Tue, May 19, 2026
RESOLUTE BACKING: Two Republican senators are planning to introduce legislation that would impose immediate sanctions on China if it attempts to invade Taiwan US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday reaffirmed US congressional support for Taiwan, saying the US and “all freedom-loving people” have a stake in preventing China from seizing Taiwan by force.Johnson made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Sunday on US President Donald
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Sunday said he had met with UK House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle during his visit to Britain, marking the first meeting between a Taiwanese legislative speaker and the speaker of the lower house of parliament.Speaking to reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan Intern
People whose driving licenses have been revoked for more than three years would be required to take driving lessons again before applying for a new license, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.The new road safety rules are to take effect on June 30 following amendments t
STAYING VISIBLE: The health and foreign ministers attended events on the sidelines of the WHA, which they said showcase the nation’s important health contributions The executive or legislative bodies of more than 50 countries have expressed support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) and other international organizations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday.Eleven of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have submitted
The WHO yesterday opened a meeting of global health ministers amid concern over deadly hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks and uncertainty over announced US and Argentine withdrawals.While the rare hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that has gripped global attention is not officially on the agenda, it
CAUTIOUS: While the Cabinet appointments ‘send a signal,’ Solomons is unlikely to reverse its decision on ties with China soon, an Australian ex-official said A former leader who supported ties with Taiwan and a China critic have won key roles in the new Solomon Islands government, signaling change for the South Pacific’s closest backer of Beijing.Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale was elected on Friday by lawmakers after his predecessor was oust
CLARITY: Trump created ‘some anxiety’ in Taiwan during his visit to China, and Taipei aims to understand the meaning behind his remarks, an official said Taiwan would “welcome” an opportunity for its leader to speak with US President Donald Trump after he raised the possibility, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺) said yesterday.Trump on Friday told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way back to Washington from a state visit to
President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday that Taiwan would be able to make greater contributions to global health if it were a member of the WHO.In a prerecorded video message in English for the Taiwan Global Health Forum Series, held to coincide with the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA), Lai n
The International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), the nation’s primary organization for international development aid, and Malteser International on Sunday signed a Letter of Intent for Cooperation on the Ukraine Humanitarian Assistance Program in Geneva, Switzerland, to help Ukrainians who
President William Lai (賴清德) has a 56.4 percent approval rating and a 51.8 percent trust rating, a poll released yesterday by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) showed.More than 70 percent of people surveyed in the poll, released ahead of Lai’s second anniversary in office tomorrow, said they wer
On a stretch of open land in southern Taiwan, an engineer from Thunder Tiger Corp wearing first-person view goggles guides an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) through a series of sharp turns before bringing it down for a controlled landing.Nearby, at the Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center i
‘KING OF CANCERS’: Researchers said they observed a decrease in the number of harmful cells within the tumor tissues and an increase in the number of good cells A research team from the National Health Research Institutes has found a way to make immunotherapy more effective against pancreatic cancer: blocking MAP4K2, a protein kinase that appears to weaken the effect of anti-PD-1 treatment. Pancreatic cancer is widely known as the “king of cancers,” as it i
Taiwanese students delivered a strong performance at this year’s international robotics competition in the US, winning eight awards, including two gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Dozens of Taiwanese elementary, junior-high, and high-school students competed against teams from 25 countries at
‘WE CAN DO IT’: The ‘Code Girls’ initiative is aimed at encouraging female students to pursue competitive programming and computer science, NTNU said Taiwan marked a milestone in women’s technology education this year by sending its first delegation to the European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI), in which the team won four medals. The four-member delegation traveled to Cesenatico, Italy, for the sixth edition of the competition, earning tw
ROUGH RECORDS: Bonds in Japan, as well is in New Zealand, Australia and the US, are seeing the effects of a nervy market as stock exchanges across Asia edge down A deepening slump in Japanese government bonds added fuel to the selloff in global debt markets as rising oil prices stoked inflation fears and pushed yields to multi-decade highs.Japan’s 30-year yield yesterday surged as much as 20 basis points to the highest level since the tenor’s debut in 1999,
DETAILS TO COME: The schedule, method, and even confirmation of such a launch has yet to be determined, the company said in a news release Kioxia Holdings Corp’s plan to float American depositary shares (ADSs) is setting the company’s much sought-after stocks up for a liquidity boost, tapping into the global fervor over memory chips to expand its investor base.The company is preparing to list the ADSs on a US stock exchange, it said in
EXPLOSIVE GROWTH: As worldwide issuance of active ETFs is going through a catapult launch, so it goes in Taiwan, with 28 active ETFs coming online in just a year Taiwan’s actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have become an investment frenzy, with several offerings more than doubling in value within a year as strong market gains and notable returns draw a surge of investor money into the fast-growing area.The rapid ascent of active ETFs is the newest
The nation’s stock market is booming this year, and the TAIEX continues to hit fresh highs driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor stocks. Not only has the benchmark index moved above 40,000 points and briefly surpassed 42,000 points, but the daily trading volume on the main board h
Taiwan’s higher education system is facing an existential crisis. As the demographic drop-off continues to empty classrooms, universities across the island are locked in a desperate battle for survival, international student recruitment and crucial Ministry of Education funding. To win this battle,
Chinese military pressure on Taiwan, including airspace and naval encirclement, has been ramping up, and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been rapidly enhancing its uncrewed and intelligent combat capabilities. Against this backdrop, chaos reigns in Taiwan’s legislature over the review of defe
RESOUNDING ROAD WIN: Victory sets up Cleveland’s first conference finals appearance since 2018 and their series begins today against the Knicks The Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday eliminated top-seeded Detroit from the NBA playoffs, dominating a decisive Game 7 125-94 and are to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.Led by Donovan Mitchell’s 26 points, Cleveland’s victory makes them the last team to book their spot in this
Vinicius Junior on Sunday earned Real Madrid a 1-0 win at Sevilla in La Liga in the penultimate round of fixtures, but results elsewhere mean the hosts have secured safety from relegation.Levante UD earned a vital 2-0 win over RCD Mallorca, who are 19th and in grave danger, along with Girona, 18th a
West Ham United’s 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday left Tottenham Hotspur realistically only needing one more point to win the battle for English Premier League survival, while Bruno Fernandes made history in Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.Spurs can avoid dropping out of
Jannik Sinner has his eyes on a first Roland Garros title after winning the Italian Open on Sunday to claim a record-extending sixth consecutive Masters 1000 tournament victory.World No. 1 Sinner beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to complete the “Golden Masters” by winning all of the ATP’s top-ranked events
TWO-DAY SUMMIT: G7 leaders hope to forge a united front in the face of Trump’s transactional foreign policy, China’s grip on rare earths and the Middle East war Finance chiefs from the G7 industrialized nations yesterday gathered in Paris for two days of talks aimed at forging a united front as the Middle East war roils economic prospects worldwide.France, which currently chairs the rotating presidency of the G7, faces the tricky task of keeping dialogue op
Thousands of people streamed onto the National Mall for a daylong prayer rally on Sunday billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God.”Against the backdrop of the Washington Monument, worship music blared from a stage that made clear the event’s Christian focus. Arched stained-gl
DECLINING FERTILITY RATE: Falling birthrates in many nations were leading to aging populations and economic strain, Andhra Pradesh’s chief minister said India may be the world’s most populous country, with 1.42 billion people and challenges like high youth unemployment, but powerful allies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are championing larger families to counter a declining fertility rate.Even though the UN projects India’s population would keep ri
Taiwan’s overtaking of South Korea in GDP per capita is not a temporary anomaly, but the result of deeper structural problems in the South Korean economy says Chang Young-chul, the former CEO of Korea Asset Management Corp. Chang says that while it reflects Taiwan’s own gains, it also highlights wea
Top prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket have witnessed a surge in suspicious trades this year, highlighting the popularity of the models with investors but causing a challenge to the platforms as they face increased scrutiny. The surge in suspicious bets comes as trading volumes on pre
“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
The debate surrounding Taipower’s recent corporate identity reboot has gone well beyond the design community. The controversy began after Taipower replaced the familiar “Taiwan Power Company” wording — widely regarded as the calligraphy of Yu You-ren (1879-1964), former Control Yuan president and ma
對話 Dialogue清清：最近一直下雨，而且一下就是好幾天，應該是梅雨季到了吧？Qīngqing: Zuìjìn yìzhí xiàyǔ, érqiě yí xià jiùshì hǎo jǐ tiān, yīnggāi shì méiyǔ jì dào le ba?華華：對啊，這個時候天氣特別潮濕，衣服和鞋子都很難乾。Huáhua: Duì a, zhège shíhou tiānqì tèbié cháoshī, yīfu hé xiézi dōu hěn nán gān.清清：我每天出門都覺得很麻煩，還要一直帶傘。Qīngqing: Wǒ měitiān chūmén dōu juéd
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
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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