Influenced by the conflict in the Middle East, the prices of some raw materials have surged. The cost of petrochemical products, such as gasoline and plastics, has risen sharply, leading not only to higher prices for everyday plastic packaging materials, but also potential shortages.For example, the
The Honduran National Congress recently approved a motion urging the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make a report on the state of the agreements signed with China by previous administrations and an overall analysis of the state of relations with China, following allegations that Cuban consu
Despite calling itself a nation based on human rights, Taiwan continues to let migrant workers remain subject to the pressures of debt, precarity and fear in the workplace. This is not the institutional progress we expect; it is a distortion of our values.These so-called “ghost workers,” sidelined t
EDITORIAL CARTOON
South Asia has had three youth-led revolts and three changes of government — and still has three countries with problems that have not changed a bit. In February, Bangladesh’s electorate gave Tarique Rahman, exiled in London for seventeen years, a sweeping mandate; and in early March, Nepalese citiz
Setting aside the moral, legal, and political arguments against the US attacking Iran, US President Donald Trump’s latest war cannot be won for a more fundamental reason: It is based on whim. War planning follows a certain logic. A vital interest, such as protecting citizens’ safety or national secu
There is now a distinct possibility that Hungary’s main opposition party, Tisza, would defeat Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party in the country’s parliamentary elections on April 12. This has prompted Tisza’s leader, Peter Magyar, to promise that, if his party wins, one of its first acts in governme
On Monday, a group of bipartisan US senators arrived in Taiwan to support the nation’s special defense bill to counter Chinese threats. At the same time, Beijing announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had invited Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) to visit China
When policymakers in Jakarta, Bangkok or Manila think about cross-strait tensions, the instinct is often to treat them as a problem centered on Taiwan, China and the US, but that view is becoming harder to sustain. Southeast Asia has a direct stake in what happens across the Taiwan Strait. A crisis
When Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) lost her legislative seat in Hualien County in 2020, it came as a blow to pro-Taiwan supporters, comparable to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) losses to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates in the 1998 Taipei and 2018 Kaohsiung mayoral elections
As the international order shifts from one of principles to power, the most fatal error for political leaders is not holding differing positions, but misjudging reality. This year, the world is undergoing a rapid restructuring. US President Donald Trump intervening militarily in the Middle East and
EDITORIAL CARTOON
The fighting in the Middle East has the world on tenterhooks, but the economic shocks hitting Asia are so alarming that usually guarded regional leaders are speaking out. From its most resilient countries to the most vulnerable, the region is uniquely dependent on energy flowing through the Strait o
US President Donald Trump’s NATO allies are increasingly resisting involvement in his Iran war, risking a deeper rupture in the already strained military bloc. Spain closed its airspace to US jets on Monday, and Italy denied US military aircraft bound for the Middle East permission to land at a base
The meeting on Sunday of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Islamabad not only represented the best hope for a ceasefire in Iran, but was also the embryo for a new order designed to curb Israeli and Iranian dominance after the war.Although the four nations have met
Taiwan would increase its total computing power threefold to 114.31 petaflops when its fastest supercomputer, Nano 4 (晶創26), launches in the third quarter, the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) said.Nano 4 would operate at about 86.05 petaflops and is being tested at a new cloud
Taiwan’s population declined for the 26th consecutive month in February, as deaths continued to outnumber births, resulting in negative population growth. However, amid this birthrate crisis, domestic violence is on the rise, with 136,781 cases reported last year, up 9,419, or 7.4 percent, from 2024
Negotiations over the special defense budget are still stalled in the Legislative Yuan, with proposals varying widely and amounts ranging from NT$380 billion to NT$1.25 trillion (US$11.9 billion to US$39.1 billion). The debate has centered on all aspects from the total cost and letters of acceptance
No state has ever formally recognized the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) as a legal entity. The reason is not a lack of legitimacy — the CTA is a functioning exile government with democratic elections and institutions — but the iron grip of realpolitik. To recognize the CTA would be to challen
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