BRIAN CANAVE WRITES — The media in Taiwan has been buzzing these past weeks, so here’s a quick rundown starting with Hong Kong.
Although the media focuses on the events unfolding in Hong Kong, many sources such as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), New Tang Dynasty television (NTD), and BBC, reported on Taiwan and why Taipei is keen on what happens. According to WSJ, the protests have been the top news item this week in Taiwan. That’s no surprise, since both regions have similar plights.
Since the return of Hong Kong, Beijing has boasted in its policy of “One Country, Two Systems.” In order to lure back Taiwan, China promised the same policy to Taiwan. The NTD reports of Hong Kong’s current situation reveal to Taiwan that “One Country, Two Systems” is a complete failure.
The BBC has also revealed that Hong Kong activists and students have met with their counterparts in Taiwan, forming a partnership between the two regions. At a conference, they shared strategies and tips for organizing demonstrations. It’s no wonder Taiwan is deeply interested in how the events in Hong Kong unfold.
On a lighter note, media sources in Taiwan predict the end of the schoolgirl uniform skirt trend. RocketNews24 reports this tragic breaking news. The root of this prediction stems from the Taiwanese government’s attempt to end all forms of discrimination against women by not binding government workers to wear gender appropriated apparel.
This means female firefighters, police officers, and customs workers do not need to wear a skirt as part of their uniform. Asia Media International applauds the Taiwanese government’s initiative to end discrimination, yet does not believe in media reports that uniforms containing skirts will disappear in three years. Women may now decide to opt out of the skirt option, but we doubt women will completely remove it from their wardrobe.
In business, it seems like snack companies are getting quite hungry…and they’re looking to gobble up the media. Last month, The South China Morning Post reported that Tingyi Cayman Islands, an instant noodle producer, sealed a deal to purchase a media organization, China Network Systems (CNS). According to the Financial Times, this was not the first proposed deal for a snack company to try and purchase CNS. Four years back, Want Want, maker of rice crackers, tried to buy the same company but the deal went sour. Ironically, Want Want already owns many parts of media organizations in Taiwan.