The government is dedicated to making Taiwan a global capital for Hakka culture by promoting Hakka innovations achieved under the nation’s freedom and democracy, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at a groundbreaking ceremony in Taoyuan for the International Hakka Expo building.
Tsai said that since becoming president, she has worked hard to promote the culture, encourage the daily use of the Hakka language and inspire Hakka people to feel proud of their heritage.
These efforts have been successful, as people can now speak Hakka with civil servants, while young people are returning to Hakka villages to work or start businesses, which helps promote local development, she said.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
The theme for next year’s expo is “Travel to Tomorrow” to represent “the Hakka of the future,” she said.
The expo hopes to reflect the experience of local Hakka cultures wherever they are and promote the cultural creativity of Taiwanese Hakka, who live in a free and democratic country, Tsai said.
Taiwan is the only country that has a detailed Hakka policy, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said.
Taoyuan has the largest Hakka population in the country, Su said, adding that Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) was instrumental in making the expo a reality.
The construction of the expo building marks the first time a national government has invested money to host a Hakka-themed international expo, Su said, adding that 22 countries have been invited to attend.
“We hope to demonstrate how Hakka work hard and maintain solidarity even when scattered around the world,” he said.
Taiwan occupies a critical position in terms of revitalizing Hakka culture and the expo would ensure that the nation would be instrumental in helping the revitalization of the Hakka culture worldwide, Cheng said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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