Thu, May 21, 2026
NATIONAL CHALLENGES: The government aims to encourage young people to marry and start families, and help people balance their careers and family life, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday announced that the government would provide a NT$5,000 (US$158) monthly allowance for every person aged 18 or younger as part of a new strategic response to the nation’s declining birthrate, along with new subsidies to help small businesses and traditional indus
US President Donald Trump yesterday said he would speak to Taiwanese President William Lai (賴清德) as his administration considers whether to move ahead with a US$14 billion weapons sale to the self-ruling island - a potential arms deal that has drawn criticism from China.“Well, I’ll speak to him. I s
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), a novel by Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi (楊?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 on Tuesday in London, came after Lin’s translation of the no
Samsung Electronics Co. reached a tentative deal with its labor union late Wednesday night, averting what had threatened to be a crippling strike at the world’s largest memory chipmaker.The South Korean company said in a statement late Wednesday that “labor and management have reached a tentative ag
China and Russia yesterday condemned US President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense shield plans and Washington’s “irresponsible” nuclear policy at a joint summit, a week after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) hosted Trump in Beijing.A statement from Xi and Russian President Vladimir Pu
President William Lai (賴清德) today addressed the nation to mark the second anniversary of his inauguration and 30 years of democracy in Taiwan, speaking on national security amid growing global threats and future economic and social development. Taiwan’s future cannot be decided by forces beyond its
TIME CRUNCH: The legislature is expediting the review process for the arms procurements, with hearings and the handling of the proposal scheduled for next week The Executive Yuan yesterday approved an initial NT$295 billion (US$9.32 billion) special defense budget for a package of weapons already approved for sale to Taiwan by the US, and is being sent to the Legislative Yuan for a final review.The budget request earmarks about NT$8.8 billion for this year
The army conducted combat readiness exercises in Hsinchu early yesterday morning, deploying M1A2T tanks and armored vehicles in anti-infiltration and anti-airborne drills aimed at demonstrating its ability to defend key coastal landing areas amid continued military pressure from China.The exercises,
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused President William Lai (賴清德) of stoking cross-strait tensions in his anniversary address by pushing pro-Taiwanese independence rhetoric.Lai had delivered a speech yesterday morning to mark the second anniversary of his inauguration and 30 years si
DIFFERING BELIEFS: An expert said that the DPP’s stance is prone to conflict, but helps freedom, while the opposition’s view does not care about sovereignty Hiding from war would not make Taiwan any safer, and Taipei and Washington remain on the same page regarding the Taiwan Strait, experts said yesterday regarding President William Lai’s (賴清德) address marking the second anniversary of his inauguration.Democratic countries are seeing their people doubt
FRIENDLY VOICES: Health minister Adam Vojtech said that the Czech Republic supports the motion to grant Taiwan observer status in the WHA in order to ‘leave no one behind’ At the general discussion of the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) on Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland, 22 representatives — including from Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, as well as the UK, Germany, Lithuania and the Czech Republic — spoke up on behalf of Taiwan, supporting its participation in the WHA as
Participants at a rally on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland, supporting Taiwan’s presence in the World Health Assembly (WHA) were told by staff associated with the WHA to remove or cover up T-shirts featuring the word “Taiwan,” an attendee said.The rally was organized by several groups, including the W
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has raised the level of its Ebola travel advisory for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and Uganda, urging medical providers to ask patients about their travel and exposure history.In raising its travel advisory for the DR Congo and Uganda from “wa
The annual Taipei Tourism Expo is to take place at Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1 from Friday to Monday next week, with airlines and travel agencies launching aggressive promotions ahead of the event to attract travelers.China Airlines is offering discounts of up to 19 percent on all routes, while
UNCERTAIN FUTURE: The MOU would strengthen cross-border disaster mitigation capabilities in the face of challenges posed by climate change The National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction on Thursday last week renewed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the US Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) in Honolulu, Hawaii.The memorandum was signed by center director Hongey Chen (陳宏宇) and PDC executive director Ray Shirkhodai.T
CORE DRIVER: Orders for electronic products and machinery saw an increase, underscoring robust demand for semiconductor-related services and equipment Export orders last month rose 48.1 percent year-on-year to US$87.45 billion, marking the 15th consecutive month of increases and the second-highest monthly level on record, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.The rise decelerated from the 65.9 percent annual increase recorded in March an
Taiwan posted a strong current account surplus in the first quarter, driven mainly by a surge in exports linked to global demand for new technologies, especially electronics used in artificial intelligence applications, the central bank said yesterday.The current account surplus rose by US$32.84 bil
TECH RELIANCE: Growth is increasingly reflecting an unequal K-shaped distribution, where technology sectors outperform and other industries struggle, an expert said Standard Chartered Bank has significantly raised its forecast for Taiwan’s economic growth to 9.5 percent this year, up from 7.6 percent previously, citing surging artificial intelligence (AI) demand driving exports, semiconductor production and investment.The upgrade reflects a sustained AI supercy
The Presidential Office on Saturday reiterated that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent nation after US President Donald Trump said that Taiwan should not “go independent.”“We’re not looking to have somebody say: ‘Let’s go independence because the United States is backing us,’” Trump said in an inter
US President Donald Trump has returned from Beijing after what he described as an “unforgettable” and “very successful” trip, the first US presidential visit to Beijing in nine years. Many are wondering how this trip could impact the US’ stance on Taiwan — and whether further delays or changes would
Following his highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump was accused by many commentators of abandoning Taiwan.During a series of interviews and statements, Trump has expressed that the US would not support Taiwanese independence and suggested that
MAN CITY DRAW: In the battle at the bottom of the table, West Ham United need a win in their final match of the season to have a shot at overtaking Tottenham Arsenal’s decades-long wait is over after Mikel Arteta’s team on Tuesday were crowned Premier League champions for the first time since 2004 with Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with AFC Bournemouth.“I told you all ... it’s done,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice posted on social media with a photograph of
The New York Knicks, fueled by 38 points from Jalen Brunson, on Tuesday erased a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in overtime in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.The Knicks looked done for when they trailed 93-71 with 7 minutes, 52 seconds left in re
MLB is experiencing an epidemic of guys being dudes. At ballparks all across the US, groups consisting of mostly young men are joining in on the “Tarps Off” trend that is loud, goofy, infectious and new to the baseball world.Joining in on the fun is simple: Go to the section where the party is happe
‘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
MOVEMENT: Two Chinese tankers carrying about 4 million barrels of oil exited the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, while South Korea said one of its tankers was transiting the strait Iran yesterday threatened to spread war beyond the Middle East if the US attacks again, after US President Donald Trump said he had come within an hour of restarting the military campaign.Six weeks since Trump paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have largely stalled.Iran
Scientists have spotted two humpback whales that made separate, record-breaking crossings between Australia and Brazil.The whales were identified by their distinctive tail markings at the two locations about 14,500km apart. They traveled in opposite directions and journeyed farther than any humpback
BIGGER ROLE: Beijing has said it maintains an impartial stance on the war in Ukraine, but by training Russian troops, China is far more involved than previously known China’s armed forces secretly trained about 200 Russian military personnel in China late last year, and some have since returned to fight in Ukraine, according to three European intelligence agencies and documents seen by Reuters.While China and Russia have held a number of joint military exercises
And so, in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s trip to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), all the experts on the Strait of Hormuz suddenly became experts on US-China-Taiwan relations. The Internet has certainly expanded human knowledge.Lots of these sudden experts made noise this week about T
The opposition coalition of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) has systematically worked to make things extremely difficult for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). They have slashed budgets for military spending, dragged out budget negotiations and blocked
A book about Taiwan’s relevant partners, looking at what they do rather than what they say? This is exactly what anyone wishing to comment on Taiwanese geopolitics needs to have on their bedside table.The book is a collection of texts written by academics presenting their conclusions on how a given
A: Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage on May 24, 2019, so this week marks the seventh anniversary of that milestone. By the end of 2024, a total of 32,126 LGBT couples had tied the knot.B: How many of them got married to foreign partners?A: In 2024, there were 504 cross-border same-sex marriages.
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
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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