Eight major business groups today urged all political parties to support a government plan to allocate NT$100 billion (US$3.31 billion) to state-run Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower).
The funding would help stabilize electricity rates and ease pressure on businesses facing US tariffs and exchange rate fluctuations, the groups said in a joint statement.
The business groups said the NT$100-billion budget for Taipower would protect industrial development and serve the public interest.
Photo: CNA
The funding would not only ease financial pressure on businesses but also help prevent fluctuations in commodity prices, they further explained.
They also urged the government to supervise Taipower to ensure a stable power supply and develop a diversified energy strategy.
Continued heavy losses at Taipower could impact national and industrial economic development, they said.
Late last month, the Cabinet proposed a NT$410 billion special bill in response to US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariff policy. It included an injection of NT$100 billion into Taipower to cover its operating losses from the past three years, but it was rejected by the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT).
Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), the KMT caucus whip, suggested at the time that subsidies for Taipower could be proposed separately through a standard supplementary budget or another process.
The eight major business groups are the Chinese National Federation of Industries, the General Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of China, the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce, Taiwan, the National Association of Small & Medium Enterprises, the Manufacturers United General Association of Industrial Park of ROC, the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association, the Taiwan Federation of Industry and the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS