President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文, left) and Kuomintang (KMT) presidential nominee Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) The three candidates running for president in Taiwan’s Jan. 11 election announced Thursday they would temporarily suspend their campaigns, after eight armed forces members, including Chief of the General Staff Shen Yi-ming (沈一鳴), were killed in a helicopter crash earlier that day.

Taipei, Jan. 3 (CNA) Taiwan-based EVA Airways has been ranked the world’s third safest carrier for 2020, maintaining its place on the top 20 list for the seventh year in a row, according to the latest rankings, which were compiled by an airline safety and product rating review website.

In the report published Thursday by AirlineRatings.com, which in previous years named the 20 safest airlines without giving the order, EVA Air was ranked third among the 405 airlines reviewed.

In response, EVA Air said in a statement Friday that safety is the most important issue in the aviation industry and a red line that cannot be crossed.

The airline has a safety culture committed to high standards of discipline, in aviation safety, safety when undergoing repairs, safety on the ground and occupational safety, EVA Air said.

EVA Air trailed Qantas and Air New Zealand, the report said, and was ahead of Etihad, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Alaska Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways and Virgin Australia.

A screenshot taken from TC Candler’s YouTube page.

Taipei, Dec. 28 (CNA) Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the Taiwanese member of South Korean girl group Twice, was named the “most beautiful face of 2019” in a ranking released Friday by American film review site TC Candler.

Also known simply as Tzuyu, the 20-year old Tainan-native was the only Taiwanese who made it onto this year’s list, which has been presented annually since 1990.

It was her fifth consecutive appearance on the prestigious global list, having been 13th in 2015, 8th in 2016, 3rd in 2017, and 2nd in 2018.

Taipei, Dec. 18 (CNA) A total of six Taiwan-based international airlines were honored for their disease control and prevention strategies at a ceremony in Taipei Wednesday. The six airlines, Taiwan’s China Airlines, EVA Air, Uni Air, Mandarin Airlines, Tigerair Taiwan, and Far Eastern Air Transport were designated enterprises that showed excellence in disease prevention after undergoing a joint evaluation initiated this year.

Washington, Dec. 17 (CNA) The U.S. Senate on Tuesday gave final passage to the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a provision of which mandates a report on any Chinese interference in Taiwan’s elections.

Taipei, Dec. 16 (CNA) The new control tower that opened at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Monday will help boost the airport’s flight handling capacity while also serving as a new landmark, Transportation Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Monday.

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon (CNA file photo)

Taipei, Dec. 14 (CNA) Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon said Saturday that “the entire world is watching what happens” in Taiwan’s Jan. 11 elections, calling “a free and independent Taiwan” the ultimate rebuttal of the Chinese political project.

Bannon, a figure associated with America’s far-right, promoted hawkish policies against China during his seven months in the Trump administration, and has more recently joined fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui (郭文貴) in a series of broadcasts attacking China’s political leadership.

In a pre-recorded video address to a forum on Taiwan-Japan relations, organized by the conservative Formosa Republican Association in Taipei, Bannon said that Taiwan’s elections, along with the recent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, played a vital role in thwarting China’s quest for global dominance.

He accused the Chinese government of “enslaving” its people and aggressively expanding its power under the guise of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and the telecoms company Huawei.

In light of this threat, Bannon said the Trump administration had sought to “confront China on multiple fronts,” including the West Pacific and the South China Sea.

“This is why January’s election, particularly the reelection of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), is so important,” he said, arguing that Tsai “represents the banner of freedom…and self-determination.”

Placing Taiwan in the context of a larger conflict between China and the West, Bannon argued that Taiwan’s upcoming elections are “the single most important event we have in front of us.”

“As goes Taiwan, so goes Asia. And as goes Asia, so goes the rest of the world,” he said.

At the end of his remarks, Bannon explained that he had been prevented from traveling to Taiwan by the ongoing impeachment proceedings against President Trump, but added that he hoped to visit in the weeks after the election.

“I look forward to coming over in January and celebrating,” he said.

(By Matthew Mazzetta) Enditem/AW

U.S. State Department official Jennifer Spande.

Washington, Dec. 9 (CNA) A U.S. State Department official warned Monday that allies of Taiwan who switch recognition to Beijing could be imperiling their sovereignty, citing risks such as debt and Chinese influence in domestic policymaking.

Speaking at the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington, Jennifer Spande, deputy director for Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, reaffirmed the U.S. position that the Chinese campaign to steal Taiwan’s diplomatic allies is a threat to stability in cross-strait relations.

Spande said the U.S. was not trying to dictate to anyone, but rather counseling prudence regarding the sovereignty issues involved in changes in policy by Taiwan’s allies in the Pacific, so that the countries can remain “free from foreign coercion or domination.”

“A region in which countries maintain their freedom of choice will be a more prosperous and secure one,” Spande said.

China has successfully pressured seven countries around the world (including two in Oceania) to sever formal ties with Taiwan and recognize Beijing in the last three years, leaving Taiwan with only 15 diplomatic allies.

Despite the trend, however, newly-elected governments in both the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu have reaffirmed their support for Taiwan, Spande said.

Spande highlighted comments by Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe, who said the risks of relations with China include debt as well as pressure to allow the construction of artificial islands and military bases.

More broadly, Spande praised Taiwan as a long-term partner in the Oceania region that works with the U.S. in areas such as natural disaster response, environmental protection and efforts to strengthen the rule of law, and she said the U.S. government hoped to expand areas of bilateral cooperation.

As an example, Spande cited the presence of the State Department’s senior official for APEC, Sandra Oudkirk, at the inaugural U.S.-Taiwan Pacific Islands Dialogue, which was held in Taipei in October.

(By Chiang Chinye and Matthew Mazzetta)Enditem/ls