A bipartisan delegation from the US Senate yesterday reiterated the importance of passing a sufficient defense budget, as Taiwan requires robust asymmetric rather than baseline capabilities to deter aggression.The visiting group included US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations members Jeanne Shahee
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said
The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today.The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services,
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years.The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up
US President Donald Trump yesterday expressed frustration with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the US war effort, telling them to “go get your own oil” as the conflict with Iran and its closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent average US gas prices soaring and roiled global markets.
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said
The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill.A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shah
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday.Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegat
Judicial authorities have carried out raids at 49 locations in Hsinchu and northern Taiwan as part of a probe on talent poaching and alleged industrial espionage activities by 11 Chinese enterprises, for engaging in unlawful recruiting of Taiwanese who work in IC design, artificial intelligence, vis
China yesterday announced sanctions against a Japanese lawmaker over his visits to Taiwan, as Beijing and Tokyo locked horns in a months-long diplomatic row.Relations between China and Japan have deteriorated since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November last year that Tokyo cou
US President Donald Trump yesterday threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital infrastructure, including desalination plants, if a deal to end the war with Tehran is not reached “shortly.”On the ground, the conflict showed no sign of letting up: Tehran struck a key
A group of visiting US senators today highlighted the importance of "peace through strength," while calling on Taiwan to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill to fund planned purchases of US weapons systems for self-defense."Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential to the global e
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) today accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to lead a delegation to China next month, saying she hopes to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and bring stability to the Taiwan Strait.“I am g
CAMPAIGN STARTED? Lu Shiow-yen, who has eight months left as Taichung mayor, is widely considered as a contender to run for the KMT in the 2028 presidential election
It would be “reasonable to pass NT$800 billion to NT$1 trillion” (US$25.09 billion to US$31.37 billion) for the special defense budget, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday. Lu made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (siste
AUTONOMOUS PRODUCTION: The special budget is expected to generate about NT$400bn in economic output and 90,000 jobs, supporting industries, the MND said
Separating the Executive Yuan’s proposed eight-year NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.21 billion) special defense budget from the general budget would help avoid crowding out spending on public needs, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said.The ministry made the remarks in a report to the legislature, del
The nation’s fastest supercomputer, Nano 4 (晶創26), is scheduled to be launched in the third quarter, and would be used to train large language models in finance and national defense sectors, the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) said.The supercomputer, which would operate at abou
Iran’s parliament speaker yesterday accused the US of plotting a ground attack despite talking about diplomacy, after a US warship with about 3,500 military personnel arrived in the Middle East. Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s comments come after more than a month of aerial
Tens of thousands of protesters on Thursday rallied in the northern US city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, as part of the national “No Kings” movement, months after it was wracked with protests due to federal immigration raids. The January raids led to the deaths of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex
DEVELOPMENT PLANS: Efforts are under way to promote the nation’s self-sufficiency in semiconductor materials and equipment, assisting companies, government officials said
The Executive Yuan has determined 13 strategic industries as the focus of Taiwan’s development this year, including key minerals, essential public infrastructure and urban renewal projects, government officials said. The 13 strategic industries are: the semiconductor industry, artificial intelligenc
RESILIENT NETWORK: Taiwan would deepen cooperation with the EU and other like-minded countries through its ‘integrated diplomacy’ framework, MOFA said
The European Parliament on Thursday passed a report calling for closer cooperation with like-minded partners, including Taiwan, to build a resilient web of trusted connectivity. The European Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy in 2021 launched the Global
US senators would urge legislators across party lines to support the government’s NT$1.25 billion (US$39.21 billion) special defense budget during a visit beginning today, the Financial Times said in a report yesterday. The delegation, headed by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US
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