Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan
China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit
Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
TARGETING SUPPLY: High-tech detection methods would be used to crack down on Internet-based trafficking, which would require intelligence sharing, an official said
The Executive Yuan yesterday passed a new phase of its anti-drug strategy plan, which includes NT$15 billion (US$460.89 million) for enforcement efforts. The funding would go toward reducing the supply of new drugs such as etomidate, as well as limiting access to the chemicals needed to manufacture them, Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Shih-chieh (黃世杰) told a news conference in Taipei. High-tech detection methods would be implemented to crack down on Internet-based drug trafficking, with the strategy also calling for cross-border cooperation and intelligence sharing, Huang said. The High Prosecutors’ Office is integrating anti-drug resources into its six major enforcement agencies to ensure
SOUTHERN TIES: Beijing’s heavy investments in the Chancay Mega-port in the South American country could give China’s military a key outpost near the US, experts said
After snubbing Taiwan’s initial APEC envoy, this year’s summit host, Peru, is pushing for China to host the 2026 gathering following Beijing’s inauguration this week of a massive deep-water port in the South American country, the Nikkei Asia reported, citing sources who also said China had asked Lima to obstruct Taipei’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Two sources in Taipei said that Peru boycotted Taiwan’s first envoy pick — former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) — by not sending an invitation to the summit, forcing President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration to scramble to find
FREEDOM CURTAILED: The conviction of 45 democracy advocates proves the ‘unworkability’ of Beijing’s ‘one country, two systems’ model, the Presidential Office said
Taiwan yesterday condemned China over the jailing of 45 Hong Kong activists, saying “democracy is not a crime.” The government “strongly condemned the Chinese government’s use of judicial measures and unfair procedures to suppress the political participation and freedom of speech of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. International condemnation of the jailings has been swift, with the US, Australia and rights groups slamming the sentencing as evidence of the erosion of political freedoms in the territory since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020. Yesterday’s sentencing “not only breaks the promises of ‘50
Taiwan on Sunday beat Australia 11-3 to advance to the 2024 WBSC Premier12 Super Round, finishing second in Group B to secure a place in the Premier12’s Super Round alongside group winners Japan, as well as the top two teams from Group A, the United States and Venezuela. The 2024 WBSC Premier12 is being co-hosted by Mexico, Taiwan and Japan from Nov. 9 through Nov. 24, featuring the 12 highest-ranked national baseball teams in the world, based on the ranking system of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), baseball’s world governing body, as of the end of 2023. What’s the difference between
‘LIKE-MINDED’: At a Taiwan-EU investment forum in Taipei, Lai said that Taiwan and the EU should form a ‘strong democratic umbrella’ and build secure supply chains
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for the signing of an economic partnership agreement with the EU, saying it would boost cooperation in semiconductors and that, as democracies, the two sides should be working together. Taiwan has pushed for the signing of investment and trade deals with the EU, in what would be politically significant for Taiwan given its diplomatic isolation and general exclusion from most global bodies and agreements. For its part, the EU has been courting Taiwan as a “like-minded” partner under the European Chips Act to encourage more semiconductor production in Europe and lessen dependence on Asia, despite the
FOSTERING UNDERSTANDING: Kazuyuki Katayama said the tight bond was evident in the interactions of their young people, adding ties depend on future generations
Taiwan’s existence is “very, very important” to Japan, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Kazuyuki Katayama told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview published yesterday. Katayama in the interview conducted on Monday emphasized the importance of Taiwan-Japan ties based on economic and geopolitical proximity, and their shared values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. Taiwan and Japan share close economic ties, with the trade volume of agricultural and animal husbandry products seeing new recent developments, said the envoy, who has held the position for a year. Katayama’s comments referred to Japan importing Taiwan-raised
HIGHER EDUCATION: A majority, or 43.1%, of the Taiwanese students were pursuing graduate degrees, while 28% were engaged in optional practical training
Taiwan was the fifth-largest source of international students in the US during the last academic year, trailing only India, China, South Korea and Canada, a US Department of State report released on Monday showed. The number of Taiwanese students in the US during the 2023-2024 school year rose 6.1 percent from a year earlier to 23,157, accounting for 2.1 percent of the total, data from the 2024 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange showed. That continued a trend of annual increases that began in 2015, pausing only from 2019 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and made Taiwan the fifth-largest
A “meta” detective series in which a struggling Asian waiter becomes the unlikely hero of a police procedural-style criminal conspiracy, Interior Chinatown satirizes Hollywood’s stereotypical treatment of minorities — while also nodding to the progress the industry has belatedly made. The new show, out on Disney-owned Hulu next Tuesday, is based on the critically adored novel by US author Charles Yu (游朝凱), who is of Taiwanese descent. Yu’s 2020 bestseller delivered a humorous takedown of racism in US society through the adventures of Willis Wu, a Hollywood extra reduced to playing roles like “Background Oriental Male” but who dreams of one day
The Taipei Zoo on Saturday said it would pursue legal action against a man who was filmed climbing over a railing to tease and feed spotted hyenas in their enclosure earlier that day. In videos uploaded to social media on Saturday, a man can be seen climbing over a protective railing and approaching a ledge above the zoo’s spotted hyena enclosure, before dropping unidentified objects down to two of the animals. The Taipei Zoo in a statement said the man’s actions were “extremely inappropriate and even illegal.” In addition to monitoring the hyenas’ health, the zoo would collect evidence provided by the public
The US Department of Commerce said its granting last week of up to US$6.6 billion in subsidies to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) came after the Taiwanese company pledged to produce chips made using its advanced A16 process. TSMC Arizona Corp, a subsidiary of the Taiwanese chip giant that handles operations in the state, secured the US government subsidies under the CHIPS Incentives Program’s Funding Opportunity for Commercial Fabrication Facilities after agreeing to bring the state-of-the-art chipmaking technology to the US. “The advanced chips that TSMC manufactures for its customers — including its A16 technology, which is the most advanced semiconductor
NO TRUMP FACTOR? Jenni Yang said that Taiwan is preparing to review regulations before a new round of negotiations with Washington, which ‘are inherently difficult’
Taiwan’s chief trade negotiator, Minister Without Portfolio Jenni Yang (楊珍妮), on Thursday said that the nation would continue advancing a trade deal with the US under the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump. Taiwan remains optimistic about furthering the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade, despite a pause in negotiations due to the transition to the new administration, Yang told reporters at the APEC summit in Lima. Taiwan is preparing to review regulations before entering a new round of negotiations, which would cover issues including agriculture, labor and the environment, she said. “These issues are inherently difficult to negotiate,” she said, adding that
MEETING: Following a US, Japan and Australia trilateral statement supporting Taiwan, the Presidential Office said the nation would play its part in safeguarding stability
Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and cooperation with like-minded countries to defend the rules-based international order, the Presidential Office said yesterday after defense ministers from the US, Japan and Australia in a joint statement highlighted the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The US, Japan and Australia issued the statement after Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles, Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin convened the 14th Trilateral Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Darwin, Australia, on Sunday. “We emphasize the importance of peace and stability across
‘SIGN OF DANGER’: Beijing has never directly named Taiwanese leaders before, so China is saying that its actions are aimed at the DPP, a foundation official said
National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday accused Beijing of spreading propaganda, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had singled out President William Lai (賴清德) in his meeting with US President Joe Biden when talking about those whose “true nature” seek Taiwanese independence. The Biden-Xi meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru on Saturday. “If the US cares about maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is crucial that it sees clearly the true nature of Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in seeking Taiwanese independence, handles the Taiwan question with extra
A: Apart from Blackpink member Lisa, who else is set to visit Taiwan? B: Supergroup Take That will perform in Kaohsiung on Nov. 16, followed by singer Dua Lipa in Taoyuan on Nov. 20. A: Oh my gosh, Take That was my favorite group when I was young. B: Plus, South Korean singer BoA is also coming to Taipei on Nov. 23. A: As a first-generation K-pop diva, BoA’s show will definitely be awesome. A: 除了Blackpink 成員Lisa，還有哪些藝人會來台？ B: 天團接招合唱團11月16日在高雄開唱，歌手杜娃黎波20日在桃園開唱。 A: 天啊，接招是我年輕時最愛的樂團！ B: 南韓歌手寶兒，23日也將在台北開唱。 A: 她可是第一代韓流天后，一定超精彩。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
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