Tue, Apr 28, 2026
NEXT WAVE OF INNOVATION: The office aims to integrate resources across industry, academia and research institutions, helping secure a key position in the industry Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that quantum technology is set to become Taiwan’s next wave of innovation after artificial intelligence (AI), as the ministry launched a new office to promote the technology and support firms in the industry.While quantum computing is
The final batch of M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at the Port of Taipei late on Sunday and were transported early yesterday to the army’s Armored Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口).At about 12:10am, the 28 tanks, covered in black waterproof tarpaulins, were se
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed Pyongyang’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, vowing to help Moscow achieve victory in its “sacred” war, state media reported yesterday.Pyongyang has sent missiles, munitions and thousands of troops to assist Russia in Ukraine, and analysts say
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said Israeli strikes on the country’s south on Sunday killed 14 people, the deadliest day since a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war came into force more than a week ago.It came as Israel and the Iran-backed group traded fresh accusations of breaching the fr
A former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) engineer was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for stealing the company’s proprietary data to help Tokyo Electron win more equipment orders from TSMC. The former TSMC employee, named Chen Li-ming (陳力銘), worked in marketing at Tokyo Elect
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks.Starting at 12:10am today, reporters obser
NEGOTIATIONS: Sources said a KMT legislator’s proposal to raise the budget to NT$800 billion was blocked by the KMT caucus whip. The next meeting is slated for May 6 No concrete consensus was reached during cross-caucus negotiations over a proposed special defense budget at the Legislative Yuan yesterday as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers clashed over the budget cap.The meeting ended after just 70 minutes, and caucus leaders agreed to hold a fourth rou
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment last year on Tokyo’s potential reaction to a Taiwan-China conflict has forced Beijing to rewrite its invasion plans, a retired Japanese general said.Takaichi told the Diet on Nov. 7 last year that a Chinese naval blockade or military attack on Taiwan
The Central Election Commission (CEC) faces six major challenges, including Chinese election interference, newly inducted Chairman Michael You (游盈隆) said yesterday, calling for heightened vigilance ahead of the year-end local elections.Speaking at the handover ceremony, You said that his two priorit
‘REGIONAL STABILITY’: Cheng Li-wun said she plans to present a new direction for cross-strait relations that would also align with US interests Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday said she plans to visit the US in June, where she is to meet with political figures, think tanks and members of the Taiwanese diaspora to spread her message of cross-strait peace.Cheng, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping
An ongoing project to construct an oil reserve facility and an industrial park in the Kingdom of Eswatini would help enhance the southern African nation’s energy resilience and spur economic growth, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Sunday.Lin, who is in Eswatini to attend King
SAFETY: Simulating the perspective of attackers, researchers enabled businesses to identify potential issues before product launches, the cybersecurity institute said The Administration for Cybersecurity said it identified vulnerabilities in 20 Taiwan-made information and communications technology (ICT) products before their official launch. The National Institute of Cybersecurity, which executed the administration’s initiative, said that it invited 179 cybersecu
The government’s Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan has helped public hospitals in the same region team up and establish healthcare networks to meet local needs, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday. The five-year plan was launched last year to address the nation’s growing demand for medic
HUMAN ERROR: The driver should have paid attention to road conditions, observed the speed limit and kept their hands on the steering wheel, the safety board said A deadly traffic accident in January last year involving an electric vehicle near Yangmei Service Area on the National Sun Yat-sen Freeway (National Freeway No. 1) occurred due to speeding and inaccurate use of the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board sai
The successful connection between the 8U CubeSat Black Kite-2 and ground stations marks "a key step" toward multi-satellite system verification, Taiwan-based wireless technology company RapidTek said Monday.CubeSats are small, box-shaped satellites typically launched into low Earth orbit for Earth o
US TECH RALLY: A rise in semiconductor stocks on the US market boosted expectations for TSMC, which was the primary driver of growth on the TAIEX yesterday, an analyst said Taiwanese shares yesterday closed nearly 2 percent higher, led by contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), following a retreat after the market topped 40,000 points for the first time.Stocks were also sharply higher in Japan and South Korea yesterday on the back of artif
MONEY VIEWS: Survey results suggested that many investors were reluctant to chase prices after the TAIEX’s strong rally this year, driven by TSMC The consumer confidence index edged up this month, ending two consecutive months of declines, as people shrugged off concerns about the Middle East war that broke out at the end of February, a report released yesterday by National Central University showed.The index rose 0.17 points month-on-month t
Taiwan’s business climate monitor continued to indicate a boom for the fourth consecutive month last month, although the score fell for the first time in 10 months, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday.The council measures the nation’s economic health using a five-color system, with
Ministry of Labor data released on Friday showed that 138,000 fresh graduates entered the workforce last year, 9,000 fewer than the previous year and about 32,000 fewer than five years ago. Moreover, the data showed that only 47.9 percent of fresh graduates were employed in small and medium-sized en
Taiwan’s traffic environment is not a problem that can be solved through aggressive fines for traffic violations or enhanced public awareness campaigns.Pedstrians in the street, cars and motorcycles competing for lane space, illegal temporary parking and pedestrians struggling to cross the road have
The emphasis of the New Southbound Policy has shifted in the past few years. Rather than focusing primarily on market diversification, it is increasingly understood as part of a broader economic security strategy. This shift reflects a changing environment marked by intensifying geopolitical competi
PINCH-HIT PERFECTION: The 23-year-old, called up this season, scored his first MLB home run on Sunday as the Tigers squared off away with the Cincinnati Reds Detroit Tigers infielder Lee Hao- yu (李灝宇), the only active Taiwanese batter in MLB, crushed his first career home run on Sunday to help his team rally to an 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.The Tigers’ No. 6 prospect came off the bench as a pinch hitter for third baseman Colt Keith in the top of th
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday.The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in India
Rinku Singh hit an unbeaten 83 and took five catches as Kolkata Knight Riders edged out Lucknow Super Giants in a Super Over in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.Uncapped Indian left-arm quick Mohsin Khan claimed the tournament’s best bowling figures of the season with 5-23 to hold three-time cham
Xavi Simons is out of Tottenham’s Premier League relegation fight and this summer’s World Cup with a knee injury, the Dutch star said, describing himself as “heartbroken.”The 23-year-old midfielder was left clutching his right knee and was stretchered off in distress in Tottenham’s crucial 1-0 win a
COUNTRY ‘IN DANGER’: Malian Minister of Defense Sadio Camara, his second wife and two of his grandchildren died after a car bomb attack on his home in Kati Mali’s military rulers on Sunday faced a security crisis after coordinated nationwide attacks by jihadist fighters and separatist rebels this weekend killed the defense minister and reportedly left a key northern town in rebel hands.There was no word from junta leader General Assimi Goita, who has n
Global military spending reached nearly US$2.9 trillion last year, marking an 11th consecutive year of growth, researchers said yesterday, as insecurity and rearmament fueled defense budgets. The three top spenders — the US, China and Russia — spent a combined total of US$1.48 trillion, just over ha
CLIMATE CHANGE: The increasing instances of wildfires have added to a longer-term concern over the acute shortage of firefighters as Japan’s population declines and ages Ryota Haga was in high school when the biggest earthquake ever recorded in Japan triggered a deadly tsunami and swept away his family home in the quiet northeastern town of Otsuchi in March 2011.Now 31 with a wife and toddler, the volunteer firefighter faces another natural disaster: A wildfire ragi
One of the challenges with the sheer availability of food in today’s world is that lots of us end up spending many of our waking hours eating. Whether it’s full meals, snacks or desserts, scientists have found that it’s not uncommon for us to be mindlessly grazing at some point during all of our 16
The March/April volume of Foreign Affairs, long a purveyor of pro-China pablum, offered up another irksome Beijing-speak on the issues and solutions for the problems vexing the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the US: “America and China at the Edge of Ruin: A Last Chance to Step Back From the Br
April 27 to May 3Everything about Castrated Chicken (閹雞) followed the rules — until the Taiwanese folk songs began. As the male choir sang Diu Diu Deng (丟丟銅仔) and June Fields (六月田水), the audience danced and sang along, even calling for the songs to be repeated several times.It was a bold move by the
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced policymakers in Asia to face questions over the security of other maritime chokepoints, including the Strait of Malacca, which is the world’s busiest waterway for international trade.WHAT IS THE MALACCA STRAIT?The 900km long Malacca Strait, bounded by I
對話 Dialogue華華：欸，你最近有沒有發現，路上很多人背的包包上還有一個透明的小包包？Huáhua: Èi, nǐ zuìjìn yǒu méiyǒu fāxiàn, lùshàng hěn duō rén bēi de bāobāo shàng hái yǒu yí ge tòumíng de xiǎo bāobāo?清清：我上次去逛街，也注意到了。我看到好多人把吊飾、照片或娃娃什麼的放進小包裡，掛在包包上。那叫什麼啊？Qīngqīng: Wǒ shàngcì qù guàngjiē, yě zhùyì dào le. Wǒ kàndào hǎo duō rén bǎ diàoshì,
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？1. 你為什麼在會上一言不發？ˇ Why didn’t you say anything at the meeting?χ Why didn’t you say anything on the meeting?註︰不是「在…上」都用 on，「在會上」是 at the meeting，「在報紙上」是 in the newspaper，「在快車道上」是 in the fast lane。2. 別為這些小事擔憂。ˇ Don’t get upset about such trifles.χ Don’t get upset for such tr
Two moves show Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) is gunning for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) party chair and the 2028 presidential election. Technically, these are not yet “officially” official, but by the rules of Taiwan politics, she is now on the dance floor. Earlier this month Lu confirmed in an interview in Japan’s Nikkei that she was considering running for KMT chair. This is not new news, but according to reports from her camp she previously was still considering the case for and against running. By choosing a respected, international news outlet, she declared it to the world. While the outside world likely paid little attention, domestically the message was unmistakable: She is moving on to a larger stage. Part of the dance is to leave options open before formally committing, and with the chair race due in late September, she has time. If something goes wrong in the meantime, or if power brokers in the party offer her a deal that provides more benefits than taking on the role of chair, she can pivot accordingly. Earlier this year, I suggested that strategically, she would be better off concentrating on her job as Taichung mayor until she is term-limited out of office in December next year. Taichung mayor is obviously a full-time job, and concurrently running the Taipei-headquartered party runs the risk of doing one or both jobs poorly and making mistakes that could imperil her shot at the presidency in 2028. The situation has changed. Current KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), knowing he is likely to face challengers of a higher caliber than the three relative nobodies already declared, has gone all in on appealing to the base. The base is more likely to turn out to vote in the chair election, so this makes some strategic sense in the short term.
Among Thailand’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) villages, a certain rivalry exists between Arunothai, the largest of these villages, and Mae Salong, which is currently the most prosperous. Historically, the rivalry stems from a split in KMT military factions in the early 1960s, which divided command and opium territories after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) cut off open support in 1961 due to international pressure (see part two, “The KMT opium lords of the Golden Triangle,” on May 20). But today this rivalry manifests as a different kind of split, with Arunothai leading a pro-China faction and Mae Salong staunchly aligned to Taiwan. Last spring at Arunothai’s Jiaolian School, principal Wang Mingming (王明明) had forewarned me of the division between villages, saying, “We are not like the people in Mae Salong. They are rich. Because of the Taiwanese.” Arunothai has in recent years become split in its loyalties between Taiwan and China (see part one, “A tale of two schools,” on May 15), but in Mae Salong, links to Taiwan remain strong. Taiwan-funded monuments pay homage to the Lost Army, villagers wear T-shirts emblazoned with the Republic of China (ROC) flag and tea plantations grown Taiwan’s most famous tea varieties, including Dong Ding (“frozen peak”) Oolong, Oriental Beauty and Jin Xuan (Golden Daylily or Milk Oolong). Even the numerical classifications of the teas — Oolong No. 12 or No. 17, for example — are the same, and the shops resemble those found on Alishan. At the tomb of General Tuan Hsi-wen (段希文) — perched on a Mae Salong hilltop with a view of his ancestral homeland in China’s Yunnan province — a third generation villager wearing a vintage KMT army uniform, Yan Si-Chung (岩思中), greets visitors with sharp military salutes. “Both my father and my grandfather were soldiers in the KMT army,” the 44-year-old
| New Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Hsinchu City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 27-28 | 20% |  |
| Miaoli County | 24-26 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 27-28 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 26-28 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 25-26 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Chiayi City | 25-27 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Pingtung County | 26-27 | 10% | |
| Yilan County | 25-26 | 30% |  |
| Hualien County | 25-26 | 30% | |
| Taitung County | 25-27 | 30% | |
| Kinmen County | 27-28 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 27-27 | 20% | |
| Lienchiang County | 27-28 | 20% | |
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