During the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) one-party era, many seemingly democratic institutions were actually manipulated and well-crafted illusions. Although votes were held, the entire system had been carefully engineered, reducing democracy into little more than a formality.This history of fake
Last week, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) unveiled the location of Nvidia’s new Taipei headquarters and announced plans to build the world’s first large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputer in Taiwan.In Taipei, Huang’s announcement was welcomed as a milestone for Taiwa
In a 2018 referendum, voters said no to phasing out nuclear energy. So why are they being asked the same question again? Is this truly about public interest or simply repeating the vote until the result aligns with an agenda?I am not blindly pro-nuclear. I am pro-reason. If we want a greener future,
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An 8.5mm striped beetle. A 4mm mosquito. A 25mm hornet. These critters are tiny, but they pack a mighty punch when it comes to economic costs. The damage these organisms and their ilk are inflicting on regions around the world puts invasive alien species — non-native flora and fauna that harm the en
Their tariff war might be stalemated, but the competition for technological supremacy between the US and China is shifting into high gear. As the two countries battle for dominance in artificial intelligence (AI) — and the productivity and geopolitical gains that would come with it — one question lo
In the past few years, there has been a series of child molestation cases. The most recent involves a go instructor surnamed Li (李) in New Taipei City, who has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for committing 64 counts of molestation against boys and girls younger than 14.The case came to light w
US President Donald Trump’s imposition of punitive tariffs on Pacific island nations, coupled with the reduction of USAID to the region and his administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, signals a significant shift in US foreign policy. These actions carry deeper strategic implica
South Korean K-pop group Blackpink on Tuesday announced their return to the National Stadium in Kaohsiung, where they are to hold two concerts on Oct. 18 and 19. With only two weeks remaining until tickets go on sale, accommodation in Kaohsiung is being flooded with an overwhelming number of reserva
Kindness under pressureA few months ago, I saw an old woman lying in an alley near my school. A girl passing by immediately went up to check on her, followed by myself and several others. We stayed with her until she was able to stand up. Fortunately, she was not seriously injured.I was initially he
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A historic journey took place this week in England, when the first renationalized South Western Railway (SWR) service departed from Woking for Waterloo. Yet unfortunately, passengers had to disembark at Surbiton and board a rail replacement bus due to engineering work.The incident highlights that th
Summer is here, and for a select cohort of college students, that means swapping lecture halls for trading floors and seminar rooms for Wall Street office suites. In the next few weeks, thousands would begin internships at Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and other major financial insti
In the 1930s and 1940s, the US played a crucial role in keeping academic inquiry alive. By welcoming thousands of researchers fleeing fascism in Europe, it enhanced its national brainpower and fostered breakthroughs of immense value to people everywhere — from the digital computer to the discovery o
Chinese academic Zhang Weiwei (張維為) recently said that after Taiwan is “unified” with China, “governing Taiwan would be easier than governing Hong Kong” as young Taiwanese are fond of using Chinese social media apps such as Xiaohongshu (小紅書, or “RedNote”). It would be easy to dismiss the Fudan Unive
On May 13, the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to Article 6 of the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of nuclear reactors from 40 to 60 years, thereby providing a legal basis for the extension or reactivation of nuclear power plants. On May 20, Chi
When China passed its “Anti-Secession” Law in 2005, much of the democratic world saw it as yet another sign of Beijing’s authoritarianism, its contempt for international law and its aggressive posture toward Taiwan. Rightly so — on the surface. However, this move, often dismissed as a uniquely Chine
Amid a mass movement to recall opposition legislators, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) joined hands in the legislature to cancel the May 19 White Terror Memorial Day. Using their combined legislative majority, the two parties earlier this month voted to pass a
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