[Tsai awards 9 startups chosen to promote Taiwan as ‘startup island’] Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday honored nine benchmark startup companies which have been selected to promote Taiwanese startups on the international stage. The nine startups were chosen as the “NEXT BIG” representatives of “Startup Island TAIWAN,” a national brand backed by the Cabinet-level National Development Council to showcase the country’s startups and help them expand to global markets. During the award presentation ceremony in Taipei, Tsai said the nine startups, which include electric smart scooter maker Gogoro and live streaming platform 17Live, are not only leaders in the…