Sat, Apr 11, 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) met in Beijing yesterday, where they vowed to bring people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait closer to facilitate the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”The meeting was held in the East Hall
Taipei prosecutors yesterday indicted former TV producer Lee Neng-chien (李能謙) on suspicion of spying for China, seeking a 12-year prison sentence.Lee, the husband of actress Liu Hsiang-chun (劉香君) and a retired air force serviceman, was among five people suspected of being recruited by Chinese intell
SHAKY DEAL: US President Donald Trump complained that Iran was ‘doing a very poor job’ by not allowing the free flow of ships through the Strait of Hormuz Negotiators from Iran and the US yesterday prepared for high-level talks with their ceasefire still shaky, as Israel and Hezbollah traded fire and Tehran maintained its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.There remain many issues that could derail the truce — as well as negotiations for a broader d
US first lady Melania Trump on Thursday made a surprise statement denying any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, or that she herself was a victim of the convicted sex offender.The 55-year-old’s rare on-camera remarks at the White House came out of the blue, in an extraordinary intervention in a s
“Compromising with authoritarian regimes comes at the cost of sovereignty and democracy,” President William Lai (賴清德) wrote on Facebook today, ahead of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). In the past few years, China has co
Both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a political foundation based on the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwanese independence, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) today said during her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).Both sides of the Strait should pla
WIDE CONSENSUS: At a meeting between the animal health agency, vets and pharmacists, 75 percent voted in favor of postponing the implementation of the rules The implementation of tightened regulations on human medicines for veterinary use would be postponed until supporting measures are put in place, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, adding that it would ensure pets’ rights to life and medical care.The Regulations Governing the Use and Managem
A senior Ministry of Health and Welfare official has apologized for implying that people with disabilities should be excluded from public hearings to prevent them from slowing down the process, groups said yesterday.Writing in a press release, advocacy group Independent Living Association, Taiwan, s
Taiwan’s population was 23,270,568 as of the end of last month, marking 27 consecutive months of decline, with 8,798 babies born last month, Ministry of the Interior statistics showed.The ministry yesterday released population statistics from last month, which showed the population had fallen 104,17
COOPERATION NEEDED: The five-layered proposal includes boosting recycling and cooperating with the private sector, without the need for a new incinerator Nantou County commissioner candidate Wen Shih-cheng (?世政) yesterday proposed a “cocktail therapy” focused on proper waste sorting and cooperation across regions to solve the county’s landfill problem.The Nantou County Government is promoting an incinerator construction project to counter the longsta
The Supreme Court yesterday upheld lower-court rulings dismissing the case against former National Security Bureau (NSB) officer Liu Kuan-chun (劉冠軍), citing the expiration of the statute of limitations on embezzlement and espionage charges dating back to the 90s.Liu, a former colonel in the bureau’s
‘SILENT PLEA’: After Xi Jinping’s address and midway through the KMT chairwoman’s speech on peace and mutual trust, Chinese officials ushered journalists out of the room Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said she presented a five-point proposal calling for greater mutual trust and expansion of Taiwan’s international space during her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing yesterday.The meeting took place at 11am in the
Taiwanese officials are tracking what they view as a worrying rise in Chinese naval activity and military pressure against the nation, even as Beijing presses a message of peace and cooperation in meetings with Taiwan’s opposition leader. China’s tactics are all the more unnerving for the government
President William Lai officially opened the National Center for AI Robotics (NCAIR) yesterday, calling it a crucial step toward Taiwan’s goal of becoming a technology-oriented island.NCAIR, which operates under the National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR), was created in line with the gove
Legislators from across party lines yesterday agreed to seek a reconsideration motion for the central government’s general budget, which is at the top of the agenda for the current plenary session.Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said he would convene cross-party negotiations next week.The Chine
TECH WINNERS: Taiwan and South Korea reported robust trade, which suggests that they have critical advantages in the rapidly expanding AI supply chain, an official said Exports last month surged to a new high, as booming demand tied to artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure fueled shipments of advanced technology components, underscoring the nation’s pivotal role in the global semiconductor supply chain.Outbound shipments climbed to US$80.18 billion, the highe
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday reported a 35 percent increase in quarterly revenue, suggesting that global artificial intelligence (AI) chip demand remained intact during the first weeks of war in the Middle East.Revenue for the first three months of the year rose to NT$
ENERGY ISSUES: The TSIA urged the government to increase natural gas and helium reserves to reduce the impact of the Middle East war on semiconductor supply stability Chip testing and packaging service provider ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控) yesterday said it planned to invest more than NT$100 billion (US$3.15 billion) in building a new advanced chip testing facility in Kaohsiung to keep up with customer demand driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
Data released this week by the Ministry of the Interior showed that the number of households composed only of people aged 65 or older in the north is now nearly double that of the south.Real-estate experts attribute the disparity to industrialization and urbanization, with many elderly residents who
The Executive Yuan last month approved a measure relaxing rules for hiring foreign domestic workers. From April 13, families with at least one child younger than 12 would be allowed to apply to hire a helper, with the Ministry of Labor estimating that 1.44 million households would be eligible.At the
When religion is fused with power, the line between “us” and “them” becomes a license for violence. To understand the US today, we must start with an uncomfortable truth: The idea of God is no longer just a matter of faith — it is becoming a political weapon. The erosion of liberal norms in the US i
SIX-POINT GAME: The Celtics’ Baylor Scheierman put his side up by one with two minutes left, but Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson added points to finish the game off Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson on Thursday kept the New York Knicks in the hunt for second place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference as they beat the Boston Celtics 112-106.The tight Knicks victory in a playoff-style atmosphere at Madison Square Garden put New York two wins behind rivals Boston with just t
Meg Jones is confident England will give supporters value for money when she leads the all-conquering world champions for the first time in their Women’s Six Nations opener against Ireland at Twickenham today.A record attendance for the women’s championship of more than 75,000 is expected at England
Aston Villa have one foot in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals after their hard-fought 3-1 win against Bologna on Thursday, which could have had a very different complexion had it not been for the clinical Ollie Watkins.Ezri Konsa’s header on the stroke of halftime and a brace from Watkins, who is
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz both had second-set stumbles on Thursday in their race for the No. 1 ranking, but recovered to reach the last eight of the Monte Carlo Masters, while in Austria, Taiwan’s Liang En-shuo reached the semi-finals in the women’s doubles at the Linz Open.Sinner, who said h
CUTTING OFF THE CASH: Ukraine has stepped up assaults on Russian energy targets, especially oil-exporting ports, after prices spiked on the back of the Middle East conflict Ukraine and Russia are to implement a ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter holidays, the warring nations’ leaders said on Thursday, announcing a rare 32-hour halt in fighting.The four-year war previously saw limited and short truces, but Moscow and Kyiv were quick to trade accusations of violations. Wi
For two decades, researchers observed members of the Ngogo chimpanzee group of Kibale National Park in Uganda spend their days eating fruits and leaves, resting, traveling and grooming in their tropical rainforest abode, but this stable community then fractured and descended into years of deadly vio
Australia and Singapore yesterday agreed to the continued flow of refined fuel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the trading partners boosted ties amid a shaky ceasefire between the US and Iran.Australia relies on imports for an estimated 90 percent of its refined fuel products, of which about one-
What is the importance within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of the meeting between Xi Jinping (習近平), the leader Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), the leader of the KMT? Local media is an excellent guide to determine how important — or unimportant — a news event is to the
The town of Jhihben (知本) in Taitung County is most well-known for its hot springs, but if you’re looking for an interesting nearby daytime excursion to complement an evening soak at your hotel, don’t miss the Jhihben National Forest Recreation Area (知本國家森林遊樂區).From the resort area, simply take Bus 8
On July 8, 1989, a young music fan named Aadam Jacobs, with a compact Sony cassette recorder in his pocket, went to see an up-and-coming rock band from Washington for their debut show in Chicago.After a blast of guitar feedback, 20-year-old Kurt Cobain politely announced to the crowd at the small cl
Concertgoers know the rush all too well — the moment the first notes play, your heart races, and nothing else seems to matter. For many, the excitement doesn’t end when the lights come back on. Some fans try to relive the performance by listening to the same songs for days afterward. __1__ A few day
A: Several Japanese and South Korean acts, such as BigBang, are participating in this year’s Coachella Music Festival. Have any Mando-pop singers ever performed at Coachella?B: Yup, K-pop group GOT7’s Hong Kong member Jackson Wang, and Taiwanese band Sunset Rollercoaster, which primarily performs
A: Isn’t the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival — a massive music event held every April — about to open in California?B: Yeah the festival is set to take place over two weekends, from April 10 to 12 and 17 to 19, US time.A: I heard this year’s main stage headliners include Sabrina Car
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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