Wed, May 20, 2026
‘WASTE OF TIME’: The result was a foregone conclusion, as the opposition parties and their allies did not have the required two-thirds of the vote for the motion to pass A motion initiated by opposition parties to impeach President William Lai (賴清德) failed to meet the constitutional threshold in the legislature yesterday.The opposition-controlled legislature voted 56-50 in favor of impeachment, but the 56 votes fell short of the 76 required for the motion to succeed
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday confirmed the nation’s first case of mpox clade Ib and another case of hantavirus in northern Taiwan.Two new cases of mpox were confirmed this month: a local case involving a man in his 40s in northern Taiwan and an imported case involving a man in his
The WHO yesterday convened a meeting of its emergency committee amid an urgent search for vaccines and medicines to combat a widening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.The WHO was to consult the committee for “temporary recommendations” on dealing with the rare Bundib
Indonesian authorities, including the military, used online disinformation campaigns to brand activists and journalists as “foreign agents” and silence dissent, sometimes leading to physical threats, Amnesty International said in a report released yesterday.Amnesty’s findings reflect growing concern
Lawmakers this morning cast their ballots in the first presidential impeachment vote in Taiwan’s constitutional history, failing to garner enough votes to further impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德).The motion failed to reach the required two-thirds supermajority out of the t
The World Health Assembly (WHA) has become a stage for China‘s manipulation of the UN system and international legal order, as Beijing attempts to disrupt the cross-strait “status quo,” the Foundation of Medical Professionals Alliance in Taiwan (MPAT) said in a news release yesterday. The WHO’s 79th
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), a novel by Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi (楊双子) and translated into English by Lin King (金翎), has won this year's International Booker Prize, becoming the first Taiwanese work to win the award.The win, announced yesterday in London, came after Lin's translation of the nov
Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) yesterday said that Taiwan's delegation attending events on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, appeared to have faced monitoring and pressure from China during this year's gathering.Shih, who is leading Taiwa
US DEAL: Separately, Premier Cho Jung-tai said that China is stoking unease after the Chinese navy announced training of a carrier task force in the western Pacific Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) yesterday said that he was “cautiously optimistic” about arms sales from the US after US President Donald Trump said he was still considering whether to go ahead with new sales to Taiwan.Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last we
FOUR PACKAGES: Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang said the legislature had authorized the Cabinet to start finding finances for the first batch of LOAs A draft Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for US weapons systems, including an anti-drone missile system, has been received, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.The Special Act for Procurement Projects to Safeguard National Security and Enhance Asymmet
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has unveiled a second-generation Kestrel rocket launcher system that can penetrate 67cm of armor and has an effective range of 500m.Developmental testing for the second-generation launcher continues, but it should be completed by the end of
Taiwan’s absence from the World Health Assembly (WHA) for the 10th consecutive year was confirmed on Monday when a proposal initiated by the nation’s allies to invite it to participate was rejected.As in previous years when Taiwan was not invited to the annual gathering, the WHA opened its session i
Beijing might be able to stop the WHO from inviting Taiwan to the World Health Assembly (WHA), but it cannot stop Taiwan from contributing to global healthcare, and China is leaving global public health cooperation exposed to high political risks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterda
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing.“In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines
When Jiang Qisheng (江棋生) looks back on the Cultural Revolution, he sees more than a decade of political chaos that upended China and derailed his own generation.For the former Red Guard turned dissident, the deeper lesson of that era is that any meaningful rejection of the Cultural Revolution must a
SWIFT DELIVERY: Inventec is one of the first Taiwanese companies joining NXP’s zonal CoreRide architecture or SDV ecosystems, as it is deeply involved in the design NXP Semiconductors NV is deepening its collaborations with local ecosystem partners including Inventec Inc (英業達) to swiftly deliver its new zonal processors for new-generation vehicles, the company said yesterday.The company’s S32K series automotive microcontroller processing unit (MCU), core of NXP
CROSS-BORDER FINANCING : Main subsidiary CTBC Bank remained the key growth engine, posting a net profit of NT$16.59 billion, up 23 percent year-on-year, also a record CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) yesterday reported record first-quarter profit and issued a positive outlook for earnings growth, thanks to strong overseas banking momentum, resilient core operations and potential interest-rate tailwinds.The company posted net profit of NT$23.1 billion (US$729.9 mi
Gigabyte Technology Co (技嘉科技) yesterday set a conversion price of NT$371.81 (US$11.75) for its five-year overseas convertible bond issue, a 12.5 percent premium from Monday’s closing share price of NT$330.5.As Gigabyte shares fell 7.72 percent to NT$305 yesterday on profit-taking, the conversion pre
Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya has probably uttered the most naive remark of the year by asserting that Taiwan will stop being critically and strategically important within 18 months, given the rapid expansion of semiconductor manufacturing in the US.Speaking on an All-In Podcast episode th
History might remember 2026, not 2022, as the year artificial intelligence (AI) truly changed everything. ChatGPT’s launch was a product moment. What is happening now is an anthropological moment: AI is no longer merely answering questions. It is now taking initiative and learning from others to get
Former Polish president Lech Walesa in March landed in Taipei for his seventh visit. He met with President William Lai (賴清德), and told his Taiwanese hosts that their solutions to national problems should serve as a model for the world. A leader of the Solidarity movement and a Nobel laureate who onc
‘100 PERCENT’ MOTIVATED: Wembanyama said the sight of Gilgeous-Alexander receiving his second straight MVP trophy made the clash more personal Victor Wembanyama on Monday outdueled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead the San Antonio Spurs to an epic 122-115 double-overtime triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.Wembanyama scored 41 points and pulled down 24 rebounds, forcing the second overtime with a
Athletics starter J.T. Ginn on Monday took a no-hitter and a one-run lead into the ninth inning.Six pitches later, he walked off the mound with a heartbreaking loss.Adam Frazier lined a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth and Zach Neto followed with a two-run homer that gave the Los Angeles An
Alex Newhook on Mondy scored his second Game 7-winning goal of the post-season, this time 11 minutes, 22 seconds into overtime in the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.Newhook drove up the left wing and as he approached the circle snapped a shot through a screen that beat goaltender
Arsenal on Monday were on the brink of ending a 22-year wait to win the English Premier League after beating Burnley 1-0 to open up a five-point lead at the top.Kai Havertz headed in the only goal, but was also lucky to avoid a second-half red card that could have swung the title race back in Manche
‘HATE CRIME’: San Diego police had been looking for one of the two teen shooters after his mother called police concerned he was suicidal and had run away Two teenage shooters on Monday opened fire at a San Diego, California, mosque and killed three men — then killed themselves a few blocks away — in an attack police are investigating as a hate crime.There was no specific threat made against the Islamic Center of San Diego, but authorities found evide
A Jackson Pollock painting on Monday sold for a record US$181.2 million at Christie’s in New York, leading a blockbuster day at the auction house. With its black drips of paint accented by touches of red on a huge canvas spanning more than 3m, Pollock’s Number 7A, 1948 sold for US$181.2 million, inc
The Swedish government yesterday said that it would buy four new frigates from France’s Naval Group as part of a rearmament effort launched after the war in Ukraine and its accession to NATO in 2024.“This is one of the largest Swedish defense investments since the Gripen fighter jet was introduced i
The body of Tom Ochieng Mima is dressed in formal funeral finery, casket shaded from the hot western Kenyan sun as family and friends of the late 64-year-old settle into plastic chairs beneath white tents just off the roadside.Wails pierce the air in a mix of lyrical song and unrestrained cries; a g
The Cannes Film Festival can function like a global water cooler for movies, with prevailing issues and anxieties tending to come to the surface at the event. This year, the topic du jour is artificial intelligence.The 79th Cannes may go down as the time the world’s grandest film festival for the fi
Taiwan’s overtaking of South Korea in GDP per capita is not a temporary anomaly, but the result of deeper structural problems in the South Korean economy says Chang Young-chul, the former CEO of Korea Asset Management Corp. Chang says that while it reflects Taiwan’s own gains, it also highlights wea
As bee populations around the world continue to decline at an alarming rate, scientists are developing an innovative solution: robotic bees. Recent advances at research institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US have produced tiny flying robots capable of performing poll
The debate surrounding Taipower’s recent corporate identity reboot has gone well beyond the design community. The controversy began after Taipower replaced the familiar “Taiwan Power Company” wording — widely regarded as the calligraphy of Yu You-ren (1879-1964), former Control Yuan president and ma
對話 Dialogue清清：最近一直下雨，而且一下就是好幾天，應該是梅雨季到了吧？Qīngqing: Zuìjìn yìzhí xiàyǔ, érqiě yí xià jiùshì hǎo jǐ tiān, yīnggāi shì méiyǔ jì dào le ba?華華：對啊，這個時候天氣特別潮濕，衣服和鞋子都很難乾。Huáhua: Duì a, zhège shíhou tiānqì tèbié cháoshī, yīfu hé xiézi dōu hěn nán gān.清清：我每天出門都覺得很麻煩，還要一直帶傘。Qīngqing: Wǒ měitiān chūmén dōu juéd
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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