MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said
About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday.
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cross-strait exchange forum would severely harm national dignity and security, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.The KMT has said that party Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is sending a delegation to repr
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday arrived in Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), hoping to restore long fraught relations.It is the first visit to China by a British prime minister since 2018 and follows a string of Western leaders courting Beijing in the past few we
A South Korean court yesterday sentenced former first lady Kim Keon-hee to 20 months in jail for accepting Chanel bags and a diamond pendant from Unification Church officials in return for providing political favors.The wife of former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol, who was ousted from office
Officials from Taiwan and the US held a sixth round of talks under the Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue (EPPD) in Washington yesterday and signed a pact agreeing to the principles of "Pax Silica."The meeting was led on the US side by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helb
DEEP-STRIKE CAPABILITY: The scenario simulated a PLA drill that turned into an assault on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, with the launchers providing fire support
Taiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities.The scenario simulated an attack on Penghu County, with HIMARS
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
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