HANDOVER POLICY: Approving the probe means that the new US administration of Donald Trump is likely to have the option to impose trade restrictions on China
US President Joe Biden’s administration is set to initiate a trade investigation into Chinese semiconductors in the coming days as part of a push to reduce reliance on a technology that US officials believe poses national security risks. The probe could result in tariffs or other measures to restrict imports on older-model semiconductors and the products containing them, including medical devices, vehicles, smartphones and weaponry, people familiar with the matter said. The investigation examining so-called foundational chips could take months to conclude, meaning that any reaction to the findings would be left to the discretion of US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming team. Biden
‘ONE BRIDGE’: The US president-elect met with Akie Abe on Dec. 15 in Florida and the two discussed a potential Taiwan-China conflict’s implications for world peace
US president-elect Donald Trump has described Taiwan as “a major issue for world peace” during a meeting with Akie Abe, the widow of late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Japanese newspaper the Yomiuri Shimbun quoted sources as saying in a report yesterday. Trump met with Akie Abe on Dec. 15 at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two discussed the Russo-Ukrainian war and the situation in the Taiwan Strait. During the meeting, Trump spoke on the implications for world peace of a potential Taiwan-China conflict, which “indicated his administration’s stance of placing importance on dealing with the situation in
QUICK LOOK: The amendments include stricter recall requirements and Constitutional Court procedures, as well as a big increase in local governments’ budgets
Portions of controversial amendments to tighten requirements for recalling officials and Constitutional Court procedures were passed by opposition lawmakers yesterday following clashes between lawmakers in the morning, as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members tried to block Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators from entering the chamber. Parts of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) and Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) passed the third reading yesterday. The legislature was still voting on various amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) as of press time last night, after the session was extended to midnight. Amendments to Article 4
ALLIANCE: Washington continues to implement its policy of normalizing arms sales to Taiwan and helps enhance its defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said
US President Joe Biden on Friday agreed to provide US$571.3 million in defense support for Taiwan, the White House said, while the US State Department approved the potential sale of US$265 million in military equipment. Biden had delegated to the secretary of state the authority “to direct the drawdown of up to US$571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan,” the White House said in a statement. However, it did not provide specific details about this latest package, which was the third of its kind to
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
SECURITY: Taiwan is in talks with Amazon about collaborating on Kuiper broadband communication satellites to harden its telecommunications infrastructure in a potential conflict with China
Taiwan is launching the “Chip Team Taiwan” initiative to forge robotics, drones and space industry supply chains to decrease dependence on China, National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks at a news conference marking the conclusion of the 12th quadrennial National Science and Technology Conference in Taipei. The integration of semiconductor manufacturing would boost the indigenous tech and defense sector’s growth, he said. Taiwan has achieved a lot in terms of manufacturing of chips, but lacks the innovation necessary for sustaining industrial capabilities, which are key to resilience, including sovereign artificial intelligence
HOTEL WASTE: Rules prohibiting hotels from providing guests with free single-use toiletries are expected to cut the use of 460 million plastic containers every year
A series of new government policies are to take effect on Jan. 1 next year, from levying carbon fees, raising deductibles for filing income taxes and a ban on free single-use toiletries at hotels. Starting next year, the nation’s 500 largest carbon emitters must report their emissions from this year without paying carbon fees, as it would be considered a trial period, the Ministry of Environment said. The ministry would start collecting carbon fees in 2026 based on next year’s emissions. Of the largest emitters, 141 are publicly traded or over-the-counter firms, accounting for 54 percent of the nation’s total greenhouse gas emissions,
National Health Insurance (NHI) premiums are to be raised next year in line with adjustments to wages, which would affect about 8.21 million people, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday. Of those affected, 7.71 million are to see their monthly premiums increase slightly by an average of NT$21 (US$0.64), while 100,000 would see an average maximum increase of NT$831 and 400,000 would pay less, the ministry said. The adjustments would result in an NT$8.6 billion injection of funds into the healthcare sector, it added. In response to the minimum wage being raised to NT$28,590 from NT$27,470, the ministry revised the NHI’s
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market
A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
REMARK: President William Lai made an enigmatic comment yesterday, saying that ‘democratic disputes should be resolved with even greater democracy’
Three packages of amendments approved by the legislature would be “difficult to implement,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, adding that the Cabinet would seek “remedies” under the Constitution. With the support of the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), the amendments passed on Friday after hours of brawls between lawmakers from the opposition and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The amendments included changes to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) that stipulate those proposing a recall and those signing petitions provide a copy of the front and back of their national
HEALTH INSURANCE: Taiwanese who stay abroad for longer than four years must live in Taiwan for six months to re-enroll in the NHI system
New rules introduced yesterday have eliminated a scheme allowing people to suspend their National Health Insurance (NHI) contributions while living abroad for more than six months. Previously, Taiwanese who suspended their contributions only had to pay three months of premiums to regain access to NHI medical services upon returning to Taiwan. However, under the new rules, those living overseas would no longer be able to suspend their contributions and must continue paying monthly premiums to keep their NHI coverage, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) said. The changes would not apply to those who have suspended their contributions or applied
Four Canadian ministers on Tuesday unveiled a border security plan they had privately presented to US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, with an emphasis on surveillance, intelligence and technology. Canadian ministers had an “encouraging” meeting with Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, Canadian Minister of Finance, Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc told reporters. “I went through with Mr Homan the information that we’re sharing with you today... I’m encouraged by that conversation and by conversations I’ve had with the incoming [US] secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick,” LeBlanc said. LeBlanc and his colleagues announced a plan to beef
A: I love December. There are always so many concerts to attend at the end of the year. B: I just went to Bigbang member Tae-yang’s Taipei concert last weekend, and it was awesome. A: And I went to the weekend concerts at Christmasland in New Taipei City, featuring Tae-yang’s wife Hyo-lyn and various artists. B: Taiwanese superstars A-mei, Mayday, and Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok will also stage shows starting this week. A: It’s so hard to decide. Which one do you want to go to? A: 我好喜歡12月，因為每到年底總有許多演唱會！ B: 我上週才剛去過BigBang太陽的台北演唱會，超精彩。 A: 我也剛去過新北歡樂耶誕城的演唱會，太陽的老婆孝琳還有來表演唷。 B: 台灣天后阿妹、天團五月天、香港天王郭富城等巨星的演唱會從本週起也將陸續開唱。 A: 真難決定，你想去哪一場？ （By Eddy Chang,
Taiwanese would be able to work in the Czech Republic without a work permit starting from next year, Czech news outlet Novinky.cz reported on Thursday last week. Since July, the Czech government has granted people from nine non-EU countries — Australia, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Israel and Singapore — the right to work in the country without any form of work permit, the report said. The Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs was expected to add Taiwan to the list in July, but it failed to do so at the time, as Taiwan
From an anonymous office in a New Delhi mall, matrimonial detective Bhavna Paliwal runs the rule over prospective husbands and wives — a booming industry in India, where younger generations are increasingly choosing love matches over arranged marriage. The tradition of partners being carefully selected by the two families remains hugely popular, but in a country where social customs are changing rapidly, more and more couples are making their own matches. So for some families, the first step when young lovers want to get married is not to call a priest or party planner but a sleuth like Paliwal with high-tech spy
If you’ve ever seen detailed photographs of Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral, you may have noticed a striking feature of the building: large, circular windows divided by intricately arranged stonework radiating out from a central point like flower petals. The stonework encases colorful stained-glass windowpanes full of Catholic icons and symbolism. Called a “rose window,” this adornment can be found in cathedrals across Europe, although the style was most popular in France. The rose window is a key element of “Gothic architecture,” a highly ornate style of architecture popular from Europe’s High Middle Ages to the Late Middle Ages, roughly
The Taipei 101 skyscraper was lit up last night to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Guatemala. The building flashed a message in Mandarin Chinese that read: “Celebrating the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations” as well as the flags of Republic of China (ROC) and Guatemala, and a handshake. The ceremony was organized by the Central America Trade Office and the Guatemalan embassy in Taiwan, with the building lit up from 6pm to 10pm yesterday. Ceremony guests included Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Luis Raul Estevez Lopez,
SECURITY RISK: President William Lai said the amendments passed on Friday could compromise the nation’s combat capacity and undermine the safety of Taiwanese
Amendments regulating the allocation of funding between central and local governments that passed the legislature on Friday would necessitate a complete reformulation of next year’s general budget, the Cabinet said. Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) at a news conference yesterday said that if President William Lai (賴清德) acted in accordance with legislative convention by promulgating the updated Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法), the measures would go into effect within three days. “Next year’s general budget will be severely impacted and may even need to be completely overhauled,” she said. The central government is “researching and
Thousands of people joined the “Bluebird wintertime” protests outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei today, calling for controversial amendments proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to be withdrawn. The KMT is planning to pass amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) and the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) today. The “Bluebird wintertime” protest activities are being organized by civil society groups, including the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and Taiwan Citizen Front, and have been going on for several days. Today, organizers called for supporters to gather outside the
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