Sat, Mar 07, 2026
ALTERNATIVES: The KMT proposed a budget of NT$380 billion, while the TPP’s capped spending at NT$400 billion, both much less than the Executive Yuan’s NT$1.25 trillion Three special budget bills, proposed by the Cabinet, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), advanced to committee yesterday after months of legislative deadlock over plans to acquire US weapons approved for sale to Taiwan.Lawmakers unanimously agreed to send the bil
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday thanked the Czech Senate for passing a resolution on Wednesday backing Taiwan’s participation in global organizations and rejecting China’s mischaracterization of UN Resolution 2758.Resolution 173 states that Czech Senate President Milos Vyst
Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai (黎智英) would not appeal against the national security conviction for which he was jailed for 20 years last month, his legal team said yesterday, without providing a reason.The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper was found guilty i
The Philippines’ top security official said more people are being probed after authorities apprehended three Filipino nationals for allegedly leaking sensitive information to Beijing, including data on Manila’s operations in the disputed South China Sea.“There are other cases that we’re investigatin
SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY: The government would push for domestic capability to manufacture 50 types of medical drugs, including ingredients, William Lai said Taiwan is to launch a NT$24 billion (US$757.5 million) pharmaceutical resilience plan to improve the nation’s self-sufficiency in key medicines, President William Lai (賴清德) told a meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday.The policy is a respons
COMPETING BILLS: Premier Cho Jung-tai said the idea that a defense budget could be compiled incrementally was like attempting to build a house without any plans The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it would propose a special defense budget bill totaling NT$350 billion (US$11.05 billion) to fund eight weapons sales announced by the US in December last year.The caucus “fully supports” the eight systems listed in US foreign military sales
ASFURA WATCH: There has been a focus on relations between Taiwan and nations in Latin America because they are a barometer of the US-China power balance Three years after Honduras parted ways with Taiwan and forged diplomatic ties with China in hope of economic gain, shrimp farmers in the Central American country are in revolt.Their sales to Taiwan fell to a mere US$16 million last year, down from more than US$100 million in 2022, and China did not
The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a UK-based trade organization to boost collaboration on a bilateral space supply chain.The MOU was signed by Lewis Chen (陳立偉), director general of ITRI’s Commercialization and Industry Ser
The Taichung District Court yesterday handed down mostly suspended sentences to workers at the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Taichung chapter for falsifying documents in an effort to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers last year.In a brief statement, the court said it sentenc
SPLIT BILL: The Executive Yuan’s spokeswoman said that there is no precedent for splitting the general budget after lawmakers voted to release some funds Lawmakers yesterday passed the second reading of a motion that would authorize the disbursement of NT$71.8 billion (US$2.27 billion) for 38 projects under the central government budget.The motion passed 54 to 29.Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said that the legislature had approved early releas
An opposition-backed motion to condemn Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) over his refusal to countersign three legal amendments advanced to a second reading in the Legislature yesterday.The Cabinet said Wednesday that Cho, citing constitutional concerns, will not countersign revisions to the Act Govern
KNOW THINE ENEMY Ministry officials attributed a 22 percent rise in reports of verbal harassment from 2023 to a growing public awareness of disrespectful sexual language Taiwan last year reported 3,656 sexual harassment complaints, up 45 percent from 2023, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday as officials recommendations to protect women in public spaces.Ministry officials said that 92 percent of alleged victims were women and 60 percent were 30 years o
DOLPHIN DEFENDERS Environmentalists pled with the environment ministry to reconsider the possible impact of a Taichung port land reclamation project Environmental advocates yesterday urged the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) to suspend a land reclamation project by Taiwan International Ports Corp (TIPC) at Taichung port and put it through a second-stage environmental impact assessment (EIA) review.The Taichung port project has generated backlash
National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) reported that international students accounted for 13.39 percent of its student body last year, making the college Taiwan’s most international public university for the second consecutive year.NTNU has increased the share of international students in the stud
A juvenile eastern grass owl was spotted around Pingtung County’s Linbian River (林邊溪) last month, which was the southernmost sighting of the critically endangered species nesting in Taiwan, according to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s Pingtung branch.The branch sent a team led by Hong
LUNAR NEW YEAR: The increase was driven mainly by seasonal price hikes during the holiday, but falling fruit and vegetable prices helped offset part of the increase Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.75 percent year-on-year last month, remaining below the central bank’s 2 percent inflation alert for the 10th consecutive month, although the pace of increase accelerated from January’s revised 0.64 percent, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and
RATIONING: The proposal would give the Trump administration ample leverage to negotiate investments in the US as it decides how many chips to give each country US officials are debating a new regulatory framework for exporting artificial intelligence (AI) chips and are considering requiring foreign nations to invest in US AI data centers or security guarantees as a condition for granting exports of 200,000 chips or more, according to a document seen by Reu
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), which assembles server racks for Nvidia Corp and iPhones for Apple Inc, yesterday said it aims to grow revenue by a double-digit percentage this year, thanks to a boom in artificial intelligence (AI)-related devices and a pickup in consumer electronics demand.If
The nation’s rapidly declining birthrate has prompted a wave of new proposals from local and central authorities.Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) on Thursday last week announced a program that would allow parents of children aged 12 or younger to work seven-hour days, with the city government subsid
It has been more than a year since US President Donald Trump took office for a second term. The past year has witnessed unprecedented and unforeseen developments that have altered the geopolitical landscape, with repercussions across the world. The deterioration in Canada-US and India-US relations,
Whenever the Ministry of Health and Welfare releases a salary survey of nursing staff claiming annual salaries of NT$700,000 to NT$800,000 (US$22,097 to US$25,254), nurses across Taiwan roll their eyes. The enormity of the gap between official data and reality is not a simple statistics error, but a
Shohei Ohtani yesterday blasted a home run to ignite Japan’s World Baseball Classic campaign as the defending champions thrashed Taiwan 13-0 in their tournament opener in Tokyo.Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Ohtani’s grand slam homer set the tone as Japan scored 10 runs in the second inning alone in
BIG HITTER: Sanju Samson signaled his intent with a four and six off Jofra Archer’s first over, but he was given a life on 15 when a simple chance at mid-off was dropped India on Thursday clung on to beat England by seven runs in a thrilling Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai, despite Jacob Bethell’s superb 105 that put Harry Brook’s side within a whisker of pulling off a record chase.After Sanju Samson’s scintillating 89 laid the platform for India to pile up
LeBron James on Thursday broke the record for most field goals made in NBA history, although the latest milestone in his glittering career did not to stop the Los Angeles Lakers from crashing to a 120-113 defeat to the Denver Nuggets.James, who already held the NBA all-time points record, sailed pas
Igor Tudor on Thursday said that troubled Tottenham Hotspur’s dismal 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace has convinced him they would avoid relegation from the English Premier League.Tudor’s side squandered the first-half lead given to them by Dominic Solanke as Palace struck three times in 12 minutes
REGIONAL REPERCUSSIONS: The fight has drawn in neighboring Gulf countries, killing civilians, and has expanded as far as the Sri Lankan coast and Azerbaijan Heavy attacks were reported in Tehran yesterday after Israel said it was hitting “regime infrastructure” in a “new phase” of the war it launched with the US against Iran.As the conflict entered its seventh day, its regional repercussions continued — with Qatar saying it intercepted a drone targeting
Counting was under way in Nepal yesterday, after a high-stakes parliamentary election to reshape the country’s leadership following protests last year that toppled the government.Key figures vying for power include former Nepalese prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli, rapper-turned-mayor Balendra Shah, w
The US House of Representatives on Thursday rejected an effort to stop US President Donald Trump’s war on Iran and require that any hostilities against Iran be authorized by the US Congress, backing Trump’s military campaign on the sixth day of the expanding conflict.The vote was 219 to 212, largely
Institutions signalling a fresh beginning and new spirit often adopt new slogans, symbols and marketing materials, and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is no exception. Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), soon after taking office as KMT chair, released a new slogan that plays on the party’s acronym: “Kind Mindfu
“M yeolgong jajangmyeon (anti-communism zhajiangmian, 滅共炸醬麵), let’s all shout together — myeolgong!” a chef at a Chinese restaurant in Dongtan, located about 35km south of Seoul, South Korea, calls out before serving a bowl of Korean-style zhajiangmian —black bean noodles. Diners repeat the phrase b
The blockbuster GLP-1 drugs that have reshaped the treatment of diabetes and obesity may help prevent multiple substance use disorders — and reduce the tragic outcomes they cause, a large new study finds.An analysis published Wednesday in a medical journal looked at electronic health records from mo
When purchasing sunglasses, many people prioritize fashion or comfort. However, experts warn that eye safety should be the foremost concern. Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays can lead to serious eye problems, including cataracts, macular degeneration, and even a painful condition called ph
A: As the Oscars are about to shine next weekend, several nominees are set to be released in Taiwan — such as “Hamnet,” with eight nominations.B: The movies that I most want to see this year are “Michael,” “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.”A: Other hit movies inclu
A: The Oscars are set to take place next weekend. It’s a pity that the Taiwanese film “Left-handed Girl” got snubbed.B: And this year, the horror film “Sinners” broke the all-time record with 16 nominations, followed by “One Battle After Another” with 13 nods. Both are nominated for Best Picture.A:
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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