About 92 percent of foreign companies said they plan to maintain or increase investment in Taiwan this year, with the majority saying they remain confident about the local market despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainties and tariff-related risks, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Taiwan
PROTECTION: Open to people aged 45 to 74, the test could assist in early detection, with a five-year survival rate of more than 75 percent, the HPA said
As about 80 to 90 percent of gastric cancer cases are linked to Helicobacter pylori infection, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday said the government is offering a one-time publicly funded H pylori stool antigen test to people aged 45 to 74, starting this year.Stomach cancer ranked
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event.Takaichi expressed her latest v
US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to hike tariffs on goods imported from South Korea to 25 percent, citing what he said was the failure of the country’s legislature to codify the trade deal the two nations reached last year.Trump in a social media post said the new rate would apply to v
COMPETITIVE: Lowering the levy to 15% would slightly raise exports and industrial production from projected declines of 5.75% to 7.5% and 1.3% to 1.4% respectively
The impact of the US’ “reciprocal” tariffs on Taiwan’s exports, industrial output and employment has largely eased after the levy was lowered from 20 percent to 15 percent, giving Taiwanese manufacturers a competitive advantage, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Chin-tsang (何晉滄) said yesterday.
Failure to complete the signing of an offer on US arms procurement included in the Executive Yuan’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense budget could raise serious doubts among democratic allies about Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense, Minister of National Defense Wellington
The WHO ignored early COVID-19 warnings from Taiwan, US Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill said on Friday, as part of justification for Washington withdrawing from the global health body. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said that the US was pulling out of the UN
‘MODEL ALLY’: Elbridge Colby commended South Korea for committing to meet the global standard of spending 3.5 percent of its GDP on defense
A top Pentagon official yesterday praised South Korea as a model ally ready to take greater responsibility for its own security after a new US defense strategy signaled a reduction in US military support to deter North Korea from aggression.After arriving in Seoul yesterday, US Undersecretary of Def
A ferry with more than 340 people onboard sank early yesterday off the southern Philippines, killing at least 18 and leaving 10 still missing, the coast guard said.Search-and-rescue efforts were expected to continue through the night, Philippine Coast Guard spokeswoman Noemie Cayabyab said, adding t
Delays in signing the US’ arms procurement offer could force the government to restart the eight-month procurement process, slowing military upgrades and raising doubts among allies about Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said today.The Legislative Yuan’s Fo
PREPAREDNESS: The planned systems are intended to enable rapid intelligence transmission during a disaster and to resolve communication issues, the MND said
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) would procure high-throughput portable satellite communication devices and tactical broadband radios that could be used during a complete network outage, the ministry said yesterday. The systems are part of a NT$40.9 billion (US$1.3 billion) special budget in a
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’
US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadca
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increased cross-border intimidation efforts against Hong Kongers in Taiwan over the past year, Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Henry Tong (湯偉雄) said.Tong, who relocated to Taiwan after the anti-extradition bill protests in 2019, was placed on a “wanted list” by
Panda fans yesterday flocked to the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo to say goodbye to its star attractions — two giant pandas, who will be sent back to China at the end of the month. The departure of four-year-old twins Xiao Xiao (曉曉) and Lei Lei (蕾蕾) would leave Japan panda-less for the first time since 1972, pr
Voting concluded in Myanmar’s month-long election yesterday, with the dominant pro-military party on course for landslide victory in a junta-run poll critics say would only prolong the army’s grip on power. The Southeast Asian nation has a long history of military rule, but the generals took a back
COLLECTIVE DETERRENCE: Whether the Legislative Yuan passes the special defense budget matters to the mutual trust between Taiwan and its allies, a researcher said
Although the US Department of Defense’s newly released 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) report does not mention Taiwan like previous versions, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday emphasized that Taiwan, as a key nation in the Indo-Pacific region, would continue
The US military would prioritize protecting its homeland and deterring China while providing “more limited” support to allies in Europe and elsewhere, a Pentagon strategy document released on Friday said. The document did not mention Taiwan. The 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) marks a significa
KEY INDUSTRIES: If the reform proves successful, it would bolster Taiwan’s pivotal role in the technology landscape, National Chi Nan University president Wu Tung-hsing said
The Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday said that it would pilot a major reform of the government-funded overseas study program for the “five key trusted industries” by loosening regulations and boosting scholarships by about NT$1 million (US$31,668) to attract top technology talent.The five trust
Simple Mart Retail Co (三商家購), which runs supermarket chain Simple Mart (美廉社) in Taiwan, announced that it would acquire the OK Mart (OK超商) convenience store chain for NT$125 million (US$3.96 million).A board meeting held on Friday approved a plan for Simple Mart to acquire a 100 percent stake in OK
RSS