Beijing’s insistence that its so-called “one China principle” is a prerequisite for Taiwan’s participation in APEC activities is a serious violation of the organization’s norms and practices, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.The ministry reiterated that Taiwan, as an official me
ALL THAT GLITTER: The 90 items, including gold bars, bricks and ingots, were seized from 11 precious metal vendors that owed huge amounts of taxes to the government
The Administrative Enforcement Agency is to hold an auction of 64kg of gold on Tuesday next week in what would be the largest gold auction ever by Taiwanese law enforcement authorities.The gold was seized from companies that owed a large amount of tax to the government, the agency’s New Taipei City
The Ministry of Finance yesterday urged people to be on the lookout for phishing scams, as registration is to begin today for the government’s NT$10,000 cash distribution.Four fraudulent Web sites intended to trick users into believing they were government sites were detected through a real-time mon
South Korea is to triple spending on artificial intelligence (AI) and make its biggest defense budget increase in six years, President Lee Jae Myung said yesterday in his annual parliamentary budget speech.The South Korean president said 10.1 trillion won (US$7 billion) would go toward “a major tran
Peru’s government on Monday said it had cut off diplomatic relations with Mexico for granting asylum to a former prime minister being investigated over the alleged 2022 coup attempt by then-Peruvian president Pedro Castillo.“Today we learned with surprise and deep regret that former prime minister B
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action
US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.”Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese Pres
F-16 JETS: Delivery of 66 US-made fighter planes has also been delayed, but the plane maker now has two shifts working 20 hours a day to accelerate output
US delivery of AGM-154C Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW) would be delayed to 2027-2028, as Taiwan opted for the new Block 3 version that requires restarting production lines and system integration, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defe
Draft legislation to classify high temperatures as hazardous weather, and allow local governments to suspend school and work on extremely hot days, is expected to be announced later this month, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday.The agency attended a meeting of the Legislative Y
The Executive Yuan is still reviewing a proposal to expand eligibility for one-child families to hire foreign domestic helpers and is expected to announce details of the policy and related support measures as soon as the end of the year, an official said today.In September, President William Lai (賴清
A powerful magnitude 6.3 earthquake yesterday shook northern Afghanistan before dawn, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 500 others, a health official said, adding that the numbers could increase.The US Geological Survey said the quake’s epicenter was 22km west-southwest of the town o
US President Donald Trump has repeated his threat of a military operation in Nigeria over “killings of Christians,” and that it could be ground or air attacks.As claims of Christian “persecution” in Africa’s most populous country have found traction online among the US and European right, experts sa
DELAYS: The US-based manufacturer has adopted a two-shift, 20-hour work schedule to accelerate the production and delivery of F-16V jets to Taiwan
While several US arms procurements are facing delays, 18 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) are expected to arrive ahead of schedule by the end of next year, a Ministry of National Defense report showed. The ministry is to brief the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and Na
HEALTH ISSUE: Emergency room overcrowding cannot be solved with one measure, but maintaining sufficient capacity outside work hours is critical, an official said
The government yesterday launched an urgent care centers (UCCs) pilot program for providing urgent medical care over weekends and on holidays, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said. Shih also announced payment bonuses offered to clinics that are open during the nine-day Lunar Ne
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday thanked Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi for emphasizing the importance of safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait during Koizumi’s meeting with Chinese Minister of National Defense Dong Jun (董軍). Koizumi made the r
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday said that during talks with his Chinese counterpart, the two sides had agreed to reboot military-to-military links to “deconflict and deescalate.” Hegseth met with Chinese Minister of National Defense Dong Jun (董軍) on the sidelines of a regional summi
The Philippines yesterday signed a visiting forces agreement with Canada, the latest in a series of pacts aimed at countering Beijing’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippines and China have engaged in frequent clashes in the crucial sea space, which Beijing claims in nearly i
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung.The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class off
Taiwan’s representative to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), yesterday said that he and US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent discussed supply chains and semiconductors during a meeting on the sidelines of the event in Gyeongju, South Korea. Taiwan’s exports to the US, except for semiconductor
The government should step up its efforts to reduce carbon and adapt to climate developments to enhance climate justice and resilience in Taiwan, environmental activists said at a rally in Taipei yesterday.The groups estimated that more than 1,000 people attended the March for Climate, which had a b
RSS