WHEELING AND DEALING? Hou You-yi, Ko Wen-je, Eric Chu and Ma Ying-jeou are under investigation for allegedly offering bribes for the other side to drop out of the race
Taipei prosecutors have started an investigation into allegations that four top politicians involved in attempts to form a “blue-white” presidential ticket have contravened election regulations. Listed as defendants are Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). The case stemmed from judicial complaints filed last month with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office alleging that the KMT (blue) and the TPP (white) had engaged in bribery by offering money or other enticements
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers
The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
ELIGIBLE FOR JANUARY: All presidential candidates and their running mates meet the requirements to run for office, and none hold dual citizenship, the CEC said
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator and vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) is working with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to resolve issues with her financial disclosure statement, a spokesman for the candidate said yesterday, after the commission published the statements of all three presidential candidates and their running mates, while confirming their eligibility to run in the Jan. 13 election. Wu’s office spokesman, Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞), said the candidate encountered unforeseen difficulties disclosing her husband’s finances due to being suddenly thrust into the campaign. She is also the first vice presidential nominee to have a foreign spouse, complicating the reporting of
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with
GOOD NEWS: Although open civic spaces are shrinking in Asia-Pacific countries and territories, Taiwan’s openness is a positive sign, an expert said
Taiwan remains the only country in Asia with an “open” civic space for the fifth consecutive year, the Civicus Monitor said in a report released yesterday. The People Power Under Attack 2023 report named Taiwan as one of only 37 open countries or territories out of 198 globally, and the only one in Asia. Compiled by Civicus — a global alliance of civil society organizations dedicated to bolstering civil action — the ranking compiled annually since 2017 measures the state of freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression around the world. Researchers assign each country or territory one of five rankings describing the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has a good reason to avoid a split vote against the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in next month’s presidential election. It has been here before and last time things did not go well. Taiwan had its second direct presidential election in 2000 and the nation’s first ever transition of political power, with the KMT in opposition for the first time. Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was ushered in with less than 40 percent of the vote, only marginally ahead of James Soong (宋楚瑜), the candidate of the then-newly formed People First Party (PFP), who got almost 37
CHINA illness surge: Of 88 travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau with respiratory symptoms who were encouraged to get tested upon arrival, 70.6% had the flu
Two hundred and sixty people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 31 deaths related to the virus were reported last week — the highest numbers in four weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that cases are expected to peak next month. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that of the 260 people hospitalized last week with moderate to severe COVID-19, 98 percent had not received the Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine. Among the people hospitalized this year, 78 percent were aged 65 or older, while most of the those who were hospitalized or died have or had
NOT JUST CHIPS: Although semiconductor processes are on the list, it also includes military technology and post-quantum cryptography to combat emerging cyberthreats
The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) yesterday released a list of 22 technologies it considers crucial to the nation’s security and competitiveness, including the 14-nanometer semiconductor process and advanced chip packaging. For the first time, the council made a list of core technologies with an aim of preventing secret information about those technologies being leaked to foreign countries, which could put the nation’s security and the competitiveness of local industries at risk. For years, local semiconductor companies have faced challenges from talent poaching and theft of corporate secrets by Chinese competitors, who are seeking to rapidly advance their technology capabilities through
Japanese are more likely to view China as a major threat than Taiwanese, although both sides agree that Beijing’s power and influence are the most concerning geopolitical hazard, a Pew Research Center poll showed on Tuesday. From June 2 to Sept. 17, Pew researchers polled respondents in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong on perceived threats posed by China, the US, Russia and North Korea. China’s power and influence was considered the greatest threat above North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, or US or Russian influence, the report said. Japanese respondents showed the most concern over China, with 76 percent calling it a
FAIR TREATMENT: In addition to removing a citizenship clause to be compensated for wrongful detention, the act no longer stipulates a two-year limit for filing a claim
The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed amendments to the Criminal Compensation Act (刑事補償法), removing or changing phrasing of articles to promote the fair treatment of noncitizens. Under the current wording of the act, only those with Republic of China citizenship can request compensation for being inappropriately detained, while foreigners must be from a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to do so. The Judicial Yuan said the law should be updated to ensure that everyone would receive fair and reasonable treatment in Taiwan. Under the amendments, the daily rate of
COOPERATION: The US should facilitate Taiwan’s participation in bilateral and multilateral military exercises, as well as the development of its defense capabilities, the draft says
The US Congress on Thursday unveiled an annual defense budget bill containing stipulations for establishing a comprehensive training, advising and institutionalized capacity-building program for Taiwan. The US House and Senate armed services committees proposed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2024 fiscal year via a reconciliation process. The draft act is to be deliberated by the two chambers of the US Congress and then handed to US President Joe Biden for approval if passed by lawmakers. The bill stipulates that the comprehensive training, advising and capacity-building program should be established by the US Secretary of Defense with the approval of the
Italy has withdrawn from China’s vast Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), more than four years after becoming the only G7 nation to sign up, an Italian government source said on Wednesday. The long-expected decision was quietly communicated to Beijing three days ago without any official announcement, Corriere della Sera reported. An Italian government source on Wednesday said that Rome had pulled out, giving no details beyond saying it was done in such a way as to “keep channels of political dialogue open.” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has long been opposed to Italy’s participation in an initiative viewed by many as an attempt
PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: China plans to continue to play up the narrative of a choice between war and peace to influence Taiwanese voters’ behavior, a memo said
Senior Chinese leaders held a meeting earlier this month to “coordinate” government efforts to sway next year’s elections in Taiwan, according to intelligence gathered by Taipei. Taiwanese officials said that Beijing is trying to nudge voters toward candidates who seek closer China ties in the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections. The meeting in Beijing was headed by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Standing Committee member Wang Huning (王滬寧), who is also deputy head of Beijing’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), several Taiwanese security officials who discussed the matter with reporters said. Senior personnel from
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a budget of NT$80 billion (US$2.55 billion) to relocate residents of Kaohsiung’s Dalinpu area (大林蒲) who have long been beset by industrial pollution. The amended plan would cover housing for 5,850 eligible residents and other types of subsidies. On hearing the announcement, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) thanked the Cabinet for allowing the relocation plan to proceed. “This came after many years of planning and pushing for action, with the relocation budget for Dalinpu escalating from the original NT$50 billion to NT$80 billion,” he said. It would not be merely a relocation, but “we will help residents to upgrade
ALL CLEAR: While China’s military called the flight ‘public hype,’ the Ministry of National Defense said it was normal and that they monitored its passage
A US Navy patrol aircraft yesterday flew through the Taiwan Strait, the US military said, describing the mission as a demonstration of its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, while China’s military said it followed and monitored the plane. The US 7th Fleet said the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane, which is also used for anti-submarine missions, flew over the Strait in international airspace. “The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,” it said in a statement. The
STEADY: Prices are to rebound following inventory rebuilding demand, TrendForce said, with Samsung Electronics Co further trimming capacity as it slashes DDR4 lines
The contract prices of DRAM chips are to rise by as much as 18 percent sequentially this quarter — the first price upticks in about eight quarters — driven mainly by inventory rebuilding demand for DRAM chips used in mobile devices and PCs, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) projected yesterday. The price rebound is led by a quarterly increase of mobile DRAM chips, which are to climb between 13 percent and 18 percent quarter-on-quarter this quarter, which has not been seen since the fourth quarter of 2021, the Taipei-based market researcher predicted. Likewise, the price of mainstream PC DDR4 DRAM is expected to bounce
SECOND THOMAS SHOAL: The USS ‘Gabrielle Giffords’ was conducting routine operations in international waters consistent with international law, the US said
The Chinese military yesterday accused a US naval ship of “illegally intruding” into waters near the Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙), the site of a hot territorial dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. A Chinese naval force was mobilized to track the USS Gabrielle Giffords during the operation, a statement from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater said. The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said the ship “was conducting routine operations in international waters ... consistent with international law.” Chinese and Philippine naval and coast guard ships have confronted each other repeatedly around the shoal in
INDISPENSABLE: Major countries have repeatedly stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday
Leaders of the G7 in an online meeting on Wednesday underlined the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. G7 leaders, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, met online to address global challenges, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’ attack on Israel, as well as issues such as economic resilience, food security and health. “We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community,” the body said in a statement. The leaders called for “a peaceful resolution” to cross-strait issues, adding that “there is no change in the
One stormy night in May, Kim loaded his family into his home-made wooden boat and sailed away from North Korea, hoping to give his children a life of freedom. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, but most go overland to neighboring China first. Defecting by sea is extremely rare and seen as far more dangerous than land routes, with only a handful of people making it across the de facto maritime border, the Northern Limit line. But Kim, a 31-year-old fisherman who asked that AFP use only his
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