Mon, May 18, 2026
RESILIENCE: Although the door to the world is closed, Taiwan built its own stage to showcase its healthcare advancements, foreign minister Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday said he arrived in Geneva to attend activities Taiwan is staging in the country to coincide with the World Health Assembly (WHA).Lin is the first Taiwanese foreign minister to visit the Swiss city during the annual gathering. The minister wro
The subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in Kumamoto, Japan, turned a profit in the first quarter of this year, marking the first time the first fab of the unit has become profitable since mass production started at the end of 2024.According to the contract chipmaker’s fin
The WHO yesterday declared an international health emergency over an outbreak of an Ebola strain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) that has killed more than 80 and for which there is no vaccine.Fears of further spread grew when a laboratory yesterday confirmed a case in the major ea
A huge wave of more than 500 Ukrainian drones attacked Russia overnight, killing four people in the Moscow region, authorities said yesterday.Air defenses shot down 556 drones in more than a dozen regions, including Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Defense said, in one of the largest Ukrainian barrag
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday.“It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (
US Republican and Democratic lawmakers have urged US President Donald Trump’s administration to continue with weapons sales to Taiwan after Trump on Friday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with an arms package for the nation.Trump made the statement en route to Washington a
GROUNDED: A KMT lawmaker proposed eliminating drone development programs and freezing funding for counterdrone systems, despite China’s adoption of the technology China has deployed attack drones at air bases near the Taiwan Strait in a strategy aimed at overwhelming Taiwan’s air defense systems through saturation attacks, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said.The council’s latest quarterly report on China said that satellite imagery and open-source intelli
TOUGH TACTICS: China has heightened military intimidation and ‘gray zone’ tactics, while using political warfare to target independence advocates, William Stanton said China’s approach to Taiwan has moved from a position seeking peaceful development to a more aggressive and urgent stance, former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director William Stanton said yesterday.His comments — made at a Taipei seminar hosted by the World United Formosans for Independence to
Beijing attempted to use last week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to cement China’s position on Taiwan as a key part of the framework shaping US-China relations, an article published on Friday by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) said.“For Xi,
US arms sales to Taiwan should not be used as leverage by the White House, after US President Donald Trump said the sales were a “very good negotiating chip” in dealings with China, two US experts said on Saturday.In a Fox News interview that aired on Friday after Trump concluded a trip to China, du
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday that President William Lai (賴清德) should stop dodging the issue and clarify whether the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a foreign country.The party issued the call after Lai earlier in the day stated that the true meaning of "Taiwan independence
The opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan is to vote tomorrow on a rare, but largely symbolic, motion to impeach President William Lai (賴清德).The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in December announced that they would try to impeach Lai after Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰)
Environmental advocates and supporters yesterday gathered in Taipei to voice opposition to restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春), while marking the first anniversary of the nation becoming nuclear-free on May 17 last year.Lung Chang-wei (龍昶維), an ed
INFRASTRUCTURE INDECISION: While Nvidia’s new HQ building itself should not require as much power as a data center, the ecosystem it expects to nurture might The Beitou-Shilin Tech Park is facing power infrastructure difficulties as the Taipei City Government and Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) remain divided over a planned substation.The city government in February signed a deal with Nvidia to build the company’s Taiwan headquarters in the park.Taipei se
AFTERSHOCK ANXIETY: The earthquake yesterday was relatively quick and mild, but seismologists warned that there could be aftershocks in the days to come The magnitude 5.1 earthquake that hit Nantou County yesterday morning was an isolated event, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA), but warned of possible aftershocks measuring between magnitude 4 and 4.5 for the next week.According to the agency, the earthquake struck at 8:46am at a
LAST CHANCE: The head of the government’s labor relations commission is expected to join the negotiations on Monday, three days before the union’s deadline of May 21 Samsung Electronics Co and its largest labor union are to resume negotiations on Monday to avert a strike that the nation’s prime minister warned could wreak havoc on the economy.Management and the union representatives at the world’s biggest memory chipmaker are to meet for the talks on wages and c
NEW MARKET: The partnership opens up India to the Dutch company, which already has a strong hold in the semiconductor market of South Korea, Taiwan and China ASML Holding NV entered into a partnership agreement with Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd aimed at ramping up India’s goal to develop domestic chip-manufacturing capabilities.The Dutch company’s technology would help power Tata Electronics’ planned 300 millimeter (mm) semiconductor foundry in Gujarat, acco
Overseas branches of Taiwanese banks have reported NT$28.99 billion (US$918.8 million) in combined net profit for the first quarter of this year, a record high for the period and up 8.6 percent year-on-year, although their overseas units in China saw net profit decline of 19.71 percent, data release
About a dozen Taiwanese media representatives attended a cross-strait media summit in Beijing on Tuesday organized by Beijing Daily Group, where China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Deputy Director Wu Xi (吳璽) talked about the agency’s expectations for Taiwanese and Chinese media, including being “cross-str
I wrote this before US President Donald Trump embarked on his uneventful state visit to China on Thursday. So, I shall confine my observations to the joint US-Philippine military exercise of April 20 through May 8, known collectively as “Balikatan 2026.” This year’s Balikatan was notable for its “fi
The Chinese Communist Party last month announced 10 “preferential measures” for Taiwan, including pushing for the full restoration of direct cross-strait passenger flights. Taiwan boasts a long list of exciting local destinations that local tourists have yet to discover. Taiwan is experiencing a tou
FRUSTRATION: Gauff smacked herself on the head with her racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging afterward to have a heated discussion with her coach Elina Svitolina on Saturday won the Italian Open after beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men’s final. Ukraine’s Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years
Celtic on Saturday snatched the Scottish Premiership title from Hearts in the dying minutes of the season, scoring two late goals to earn a 3-1 win and a 14th title in 15 years. Needing a win to usurp the Jambos at the top of the table, Celtic came from behind to deny Hearts a first title in 66 year
Taiwan’s top male badminton player, Chou Tien-chen, on Saturday bowed out in the men’s singles semi-finals at the Thailand Open after losing in straight games to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The world No. 6 Chou, seeded fourth at the Super 500 tournament, lost to the world No. 2 Thai 21-7, 21-19 i
Alex Smalley overcame a horrid start with seven birdies in the last 12 holes to seize a two-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the PGA Championship. The unheralded 29-year-old US player, chasing his first PGA Tour title in only his fifth major start, fired a two-under-par 68 to stand on six
‘SIGNIFICANT OPERATION’: The attack, which killed six other people, including al-Haddad’s wife and daughter, comes amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed the leader of Hamas’ military wing who was one of the last surviving architects of the attacks that triggered the war in late 2023, the Israeli military said on Saturday. Hamas confirmed the death.Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed on Friday, Israel’s army said, desc
The Philippines said it has asked the country’s Supreme Court to allow it to arrest former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s chief drug war enforcer to stand trial in an international tribunal.The International Criminal Court (ICC) last week unsealed an arrest warrant against Philippine Senator
The researchers in Ireland looked at their computer screen, marveling at a medieval book tracked down in a Roman library. They flipped through its digitized pages and found their sought-after treasure: the oldest surviving English poem.“We were extremely surprised. We were speechless. We couldn’t be
“China wants to unify with Taiwan at the lowest possible cost, and it currently believes that unification will become easier and less costly as time passes,” wrote Amanda Hsiao (蕭嫣然) and Bonnie Glaser in Foreign Affairs (“Why China Waits”) this month, describing how the People’s Republic of China (P
May 18 to May 24Gathered on Yangtou Mountain (羊頭山) on Dec. 5, 1972, Taiwan’s hiking enthusiasts formally declared the formation of the “100 Peaks Club” (百岳俱樂部) and unveiled the final list of mountains.Famed mountaineer Lin Wen-an (林文安) led this effort for the Chinese Alpine Association (中華山岳協會). Wor
Nested in Taiwan’s historical Walled City, a new exhibition invites visitors into the worlds of architect Chan Yi-chung (詹益忠) and illustrator Lin Li (林俐).During his opening remarks, National Taiwan Museum (NTM) Director Chen Teng-chin (陳登欽) said that the exhibition, A Living Museum: Sketches of the
1. 他兩天後回來。ˇ He will return in two days.χ He will return after two days.註︰從現在開始，說「多久以後」，應該用 in，不用 after，例如：He plans to finish the work in three months. I am sure we will hear from him in a few days.請注意 in a few days、in three months 許多人誤以為是「幾天內」、「三個月內」，其實是「幾天後」、「三個月後」。如指「某個時刻或日期或事件以後」，可用 after。例如： I w
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日）https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/langFor the most part, the idea of “Blue Monday” has been rejected as a myth. Some mental health experts also say there is a danger in labeling a certain day as the most depressing time of the entire year. Some argue that if people expe
Since 2005, the third Monday in January has come to be known as “Blue Monday.” In other words, that day is believed to be the most depressing day of the year. This concept seems logical at first. After all, Monday marks the start of the school or workweek after two days of rest and fun. Also, blue i
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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