Mon, Jun 01, 2026
The Philippines is seeking closer ties with Taiwan and stronger military ties with nations focused on deterring China’s “nefarious plans,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro said.In an interview at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, Teodoro outlined deepening
The China Coast Guard has increased patrols near Taiwan’s Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) since February 2024, increasing from occasional transits to more than 30 transits annually, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said.On Feb. 14, 2024, a Chinese speedboat illegally entered prohibited wa
BIGGER FISH TO FRY: China has been increasing its military capabilities and defense budget quickly, with a lack of transparency, a Japanese minister said Japan rejected China’s accusation that it is pursuing “new militarism,” a sharp rebuke against Beijing as tensions between the two countries continue to simmer.Without explicitly naming China, Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi yesterday said that Tokyo was being unfairly called out for i
China’s military and coast guard said they yesterday carried out patrols near disputed waters in the South China Sea, a day after the Philippines said it remained under threat from Beijing despite a recent easing in US-China tensions.Philippine and US forces held a five-day maritime exercise in the
STEPPING UP: Defense Minister Wellington Koo said Taiwan would do its part to uphold peace in the region, share deterrence responsibility and build up its defense capabilities President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said Taiwan would bolster its defense capabilities and economic resilience in response to growing threats from China, emphasizing that the aim is to deter conflict through strength.Lai made the remarks during a Presidential and Youth Forum organized by Business
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project.The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 projec
STRONG INTERESTS: Officials emphasized the UK’s responsibility to its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, saying that it would ‘stand with those partners when they come under threat’ The UK sends naval vessels through the Taiwan Strait to demonstrate freedom of navigation and uphold the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a senior Royal Marines officer said on Saturday.The UK also does not oppose vessels from any country transiting the English Channel, General Rob Mago
OPEN TO TAIWAN: The gradual exclusion of Taiwanese from international conferences and the silencing of their voices cannot be tolerated, an IPAC official said The best way to counter Beijing’s attempts to shrink Taiwan’s international space is by demonstrating the world’s openness to Taiwan and that Taiwanese are welcome to participate in all kinds of activities, Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) co-founder and executive director Luke de Pulfor
The fact that China and Taiwan are not subordinate to each other defines the “status quo,” despite how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) exploits the concept of the “Chinese nation” to pressure and emotionally blackmail Taiwan and the world, the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) China Affairs Dep
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) is set to depart today for a visit to the US where she is to hold talks with US lawmakers, officials, and policy experts on Taiwan-related issues, a KMT official said yesterday.KMT representative to the US Victor Chin (秦日新) said that duri
SOCIAL OSTRACIZATION: Cities are looking for ways to dam the flood of impaired driving arrests, including publicly releasing the names and faces of repeat offenders Cities around Taiwan are seeking to deter drunk-driving and drug-driving by fully releasing the names and photos of repeat offenders.Police data showed that the number of drug-driving cases referred for prosecution rose from 43 cases in 2021 and 46 in 2022 to 315 in 2023, before jumping to 2,619 in
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow.The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south
An increasing number of young people are visiting Yue Lao temples to pray for tickets to see K-pop group BTS in concert, in a sharp departure from the traditional request for a spouse, informal observers at temples said.The deity The Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), known as Yue Lao (月老), is said to h
A man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly throwing paint bombs mixed with feces at a comedy club in Taipei on suspicion of property damage, public insult and intimidation, police said.Taipei’s Zhongshan District Precinct launched an investigation after receiving a report that the Comedy Club (卡米地
The seasonal electricity rate hike takes effect today and is expected to increase power bills by NT$446 per month (US$14.21) for most Taiwanese households, according to Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) The summer electricity rates are implemented through the end of September.The state-run energy compa
INFLATIONARY PRESSURE: After an unstable week in global oil markets, analysts said that oil traders are betting that the conflict in the Middle East is nearing a resolution CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) have left domestic gasoline and diesel prices unchanged this week to ease the impact on consumer prices amid the continuing conflicts in the Middle East. It would be the ninth consecutive week that CPC and Formosa have maintained dom
Opposition lawmakers on Friday fast-tracked two bills that would expand local governments’ authority over industrial air pollution, despite warnings from government agencies and business groups that the changes could affect energy supplies and economic activity.The amendment bills “could broadly aff
Softbank Group Corp has said that it to invest as much as 75 billion euros (US$87.44 billion) to build 5 gigawatts (GW) of artificial intelligence (AI) data center capacity in France, adding that the country is poised to become a top European hub for AI infrastructure. The first phase comprises an i
The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation on Friday filed criminal complaints against two former employees — former foundation CEO Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑), who is now Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) deputy chairperson, and former deputy CEO Wang Kuang-tzu (王光慈) — accusing them of breaching trust and embezzlement. De
President William Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) May 20 second-anniversary address was not just a routine policy review; it was damage control. US President Donald Trump’s remarks — that he did not want to see anyone move toward independence and that the delivery of a major Taiwan arms package could depend on
As a student in the Department of International Affairs at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, discussing international situations and learning how to communicate with the world are essential. When interacting with foreign exchange students, I have found that, although Taiwan currently faces di
BACK-TO-BACK: It was Luis Enrique’s third Champions League triumph, making him one of only five coaches to complete a hat-trick in Europe’s top club competition Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday claimed back-to-back UEFA Champions League triumphs with a 4-3 shoot-out win over Arsenal following a 1-1 draw after extra time, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel missing from the spot. Mikel Arteta’s English Premier League champions showed great resilience to take the ga
The San Antonio Spurs, sparked by superstar Victor Wembanyama, on Saturday advanced to the NBA Finals by dethroning defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103, booking a championship showdown against the New York Knicks. The Spurs captured the best-of-seven Western Conference finals 4-3 to rea
Reigning champion Coco Gauff’s French Open title defense came to an end in the third round on Saturday as top seed Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka won to set up a blockbuster last-16 clash. Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Germany’s Mark Wallner lost their mixed doubles second-round match against Spain’s C
Taiwan’s Lin Pei-hsuan (林沛萱) won gold in the women’s heptathlon at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong on Sunday, earning Taiwan its second gold medal of the meet.Lin scored 4,730 points to claim the title, two days after winning bronze in the women’s high jump.Competing against two o
TALKS ONGOING: US President Donald Trump earlier said Iran had guaranteed that there would be no nuclear weapons, but details on the ‘tougher’ deal remain unclear Iran’s chief negotiator yesterday said Tehran would not agree to any deal with the US unless it fully secures Iranian rights, as reports emerged that Washington had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Iran.Any tweaks to the proposal could further delay an agreement to formally end the Middle East
Israeli troops have captured a strategic mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle in southern Lebanon in their deepest incursion into the country in more than a quarter century, the Israeli military said yesterday.The capture of Beaufort Castle came after days of intense fighting and airstrikes
Australian researchers have trained lab-grown brain cells on a silicon computer chip to play the 1990s shooter game Doom and said they are just scratching the surface of what the neurons could be capable of doing. It is the science-fiction work of biotech boffins at Cortical Labs, who researched and
It seems every few days one bumps into one of those “real man” comments in which Taiwan is urged to “face reality” or similar, and “make a deal,” with the speaker implying that soon it will be too late. “Deal” advocates always present themselves as having a superior grip on reality, and the manly ab
June 1 to June 7"If all Taiwanese were as afraid of dying as you, then what would happen?” Physician Shih Chiang-nan (施江南) reportedly said this to his wife Chen Chiao-tung (陳焦桐) after she urged him to stop intervening on behalf of Taiwanese soldiers stranded overseas after serving in the Jap
There are shadowy cabals plotting to sell out Taiwan to be annexed by China, by invasion if necessary. Fortunately, they are buffoons. In 2019, former Bamboo Union gangster and founder of the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP), Chang An-le (張安樂, colorfully known as “White Wolf”), led a protest
1. 他非常討厭偽君子。ˇ He has a deep hatred for hypocrites.χ He has a deep hatred to hypocrites.註︰表示「對某人懷著愛、恨」等， 常用 have a love for/of, have a hatred for/of。 例如：We have a love for/of science.The working people have a hatred for/of all forms of exploitation.2. 問題的答案其實不難找。ˇ The answer to this question is not d
Put the Cart Before the Horse 本末倒置Iris: I think I’m in love.Carl: What?Iris: We just have so much in common. We like all of the same things.Carl: Yes, but you’ve only chatted with him online.Iris: It doesn’t matter. I know we’ll end up getting married.Carl: I’m afraid you’re putting the cart befor
When you buckle up in a car or on a plane, you probably feel safer. So, when you board a train and find no seatbelts, you might wonder why. This absence is not due to neglect. __1__ The challenge comes down to how seatbelts would work on trains. Take the two-point belt for example. It secures only
Two moves show Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) is gunning for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) party chair and the 2028 presidential election. Technically, these are not yet “officially” official, but by the rules of Taiwan politics, she is now on the dance floor. Earlier this month Lu confirmed in an interview in Japan’s Nikkei that she was considering running for KMT chair. This is not new news, but according to reports from her camp she previously was still considering the case for and against running. By choosing a respected, international news outlet, she declared it to the world. While the outside world likely paid little attention, domestically the message was unmistakable: She is moving on to a larger stage. Part of the dance is to leave options open before formally committing, and with the chair race due in late September, she has time. If something goes wrong in the meantime, or if power brokers in the party offer her a deal that provides more benefits than taking on the role of chair, she can pivot accordingly. Earlier this year, I suggested that strategically, she would be better off concentrating on her job as Taichung mayor until she is term-limited out of office in December next year. Taichung mayor is obviously a full-time job, and concurrently running the Taipei-headquartered party runs the risk of doing one or both jobs poorly and making mistakes that could imperil her shot at the presidency in 2028. The situation has changed. Current KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), knowing he is likely to face challengers of a higher caliber than the three relative nobodies already declared, has gone all in on appealing to the base. The base is more likely to turn out to vote in the chair election, so this makes some strategic sense in the short term.
Among Thailand’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) villages, a certain rivalry exists between Arunothai, the largest of these villages, and Mae Salong, which is currently the most prosperous. Historically, the rivalry stems from a split in KMT military factions in the early 1960s, which divided command and opium territories after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) cut off open support in 1961 due to international pressure (see part two, “The KMT opium lords of the Golden Triangle,” on May 20). But today this rivalry manifests as a different kind of split, with Arunothai leading a pro-China faction and Mae Salong staunchly aligned to Taiwan. Last spring at Arunothai’s Jiaolian School, principal Wang Mingming (王明明) had forewarned me of the division between villages, saying, “We are not like the people in Mae Salong. They are rich. Because of the Taiwanese.” Arunothai has in recent years become split in its loyalties between Taiwan and China (see part one, “A tale of two schools,” on May 15), but in Mae Salong, links to Taiwan remain strong. Taiwan-funded monuments pay homage to the Lost Army, villagers wear T-shirts emblazoned with the Republic of China (ROC) flag and tea plantations grown Taiwan’s most famous tea varieties, including Dong Ding (“frozen peak”) Oolong, Oriental Beauty and Jin Xuan (Golden Daylily or Milk Oolong). Even the numerical classifications of the teas — Oolong No. 12 or No. 17, for example — are the same, and the shops resemble those found on Alishan. At the tomb of General Tuan Hsi-wen (段希文) — perched on a Mae Salong hilltop with a view of his ancestral homeland in China’s Yunnan province — a third generation villager wearing a vintage KMT army uniform, Yan Si-Chung (岩思中), greets visitors with sharp military salutes. “Both my father and my grandfather were soldiers in the KMT army,” the 44-year-old
| New Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Hsinchu City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Miaoli County | 24-26 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 27-28 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 26-28 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 25-26 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-27 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Yilan County | 25-26 | 30% |  |
| Hualien County | 25-26 | 30% | |
| Taitung County | 25-27 | 30% | |
| Kinmen County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 27-27 | 20% | |
| Lienchiang County | 27-28 | 20% | |
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