The depressing numbers continue to pile up, like casualty lists after a lost battle. This week, after the government announced the 19th straight month of population decline, the Ministry of the Interior said that Taiwan is expected to lose 6.67 million workers in two waves of retirement over the next 15 years. According to the Ministry of Labor (MOL), Taiwan has a workforce of 11.6 million (as of July). The over-15 population was 20.244 million last year. EARLY RETIREMENT Early retirement is going to make these waves a tsunami. According to the Directorate General of Budget Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), the
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said
The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation
The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
BABY POLICY: The plan would also increase subsidies for couples undergoing artificial fertilization procedures, although with a slightly lower age ceiling for women
A government birth subsidy, providing up to NT$100,000 (US$3,326) and proportional to the number of children born, would take effect on Jan. 1 next year, Minister Without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. The Executive Yuan’s policy would address payout discrepancies for birth subsidies across government insurance programs, Chen said. From the first day of next year, participants in any national insurance program, such as the Civil Servants’ Insurance, the Labor Insurance, the Farmers’ Insurance, the National Insurance and the Military Personnel Insurance, would be eligible for NT$100,000 per newborn, he said. The measure would include the 7,144 people nationwide who are not
MARINE PACT: Taiwan and Indonesia signed an agreement on debris management at the International Conference on Marine Environmental Management in Taipei
Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) yesterday condemned Chinese fishers for using cyanide and urged them to respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Speaking to reporters after the International Conference on Marine Environmental Management in Taipei, Kuan made the remarks following the seizure of a Chinese vessel carrying cyanide by the Coast Guard Administration for illegally operating near the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Cyanide fishing involves spraying a sodium cyanide mixture into a habitat to stun fish for capture. The practice harms not only the target species, but also other
Last week the story of the giant illegal crater dug in Kaohsiung’s Meinong District (美濃) emerged into the public consciousness. The site was used for sand and gravel extraction, and then filled with construction waste. Locals referred to it sardonically as the “Meinong Grand Canyon,” according to media reports, because it was 2 hectares in length and 10 meters deep. The land involved included both state-owned and local farm land. Local media said that the site had generated NT$300 million in profits, against fines of a few million and the loss of some excavators. OFFICIAL CORRUPTION? The site had been seized
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October
One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
PRODUCTION GOALS: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s head said that the goal is to secure manufacturing independence if war breaks out
The Taipei Aerospace and Defense Exhibition opened yesterday, showcasing 51 new military systems and a record number of exhibitors, while deals were signed to coproduce missiles and drones with overseas firms. The three-day event, which runs through tomorrow at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 1, features 490 exhibitors at 1,500 booths, up from 275 exhibitors at about 960 booths in 2023. American Institute in Taiwan Deputy Director Karin Lang told the opening ceremony that the US pavilion had doubled in size since two years ago, with more than 40 companies this time. “When American and Taiwan companies collaborate, they create solutions that enhance
FIVE PILLARS: The forum would cover key defense topics of civil training, strategic supplies, infrastructure security, transport and communications, and finance security
The Presidential Office’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee is to host its first international forum on Saturday, with more than 20 foreign experts and representatives expected to attend, a source said yesterday. The event, titled “Resilient Taiwan, Sustainable Democracy,” marks the committee’s first anniversary and would be the first time that international participants take part, the source said. The development demonstrates international recognition of Taiwan’s efforts to strengthen its defense resilience and to create opportunities for cooperation with like-minded democracies, they said. Guests are to include Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator James Barros, American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan chairman Dan Silver, UK
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
EFFORTS CONTINUE: Although Trump reportedly declined to approve US$400 million in military aid to Taiwan, Taipei says the two countries would continue to deepen ties
The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Thursday passed bills authorizing funding to help Taiwan bolster its diplomacy and codify the “six assurances” into law. The Taiwan Allies Fund Act and Six Assurances to Taiwan Act were proposed by US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi and incorporated into the US Department of State Reauthorization Bill. The Taiwan Allies Fund Act authorizes the executive branch to allocate US$120 million from next fiscal year to 2028 to assist Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and unofficial partners that are facing pressure from China. Countries eligible to apply for the fund must meet several criteria, including that they
AI BOOST: TSMC has left Samsung’s foundry business behind in the race for global market share with 70.2% compared with the South Korean firm’s 7.3% share
National Development Council (NDC) Minister Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) yesterday attributed a forecast that Taiwan would overtake South Korea in GDP per capita to the success of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and a boom in artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Yeh’s comments came after the Korea Economic Daily on Sunday reported that Taiwan is expected to surpass South Korea in GDP per capita this year for the first time in 22 years, citing forecasts from agencies in both nations. Taiwan’s GDP per capita would be US$38,066 this year, compared with South Korea’s expected US$37,430, the newspaper reported. Yeh told reporters he foresaw several
It is a universally acknowledged truth that Jane Austen, born in 1775, is one of the most beloved English novelists, and that her works still inspire readers today. She is renowned for her novels Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility. Her stories often explore themes of love, marriage, and social status in late 18th-century British society and are written with wit and insight. To honor her legacy, the Jane Austen Festival is held every September in Bath, England. She lived there for several years, and the city is depicted in two of her novels. The festival began in 2001
A member of New York’s Chinese dissident community on Tuesday pleaded guilty to spying on his fellow activists on behalf of the Chinese government. Tang Yuanjun (唐元雋), 68, had long been an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party, joining monthly protests outside the country’s Manhattan consulate and founding a pro-democracy nonprofit in Flushing, Queens, where he has lived since 2002. However, as he publicly advocated against his homeland’s government, Tang was quietly acting on orders from Beijing’s intelligence service to collect information on his fellow Chinese-American rights advocates, according to a guilty plea entered on Tuesday. Federal prosecutors, who brought charges against
Britain’s National Gallery announced on Sept. 9 that it will use a whopping ￡375m (US$510m) in donations to open a new wing that, for the first time, will include modern art. Founded in 1824, the gallery has amassed a centuries-spanning collection of Western paintings by artists from Leonardo da Vinci to J.M.W Turner and Vincent van Gogh — but almost nothing created after the year 1900. The modern era has been left to other galleries, including London’s Tate Modern. That will change when the gallery opens a new wing to be constructed on land beside its Trafalgar Square site that is currently
MORE SLEEP: Research has shown that the biological clock of junior-high and high-school students lends itself to getting up after 8am, a psychiatrist said
A citizen-initiated petition to delay junior-high and high-school class starting times to 10am has gained more than 10,000 signatures in less than a week, prompting the Ministry of Education yesterday to announce that it would review the proposal and reply within two months. Most junior-high and high-school students begin classes at about 8am. The petition — submitted on Tuesday last week on the National Development Council’s public policy participation Web site — calls for classes to run from 10am to 4pm and for nonessential courses to be cut to give students more sleep and improve learning efficiency. It says that students can
A: The Ministry of Education’s Sports Administration has been upgraded to the Cabinet’s Ministry of Sports, which came into operation on Sept. 9, National Sports Day. B: Yeah, Olympic gold medalist Lee Yang was appointed minister, while baseball superstar Chen Yi-hsin was appointed deputy minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples. A: Lee won gold in badminton men’s doubles at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Born in 1995, he just turned 30 — that makes him the youngest minister ever. B: In order to serve the country, the news says Lee even gave up commercial
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