Thu, May 07, 2026
ALWAYS A TOPIC: While confirming Taiwan would be on the Trump-Xi agenda, Rubio added that the US and China do not want the region to be destabilized The US and China see maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait as being in their interests as the leaders of the two countries prepare to meet next week, with Taiwan likely to be on the agenda, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.Rubio commented on Taiwan’s role in the upcoming meetin
A former television news host and six military personnel — active and retired — have been indicted on espionage charges, Kaohsiung prosecutors said yesterday.Lin Chen-you (林宸佑), a former CTi News host and YouTuber, last year allegedly made videos at the direction of a Chinese agent criticizing the D
Ukraine yesterday said Russia is flouting a Kyiv-proposed ceasefire by carrying out dozens of battlefield assaults, air strikes and drone attacks in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as Moscow’s “obvious spurning” of peace.Zelenskiy had floated the cessation, starting yesterday,
US President Donald Trump yesterday threatened Iran with more bombing if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz after a report that an agreement is emerging to end the war.Trump posted on social media that the war with Iran could soon end and oil and natural gas shipments could restart, but that wo
Waiting for the US to issue a letter of acceptance (LOA) to greenlight the budget for arms procurements would leave little time for approval, as the letter is only valid for 45 days, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today, as the special defense budget enters its fourth round o
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES: Despite external interference that delayed his plan to visit Eswatini, Taiwan showed its resolve to engage with the world, William Lai said Bilateral visits between heads of state are a “basic right” and should not be seen as “breakthroughs,” President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday upon returning from a delayed trip to the Kingdom of Eswatini.“Some media outlets described [overcoming] external [Chinese] interference as a breakthrough
Former navy lieutenant commander Lu Li-shih (呂禮詩) could be fined NT$100,000 to NT$500,000 if it is found that he was told to make pro-Beijing comments by Chinese officials on a recent trip to China, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said today. Lu said that “the motherland’s strength also represent
The National Security Bureau (NSB) today said an investigation has found that data collected by Chinese navigation app AMap (高德地圖) continue to be transmitted to China even after it is closed, posing severe cybersecurity risk.An analysis conducted by the bureau flagged nine cybersecurity issues out o
The Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee today passed an initial review of draft amendments that would lower the voting age from 20 to 18. The committee reviewed draft amendments to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) and Presidential and Vice Presidential Election
Taipei today introduced its first five negative-pressure smoking rooms, with Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) calling the initiative an important milestone in the local government's wider efforts to promote a smoke-free city.Three of the five smoking rooms are in the Ximending (西門町) shopping area, w
The government is drafting amendments to extend parental leave benefits by granting each parent an additional month of subsidies if both parents have completed the initial six-month period, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said today.The initiative aims to encourage more balanced participation in domestic
A driver who last night allegedly sideswiped a police officer while fleeing an inspection checkpoint in Taipei was early this morning arrested in Taichung and later tested positive for ketamine, police said.The man, surnamed Wan (萬), has been handed over to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on
Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) today urged Taiwanese to carefully consider the risks of traveling to or investing in China, after reports that her nephew was dismissed from a Taiwanese firm with branches in China.Taiwanese could face intimidation and threats, and their personal safety
The government is considering treating drug-impaired driving as a distinct offense separate from drunk driving, potentially leading to harsher penalties amid growing concern over a recent spate of serious traffic accidents involving drivers under the influence of narcotics, Minister of Transportatio
Under new trade investigations into forced labor and overproduction, Taiwan and the US hope to maintain the trade agreement established earlier this year, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said today in Washington.US President Donald Trump’s administration in March launched two trade
ACROSS THE BOARD RISE: The company saw growth across its core subsidiaries, with fee income driving banking growth and securities profit more than doubling E.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) yesterday reported record first-quarter earnings, fueled by strong fee income, solid loan growth and buoyant capital markets activity, as the group accelerated expansions in wealth management and cross-border businesses.The Taipei-based company posted a net income o
The nation’s foreign exchange reserves climbed back above US$600 billion at the end of last month, as investment gains, currency valuation effects and renewed foreign inflows offset volatility seen earlier in the month, the central bank said yesterday.Reserves stood at US$602.49 billion, up US$5.6 b
Industrial computer maker Advantech Co (研華) yesterday said it has strong order momentum from major clients in fields such as semiconductor equipment, automation, robotics, smart city and transportation infrastructure projects, with solid design wins.The company secured 53 design wins in the first qu
A man who was arrested for fraud and jumped bail in 2018 was rearrested in December last year in Pingtung County, where it was discovered he had reoffended — highlighting the persistent challenge fraud poses in Taiwan.Lai Kuan-chai (賴冠翟), 44, had previously accrued more than NT$100 million (US$3.18
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Thursday last week published its “2026 Press Freedom Index” report. Taiwan was ranked 28th worldwide and first in Asia, far ahead of South Korea at 47th and Japan at 62nd. Since 2024, Taiwan has consistently come in the top 30 — a significant achievement that shoul
For years, I have consistently argued against “doubting the US.” Across many columns in the Taipei Times, my position was clear: Washington remains the only power capable of intervening decisively in a Taiwan contingency.That assessment still holds, but something has changed, and it would be irrespo
Taiwanese pitcher Lin Wei-en, a left-hander with the Athletics’ Double-A affiliate, the Midland RockHounds, has been listed on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list.Lin ranked No. 93 overall on the list, which was released yesterday.He is the first Taiwanese player in 18 years to make the list,
SERIES OPENER: Lakers head coach J.J. Redick blamed unforced errors for his team’s problems, saying that ‘we just got to do a better job with execution’ The Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday overpowered LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 to grab a 1-0 lead in their NBA Western Conference semi-final series. A balanced offensive performance and steely defensive display from the reigning NBA champions was enough to seal victory over the depl
The players struck their crutches against each other as they chased a soccer ball, as well as a larger dream of competing at the global level. Children shrieked in joy as they watched a goalie dive to block an attempt with her remaining hand. Amputee soccer, a seven-a-side version of the game in whi
The New Taipei Kings last night defeated New Taipei CTBC DEA 96-90 to face the Taoyuan Taiwan Beer Leopards in the best-of-five first-round of Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) playoffs. The Kings had on Tuesday kept their playoff hopes alive with a 102-86 win, forcing a decisive game in
A MESSAGE: Japan’s participation in the Balikatan drills is a clear deterrence signal to China not to attack Taiwan while the US is busy in the Middle East, an analyst said The Japan Self-Defense Forces yesterday fired a Type 88 anti-ship missile during a joint maritime exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces, hitting a decommissioned Philippine Navy ship in waters facing the disputed South China Sea, in drills that underscore Tokyo’s rising willingness to p
MOVING ON: The cruise ship is set to sail on to the Canary Islands, the Spanish health minister said, but the archipelago’s president said he was opposed to the idea Emergency crews yesterday evacuated three people from a cruise ship stricken with a deadly outbreak of hantavirus, the WHO said, as experts confirmed a rare strain that can be transmitted between humans.Two crew members and one other person thought to be infected were being taken off the MV Hondius,
School bullies in Singapore are to face caning under new guidelines, but the education minister on Tuesday said it would be meted out only as a last resort with strict safeguards.Human rights groups regularly criticize Singapore for the use of corporal punishment, which remains part of the school an
The last couple of weeks spectators in Taiwan and abroad have been treated to a remarkable display of infighting in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over the supplementary defense budget. The party has split into two camps, one supporting an NT$800 billion special defense budget and one supportin
Last Wednesday, at the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Standing Committee public meeting just prior to moving to closed-door session, retired marine general and one of the party’s four vice chairmen, Chi Lin-lien (季麟連), asked to speak. Chi started by reiterating his support for the party’s o
Driven in part by fears that the frozen landscapes of Antarctica may be irreversibly melting away because of climate change, tourism to the bottom of the world is soaring. And experts warn that with more visitors comes an increased risk of contamination, illness and other damage to the continent.Whi
A: The Danjiang Bridge in New Taipei City is to open on May 12, and the MRT Sanying Line (Light Blue Line) will also open in June. Isn’t that great?B: Is that the bridge connecting the city’s Tamsui and Bali Districts? What’s so special about this new landmark spanning the Tamsui River?A: The Dan
In the dense forests of Tanzania, a young researcher sat quietly among the trees, her gaze fixed on a troop of chimpanzees. It was 1960, and Jane Goodall, armed with nothing but a notebook and endless curiosity, was about to change science forever. Inspired by childhood stories like the Dr. Dolittle
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。Rain hammered the roof in hard, uneven bursts. “Hold him still!” Baosheng pressed one hand against the stranger’s brow as the man twisted on the wooden bed. His left eye was swollen shut. The right one burned red like a coal. “It feels l
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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