Government partnerships with academia and enterprises are key to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at the founding of the nation’s first academy dedicated to the circular economy.
The National Chung Hsing University Academy of Circular Economy in Nantou County is the first educational institution of its kind to be established in Taiwan and is to play a lead role in the nation’s efforts to tackle the challenges of climate change, the president said.
The academy is supported by 41 entrepreneurial partners to serve as the backbone of the national team for the development of net zero technologies, she said, adding that more research institutions are planned for the campus.
Photo: Tung Chen-kuo, Taipei Times
The creation of the Nantou campus of the Taichung-based university demonstrates the government’s commitment to developing a workforce and technology for the Taiwanese economy to thrive, she said.
Other research institutes would be established at the Nantou campus to provide the education the country needs to create to build a high-tech workforce, she said.
The Nantou campus is in Jhongsing New Village (中興新村), the former seat of the now-defunct Taiwan Provincial Government, university president Shieu Fuh-sheng (薛富盛) said.
As a former economic and political node, the township’s highly developed economic zone lacks only an institution of higher learning, which the founding of the campus would provide, he said.
The Academy of Circular Economy — established under Taipei’s directive to boost industry-university collaboration in key technological fields — would become Asia’s first research institute for new agriculture, digital and green semiconductor technologies, he said.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and other major corporations are assisting with the academy’s work to develop sustainable and zero emission technologies, he said.
Over the next decade, the university plans to continue expanding the campus to establish six academies, three research centers and other facilities, including an “ark” botanical garden, a museum of entomology, dorms, classroom buildings and labs, he said.
The creation of the campus can potentially remake Nantou into a tech industry powerhouse for Taiwan, Nantou County commissioner candidate Frida Tsai (蔡培慧) said, adding that she would boost green technologies and social welfare if elected.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or