Wed, Feb 04, 2026
Opposition parties not passing defense funding harms Taiwan’s national security, two US senators said separately in rare public criticism.“I am disappointed to see Taiwan’s opposition parties in parliament [the legislature] slash President [William] Lai’s (賴清德) defense budget so dramatically,” Roger
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday said it is aiming to grow Taiwan’s GDP by 4.56 percent this year and GDP per capita to US$42,170 on the back of strong economic growth momentum.The target is higher than the 3.54 percent annual growth forecast by the Directorate-General of Budget, Acc
EMERGING FIELDS: The Chinese president said that the two countries would explore cooperation in green technology, the digital economy and artificial intelligence Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday called for an “equal and orderly multipolar world” in the face of “unilateral bullying,” in an apparent jab at the US.Xi was speaking during talks in Beijing with Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi, the first South American leader to visit China since US sp
Former US president Bill Clinton and his wife, former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, are to testify in a US House of Representatives investigation surrounding deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for the former president said, heading off a potential vote to hold the cou
President William Lai (賴清德) today said that the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue (EPPD) highlighted three key strategic directions for bilateral cooperation: economic security, an innovative economy and a prosperous future.The sixth round of talks under the framework concluded in W
WANTED LIST: The navy is also planning to build a second Panshih-class fast combat support ship and another Yushan-class amphibious landing platform dock The military is planning to build a submarine rescue vessel after the completion of its first domestic submarine prototype, according to a defense ministry report released last week.The project to build the rescue vessel would be carried out over a seven-year period — from next year to 2033 — at a c
‘INDISPENSaBLE’ PARTNERS: Taiwan would accelerate aligning its trade standards with international norms, creating a predictable legal realm, the president said Taiwan and the US are preparing to establish working groups to advance initiatives in critical areas such as supply chain resilience and drone system certification, with the aim of building a secure and resilient supply chain, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Deputy Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Director Song Tao (宋濤) both spoke about upholding the so-called “1992 consensus,” opposing Taiwanese independence and “rejuvenating the Chinese nation” as pillars of cross-strait relations at a KMT
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀), who was sworn in yesterday, said that her application to renounce her Chinese citizenship was not accepted by authorities in her hometown, adding that she is loyal to the Republic of China (ROC) and its Constitution.Li was among six people who
The Ministry of National Defense is ready to move forward with mass production of Tien Kung IV (天弓, Sky Bow) missiles, if lawmakers authorize the funds, a defense official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.The ministry has secured suppliers and manufacturers to source at least two air defense
DIALOGUE HOPES: KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun said that the most important task was to establish a peace framework, if it is also acceptable to Taiwan and China Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) told The Economist in an interview that she considers talks on peaceful unification with China “premature,” the party said in a statement yesterday.She also said that she hopes to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in the first
NEW VEHICLES: Drivers whose cars fail to comply with visible light transmittance rules may be fined NT$1,800 or have their license suspended or plates revoked Starting on Feb. 28, newly registered vehicles would be required to meet new window tint standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.The ministry last year published guidelines governing the application of car window tint, which stipulate that the visible light transm
VISA ABUSE: There has been an uptick in the number of Taiwanese arrested in visa-free nations for involvement in scams and other illegal activities Six Taiwanese were arrested last month in South Korea for allegedly engaging in scams, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, urging the public not to take advantage of visa-free privileges to conduct illegal activities in other countries.The ministry has noticed an uptick in the num
Seven outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) were reported last month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, urging poultry farm workers to enhance protective measures and offering the public tips on avoiding the novel influenza A virus.Avian influenza outbreaks pe
A Taichung egg farm operator was yesterday detained by prosecutors and held incommunicado on suspicion of illegally disposing of chickens that died following an avian influenza outbreak.The Taichung District Court approved the detention, finding that the farmer, surnamed Yun (雲), operator of Fengkan
AT HIGH CAPACITY: Three-month order visibility on stable customer demand would push factory utilization to between 80 and 85 percent, Vanguard’s president said Foundry service provider Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (世界先進) yesterday said it is unable to fully satisfy surging demand for chips used in artificial intelligence (AI) servers and data centers, amid an AI infrastructure investment boom that is crowding out production of less advanced ch
FEW DETAILS: While deals with other Asian nations have included specific commitments to invest in US industries, the India announcement does not US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a trade deal with India that slashes US tariffs on Indian goods to 18 percent from 50 percent in exchange for India halting Russian oil purchases and lowering trade barriers.Trump announced the deal on social media following a call with Indian Prime Mini
US President Donald Trump on Monday formally announced plans to launch a US$12 billion critical minerals stockpile, in his latest effort to aid manufacturers while minimizing reliance on Chinese rare earths.The so-called Project Vault is meant to “ensure that American businesses and workers are neve
Taiwan needs to step up efforts to protect its access to rare earths amid escalating geopolitical risks and global economic uncertainty, given that its export-oriented economy relies heavily on imports of the elements to produce electronics.Taiwan is not the only country facing pressure to secure st
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) last month officially announced that Zhang Yuxia (張又俠), vice chairman of the CCP’s Central Military Commission (CMC), as well as General Liu Zhenli (劉振立), chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, were being investigated for suspected contraventions of the
In the first year of his second term, US President Donald Trump continued to shake the foundations of the liberal international order to realize his “America first” policy.However, amid an atmosphere of uncertainty and unpredictability, the Trump administration brought some clarity to its policy tow
DEADLINE DAY: Rennes’ Jacquet had been linked with a transfer to Chelsea earlier this month, but was reportedly put off the move due to the Blues’ bloated squad Liverpool on Monday won the race to sign Stade Rennais defender Jeremy Jacquet on the quiet final day of the English Premier League transfer window, while Crystal Palace swooped for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen despite the collapse of Jean-Philippe Mateta’s move to AC Milan.
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on Monday launched Super Bowl festivities with an Opening Night that swapped spectacle for a surprisingly more sedate affair — proving even the NFL’s most notorious media circus can have an off night. Gone were the wedding gowns and superhero costumes th
Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff on Monday blasted rivals for casting doubt on the legality of his team’s new engine through secret meetings and letters. The sport is entering a new era with one of the most sweeping technical overhauls in decades and there has been talk of Mercedes and rivals Re
The tennis pay row has escalated further with the world’s top 10 male and female players rejecting an offer from the Grand Slams to set up a player council that would give them a greater say in the running of the major championships. In correspondence sent to Wimbledon, the French Open and US Open l
IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said that body cameras should have been worn ‘long before [officers] killed two Americans’ Every Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officer on the ground in Minneapolis, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would be immediately issued body-worn cameras, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Monday, in the latest fallout after the shooting deat
Tending crops by day and then logging on for a night shift of data labeling, 27-year-old Chandmani Kerketta is part of a rising rural Indian workforce helping power an artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.From her home in India’s eastern Jharkhand state, Kerketta is part of an AI-driven labor shi
‘WINDOW OF HOPE’: The partially reopened Rafah border crossing with Egypt is Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world that does not lead to Israel Sick and wounded Gazans on Monday began crossing into Egypt to seek medical treatment after Israel permitted a limited reopening of the Palestinian territory’s Rafah border post.About 150 people were due to leave the territory on Monday, and 50 to enter it, Egyptian officials said, more than 20 mont
On a sweltering summer night 30 years ago, infant Li Yuanpeng was finally fast asleep, nestled between his parents, when a group of men burst into their home in southern China’s Guangdong province.They beat Chen Mingxia and her husband and tied them up as baby Li, in his pale green gown and whorl of
Faced with a highly polarized US political landscape, Leo XIV, the first American pope, has opted for discreet and indirect criticism while also keeping channels of communication open.Since he was elected in May last year, the Chicago-born pontiff has taken a clear stand against some decisions by US
On a harsh winter afternoon last month, 2,000 protesters marched and chanted slogans such as “CCP out” and “Korea for Koreans” in Seoul’s popular Gangnam District. Participants — mostly students — wore caps printed with the Chinese characters for “exterminate communism” (滅共) and held banners reading
Many animals spend the winter in a deep, low-energy state known as “hibernation.” When food becomes scarce and cold conditions drain body heat, bats, hedgehogs, and some ground squirrels retreat to safe shelters. Their bodies slow down to save energy: heart rates drop, breathing becomes shallow, and
Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。Just yesterday, the boy had helped hang the lucky red couplets. Tonight, as firecrackers signaled the New Year, he lay in bed burning with a surging fever. The herbalist checked the boy’s pulse and went still. “The only cure is in the county
對話 Dialogue清清：下個星期公司要辦尾牙，你會去參加嗎？Qīngqing: Xià gè xīngqī gōngsī yào bàn wěiyá, nǐ huì qù cānjiā ma?華華：應該會吧。聽說今年會請大家吃一頓不錯的。Huáhua: Yīnggāi huì ba. Tīng shuō jīnnián huì qǐng dàjiā chī yí dùn búcuò de.清清：我第一次參加尾牙，有一點緊張，不知道要做什麼。Qīngqing: Wǒ dì yī cì cānjiā wěiyá, yǒuyìdiǎn jǐnzhāng, bù zhīdào yào zuò sh
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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