This Week in Taiwan 1011-1017
October 13: Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung met with the mayors of Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung. They reached a consensus on upgrading the proposed Keelung Light Rail into a medium-capacity rapid transit and extending the Taipei section of the planned Keelung Metro to Nangang.
October 14: China Central Television (CCTV) claimed that the authorities have cracked down on several hundred espionage cases by Taiwanese spies. For three days, CCTV announced four "Taiwanese spies" commissioned by Taiwan's intelligence agency who were caught engaging in espionage activities on the mainland. At a central standing committee meeting, Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang called upon the government to negotiate so that the innocent may return to Taiwan as early as possible. Chiang also pointed out that the use of the media by mainland Chinese authorities to make empty accusations of espionage is not conducive to communication and exchanges and will only become a political tool of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan to incite anti-Chinese sentiment.
October 14: Taiwan's TTY Biopharm Company announced on October 12 that it obtained a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine license from BioNTech in Germany, which would allow the former to obtain up to 30 million doses, including 10 million doses in the first quarter of 2021 for 5 million people. But rumors emerged that BNT vaccines involved mainland Chinese pharmaceutical companies in investment and cooperative development, contrary to the policy of President Tsai Ing-wen's administration which refuses to use mainland Chinese vaccines.
October 15: The man Chan Tong-kai wanted for the murder of a Hong Kong woman in Taiwan has expressed desire to enter Taiwan to submit to the authorities, but the Taiwanese government has refused intake. The Mainland Affairs Council stated that it would adhere to judicial sovereignty and that the Hong Kong government should pragmatically respond to Taiwan's request for judicial mutual assistance and provide relevant evidence and documents, but Hong Kong has yet to offer a positive response. In the late evening of October 15, the government of Hong Kong criticized Taiwan for political calculation and expressed strong dissatisfaction.
October 15: A military charter flight operated by Taiwan's UNI Air carried 55 Ministry of National Defense and Coast Guard Administration, Ocean Affairs Council, officers from Kaohsiung to Pratas Islands. When the aircraft was about to enter the Hong Kong flight intelligence zone, it was suddenly informed by the Hong Kong authorities of dangerous activities 26,000 feet below and was refused entry. The aircraft was forced to turn back, stirring public concern.
October 15: The e-commerce platform Taobao Taiwan has maintained operations in Taiwan for less than a year but suddenly announced that the ordering and merchandise listing features would cease. Several hundred thousand customers and sellers were affected.