The observatory at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to reopen tomorrow after nearly two years of renovation, the Civil Aviation Administration said yesterday. The civil aviation authority made the announcement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend after Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) visited the renovated facility yesterday morning. Chen said he loved watching planes fly overhead in Taipei’s Binjiang Street, adding that he was particularly impressed by the childcare room as well as the futuristic-style entrance to the observatory. Taipei International Airport Office is conducting a final inspection of the observatory today and tomorrow before reopening it
Taiwanese scientists have engineered plants that can capture about 50 percent more carbon dioxide and produce more than twice as many seeds as unmodified plants, a breakthrough they hope could one day help mitigate global warming and grow more food staples such as rice. If applied to major food crops, the new system could cut carbon emissions and raise yields “without additional equipment or labor costs,” Academia Sinica researcher and lead author the study Lu Kuan-jen (呂冠箴) said. Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said that as humans emit 9.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with the 220 billion tonnes absorbed
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said
Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
TEST RUNS? The site’s improved accuracy shows Beijing intends to use it to train PLA forces in conducting strikes against Taiwan’s leadership in the zone, an official said
The military has deployed multiple medium and close-range air defense missile and artillery systems, anti-drone countermeasures and combat unit to defend Boai Special District (博愛特區), a defense official said yesterday. Boai District is home to the Presidential Office Building, the Ministry of National Defense and many other government buildings. The official made the remarks after Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun in a report on Wednesday said China has expanded its military training mock-up of government buildings in Taipei, which includes the Presidential Office Building, by almost 300 percent since 2020. Satellite images obtained by think tank Japan Institute for National Fundamentals of the
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
TWO HEAVYWEIGHTS: Trump and Xi respect each other, are in a unique position to do something great, and they want to do that together, the US envoy to China said
The administration of US President Donald Trump has told Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) “we don’t want any coercion, but we want [the Taiwan dispute] resolved peacefully,” US ambassador to China David Perdue said in a TV interview on Thursday. Trump “has said very clearly, we are not changing the ‘one China’ policy, we are going to adhere to the Taiwan Relations Act, the three communiques and the ‘six assurances’ that were done under [former US president Ronald] Reagan,” Perdue told Joe Kernen, cohost of CNBC’s Squawk Box. The act, the Three Joint Communiques and the “six assurances” are guidelines for Washington
DEEPENING TIES: The two are boosting cooperation in response to China’s coercive actions and have signed MOUs on search-and-rescue and anti-smuggling efforts
Taiwan and Japan are moving to normalize joint coast guard training and considering the inclusion of other allies, the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun reported yesterday. Both nations’ coast guards in June sent vessels to the seas south of the Sakishima Islands to conduct joint training, the report said, adding that it was the second joint maritime training exercise since the nations severed formal diplomatic ties in September 1972. Japan dispatched the Nagoya Coast Guard’s Mizuho, a 134m, 6,000-tonne patrol vessel which can carry a helicopter, while the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) sent the 126m, 4,000-tonne Yunlin, one of its largest vessels, the report
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said
Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said
The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said
US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
DETERRENCE: US Senator Jim Risch said that the bill aims to use sanctions and other economic measures to deter Beijing from aggression against Taiwan
The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Friday he would introduce legislation to deter aggression against Taiwan by identifying targets for economic measures that could be deployed rapidly if China acts against the nation. US Senator Jim Risch of Idaho said his “deter PRC aggression against Taiwan act” would create a US Department of State and US Department of Treasury-led task force that would identify Chinese military and non-military targets for sanctions, export controls and other economic measures to use against Beijing in case of Chinese aggression against Taiwan. “Using lessons learned from the challenges in
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China have surged this year, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in an interview yesterday. A total of 133 cases had been reported to the Straits Exchange Foundation or the MAC as of Aug. 31, up from 55 in the whole of last year, Chiu said. The MAC’s latest data as of Tuesday showed that since the start of last year 61 Taiwanese had lost contact after traveling to China, while 19 had been detained or interrogated by the Chinese government. Meanwhile, 132 had
The administration of US President Donald Trump has told Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) “we don’t want any coercion, but we want [the Taiwan dispute] resolved peacefully,” US Ambassador to China David Perdue said yesterday. Trump “has said very clearly, we are not changing the 'one China' policy, we are going to adhere to the Taiwan Relations Act, the three communiques and the six assurances that were done under [former US president Ronald] Reagan,” Purdue told newscaster Joe Kernen on a segment called Squawk Box on US TV channel CNBC. The act, the Three Joint Communiques and the “six assurances” are guidelines
In recent weeks the Trump Administration has been demanding that Taiwan transfer half of its chip manufacturing to the US. In an interview with NewsNation, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said that the US would need 50 percent of domestic chip production to protect Taiwan. He stated, discussing Taiwan’s chip production: “My argument to them was, well, if you have 95 percent, how am I gonna get it to protect you? You’re going to put it on a plane? You’re going to put it on a boat?” The stench of the Trump Administration’s mafia-style notions of “protection” was strong
HISTORIC CHANCE: Indonesia would qualify for their first FIFA World Cup since 1938 if they defeat Saudi Arabia and Iraq on Wednesday and Saturday respectively
Almost 90 years after their first and only appearance at the FIFA World Cup, Indonesia are just two victories away from returning to the tournament. It would mark a major turnaround in fortunes in just more than three years since 135 spectators died at the Kanjuruhan stadium disaster in East Java on Oct. 1, 2022, as security forces fired tear gas at spectators, causing a stampede for the exits in a domestic match. If Indonesia can defeat Saudi Arabia and Iraq on Wednesday and Saturday respectively, in a qualifying tournament, then they would advance to the 2026 World Cup to be cohosted
PARKS EXPERIENCE: The science parks in Taiwan might not be replicable elsewhere, but the nation would share its know-how, Cheng Li-chuin said
Taiwan is considering forming a high-tech strategic partnership with the US, which wants increased Taiwanese investment, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday while giving an update on talks with Washington. Taiwan — home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker — runs a large trade surplus with the US. Its exports to the US are subject to a 20 percent tariff, a figure that Taipei is seeking to cut. Cheng, who is leading the tariff talks with Washington, said she was hopeful that both sides could reach a consensus on expanding
ADD TO BILL: The premier said that he hoped the legislature would support the plan to add to a special act for typhoon relief so families in Guangfu would benefit
The government is aiming for NT$20 billion (US$657.57 million) to support disaster recovery and reconstruction following flooding in Hualien County, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. “I hope that the caucuses across the Legislative Yuan would quickly support the proposal,” Cho said. The new funding — to be added to a special bill to deliver aid following a typhoon and flooding in central Taiwan in July — would fund rebuilding in Hualien, where rain from Super Typhoon Ragasa caused a barrier lake on the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) to breach, flooding Guangfu Township (光復). The death toll from Ragasa is 18, while six people
EXPANSION: The investment came as ASE in July told investors it would accelerate capacity growth to mitigate supply issues, and would boost spending by 16 percent
ASE Technology Holding Co (ASE, 日月光投控), the world’s biggest chip assembly and testing service provider, yesterday said it is investing NT$17.6 billion (US$578.6 million) to build a new advanced chip packaging facility in Kaohsiung to cope with fast-growing demand from artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance-computing (HPC) and automotive applications. The new fab, called K18B, is to commence operation in the first quarter of 2028, offering chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) chip packaging and final testing services, ASE said in a statement. The fab is to create 2,000 new jobs upon its completion, ASE said. A wide spectrum of system-level chip packaging technologies would be available at
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