Taipei Times
Joint first island chain shield urged
In light of China’s authoritarian expansion and military threat, democratic countries should reconceptualize the First Island Chain as a single theater, and build a collective and coordinated democratic shield to deter aggression, Minister of Foreign...
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KMT’s Cheng Liwun meets Xi Jinping in China
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近 and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) met in Beijing yesterday, where they vowed to bring people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait closer to facilitate the “great rejuvenation of the...
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Cabinet eyes rules to protect migrants
The Cabinet yesterday approved a draft amendment that would ban employers or labor brokers from keeping migrant workers’ identity documents or expropriating their personal property under any circumstances. Under current rules, employers and labor...
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CCP shifting infiltration strategy: NSB
China’s attempts to infiltrate Taiwan are systematic, planned and targeted, with activity shifting from recruiting mid-level military officers to rank-and-file enlisted personnel, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Mingyen (蔡明彥) said...
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Safeguarding Taiwan key to peace: Lai
True peace can only be achieved by safeguarding Taiwan’s sovereignty, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday at a memorial marking the 37th anniversary of democracy advocate Deng Nan-jung’s (鄭南榕) death. Lai said he hoped that through annual...
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NDC to forecast rapid population drop
An expected National Development Council (NDC) report expects the nation’s population to drop below 12 million by 2065, with the oldage dependency ratio to top 100 percent sooner than 2070, sources said yesterday. The council is slated to release its...
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SHOWCASING TRADITION
A dragon dance troupe performs during the Nantou Temple Culture and Art Festival at the Jinlongshan Fahua Temple in Nantou County’s Jhongliao Township yesterday. The Nantou County Government said the festival connects religious traditions with the...
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Taiwan implementing cybersecurity projects: source
The military’s Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command is implementing plans to bolster cybersecurity protection, including a “Dedicated Communication Network Bandwidth Service” contract with Chunghwa Telecom for NT$5.457 billion...
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DPP primary winner indicted over spying
Chu Cheng-chi (朱政騏), a former legislative assistant who won a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) primary for a Taipei city council seat, was indicted yesterday on charges of spying for China. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office accused Chu of...
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Iran hits Kuwait after Trump comment
Iran yesterday hit an oil tanker off the coast of Qatar, as well as Kuwait’s airport, while airstrikes battered Tehran — hours after US President Donald Trump said that he was nearly ready to wind down the war. Trump, who was scheduled to address the...
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EU opposes use of force in Strait: MEP
The EU is to continue to oppose any attempt to change the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait by force, European Parliament Committee on Security and Defence Chair Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann said yesterday during a meeting with President William Lai...
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US support for Taiwan strong: senators
The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US...
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KMT’s Lu urges passage of defense bill
It would be “reasonable to pass NT$800 billion to NT$1 trillion” (US$25.09 billion to US$31.37 billion) for the special defense budget, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀 of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday. Lu made the remarks in an...
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NEWS SEASON
More than 40,000 fans attend the opening game for the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s 37th season, a clash between the Rakuten Monkeys and the CTBC Brothers at the Taipei Dome yesterday. The Rakuten Monkeys won 3-2.
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Taipower to freeze power rate for 6 months
Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, is to keep electricity rates unchanged for six months from next month in an effort to curb inflation risks due to the Middle East conflict, which has bumped global crude oil prices to more than US$100 per barrel, the...
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Ko sentenced to 17 years in prison
Ko’s lawyers sought reduced bail and other concessions, as did other defendants, but the bail judge denied their requests, citing the severity of the sentences Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was yesterday sentenced to 17 years in prison and had...
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AIT head calls for stronger trade ties
Taiwan’s manufacturing strengths, in combination with the US’ technological expertise, could bolster the nations’ trade resilience by enhancing supply chain resilience and tapping into emerging markets, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director...
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Taipei tells Denmark to fix ‘China’ tag
Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits...
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Taiwan establishes trade office for diplomatic allies
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has established a “diplomatic allies prosperity economic and trade office” to encourage local companies to invest in the nation’s allies, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in New Taipei City...
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Taiwan aiming to be major UAV player
The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the...
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Lai reveals nuclear power revival plan
A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month,...
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Trump, Takaichi commit to peace in Taiwan Strait
US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday affirmed their shared commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposition to any attempts to unilaterally change the “status quo.” The two leaders...
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US report says no China 2027 plan
China does not plan to invade Taiwan next year and seeks to control the nation without the use of force, the US intelligence community said on Wednesday. The assessment in the intelligence agencies’ annual report on global threats comes as Beijing has...
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Venezuelan fans celebrate maiden victory at WBC
Venezuela on Tuesday won the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time, defeating the US 3-2 in the championship game at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Eugenio Suarez’s tiebreaking double in the top of the ninth inning. Suarez and his Venezuela...
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COOKING UP A TREAT
Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau Director-General Kao Min-lin, right, poses with chefs and officials at a news conference in Kaohsiung yesterday announcing this year’s Kaohsiung Neimen Song Jiang Battle Array is to take place from Saturday to April 5.
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Taiwan can unify Chinese, Walesa says
Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the...
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RACE ON
Participants in the New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon set off from the starting line yesterday morning. The Department of Sports said the event drew more than 12,000 participants, including 372 foreign runners from 39 countries. Kenyan runners Enock...
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CHAMPIONS
Taiwanese players and supporters pose for a photograph in Taipei yesterday, after Taiwan defended their 600kg title at the World Indoor Tug of War Championships.
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YANGMINGSHAN IN BLOOM
A woman poses for a photograph in a field of calla lilies on the opening day of the Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival on Yangmingshan in Taipei yesterday.
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Majority willing to resist China in attack, survey finds
Nearly 60 percent of Taiwanese polled said they would be willing to resist “at all costs” if China attacks Taiwan and the US does not deploy forces to help, an Academia Sinica survey released yesterday found. The Institute of European and American...
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Lai marks 15 years since Tohoku quake
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and...
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Taiwan to have highest missile density
With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap...
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WOMEN’S POWER
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of NGO International Affairs Deputy Director-General Kang Chia-chi, front, center left, and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York Director Lee Chih-chiang, front, center right, hold placards along with...
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Taiwan defeat S Korea to keep WBC hopes alive
Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extrainning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by...
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Taiwan crushes Czechia 14-0 at the WBC
Taiwan secured their first victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) yesterday, handing the Czech Republic a 14-0 trouncing at the Tokyo Dome. After being defeated in its first two Pool C games — including a demoralizing 13-0 loss to Japan...
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KMT’s NT$350bn defense plan not a ‘blank check’
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it would propose a special defense budget bill totaling NT$350 billion (US$11.05 billion) to fund eight weapons sales announced by the US in December last year. The caucus “fully supports” the...
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Israel targets leaders and security forces of Iran
The US and Israel yesterday hit Iran’s capital and other cities in multiple airstrikes on the fifth day of the war with Iran. Israel targeted the Iranian leadership and security forces, while the Islamic Republic responded with missile barrages and...
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No power rationing required: minister
Taiwan would not have to ration power due to a shortage of natural gas, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday, after reports that the Strait of Hormuz was closed amid the conflict in the Middle East. The government has...
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Cabinet responds to Mideast conflict
In response to airstrikes by the US and Israel on Iran at the weekend, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮 yesterday convened a meeting of the Cabinet and instructed the Ministry of Economic Affairs to activate an energy response task force, while tasking Vice...
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Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei killed
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the...
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Lai touts protections of democracy
Only under a democratic system, in which the public is sovereign, can a nation prevent the state apparatus from harming its citizens, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday at an event to mark the 79th anniversary of the 228 Incident at the...
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MAC blasts PRC for oppressing minister
The government would take every measure to defend the rights of Taiwanese against Chinese oppression, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, after a Hong Kong-based publication reported that a relative of Minister of the Interior Liu...
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Lai honors baseball home run legend Sadaharu Oh
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday conferred the Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon on baseball legend Sadaharu Oh (王貞治), honoring his lifelong contributions to the sport in Taiwan and Japan. During the ceremony at the Presidential...
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Tech, reforms to bolster military: Lai
The armed forces must lean into technology, institutional reforms and resilience to maintain their deterrence capabilities amid complex threats and a rapidly shifting geostrategic landscape, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. The military...
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West Taiwan records least rainfall this winter: CWA
The public is urged to conserve water as rainfall during the spring, which is typically a drier season, is unlikely to alleviate drought conditions, an official said Western Taiwan saw the least rainfall this winter since 1951, with five weather...
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Lai ‘glad’ to deliver address before Legislative Yuan
President William Lai (賴清德) has “gladly accepted” and is willing to deliver a state of the nation report at the legislature, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said yesterday following a Lunar New Year tea reception hosted by the Presidential Office,...
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US tariffs closely monitored, Lai says
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said the government is closely monitoring the followup measures of the White House amid tariff shifts, adding that Taipei is in close contact with the US to ensure Taiwan’s mostfavorable treatment would not be...
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Trump signs 10% global tariff order
US President Donald Trump on Friday imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on imports after the US Supreme Court struck down many of his sweeping and often arbitrary duties, delivering a stinging rebuke on his signature economic policy. Trump signed...
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Japan warns of Chinese ‘coercion,’ vows overhaul
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday warned of growing Chinese “coercion” in her first post-election speech to the Japanese parliament, pledging to overhaul defense strategy, ease curbs on military exports and bolster critical supply...
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New US arms sales in limbo, WSJ says
A major US arms sales package for Taiwan is in limbo following pressure from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and concerns among some US officials that greenlighting the deal would derail US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Bejing, the Wall...
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Trump-Xi weapons talk raises concern
US President Donald Trump’s admission that he is discussing arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is “alarming and a blatant violation of US policy and the six assurances,” US Representative Ro Khanna said on Tuesday. Trump on...
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Prayers and robots usher in the Year of the Horse
Traditional prayers, fireworks and fairs yesterday marked the Lunar New Year — alongside 21st-century humanoid robots. The activities ushered in the Year of the Horse, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, succeeding the Year of the Snake. The...
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Special defense budget top priority: Han
A proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.66 billion) special defense budget would be a top priority for the Legislative Yuan when it reconvenes after the Lunar New Year holiday, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said yesterday after a group of 37 US...
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Lai pledges progress in LNY address
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday delivered his Lunar New Year address, pledging to strengthen national defense and steadily advance economic development to ensure Taiwan maintains its leading edge in global technology and industrial...
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HOLIDAY HORSES
People walk past horse decorations displayed for Lunar New Year celebrations in Taipei yesterday.
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Taiwan and US sign trade agreement
Taiwan and the US on Thursday signed a trade agreement that caps US tariffs on Taiwanese goods at 15 percent and provides preferential market access for US industrial and agricultural exports, including cars, and beef and pork products. The Taiwan-US...
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Lai warns that China could target others
Countries in the region would be China’s next targets should Beijing seize Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview published yesterday, as he insisted that Taiwan must dramatically shore up its defenses. Lai said he was confident the...
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TPP open to special defense budget
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) does not oppose prioritizing the Executive Yuan’s proposed special defense budget alongside its own version for review after the Lunar New Year holiday, TPP caucus convener Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) said yesterday. He added...
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China’s ultimate goal is Taiwan’s annihilation: MAC
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday dismissed Beijing’s call for “reunification,” describing it as a rehash of its longstanding stance with the ultimate goal of Taiwan’s annihilation. Addressing the meeting of Beijing’s annual “Taiwan Work...
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Jimmy Lai’s sentence sparks international concern
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...
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Three parties vying for power in Thailand elections
Vote counting was under way last night in Thailand’s early general election, seen as a three-way race among competing visions of progressive, populist and old-fashioned patronage politics. The battle for support from 53 million registered voters came...
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Trump to favor big defense spenders
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order for the customer list of US weapons that would prioritize countries with higher defense spending and strategic importance, the White House said on Friday. The order establishing the “America...
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MND seeks US arms delivery extension
Taiwan is to seek an extension to the date by which an agreement must be signed with the US for a batch of weapons deliveries, given the ongoing standoff in the legislature about defense spending, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said...
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Taiwan-US relations ‘rock solid’: Lai
Relations between Taiwan and the US are “rock solid,” and cooperation programs would not change, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in a phone call urged US President Donald Trump to handle arms sales...
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CHANGHUA IN BLOOM
Changhua County Commissioner Wang Hui-mei, center, poses with event guests at a news conference in Changhua County promoting this year’s Changhua Flower Festival. This year’s event, with the theme “Floral City Journey” and which blends lifestyle...
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SETTING OFF
Riders taking part in the Cancer Hope Foundation’s Taipei-Kaohsiung dual-city cycling challenge titled “Healthy Taiwan, Rolling Hope Across the Island” pose for a photograph at the plaza in front of Taipei City Hall before their departure yesterday....
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China incursions surge 15-fold: report
Chinese military aircraft incursions around Taiwan have surged nearly 15-fold over the past five years, according to a report released yesterday by the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Department of China Affairs. Sorties in the Taiwan Strait were...
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TAKING THE REINS
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, front row, fourth left, attends a ceremony alongside other officials to launch Kaohsiung’s events to mark the Lunar New Year. The first event was the Horse Leap Spring Festival Market at Sanfeng Central Street yesterday.
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MANE EVENT
Three horse-themed sky lanterns to be released during this year’s New Taipei City Pingsi Sky Lantern Festival are unveiled at New Taipei City Civic Square yesterday. The display was accompanied by the New Taipei City Mounted Police Unit and their...
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‘Hai Kun’ starts submerged sea trial
Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, yesterday departed from Kaohsiung to start its first submerged sea trial, where it was expected to dive to at least 50m. CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際 on Wednesday announced the trial,...
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KMT-CCP forum harms national dignity: DPP
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cross-strait exchange forum would severely harm national dignity and security, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday. The KMT has said that party Chairwoman...
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HIMARS joins first exercises this year
Taiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities. The scenario...
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‘SHOVEL HEROES’
Premier Cho Jung-tai, back center, poses for a photograph with awardees at an appreciation ceremony in Taipei yesterday. The ceremony was held to honor “shovel superheroes” from 30 universities and private foundations who dedicated themselves to...
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US climber Alex Honnold free soloes Taipei 101
US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40,...
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