Sat, Mar 21, 2026
US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday affirmed their shared commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposition to any attempts to unilaterally change the “status quo.”The two leaders met at the White House to discuss trade and coopera
Tensions between the US and Japan over the Iran war remained evident as US President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, even as he said Tokyo was answering his call for support in the effort.“They are really stepping up to the plate,” unlike NATO allies, Trump sa
DEROGATORY: WTO host Cameroon’s designation of Taiwan as a ‘province of China’ seriously undermines the nation’s status and rights as a WTO member, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned Cameroon for listing Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China” in visa documents for an upcoming WTO ministerial conference, a move that led to Taiwan’s withdrawal from the event.The designation “seriously undermined” Taiwan’s status and rights
DEFENSE: The robots can be deployed as guards on outlying islands or to navigate narrow streets and alleys during patrol and combat missions The military plans to use part of a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.1 billion) special defense budget to purchase hundreds of robot dogs that can be deployed for patrols, reconnaissance and potentially combat operations, sources said.Set to be commercially released next year, the robot dog would be
Iran yesterday threatened to target recreational and tourist sites worldwide and insisted it was still building missiles. The show of defiance came nearly three weeks into US-Israeli strikes that have killed a slew of Tehran’s top leaders and hammered its weapons and energy industries.Iran fired on
WHOLE-OF-SOCIETY: The exercises would cover preventive civilian evacuations, relocation of hospitals and joint transportation management, a security official said The Urban Resilience Exercises this year are expected to last five months through August — overlapping with the Han Kuang exercises and raising the number of days that regions would be affected to two — with drone trials scheduled for Chiayi and Pingtung counties, National Security Council Deputy Se
‘NO TIMELINE’: Political interference and other efforts are expected to continue, with Beijing adjusting its goals in line with conditions, a Taiwanese official said China does not plan to invade Taiwan next year and seeks to control the nation without the use of force, the US intelligence community said on Wednesday.The assessment in the intelligence agencies’ annual report on global threats comes as Beijing has stepped up pressure on Taiwan with frequent milit
EARLY DEPLOYMENT? President William Lai visited the ‘Hai Kun’ this week, leading some people to speculate whether the vessel would be delivered to the navy soon The navy’s Chien Lung-class submarines, the Hai Hu (海虎, Sea Tiger) and the Hai Lung (海龍, Sea Dragon), would undergo combat system trials next year, after upgrades to the Hai Hu are completed by the end of the year, military sources said yesterday.The two submarines, bought from the Netherlands in th
China poses a pressing threat, as its military buildup continues unabated, and effective deterrence is needed to make sure any attack would be very risky for Beijing, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday.China does not plan to invade Taiwan next year and seeks to control
Beijing’s latest “ethnic unity” law could put Taiwanese visiting China in legal jeopardy, as room for maintaining the “status quo” risks being erased and anyone who does not voice support for unification could face fabricated charges at any moment, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) warned yesterday
ILLUSION: China adopted a conciliatory posture ahead of its US meeting to portray itself as a stabilizing actor and discourage arms sales to Taiwan, an official said Changes in the US military’s focus likely prompted the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to resume frequent activity in the Taiwan Strait, following a lull of two weeks, a national security official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.The lull in Chinese military aircraft activity near Tai
Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday that Taiwan’s military has not considered sending troops to assist in the defense of the Strait of Hormuz, currently blocked by Iranian forces, amid calls for Taiwan to do so.Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Irania
Judicial investigators yesterday searched the office of Taipei City Councilor Lee Fu Chung-wu (李傅中武) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), amid a probe into suspected fraudulent claims of assistant wages.Taipei City prosecutors and the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau worked together to
COSTLY TREATMENT: Each dialysis patient costs Taiwan about NT$650,000 per year and expenses rise even higher when patients have multiple conditions, an expert said Medical communities are focusing on early intervention strategies to prevent and treat kidney disease as Taiwan has one of the highest rates of dialysis globally.Taiwan has had high rates of liver and kidney disease for a long time, but thanks to government initiatives over the past three to four ye
FOCUS ON HYDROGEN: The exhibition features a model of Taiwan’s first hydrogen fueling station, as well as age-friendly smart healthcare applications The Kaohsiung Smart City Summit and Expo commenced yesterday, with focuses on city-level sovereign artificial intelligence (AI), net zero transition and hydrogen energy.The exhibition is being held at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center and would runs through tomorrow, with a record high of more than 20
Chinese-language teachers from National Taiwan Normal University’s (NTNU) Mandarin Training Center (MTC) yesterday protested outside the school to demand better labor rights and protections.Of the center’s 90 language instructors, 73 have joined a labor union that is demanding a collective bargainin
ROBUST DEMAND: Demand for electronic components and ICT products continues to drive export orders, with annual growth surging for the 13th consecutive month Export orders expanded 23.8 percent year-over-year to US$63.9 billion last month, driven by strong demand for information and communication technology (ICT) products amid the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.It marked the 13th consecutive month of an
BULLISH SENTIMENT: Although remaining cautious about economic growth, the public’s confidence in the stock market has improved, a survey by Cathay said Public confidence in Taiwan’s economic outlook, consumption and stock market has improved so far this month, as optimism about artificial intelligence (AI) lifted investor risk appetite, a survey by Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) showed yesterday.The survey, which polled more than 13,000 custome
China is clamping down on fertilizer exports to protect its domestic market, industry sources said, putting an additional strain on global markets that were already grappling with shortages caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.China is among the largest fertilizer exporters — shipping more than US$1
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) in January announced a new initiative aimed at limiting smoking in public spaces in the city. Under the “smoke-free city” plan, people would only be able to smoke in designated smoking areas or rooms established by the city government. Chiang hopes to implement the p
The global technological order is rapidly restructuring and the world is entering a new era of technological geopolitics.Over the past 30 years, the core logic of globalization was efficiency and cost, but after the escalation of US-China technological competition and supply chain disruptions caused
The political order of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) first took shape in 1988. Then-vice president Lee succeeded former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) after he passed, and served out the remainder of his term in office. In 1990, Lee was elected president by the National Assembly, and in 1996
PLAYOFFS-BOUND: San Antonio knew that they could book a post-season berth with a win, but they trailed by 10 with less than 5 minutes to play before rallying Victor Wembanyama’s game-winner on Thursday lifted the San Antonio Spurs to a 101-100 triumph over the Phoenix Suns and into the NBA playoffs, while the Los Angeles Lakers kept up their post-season push with an eighth straight victory.Luka Doncic scored 60 points and 41-year-old LeBron James hit ano
Despite Taiwan’s early exit from the World Baseball Classic (WBC) earlier this month, outfielder Stuart Fairchild told reporters in Goodyear, Arizona, on Thursday that he cherished the tournament as “one of the greatest experiences of my life.”Fairchild said that he would be willing to suit up for t
Kelsie Whitmore stood near third base at JetBlue Park on Wednesday and looked around at her new norm. Female baseball players from around the world tossed balls back and forth, sharing laughs and taking pointers from MLB coaches.In less than five months, they are to play in the first women’s profess
Nottingham Forest on Thursday reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals after Midtjylland missed all three of their penalties in their last-16 second-leg shoot-out, while John McGinn inspired Aston Villa’s 2-0 win against Lille OSC.Vitor Pereira’s Forest won 2-1 after extra-time at the MCH Arena
‘BLACKMAIL’: The Hungarian prime minister vetoed the 90 billion euro fund’s release, accusing Ukraine of delaying repair to a pipeline carrying oil from Russia to Hungary Outraged EU leaders rounded on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban after he refused to lift his veto on funds for Ukraine’s war effort at a Thursday summit, accusing him of a “gross act of disloyalty” tantamount to “blackmail.”Moscow’s closest partner in the bloc, Orban has long resisted helping K
A deluge of weight-loss drugs is set to transform the global fight against obesity as India prepares to unleash low-cost generic versions of injections like Ozempic after a key patent expired yesterday.The move would dramatically widen access to treatments that have long been considered a luxury, es
War in the Middle East is forcing Asia to turn to coal to plug the gaping hole emerging in its supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG).Nations from South Korea to Indonesia and Bangladesh are prioritizing coal as a power source, as the intensifying conflict upends gas supplies from a key exporting reg
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on March 14 held a joint “Chasing Dreams in Taiwan, Building Our Future” press conference headlined by their respective chairs, Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) and Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文). They laid out a joint framework for cross-party cooper
A man walks through the crowd, naked except for a G-string made from rope, his body fully adorned with intricate artwork that makes him look like the hero of a seventies Hong Kong movie.This is a common sight at the Taiwan Tattoo Convention, which is currently being held in Kaohsiung until tomorrow.
For the past five years, Sammy Jou (周祥敏) has climbed Kinmen’s highest peak, Taiwu Mountain (太武山) at 6am before heading to work. In the winter, it’s dark when he sets out but even at this hour, other climbers are already coming down the mountain.All of this is a big change from Jou’s childhood during
Heavy rain brought by Typhoon Ragasa caused the barrier lake above Matai’an Creek in Hualien’s Guangfu Township to overflow on Sept. 23 of last year. The sudden rush of water and mud destroyed a major bridge and swept through nearby villages, leaving significant damage in its wake. The barrier lake
A: K-pop supergroup BTS is set to tour Taiwan at the end of the year, putting on three shows in Kaohsiung on Nov. 19, 21 and 22.B: But before that, VieShow Cinemas across Taiwan will launch the “BTS World Tour ‘Arirang’ in Japan Live Viewing” from the Tokyo Dome on April 18.A: In recent years, BTS’
A: South Korean supergroup BTS is finally staging a comeback tomorrow, releasing their new album in nearly four years: “Arirang.” B: And to promote their new album, BTS will hold a comeback concert at the Gwanghwamun Plaza in downtown Seoul this weekend. According to police estimates, the show could
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% |