A gross budget of NT$88 billion (US$2.66 billion) would be allocated to assist the industrial and agricultural sectors to address the effects of the latest US tariff policy on Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.The Cabinet unveiled government programs in su
CCP LINKS: Separately, three DPP staff members, reportedly including a Presidential Office consultant, have been detained amid a probe into alleged espionage for China
Former Naval Education, Training and Doctrine Command general division commander Chang Pei-ning (張培凝) is to serve three years and 10 months in prison for setting up a spy ring for China after the Supreme Court denied his appeal, Chinese-language media reported yesterday.Chang denied the charges in t
The South Korean Constitutional Court yesterday unanimously removed Yoon Suk-yeol from office, ending his presidency and setting up a new election, four months after he issued an ill-fated declaration of martial law.The verdict capped a dramatic fall for Yoon, a former star prosecutor who became pre
Members of the US House of Representatives on Tuesday reintroduced a bill to support Taiwan’s international space and counter coercion by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).The Taiwan Allies Fund Act was reintroduced by US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, ranking member of the Select Committee on
Britain and France yesterday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in ceasefire talks aimed at halting his country’s invasion of Ukraine and demanded a swift response from Moscow after weeks of US efforts to secure a truce.A Russian drone attack late on Thursday on Kharkiv ki
CHIP EXCEPTION: An official said that an exception for Taiwanese semiconductors would have a limited effect, as most are packaged in third nations before being sold
The Executive Yuan yesterday decried US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods announced hours earlier as “unfair,” saying it would lodge a representation with Washington.The Cabinet in a statement described the pledged US tariffs, expected to take effect on Wednesday next wee
New tariffs announced on Wednesday by US President Donald Trump provoked dismay, threats of countermeasures and calls for further talks on trade rules.However, responses were measured, highlighting a lack of appetite among key trading partners of the US for an outright trade war with the world’s big
‘IMPORTANT ALLY’: The reports said that only the government in Taiwan can represent Taiwanese and called on the EU to convey a message opposing force
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday expressed gratitude for two resolutions passed by the European Parliament on Wednesday that back deepening ties with Taiwan and voice concern about heightened tension across the Taiwan Strait.The parliament on Wednesday adopted an annual report on the implem
Taiwan’s newly procured US weapon systems are to be tested in the 41st annual Han Kuang exercise later this year, the Ministry of National Defense said on Wednesday.The drills would emphasize responses to “gray zone” activities, speed in preparing for combat, command authority delegation and nationa
China yesterday said it had “destroyed” an intelligence network set up by the Philippine espionage agency and arrested three spies from the country.State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported that authorities had identified one of the suspected spies as a Philippine national who had l
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday.At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White H
SUPPORT: The US’ ‘enduring commitment to our allies and partners, including Taiwan, continues,’ US Department of State spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said
The US and the EU have reiterated their opposition to a unilateral change to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait after China’s military launched a new round of joint military drills around Taiwan on Tuesday that ended last night. Asked about the latest military exercises in the waters and airspace
SECURITY ISSUE: Investigators suspect that Sheng Chu-ying handed over legislative information to Chinese intelligence officials in exchange for cash, local media reported
An assistant to former legislative speaker You Si-kun (游錫?) when he served in the Legislative Yuan has been released on bail amid an investigation into allegations that he was recruited by Chinese intelligence agents during a trip to China. The assistant, Sheng Chu-ying (盛礎纓), is suspected of handin
The hacker responsible for illegally accessing MacKay Memorial Hospital’s systems and trying to sell patients’ personal information after a failed ransom attempt is a Chinese national named Lo Chengyu (羅政宇), residing in China’s Zhejiang Province, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said yesterday. The
Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr on Tuesday said his country would “inevitably” be involved if Taiwan is invaded, as the US approved the possible sale of US$5.58 billion of F-16 jets to the Philippines. The US Department of State in a statement said it was gree
US President Donald Trump was to unveil sweeping new “Liberation Day” tariffs after press time last night, but kept the world guessing until the last minute about the scope of an onslaught that could spark a global trade war. While Trump insisted he had decided on the reciprocal tariffs hitting coun
China's military said it practiced hitting key ports and energy sites during "live-fire" drills today as part of exercises aimed at Taiwan.Named "Strait Thunder-2025A," the drills are located in the middle and southern parts of the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said, whic
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: China’s military provocations are escalating regional tensions and are a blatant challenge to the international order, the Presidential Office said
The Presidential Office yesterday denounced the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for launching joint military drills around Taiwan, calling Beijing a “troublemaker.”The condemnation came after the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command yesterday morning announced the start of a new round of joint exerc
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers on Monday reintroduced the Taiwan International Solidarity Act in the House of Representatives after the pro-Taiwan legislation stalled in the Senate in 2023.The act “encourages the US to work with allies and partners to oppose the People’s Republic of China’s effo
A Chinese national whose dependent-based residency permit was revoked over social media posts that advocated China using military force to unite with Taiwan was forcibly deported yesterday after failing to leave the country before the deadline of her deportation order.Known by her online pseudonym X