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to all counts, but he admitted he had made mistakes.

10:04 The 31-year-old will be sentenced in March next year.

10:09 The Gay Games is kicking off in Guadalajara and Hong Kong this weekend, but Team Taiwan

10:15 will only send a team of athletes to Mexico.

10:18 Reece Ayres has more.

10:20 Representing their country and the LGBTQ+ community, Nikki Liao and Kiki Lee are the

10:27 last of Taiwan's 15 athletes to leave for Guadalajara, Mexico, where they'll compete

10:33 in tennis and badminton events at the 2023 Gay Games.

10:38 "I think I can win the first two games.

10:41 Golden.

10:42 I think I have a chance.

10:45 I think I can win the first two games.

10:49 More than just a chance at glory, these athletes see the Games as an important event for the

10:55 LGBTQ+ community.

10:56 "There are many talented athletes in the gay community.

10:57 They are all equal, they can all participate and do their best."

11:14 Held every four years since 1982, the Gay Games is an international sporting event celebrating

11:20 LGBTQ+ athletes.

11:23 The 2022 event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the Games will be simultaneously

11:29 hosted in Mexico and Hong Kong, marking the first time the event will take place in Asia.

11:35 "I think being the first Games in Asia that has that particular meaning, not just for

11:40 Hong Kong but also the wider Asian community, because I think we all know in Asia perhaps

11:45 as compared to the rest of the world, LGBTQ inclusion or acceptance is still relatively

11:54 lower."

11:56 But the event isn't without controversies for Taiwan.

12:00 At the Paris competition in 2018, the Federation of Gay Games made a last-minute decision to

12:05 change Team Taiwan's name to Taipei after being pressured by China, which sees Taiwan

12:11 as part of its territory and exerts its influence on the international community to keep the

12:16 island nation isolated.

12:18 This year, Taiwanese athletes will participate in the Games in Guadalajara, but none will

12:23 go to Hong Kong.

12:24 "We are concerned about the reason why we are not going to the Gay Games in Hong Kong.

12:30 We cannot guarantee the safety of the Taiwanese athletes.

12:34 We have decided to give up the Team Taiwan's participation in the Gay Games in Hong Kong

12:41 and choose the safe Guadalajara Gay Games."

12:46 The Taiwan Gay Sports Association and LGBTQ+ activists say they're concerned that athletes

12:52 in Hong Kong could be arrested simply for displaying a national or rainbow flag.

12:58 Though Regina Ip, a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, has dismissed concerns

13:03 about safety issues for LGBTQ+ athletes, saying, "Such security concerns are totally unwarranted"

13:11 and that "we will be happy to see participants display the rainbow flag during the events

13:16 so long as it's done in a respectful manner."

13:20 Team Taiwan may be missing out on some of the events taking place in Hong Kong, such

13:23 as table tennis, but the athletes on their way to Mexico fly out with high hopes that

13:28 the next time they touch down in Taiwan, they'll do so with a sports bag full of medals.

13:33 Scott Huang and Rhy says for Taiwan Plus.

13:37 More than a thousand vendors are meeting at the Taipei International Travel Fair, hoping

13:42 to attract visitors ahead of the new year.

13:45 Reporter Tiffany Wong went along.

13:47 "Welcome to Taiwan.

13:50 Taiwan just welcomed its 5 millionth international visitor of the year.

13:54 It's the first full year since the COVID-19 pandemic that Taiwan has lifted quarantine

13:58 restrictions on incoming travelers.

14:01 And here in Taipei, vendors at the International Travel Fair are hoping to attract more visitors

14:06 with special promotions at destinations in Taiwan and abroad.

14:10 This is the most popular tourism event in Taiwan and attracts over 100,000 visitors

14:15 across four days.

14:17 Taiwan's tourism suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's clear from the crowds here

14:21 that the travel bug is still strong.

14:23 And with just two months to go, Taiwan is still hoping to welcome its 6 millionth international

14:28 visitor before the end of this year.

14:30 Alex Chen, P.J. Zhuang and Tiffany Wong in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.

14:36 Thank you for watching What's Up Taiwan.

14:38 Finally, ahead of winter, we'll leave you with some images of autumn leaves.

14:42 I'm Louise Watt.

14:43 Take care.

14:44 We'll see you next time.

14:45 [music]

What's Up Taiwan – News at 14:00, November 3, 2023

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