Thu, Feb 26, 2026
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) has authorized a policy to encourage business to adopt a seven-hour workday for employees with children aged 12 or younger, starting from Sunday, the Taipei City Government said yesterday.The policy would encourage businesses to reduce work hours, with the city payin
The US military yesterday said it regretted not giving South Korea timely notice about an air force drill that reportedly triggered a midair standoff with China.Ten US F-16 jets on Feb. 18 flew into an area over the Yellow Sea between the South Korean and Chinese air defense identification zones, So
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz yesterday urged Chinese firms to step up investment in Germany, but also called on Beijing to reduce market distortions as he began a visit aimed at resetting relations between the world’s second and third-largest economies.On his first visit to China as chancellor,
MARCH 6: A legislative plenary session is to review the Executive Yuan’s and the TPP’s versions of the proposed spending, while the KMT has yet to submit its own version The Legislative Yuan is to send the Executive Yuan’s version of a proposed special defense budget to its plenary session on Friday next week, it said yesterday after reaching a cross-party consensus.The parties concluded that the Cabinet’s version would be reviewed alongside the Taiwan People Party’
The US Department of Defense intends to allocate US$850 million for the US Indo-Pacific Command to replenish weapons stockpiles used for military aid to Taiwan, an unclassified department spending plan delivered to the US Congress on Monday showed.The funds would be sourced from the US$152 billion t
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday.After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives
The Japanese government plans to deploy surface-to-air missiles on one of its remote western islands near Taiwan by March 2031, the nation’s defense minister said on Tuesday.It is the first time Japan has specified the timing of the deployment. The defense ministry in 2022 announced a plan to ramp u
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year.Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was
The Indiana General Assembly on Monday passed a resolution supporting US-Taiwan trade and diplomacy, the Taiwan Relations Act and the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, and opposing any misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758.The pro-Taiwan resolution, passed by the Indiana State Senate and House
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday bestowed one of Taiwan’s highest honors on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her contributions to bilateral ties.“By conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Ambassador Bowman today, I
President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday that confronting Taiwan’s past requires truth rather than fear, stressing that a clear understanding of history is essential to strengthening the foundation of democracy.Speaking ahead of the 79th anniversary of the 228 Incident, Lai, who also chairs t
The Control Yuan’s Human Rights Committee yesterday launched an investigation into seven cases of forced relocations, saying the results would help the government develop better references for implementing urban transitional justice.The government’s lax regulations on real estate led to the forced r
WARNING: If the person is taking certain medications, it could cause ‘Helicobacter pylori’ test results to come back ‘false negative,’ Shu-Tien Clinic’s Kang Pen-chu said A doctor yesterday reminded people not to take certain types of drugs before getting a stool antigen test for Helicobacter pylori amid a one-time government-funded testing program for people aged 45 to 74. Shu-Tien Clinic gastroenterologist Kang Pen-chu (康本初) said a woman in her 40s, surnamed Wang (
Prosecutors yesterday indicted a father and son for falsifying evidence to hide an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak at their pig farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲) in October last year and demanded that the court give them heavy sentences. The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office said in a sta
‘STABLE LABOR MARKET’: The vibrant stock market has generated wealth effects that support consumption, further stabilizing employment, a DGBAS official said The unemployment rate fell last month for the fifth consecutive month, reaching the lowest level in 26 years as robust economic growth, rising wages and buoyant equity markets underpinned labor demand, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.The jobless ra
South Korea’s equity benchmark yesterday crossed a new milestone just a month after surpassing the once-unthinkable 5,000 mark as surging global memory demand powers the country’s biggest chipmakers.The KOSPI advanced as much as 2.6 percent to a record 6,123, with Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix
Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技) expects revenue this quarter to grow sequentially and year-on-year, driven by demand for advanced artificial intelligence (AI) power management systems, as well as integrated power and energy-storage racks, company president Anson Chiu (邱森彬) told an earnings conference
Taiwanese readers might find resonance in the Czech Republic’s history of political turmoil, Czech author Katerina Tuckova said while promoting the Chinese-language edition of her novel, The Last Goddess, at the Taipei International Book Exhibition this month.“The political changes taking place in m
After more than a year of review, the National Security Bureau on Monday said it has completed a sweeping declassification of political archives from the Martial Law period, transferring the full collection to the National Archives Administration under the National Development Council. The move mark
The New Taipei City mayoral race should have been a matter of local politics. Instead, due to political coordination between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), along with maneuvering by TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), it has devolved into an absurd spectacle
HAT-TRICK: In the other games, Newcastle United and Leverkusen also advanced, as did Atletico Madrid, with Alexander Sorloth scoring three goals What a difference a year makes. Or nine months to be precise.Last season, Inter reached the UEFA Champions League final in style, with thrilling victories over Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but on Tuesday, the Italian giants limped out of the competition with a disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Bodo/
The Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday emphatically got back to winning ways in the NBA, coasting to a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks as their recent star signing, James Harden, scored 20 points.The Cavs took the lead barely a minute into the game with an Evan Mobley three-pointer and never gav
Harry Brook smashed a match-winning hundred in Tuesday’s Super Eight match against Pakistan after being moved up the order to No. 3, but the England captain is unsure if he will stay in the new slot for the rest of the T20 World Cup.Brook struck 100 from 51 deliveries as England accomplished a trick
CHAMPIONSHIPSnoop Dogg welcomedSnoop Dogg on Tuesday was welcomed with a blaze of whirling white towels and a guard of honor in his first visit to Swansea since becoming a co-owner of the Welsh club. The American rapper became a minority shareholder in the Championship club last year alongside other
‘BIGGER, BETTER’: Trump’s record-breaking one-hour, 47-minute address focused on his economic achievements, but offered little solace for voters angered by the cost of living US President Donald Trump on Tuesday night boasted of a “turnaround for the ages” in his State of the Union speech, seeking to reverse dismal polls and see off mounting challenges at home and abroad ahead of crucial midterm elections.Trump sought to paint a rosy picture of his achievements in his lo
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic’s CEO until tomorrow to open the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology for unrestricted military use or risk losing its government contract, a person familiar with their meeting said on Tuesday.Anthropic makes the chatbot Claude and is
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday said he did not take his security for granted, after he was evacuated from his residence for several hours following a bomb threat sent to a Chinese dance group.Albanese was evacuated from his Canberra residence late on Tuesday following the threa
Another moment of the US making permanent concessions for transient gains, which appears to be longstanding US policy with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), occurred last week when President Donald Trump announced that weapons sales to Taiwan would be delayed in order to arrange a meeting with t
This could be a make-or-break year for the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), far more so than 2020, 2022 or 2024, when it was an up-and-coming party and expectations were lower. Now the party is an established fixture on the political scene, though still far smaller than the Democratic Progressive Party
Jacques Poissant’s suffering stopped the day he asked his daughter if it would be “cowardly to ask to be helped to die.”The retired Canadian insurance adviser was 93, and “was wasting away” after a long battle with prostate cancer.“He no longer had any zest for life,” Josee Poissant said.Last year h
A: Happy Lunar New Year. I wish you joy and health in the Year of the Horse.B: Thanks, you too. Actually, the Harvard Study of Adult Development claims that they’ve finally discovered the secret to living a happy life after 85 years of research.A: What is it? Money? Fame? Career?B: Nope, the key
Steam curls from a shallow iron pot as thin ribbons of beef turn from ruby to blush. Warishita — a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin — goes in, and the room fills with a salty-sweet aroma. Tofu slips in beside mushrooms and greens, chopsticks hover and voices soften. More than a hot pot, “sukiya
The Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is one of the most important traditional festivals in Chinese culture. The word yuan means “first,” and xiao means “night,” referring to “the first full moon night of the lunar year.” In 2026, the Lantern Festival falls on Ma
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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