Sun, May 24, 2026
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said y
More than 8,000 people took part in a rally in Taipei yesterday to express support for more defense spending, after the opposition slashed the Cabinet’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) special defense budget and capped it at NT$780 billion.The demonstrators urged the Cabinet to propose a
A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s northern Shanxi Province killed at least 90 people, state media said yesterday, in the country’s deadliest mining accident in recent years.The official Xinhua News Agency said the accident at Changzhi City’s Liushenyu coal mine happened on Friday evening. Ab
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Washington, calling the two countries’ relationship vitally important, despite recent friction and newfound US warmth toward China.After joining US President Donald Trump in Beijing a week ago, Rubio fle
PAUSE IN WASHINGTON: A DPP official called on the public not to use reports about the delay to spread ‘US skepticism,’ adding Taiwan needs to boost its defense industry Taiwan has not received any information about possible adjustments to a potential US$14 billion arms sale package that US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday.In a report published on Thursday, The Hill said that Acting US S
TABLET RATIOS: Experienced teachers will not always be available to advise aspiring teachers, but artificial intelligence programs could be a ‘better’ option, an official said The Ministry of Education yesterday launched a four-year, NT$11.76 billion (US$372.53 million) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Talent Ark Project aimed at cultivating AI literacy among students and attaining a nationwide one-to-one student-to-tablet ratio.The program is expected to drive local governme
FURTHER DELAY: The US military has ‘more than enough’ weapons to fight Iran, and the delay in the arms deal is ‘unrelated to Operation Epic Fury,’ a source said US President Donald Trump is soon to decide on Taiwan arms sales, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday, after media reports said Washington had paused a proposed US$14 billion arms package for Taiwan due to the war with Iran.“As President Trump said, he will make a decision regarding Tai
SOWING DOUBt: The report highlighted claims that the US has abandoned Taiwan despite no changes in US policy, as an example of Chinese disinformation The US stance towards Taiwan has not changed, despite Chinese disinformation campaigns claiming that Taiwan has been abandoned by the US, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) said.The report was delivered to the Legislative Yuan ahead of tomorrow’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Comm
The Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) on Friday urged followers of the religious group I-Kuan Tao not to travel to China after three more Taiwanese group members were detained there earlier this month.SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said the three were detained in two separate incidents in F
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday clarified through the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation that he did not hit nor grab the neck of former foundation deputy chief executive officer Wang Kuang-tzu (王光慈).The rebuttal came after local media reported that, during Ma’s attendance at the Straits Forum in
Sweden Days Taipei returned yesterday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, with Swedish and city government officials highlighting closer cooperation between Taiwan and Sweden in business, culture and sustainability.Speaking at the opening ceremony at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park,
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit.After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fan
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conferenc
DRUG-RELATED: Police said that four people have been killed and eight injured in a spate of crashes in which drivers allegedly were under the influence of drugs There has been a slew of drug-related car crashes this month, with the latest on Friday evening claiming two lives, the Changhua County Police Department said.A 48-year-old truck driver surnamed Lee (李), crashed into a hotpot restaurant on Jhangnan Road in Changhua City, resulting in the death of th
The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) has fined Tigerair Taiwan NT$150,000 (US$4,752) over an incident in December last year in which a passenger boarded the wrong aircraft.The passenger was originally scheduled to fly from Kaohsiung to Tokyo’s Narita airport on flight IT280, but instead mistakenl
With a burst of flame, followed by a thunderclap boom that broke the serenity of the training area in the foothills of Japan’s Mount Fuji, the first rocket fired by the US Marines from their mobile launcher screamed toward its target, the orange burn of its engine painting a streak across the blue s
Seeking to reassure US allies, a bipartisan group of senators is departing for a tour of Arctic nations. And this time they are leaving the men behind.From the eight senators to their staff and military liaison officers, the group is to be entirely female as they pay diplomatic visits to government
A prize-winning Caribbean writer from Trinidad and Tobago is embroiled in the latest controversy involving the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for a creative work, after allegations that AI was used to write a short story.The case became public after the publisher issued a statement saying it as
In 2009, early in his first term of office, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) announced the ratification of the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The two covenants
Taiwan is increasingly positioning itself on the international stage not only as a technological powerhouse but also as a mature democracy that has endured dictatorship, censorship and a difficult political transformation. For Poland, this story carries a surprisingly familiar resonance. I understoo
On the second anniversary of his inauguration, President William Lai (賴清德) introduced the “0-to-18 full support” policy, which would expand the parental leave system by extending eligibility to parents with children up to six years old. The policy would also include an NT$5,000 monthly allowance for
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: Officials, players and fans winging across all of North America are likely to make this the most polluting World Cup ever, say scientists The largest and likely most lucrative ever World Cup this summer could set a record for the most-polluting sporting event in history, environmental experts say.“Unlike the case of the Olympic Games, where the carbon footprints have been reducing over the last several editions, this is totally opposi
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell paid tribute to “American badass” Kyle Busch on Friday, a day after the two-time Cup series champion acknowledged as one of the sport’s greats died suddenly at the age of 41.O’Donnell spoke to reporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he said that after some discussion
Former England No. 8 Billy Vunipola was instrumental as Montpellier trounced Ulster 59-26 on Friday to win the Challenge Cup for a third time.Captain Vunipola scored one of nine tries for the French side as they repeated their feats of 2016 and 2021.Vunipola, 33, joined Montpellier two years ago fro
Crews brimming with some of the world’s best sailors took to sea off Sardinia on Friday in the first regatta leading up to the 38th America’s Cup next year.Italy’s Luna Rossa women and youth team, co-helmed by Marco Gradoni and Margherita Porro, who had set the pace in Thursday’s practice, dominated
UPGRADED ALERT: The risk inside DR Congo is now considered ‘very high,’ while neighboring countries face a ‘high’ threat as the outbreak continues, the WHO said Ebola is spreading faster than responders can track it in eastern Congo, where health workers managed to follow up with barely one in five identified contacts in a single day.Authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) reported 83 confirmed infections, 746 suspected cases and 1,60
Tehran accused the US of “excessive demands,” Iranian media said yesterday, as US media reports raised the prospect that Washington was mulling new strikes and leaders of the Islamic republic considered the latest peace proposal.Pakistani army chief Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Friday to bolster
A Hong Kong astronaut is to join a Chinese space mission for the first time as part of a three-person crew launching today, as Beijing edges closer to its goal of landing people on the moon.The Tiangong space station — crewed by teams of three astronauts that are typically rotated every six months —
May 25 to May 31Few believed that apples could be cultivated on a commercial scale in Taiwan’s high mountains. When horticulturalist Cheng Chao-hsiung (程兆熊) first proposed the idea in 1955, both American and Taiwanese colleagues dismissed it as implausible, arguing that temperate fruit could not be
There is considerable frustration and confusion among many, both in Taiwan and abroad — including in Washington — as to why the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) seems so dead set on using their legislative leverage to slash defense spending and disrupt the ability of the ruling Democratic Progressive
It took 12 years and months of standing in the same mountain location for director Liang Chieh-te (梁皆得) to capture a few seconds of footage: Taiwan’s largest resident raptor locking talons with its mate and spinning through the air in a courtship ritual.With only about 1,000 left in the wild and ver
As climate change and urbanization push city temperatures higher, walking outdoors is becoming increasingly uncomfortable in many parts of the world, especially when prolonged time spent in sunlight is involved. As a result, outdoor lovers are now seeking cooler, shaded walking routes. However, most
Cities around the world are testing “robotaxis,” hoping that autonomous vehicles will ease traffic and reduce emissions. However, recent analyses suggest these expectations may be overly optimistic. According to consulting firm Kearney, robotaxis could actually make congestion worse rather than bett
A: While Taiwan is celebrating the 7th anniversary of legalizing same-sex marriage, a poll shows that the support rate for same-sex marriage rose sharply from 37.4 percent seven years ago to 69.9 percent last year.B: Actually, I’m a bit curious about the size of Taiwan’s LGBT population.A: I’m no
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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