DEFENSE
Missile plan claimed
The government plans to develop a long-distance precision-guided missile that could strike military bases along China’s southeastern coast, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense has budgeted NT$30 million (US$1.04 million) for development, including the design of the missile bases and safety systems, Lin said. The ministry declined to comment on the remarks from Lin, who has made various claims over the years, some of which never materialized. Lin said the missile, along with several other homemade weapons systems, such as the Hsiung Feng (“Brave Wind”) 2E cruise missile, would be an effective deterrent should China use force against Taiwan.
IMMIGRATION
Vietnamese detained
A boat carrying 18 Vietnamese intending to enter the country illegally was intercepted off the coast of Greater Kaohsiung, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The boat was intercepted about 38km off Greater Kaohsiung at about 7pm on Sunday and its passengers were detained, the statement said. The passengers — 15 men and three women — told coast guard officers they had each spent tens of thousands of NT dollars to buy the boat through a brokering group. They set off from Guangdong Province, China, on Wednesday last week bound for Taiwan, they said. They were still being questioned at press time. Coast guard officials said they were tracking the brokering group that helped the Vietnamese buy the boat and arrange the voyage.
WEATHER
Potential storm gathering
The Central Weather Bureau yesterday said two tropical low-air pressure systems had formed over the Pacific Ocean, adding that it was too soon to say if the two systems would evolve into a typhoon or affect the country. One of the tropical systems had formed about 1,200km from the southeast coast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻). The bureau said the system was moving slowly northwards and could develop into a tropical storm, adding it was closely monitoring its progress. In the interim, the bureau said the country would continue to see sunny to cloudy skies in the morning at least until tomorrow. Chances of afternoon showers are high, with daytime highs hitting 33°C and 34°C. Another system has formed off the southeastern coast of Japan, currently about 2,200km east of Taiwan, the bureau said. However, the bureau said the system was less likely to turn into a tropical storm because it was formed at a relatively higher latitude.
CULTURE
Performers close up festival
The Yilan International Children’s Folklore and Folkgame Festival ended on Sunday, with dance groups from eight countries giving life to Yilan’s culture through their performances. The 44-day festival attracted 527,035 visitors, said the Yilan County Government, which organized the festival. Performing at the closing ceremony in the evening, groups from Peru, South Korea, Thailand, Burkina Faso, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Poland presented Yilan’s diverse culture, combining Taiwanese drama, clog dancing, local delicacies and kites in their performances. The groups also danced to the Yilan folk song An Old Train at the final curtain. After the performance, Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) led members of foreign teams, holding candles, on a park tour. The group spelled out the words “Yilan Touch My Heart” at the park’s plaza.
The US-Japan joint statement released on Friday not mentioning the “one China” policy might be a sign that US President Donald Trump intends to decouple US-China relations from Taiwan, a Taiwanese academic said. Following Trump’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday, the US and Japan issued a joint statement where they reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Trump has not personally brought up the “one China” policy in more than a year, National Taiwan University Department of Political Science Associate Professor Chen Shih-min (陳世民)
‘NEVER!’ Taiwan FactCheck Center said it had only received donations from the Open Society Foundations, which supports nonprofits that promote democratic values Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC) has never received any donation from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a cofounder of the organization wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday. The Taipei-based organization was established in 2018 by Taiwan Media Watch Foundation and the Association of Quality Journalism to monitor and verify news and information accuracy. It was officially registered as a foundation in 2021. National Chung Cheng University communications professor Lo Shih-hung (羅世宏), a cofounder and chairman of TFC, was responding to online rumors that the TFC receives funding from the US government’s humanitarian assistance agency via the Open Society Foundations (OSF),
ANNUAL LIGHT SHOW: The lanterns are exhibited near Taoyuan’s high-speed rail station and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the airport MRT line More than 400 lanterns are to be on display at the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which officially starts in Taoyuan today. The city is hosting the festival for the second time — the first time was in 2016. The Tourism Administration held a rehearsal of the festival last night. Chunghwa Telecom donated the main lantern of the festival to the Taoyuan City Government. The lanterns are exhibited in two main areas: near the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which is at the A18 station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the MRT
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would