Sun, May 03, 2026
‘CLEAR MESSAGE’: The US must stand with its allies, and combat China’s aggressive practices and efforts to change the ‘status quo’ in the Taiwan Strait, the officials said US lawmakers across party lines on Friday introduced a resolution to express concern over China’s threats toward Taiwan, focusing on peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait ahead of a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) later this month.The US
‘STEP-UP’: Washington would ensure a strong enough posture to balance Beijing’s power, but partners must do their part for collective defense, Pete Hegseth said The US must ensure peace through strength to deter Beijing from interfering with Washington’s long-standing national interests in the Indo-Pacific region, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said.“It is our job to make sure Beijing sees unquestionable US military strength that, if necessary, can ba
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) on Friday presided over the opening ceremony of the Taiwan Trade and Investment Service Center in Phoenix, Arizona, deepening Taiwan-US supply chain ties.The Phoenix center is Taiwan’s second such facility in the US, after the first in Dallas.The cen
A senior Iranian military officer yesterday said renewed fighting with the US was “likely,” hours after US President Donald Trump said he was not satisfied with an Iranian negotiating proposal.Iran delivered the new draft to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, state media reported, without detail
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday vowed to do more to ensure a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” using a speech in communist Vietnam to tout a regional strategy that has long rankled neighboring China.“I am renewing my determination to fulfill Japan’s responsibilities and... to play an ev
UNDAUNTED AND ONBOARD: Visit follows overflight delays attributed to Chinese pressure, as Lai aims to strengthen Taiwan-Eswatini ties and affirm international engagement President William Lai (賴清德) announced in a social media post earlier today that he has arrived in Taiwan’s diplomatic ally, Eswatini."After days of meticulous planning by the foreign affairs and national security teams, the delegation successfully arrived. Despite the slight delay, the people of Esw
FROM TAIPEI TO ESWATINI: The president’s visit, originally delayed due to Chinese pressure, marks a diplomatic breakthrough and underscores Taiwan’s freedom to engage globally President William Lai (賴清德), whose planned visit to Eswatini was previously postponed amid Chinese pressure, made a diplomatic breakthrough yesterday, arriving in the African kingdom for a state visit.Lai traveled aboard a chartered plane from Eswatini's king, which had only arrived in Taipei on Apr
SPLIT OPINION: KMT legislators support different figures of the defense budget, ranging from the party’s proposed ‘NT$380 billion plus N’ to NT$810 billion The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is slated to hold a meeting on Tuesday next week as party lawmakers debate the special defense budget.The Cabinet in November last year proposed a special budget of NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.46 billion) to fund domestic weapons systems and US arms packages.It covers
CREATIVE MEASURES: Using this method, Taiwan could tackle CCP infiltration and disinformation without sacrificing freedom of speech, an expert said Taiwan could register people who distribute false information as “foreign government agents,” which could discredit their information and make disinformation campaigns more costly, former US Indo-Pacific Command director of intelligence and retired rear admiral Michael Studeman said.Studeman made th
Taiwan’s coffee community has launched a “one-person-one-e-mail” campaign, calling for people to send a protest-e-mail to the World Coffee Championships (WCC) urging it to redesignate Taiwanese competitors as from “Taiwan,” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” The call followed sudden action last week afte
The Ministry of National Defense has confirmed that it canceled the armed forces’ military singing competition to ensure that troops can focus properly on training and combat readiness.While teaching and singing military songs could help boost morale, promoting such songs would no longer involve for
THREE-PRONGED APPROACH: Lai wants to cut deaths from the disease by a third by 2030, attacking it with early testing, drugs and advanced screening programs The government is enacting three measures to reduce cancer deaths by a third before 2030, President William Lai (賴清德) said in a recorded video played at the 30th Taiwan Joint Cancer Conference’s opening ceremony yesterday.In the address, Lai first expressed gratitude to the nine major cancer associa
REPEL THE RODENTS: Simple measures can help prevent the vermin from getting into your home, the Ministry of Environment said, as the population swells in Taipei The Ministry of Environment on Friday urged local governments to broaden urban sanitation measures, including sewer disinfection and coordinated pest control efforts, following reports of a rapidly expanding rat population in Taipei.The ministry said local authorities should adopt long-term, integra
The Taipei City Government yesterday defended policies around designated smoking areas in Ximending (西門町), after the limited access to the newly unveiled booths sparked an outcry among smokers.The Ximending shopping district is to go completely smoke-free on June 1, becoming the city’s first permane
STICKY WINNER: The marmalade made from a Taiwan-endemic citrus plant took home an armful of medals from the international festival Marmalade made of Citrus taiwanica, a critically endangered citrus species endemic to Taiwan, has won five gold and eight silver medals from the World’s Original Marmalade Awards and Festival.According to the Hsinchu branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FNCA), Citrus taiwanica, als
Hugo Hivernat’s restaurant was only open for a few days before he got dragged into New York’s cost of living row for pricing a half rotisserie chicken at US$40. For some, the cost highlights how dining out has become prohibitively expensive in one of the world’s culinary capitals. However, Hivernat
Ryanair, Transavia, Volotea and other low-cost airlines are feeling the financial pain from high jet fuel prices as a result of the Middle East war and are cutting flights. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has taken a huge chunk of oil supplies off the market, sending the price of jet fuel soarin
In the Armenian city of Hrazdan, excavators bite into pale soil as foundations take shape for a vast data center, Armenia’s entry into the global artificial intelligence (AI) race. For the landlocked country with limited natural resources but a strong tradition in engineering and mathematics, it rep
An amendment proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞) seeks to introduce exemptions to Taiwan’s restrictions on foreign ownership of public telecommunications networks. Under the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法), foreign ownership of public telecom networks in
The cancelation this week of President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visit to Eswatini, after the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius revoked overflight permits under Chinese pressure, is one more measure of Taiwan’s shrinking executive diplomatic space. Another channel that deserves attention keeps gr
Reports that the US is preparing a sustained maritime pressure campaign against Iran — including measures amounting to long-term restriction of port access — have shifted debate beyond selective interdictions. As Washington moves toward quasi-blockade dynamics, a familiar question has re-emerged: Co
‘NEVER SAY DIE’: Having been down 3-1, the Pistons had looked set to become just the seventh top seed in history to lose in the first round to the bottom seed The top-seeded Detroit Pistons on Friday recovered from the brink of elimination with an astounding comeback against the Orlando Magic as the Los Angeles Lakers finally saw off the Houston Rockets at the third time of asking in the NBA playoffs. The Pistons’ come-from-behind win took their series wi
Gage Goncalves on Friday scored off his own rebound at 9:03 of overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 to force a game seven in the first-round series. Goncalves scored soon after the Lightning killed scoring star Nikita Kucherov’s penalty for tripping Alexandre Carrier
Alex Zanardi, the Italian Formula One driver who became a Paralympic champion after losing both legs in an accident, has died aged 59, his family announced on Saturday. Zanardi was one of his country’s most loved and respected sportspeople, credited with helping transform the perception of disabilit
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom
MOVE OF SUPPORT: The military sales included Patriot air and missile defense services to Qatar, a US$2.5bn battle command system to Kuwait and APKWS to Israel and the UAE US President Donald Trump’s administration has bypassed congressional review to approve military sales totaling more than US$8.6 billion to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US Department of State’s announcements on Friday came as the US and Israel’s
BRUSHED OFF: Israel called the activists ‘provocateurs,’ while the US said the flotilla was a stunt and is exploring imposing ‘consequences’ on those who support them Dozens of activists on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces off Crete left their boats on Friday, with many taken to hospital on the Greek island while others were flown out.Greek officials said 31 of the roughly 175 activists had been taken to hospital on Crete, while Turkish off
The organization behind the Oscars is for the first time addressing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in performances and scripts for next year’s Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday released updates across many categories, stressing the importance of human
May 4 to May 10 It was once said that if you hadn’t performed at the Sapphire Grand Cabaret (藍寶石大歌廳), you couldn’t truly be considered a star.Taking the stage at the legendary Kaohsiung club was more than just a concert. Performers were expected to entertain in every sense, wearing outlandish or rev
President William Lai (賴清德) on Nov. 25 last year announced in a Washington Post op-ed that “my government will introduce a historic US$40 billion supplementary defense budget, an investment that underscores our commitment to defending Taiwan’s democracy.” Lai promised “significant new arms acquisiti
The small platform at Duoliang Train Station in Taitung County’s Taimali Township (太麻里) served villagers from 1992 to 2006, but was eventually shut down due to lack of use. Just 10 years later, the abandoned train station had become widely known as the most beautiful station in Taiwan, and visitors
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日）https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/langOne way to monitor marine biodiversity is to send divers down to take photos and notes; however, this method is expensive, time-consuming, and sometimes risky. On coral reefs, noise is an indicator of a healthy seabed. This is large
Few sea creatures of their size have as much destructive power as pistol shrimp. These small animals, usually measuring around four centimeters long, produce shock waves that can stun or even kill their prey.The attack begins when the shrimp opens its specialized claw, allowing water to fill a chamb
A: In addition to the biopic “Michael,” comedy “The Devil Wears Prada 2” is finally in theaters. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since the 2006 debut of the original film.B: Does the sequel still revolve around the fashion industry?A: This time, “Miranda,” the fashion magazine editor-in-chief p
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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