Tue, Feb 10, 2026
The sentencing yesterday of former Hong Kong media magnate Jimmy Lai (黎智英) raised concerns from international governments, while Chinese and Hong Kong authorities defended it, saying it reflected the spirit of the rule of law.Lai, a 78-year-old prominent democracy advocate, was sentenced to 20 years
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday “strongly condemned” the “political persecution” by Chinese authorities after Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英) was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Hong Kong’s National Security Law.In a statement, MAC said it “condemns the Chinese Communist Pa
Taiwanese trade negotiators told Washington that Taipei would not relocate 40 percent of its semiconductor production to the US, and that its most advanced technologies would remain in the nation, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said on Sunday.“I told the US side very clearly — that’s impossible,”
US ENVOY? A KMT vice chair said he meant no disrespect when he said Greene’s position was ‘only slightly higher than that of a section chief’ The director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is the US secretary of state’s representative in Taiwan who fully represents the US government’s position, a US Department of State spokesperson said on Saturday following controversial remarks by a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) official. KMT
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuc
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai (黎智英) was sentenced today to a total of 20 years in jail on three charges comprising two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materials.The Mainland Affairs Council condemned the "harsh" sentence and called for Lai
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s (黎智英) trial is a wake-up call to Taiwan and the free world, civic groups said today, warning that Taiwan should be aware that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) authoritarian red line would only continue to expand.In a landmark national security case, Lai, the fou
Independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) was today questioned after prosecutors searched her office over alleged corruption involving assistant expenses and national security concerns tied to campaign finances.The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau’s national security unit searched Chin’s reside
Defense experts have analyzed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) “Justice Mission 2025” military exercises around Taiwan last year and found that fighter jets engaged in “risky and provocative” acts, the Financial Times reported today. In a 24-hour window from Dec. 29 to 30, 130 Chinese mi
Garbage and recycling schedules are to vary from Saturday through Sunday next week over the Lunar New Year holiday period. The following collection information is from the governments of the six special municipalities.TaipeiRegular service: Sunday to Monday next week. No service: Tuesday to Thursday
SOPHISTICATED DRILLS: The growing complexity of China’s joint operations is more concerning than the drop in flights, a Tamkang University academic said Chinese military flights into a sensitive area near Taiwan last month fell to the lowest level of President William Lai’s (賴清德) tenure, an indication that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is tweaking its training focus. The PLA last month sent an average of 5.4 aircraft per day across the
Young people studying journalism and communication in Hong Kong no longer aspire to become reporters after graduation, according to Kwan Chun-hoi (關震海), the founder of independent news outlet Hong Kong Feature (誌).“One reason is the danger: Journalists risk intimidation and face little job security.
The government yesterday congratulated Thailand on the completion of its general election on Sunday, in which the country’s ruling conservative party secured a solid victory.The election was held to fill all 500 seats in the Thai House of Representatives, including 400 constituency seats and 100 par
A civic group and two political parties yesterday condemned lawmakers of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan Peple’s Party (TPP) for “disregarding the livelihoods of Taiwanese” by enjoying their year-end bonuses despite “failing to do their job” to review the government’s general budg
RECONCILIATION? Karen Kuo said that while the meeting is planned, it requires coordination due to the heavy workloads of each government branch President William Lai (賴清德) has invited the heads of each branch of government to a meeting after the Lunar New Year, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday.Kuo said that the president “sincerely hopes the five branches can work together for the good of the nation and help re
The union at TaiDoc Technology Corp (泰博科技) yesterday protested outside the Ministry of Labor, accusing the medical device maker of undermining its operations, a claim the company rejected, blaming the dispute on the involvement of an "outsider."After "illegally dismissing" the Taidoc Technology Labo
STEADY DEMAND: The US remained the nation’s main export destination, followed by China, while Ireland and the Netherlands emerged as key destinations in Europe Exports surged to a record high last month as demand for advanced chips and related hardware continued to accelerate, underscoring the nation’s central role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain.Outbound shipments jumped 69.9 percent from a year earlier to US$65.77 billion last mon
Wiwynn Corp (緯穎科技) on Friday said it expected continued strong shipments of its application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)-based artificial intelligence (AI) servers this year, as it seeks to enter major cloud service providers’ (CSPs) supply chains.Wiwynn’s CSP clients include Google, Amazon We
Taiwanese financial institutions in the past few years have slashed their exposure to China quickly and significantly, as they become more cautious about the growth prospects in the world’s second-largest economy, as well as the risks posed by rising local government debt and a persistent real-estat
In an op-ed for the Taipei Times (“Foreign-run domestic politics,” Feb. 8, page 8), Howard Shen (沈正浩) — foreign press secretary for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) 2024 presidential campaign — paints the KMT as a misunderstood steward of fiscal responsibility, unfairly maligned by “misinformed
Honduran President Nasry Asfura appears increasingly willing to absorb diplomatic and economic friction with Beijing if doing so stabilizes Honduras’ most consequential relationship, the one with Washington, and talks about the possibility of restoring ties with Taiwan.Minister of Foreign Affairs Li
FLOP TO CONQUEROR: It was sweet vindication for Sam Darnold, who played for four NFL teams before his debut season in Seattle ended in the ultimate win The Seattle Seahawks on Sunday coasted to Super Bowl glory, routing the New England Patriots 29-13 as Sam Darnold sealed his journey from flop quarterback to conqueror of the NFL’s biggest prize.Brushing off a reputation for wilting in big games, journeyman quarterback Darnold threw for a touchdown
Erling Haaland’s stoppage-time penalty on Sunday earned Manchester City a dramatic 2-1 win at Liverpool to reduce Arsenal’s lead at the top of the English Premier League back to six points.City were heading for defeat at Anfield with six minutes to go before Bernardo Silva canceled out Dominik Szobo
Kawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota.The 34-year-old forward, a two-time NBA champion, matched the second-best road scoring effort of his career as the Clippers improved to 25-
Lindsey Vonn on Sunday needed surgery on her broken leg after she crashed out of the Winter Olympics downhill to brutally end the American skiing great’s improbable dream of a medal.In happier scenes, figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin produced a pulsating routine to see off Japan and retain the
CONSERVATIVE WIN: The Bhumjaithai Party will have to seek one or two partners to form a coalition, with Pheu Thai party widely believed to be open to the idea The Bhumjaithai Party of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul was on track to win the most seats in Thailand’s general election, according to unofficial results released by the state Election Commission after about 94 percent of polling stations had reported yesterday.It was the first decisive victory
Venezuelan Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado yesterday said that armed men “kidnapped” a close ally shortly after his release by authorities, following former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s capture.The country’s Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed later yesterday that former National
Japan yesterday switched on the world’s biggest nuclear power plant again, its operator said, after an earlier attempt was quickly suspended due to a minor glitch.A problem with a monitoring alarm last month forced the suspension of its first restart since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.The Kashiwazaki
The collection on temporary display at the Neiwei Art Center in Kaohsiung bears the subtitle How He Learned to Stop Conventional Art Style and Love to Draw the Girls. This is indeed what the Japanese artist known solely by the nickname “Mr” is expressing: letting go of traditional art and its norms
In 2012, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) heroically seized residences belonging to the family of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), “purchased with the proceeds of alleged bribes,” the DOJ announcement said. “Alleged” was enough. Strangely, the DOJ remains unmoved by the any of the extensive
Feb. 9 to Feb.15 Growing up in the 1980s, Pan Wen-li (潘文立) was repeatedly told in elementary school that his family could not have originated in Taipei. At the time, there was a lack of understanding of Pingpu (plains Indigenous) peoples, who had mostly assimilated to Han-Taiwanese society and had
Russian figure skater Petr Gumennik has been forced to change his short program music two days before the men’s program at the Milan Cortina Olympics after joining a growing list of figure skaters dealing with copyright issues.Gumennik, who is participating as a neutral athlete at the Winter Games,
對話 Dialogue清清：這個週末就是情人節了，你打算送什麼禮物？Qīngqing: Zhè ge zhōumò jiù shì qíngrénjié le, nǐ dǎsuàn sòng shénme lǐwù ?華華：老實說，我有一點煩惱。我覺得心意比較重要，不一定要送禮物。Huáhua: Lǎoshí shuō, wǒ yǒuyìdiǎn fánnǎo. Wǒ juéde xīnyì bǐjiào zhòngyào, bú yídìng yào sòng lǐwù.清清：可是如果什麼都沒送，對方會不會覺得你不夠用心？Qīngqing: Kěshì rúguǒ shénme dōu mé
1. 喬治氣得發抖。ˇ George trembled with anger.χ George trembled with angry.註：介詞 with 後面應用名詞作介詞的受詞；angry 是形容詞，anger 是名詞。2. 他過分客氣，沒表示意見。ˇ He is over modest and withholds his opinion.χ He is over modesty and withholds his opinion.註：modesty 是名詞，modest 是形容詞，描寫或修飾主詞，應以形容詞作補語。3. 我對你的作品印象非常深刻。ˇ I am very impressed
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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