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記者黃俊育 / 新北報導

「遠處輕輕傳來/想念你的/想念你的/我愛唱的那一首歌…」群星會時代的「蘋果花歌手」楊燕在台上引吭高歌，歌聲依舊輕盈清麗，台下近千位觀眾跟著搖擺，聽得如癡如醉。新北市社會局結合世界佛教正心會、新北市新聞記者職業工會等公益夥伴，於重陽佳節前，在市府大禮堂，專為銀髮長輩舉辦的「金曲重陽暖心唱」活動，現場不時爆起熱烈的掌聲。

▲楊燕雖已80高齡，但歌聲仍如黃鶯出谷般的清亮，尤其壓軸的一曲王昭君，抑揚頓挫，連綿不絕，將王昭君出塞的哀怨心情詮釋得淋漓盡致，現場掌聲久久不已。(圖/新北市社會局 提供)

社會局副局長許秀能表示，新北市高齡人口已超過79萬5千人，佔人口比19.66％。為鼓勵長輩社會參與、健康樂活，新北市設立618個據點，1,199個銀髮俱樂部，還有松年大學、健康七力等課程。侯友宜市長並已宣布，將從明（115）年起，將原本敬老愛心卡480點（元）加碼為600點（元），並擴大新增至國道客運、運動中心及市立聯合醫院與29區衛生所掛號費使用。

▲楊燕帶高齡105歲的母親到場聆聽。(圖/新北市社會局 提供)

許秀能說，在重陽節前後，社會局會舉辦系列活動，包含據點和松大成果展、重陽禮金發放等，而「蘋果花歌手-楊燕、金曲重陽暖心唱」活動打頭陣，感謝世界佛教正心會和新北市新聞記者職業工會的全力支援和協助，讓近千位長輩重溫60年代的經典老歌。

▲楊燕歌唱前有川劇變臉。(圖/新北市社會局 提供)

世界佛教正心會理事長卓志揚表示，正心會秉持佛陀慈悲喜捨的精神，多年來響應新北市好日子愛心大平台公益活動。新北市新聞記者職業工會理事長黃村杉也表示，工會成立以來，致力於弱勢的關懷，今年2月間，也曾與正心會合作，邀請「蘋果花歌后」楊燕女士到板橋榮家公演，受到榮家伯伯的熱愛，因此這次擴大舉辦，讓全市的長輩都能一飽耳福。

▲佛朗明哥舞蹈表演。(圖/新北市社會局 提供)

新北市議會副秘書長李政勳、板橋區長陳奇正、新北市職業總工會理事長吳添淵、台灣環保協會理事長莊振和，新北、台北、基隆等榮服處長，以及多位民代助理出席參加。在楊燕演唱前，並有川劇變臉和佛朗明哥舞蹈表演。

▲現場觀眾爆滿 許多粉絲拿著手機錄影。(圖/新北市社會局 提供)

當高齡105歲的楊燕母親蒞臨會場，全場響起熱烈的掌聲，楊燕湊近母親的位置，對母親說：「我不僅唱給長輩聽，也要唱給您聽！」楊燕一口氣連唱了香格里拉、憶難忘、18姑娘一朵花、媽媽要我嫁、月圓花好、採檳榔、綠島小夜曲、兩相依、望你早歸、小小羊兒要回家、蘋果花等。雖已80高齡，但楊燕歌聲仍如黃鶯出谷般的清亮，尤其壓軸的一曲王昭君，抑揚頓挫，連綿不絕，將王昭君出塞的哀怨心情詮釋得淋漓盡致，現場掌聲久久不已。

title: 社會局結合公益團體辦重陽活動     「金曲重陽暖心唱」登場     楊燕歌聲陪伴銀髮族

taiwan-subdivisions: 基隆 板橋 板橋區 新北市 綠島 新北


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記者黃俊育 / 新北報導

新北市長侯友宜（7）日前往捷運萬大中和線金城機廠視察，了解裝修進度與列車測試情形。他表示，萬大中和線工程目前工程進度已達81.7%，在團隊努力下穩定進展，力拚2026年底前先完成路面復舊還路於民，並朝2027年底完工邁進，屆時從新北的中和高中站到中正紀念堂站僅需14分鐘。

侯友宜指出，捷運萬大中和線是串聯新北與台北交通的重要幹線，不僅可改善永和、中和、土城的交通壅塞問題，未來更將銜接泰板輕軌及新北樹林線，形成完整的捷運路網。今日視察的金城機場位於板橋、中和、土城交界，佔地11.82公頃，能容納萬大中和線及土城樹林線共35輛捷運列車停放，上方聯開案將興建9棟複合式大樓，包含商場、停車場及3,000多戶住宅，透過TOD模式帶動中永和及土城地區的發展。

侯友宜表示，金城機廠內設有萬大中和線莒光站，與泰板輕軌F28站僅相距120公尺、步行1分鐘即可到達，大幅提升轉乘便利性。另新北樹林線最後一標CQ880B（土城高架段）也正積極推動，期盼順利發包後，未來與萬大中和線銜接，屆時中正紀念堂至樹林、新莊迴龍的路網將全面串連，構築成完整捷運網絡。此外，萬大中和線首列車已於去年10月運抵，今年8月完成靜態測試，期望明年能展開動態測試。

新北捷運工程局補充，萬大中和線全長9.5公里，設有9座地下車站與1座機廠，18條隧道均已全數貫通，車站與機廠結構已大致完工，目前正同步進行車站建築裝修、水電環控、軌道及機電系統等作業，預定2027年質完工，為市民打造更安全、舒適、便捷的捷運新生活。

taiwan-subdivisions: 中和 新北 板橋 土城 永和 中正 莒光 樹林 新莊 金城 新北市

title: 穩步邁向81.7%     新北萬大中和線力拚2026年底復舊路面、2027年底全線完工


title: 不只送禮     更要環保     新北環保局中秋稽查200件禮盒     2件過度包裝遭開罰

taiwan-subdivisions: 新北 新北市

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記者黃俊育 / 新北報導

中秋佳節應景禮盒紛紛上市，為落實源頭減量，新北市環保局於中秋假期前針對常見的禮盒品牌進行過度包裝稽查，隨機抽查各店面及各大賣場共200件禮盒，抽查結果發現2件禮盒有過度包裝情形，環保局將依資源回收再利用法規定告發，最重可罰新臺幣15萬元罰鍰，並命限期改善。

▲環保局查核市售茶葉禮盒包裝體積比值大於1，有過度包裝情形。(圖/新北市環保局 提供)

環保局表示，依據資源回收再利用法第13條、第14條及環境部公告「限制產品過度包裝」法規，管制糕餅禮盒、加工食品、化妝品、酒類及電腦程式著作光碟等5大類產品禮盒，其包裝體積比值均應小於1；化妝品、加工食品及酒類禮盒之包裝層數依規定應在2層以下，糕餅類及電腦程式著作光碟類禮盒應在3層以下，違者可處新臺幣3萬元至15萬元罰鍰。

▲民眾於選購禮盒時應掌握「一多三少」原則─即「產品份量多、包裝材料少、包裝種類少。(圖/新北市環保局 提供)

環保局說明，本次抽查的200件禮盒中，包含60件糕餅、51件加工食品、81件酒類及8件化妝品，查獲2件商品有過度包裝情形，違規情節均為包裝體積比值量測結果大於1，本次查獲過度包裝的燕窩及茶葉禮盒等2件食品加工禮盒，其公司所在地位於新北市，本局後續將依資源回收再利用法開罰。

▲呼籲業者在禮盒產品推出前，務必審慎檢視產品包裝，並定期自主抽驗(圖示為合格禮盒)。(圖/新北市環保局 提供)

環保局呼籲，業者在禮盒產品推出前，務必審慎檢視產品包裝，並定期自主抽驗，可至環境部資源循環署「一次用產品源頭減量宣導網」(https://recycle2.moenv.gov.tw/SingleUse/Page/OverPackagingCalc)進行限制產品過度包裝線上試算，以免觸法。另呼籲民眾於選購禮盒時應掌握「一多三少」原則─即「產品份量多、包裝材料少、包裝種類少、包裝印刷少」，不論在實體店面或網路選購，盡可能選擇循環包裝、原箱出貨之禮盒，共同響應源頭減量，實踐「月圓人團圓，減量樂綿延」的環保精神。


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記者黃俊育 / 新北報導

全台灣共有54種螢火蟲，新北市就曾紀錄有26種，生態資源十分豐富。為提升市民對螢火蟲生態的認識，新北市政府農業局訂於114年10月8日舉辦螢火蟲生態講座，介紹新北市的螢火蟲、觀察方法、調查方法及復育案例，歡迎本市休閒農場業者、生態團體、生態志工、學校、對螢火蟲有興趣的民眾踴躍報名。

▲新北市政府農業局輔導文山農場進行螢火蟲復育。(圖/新北市農業局 提供)

本次課程邀請到國內螢火蟲權威學者，臺大昆蟲系榮譽教授楊平世，以及復育專家臺南大學吳加雄助理教授授課。課程自上午10時至下午3時20分於新北市稅捐稽徵處10樓訓練教室（板橋區中山路1段143號）舉行，內容豐富精彩，費用全免，名額僅限80位，歡迎報名參加，報名網址：https://forms.gle/jrVEsburv13EKEtn8。

▲黃緣螢幼蟲。(圖/新北市農業局 提供)

近年許多民眾熱中於參加休閒農場或生態團體推出的賞螢行程，黃緣螢、紅胸黑翅螢等大名廣為人知，民眾也多半熟知每種螢火蟲有不同的發光頻率、發光目的是為了求偶、螢火蟲喜歡住在乾淨的水邊等，但其實除了水生，陸生螢火蟲的種類更多，發光也不只是為了求偶，也有訊息交換、擬態捕食，甚至警告天敵的功能，此外，也不只有雄蟲能發光飛行，有些種類的雌蟲也能發光飛行。螢火蟲的世界實在充滿奧妙，不過在踏入這個閃爍世界的同時，人們和底棲的螢火蟲幼蟲也必須特別關注腳下安全，因此講座中也特別提出觀察螢火蟲的方法與需要注意的細節，包括走在既有的路徑上，避免踩踏植被和土壤、站住定點觀察，避免邊走邊看、照明僅限腳下，並使用弱光等。

新北市農業局表示，期許透過本次課程，能激發更多民眾關心本市生態，各界共同努力打造合適生物生存的環境，讓螢火蟲在本市遍地發光，並學習觀察與記錄的方法，以此為開端培養公民科學家，累積本市螢火蟲基礎資料，作為未來的研究基礎。

taiwan-subdivisions: 新北 臺南 中山 板橋區 文山 新北市

title: 全台近半數螢火蟲物種在新北     農業局10/8辦講座     傳授觀察、調查及復育技術


title: 提升飼主責任     新北板橋毛寶貝園區推免費寵物照護講座     每月一場由專家開講

taiwan-subdivisions: 新北 板橋 新北市

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記者黃俊育 / 新北報導

新北市動保處在板橋毛寶貝生命教育園區，規劃一系列免費的「寵物照護課程」，每月一場於週日舉行。講座邀請獸醫師、動物行為諮詢師等各領域專業人士開講，內容涵蓋疾病預防、緊急救護到日常照顧，全方位提升飼主照護知識，並鼓勵民眾善盡飼養責任。相關講座資訊及報名方式，可至動保處官網查詢：https://www.ahiqo.ntpc.gov.tw/#/ActivityList。

新北市致力打造友善動物城市，除了積極推動寵物認養，幫助毛寶貝找到溫暖的家，也透過一系列生命教育課程，協助飼主增進專業知識、解決飼養上的各種疑難雜症。板橋毛寶貝生命教育園區的系列課程，內容多元且豐富，除了針對4至12歲學童的「動保小小兵體驗營」和訓犬課程外，每月也邀請專家為一般民眾開設寵物照護課程，涵蓋範圍廣泛，陪伴飼主與毛寶貝度過每個生命階段。課程主題多元且實用，例如今年已舉辦的講座包括：「新手飼主入門指南」、「夏日毛寶貝照顧須知」、「夏日寵物急救及CPR」等。此外，還開設了貓隻親訓及特殊寵物（如蛇類）飼養知識與常見疾病課程。參與民眾潘小姐分享：「沒想到寵物也能進行心肺復甦術（CPR），親眼看見獸醫師用模型示範教學，還能親手操作學習，真的收穫良多。因為上課地點方便，又能當場與講師互動，我會想再報名其他課程。」

▲動保處與獸醫師公會合作線上直播。(圖/新北市動保處 提供)

此外，動保處在年底前將持續推出寵物健康衛教講座，主題緊貼飼主需求，例如：因應寵物高齡化所衍生的老年疾病問題。課程內容涵蓋10月12日「毛寶貝糖尿病居家照護」、11月16日「手術麻醉注意事項」、及12月21日「正視毛寶貝健康檢查」等，由專業獸醫師深入淺出地解說，幫助飼主了解疾病成因與治療方式，並學習如何「及早發現、及早治療」，為毛寶貝爭取最佳的治癒時機。除了實體講座，動保處也與新北市獸醫師公會合作，推出線上直播節目「Vets on air獸醫師與您暢聊毛寶貝」。專業獸醫師將每月隔週四晚間9點，在公會及動保處臉書粉絲專頁進行直播，分享最新寵物照護知識與看診經驗，提供更多元的學習管道。更多資訊請關注動保處臉書粉絲專頁：https://www.facebook.com/tpc58801?locale=zh_TW。

新北市動保處表示，飼養寵物不只是提供食物與住所，更肩負對生命的愛與責任。動保處除了透過多元管道提供專業照護資訊，也鼓勵民眾以認養代替購買。目前，只要到新北市各動物之家認養毛寶貝，即可獲得「寵物白金卡」，享有疫苗免費施打等多項優惠。今年度加碼推出「認養萬金禮」，包含「寵物智慧照護存摺」、「合作動物醫院免掛號費」，以及「認養老、殘、疾犬隻可獲得新北幣2,000元」等優惠，全方位提升民眾飼養寵物的照護量能，期盼飼主能與毛寶貝長久相伴。


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墨新聞｜記者鄭富鈺／綜合報導

114全國運動會將於10月18日至10月23日在雲林縣舉行，大會聖火7日抵達臺北市，並於下午2時在臺北田徑場舉行傳遞儀式，由臺北市政府體育局游竹萍局長迎接聖火，聖火隊則為本屆全運會勇奪5金3銀1銅佳績的輕艇代表隊選手組成，代表迎向勝利火炬，延續臺北市連霸霸業。

全運會聖火7日抵達臺北市，並於下午2時在臺北田徑場舉行傳遞儀式，由臺北市政府體育局游竹萍局長迎接聖火。體育局表示，臺北市代表隊於上一屆（112年）全運會奪下96金79銀71銅，共計246面獎牌，金牌數及總獎牌數均為全國各縣市之冠，實現四連霸壯舉。本屆臺北市代表隊以「勝氣凌雲」為口號，象徵選手們將以凌雲之勢在今年賽會全力以赴，目標劍指五連霸。

本屆臺北市代表隊以「勝氣凌雲」為口號，象徵選手們將以凌雲之勢在今年賽會全力以赴，目標劍指五連霸。北市政府體育局表示，臺北市各種類代表隊同樣積極備戰114年全運會，日前划船、桌球、輕艇、帆船、空手道、自由車及競技體操等代表隊陸續傳來捷報，截至昨6日已獲得31金29銀24銅，暫居全國第一，其中划船代表隊許文川及蔡瀚陞再度拿下男子組輕量級雙人雙槳金牌，締造八連霸創舉。

114年全國運動會將在10月18日傍晚於雲林縣立田徑場（雲林縣虎尾鎮永興路130號）舉行開幕典禮，正式展開為期6天的賽事。今年全運會共舉辦35個競賽種類，除曲棍球外，臺北市共派出34支代表隊全力迎戰。

體育局說，各代表隊選手皆為一時之選，期許選手們以最佳狀態征戰各項賽事，為臺北市爭取最高榮譽。該局也請市民朋友關注台北運動吧臉書，於賽會期間持續追蹤臺北市代表隊每日賽程及最新賽況，並邀請全體市民即時掌握賽況，一同為支持的選手喝采。

此篇文章最開始出處為: 全運會聖火抵臺北 「勝氣凌雲」劍指五連霸。

taiwan-subdivisions: 臺北 虎尾 雲林縣 臺北市

title: 全運會聖火抵臺北　「勝氣凌雲」劍指五連霸。


taiwan-subdivisions: 信義 中正 松山 三重 北門 板橋 淡水 坪林 北投 樹林 臺北

title: 北捷國慶主題列車上路！15車站國旗飄揚　半戶外月台旗映天空成絕美風景

content_text:
中華民國，生日快樂！臺北捷運歡慶雙十國慶，即日起至115年1月2日，在淡水信義線推出國慶主題彩繪列車；市政府站、國父紀念館站、善導寺站、板橋站、臺北101/世貿站、臺大醫院站、北投站、中正紀念堂、紅樹林站、大坪林站、北門站、景安站、三重站、頭前庄站、松山機場站等15個車站均掛上國旗同慶。

臺北捷運歡慶雙十國慶，15個車站均掛上國旗同慶。國慶主題彩繪列車以「家、自由、前行」為主題，結合高山、雲海與天空的景緻設計主視覺，將車廂內部化作壯麗青天；並以「自信前行，喝采國慶」及「中華民國生日快樂」兩句標語，傳達如同捷運般不停向前、堅持不懈的精神。

國慶主題彩繪列車以「家、自由、前行」為主題，結合高山、雲海與天空的景緻設計主視覺。傳統的白色手拉環，則改為深淺天藍與白色交錯設計，象徵藍天白雲環繞在你我之間，讓旅客在日常通勤中，也能感受到國慶的氛圍與對家園的祝福。

傳傳統的白色手拉環，則改為深淺天藍與白色交錯設計，象徵藍天白雲環繞在你我之間。為了方便民眾追車，「台北捷運Go」App同步顯示國旗主題彩繪列車行駛位置，在「動態資訊」中搜尋飄揚在青天中的國旗小圖示，即可輕鬆追蹤列車動態，捕捉雙十國慶專屬紀念。

「台北捷運Go」App，在「動態資訊」中搜尋飄揚在青天中的國旗小圖示，即可輕鬆追蹤列車動態，捕捉雙十國慶專屬紀念。此外，臺北捷運於轉乘站、鄰近重要機關及出入境路線車站的大廳閘門旁懸掛國旗，與旅客共享國慶榮耀時刻。其中，北投站更特別將國旗設置於半戶外月臺上方，陽光灑落、旗幟隨風飄動，與天空相映成趣，成為旅客眼中最動人的國慶風景。

臺北捷運邀請大家搭乘國慶主題彩繪列車，走進國旗飄揚的車站空間，自信前行，共同為中華民國喝采！


content_text:
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said

US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview.

The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation.

Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

President William Lai gestures during an interview with US radio host Buck Sexton, not pictured, at the Presidential Office in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page

Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, which is carried on more than 400 talk radio stations, referred to comments Trump made in August, in which he said Xi told him China would not invade Taiwan while he was US president.

“We hope to continue receiving President Trump’s support. Should President Trump persuade Xi Jinping to permanently abandon any military aggression against Taiwan, President Trump would undoubtedly be a Nobel Peace Prize laureate,” Lai said.

Trump has said he deserves the accolade given to four of his White House predecessors. This year’s prize is to be announced in Norway on Friday.

Asked what he would tell the US president if he were to meet him, Lai said he would advise Trump to pay attention to Xi’s actions.

“I would advise him to pay particular attention to the fact that Xi Jinping is not only conducting increasingly large-scale military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, but is also expanding military forces in the East China Sea and South China Sea,” Lai said, according to a transcript of his remarks released by the Presidential Office yesterday.

China’s increasing military activities further and further from its own shores are not only a challenge for Taiwan, Lai added.

“The challenge extends beyond merely annexing Taiwan. Once Taiwan is annexed, China will gain greater strength to compete with the United States on the international stage, undermining the rules-based international order,” he said.

“Ultimately, this will also impact US homeland interests. Therefore, I hope President Trump will continue to uphold peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” he said.

Taiwan, along with major Western allies, has worked to address Washington’s concerns that it is not spending enough on its own defense — Lai has set a target of defense spending to reach 5 percent of GDP by 2030.

“I will tell them that Taiwan is absolutely determined to safeguard its national security,” Lai told the show, when asked about how he would show the US Taipei’s resolve to defend itself.

Lai also clarified a number of points to a US audience.

First, the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are “not subordinate to each other. Taiwan is not a part of the PRC. China does not have the right to invade Taiwan,” he said.

Second, “China has been holding military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, undermining peace and stability in the region. So it is China, not Taiwan, that is disrupting the cross-strait status quo,” he said.

“The fact that the Taiwanese people seek to protect their sovereignty, and pursue a way of life based on democracy, freedom and human rights should not be seen as a provocation against China,” he said.

In addition, despite increasing threats from China, “Taiwan has not given up on seeking peace and mutual prosperity across the Strait. We understand that peace is priceless and that there are no winners in war,” as it is essential to global security and prosperity, he said.

“Our pursuit of peace is an ideal, not a fantasy,” he added, referencing his “Four Pillars of Peace and Action Plan” to strengthen national defense, build economic security, strengthen democratic partnerships, and engage in stable and principled cross-strait leadership.

On the topic of semiconductors, Lai said that despite Taiwan’s achievements in the global semiconductor industry, particularly in manufacturing, the US is the “leader in this ecosystem.”

Taiwan is willing to help the US “industrialize and become a global AI [artificial intelligence] hub,” and “make America great again,” he said.

Additional reporting by Hollie Younger

title: Xi could be key to a Trump Nobel: Lai

people: 賴清德 習近平


title: First Formosat-8 satellite leaves for US launch

content_text:
The first satellite of Formosat-8, Taiwan’s first domestically developed optical remote sensing satellite constellation, left the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) headquarters in Hsinchu yesterday ahead of its launch in the US next month.

The Formosat-8 system is to replace Formosat-5, the nation’s first self-manufactured single satellite, that was launched into space in 2017.

President William Lai (賴清德), National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) and TASA Director-General Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) were at the ceremony for the satellite’s send-off at TASA’s headquarters.

President William Lai, sixth right, and other dignitaries attend a ceremony for the Chi Po-lin Satellite at the Taiwan Space Agency in Hsinchu City yesterday. Photo: CNA

Lai said the Formosat-8 system is the pillar of the third phase of the National Space Technology Long-Term Development Program, which was approved during his term as premier.

The launch of the first satellite of Formosat-8 marks the start of the construction of Taiwan’s own satellite constellation, with more Taiwanese satellites expected to enter orbit in the future, he said.

Lai also announced that the first satellite is to be named Chi Po-lin Satellite (齊柏林衛星) after the Taiwanese documentary filmmaker and aerial photographer who died in a helicopter crash in 2017 while shooting a sequel to his documentary Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above (看見台灣).

President William Lai, fourth right, sees off the Chi Po-lin Satellite at the Taiwan Space Agency headquarters in Hsinchu City yesterday. Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page

“During his 25-year career as an aerial photographer, Chi recorded the natural sceneries of Taiwan and how they have changed, raising public awareness about their responsibility to this land. We hope to extend his spirit to space through the satellite, so that it can continue to watch over Taiwan,” Lai said, thanking Chi’s family for allowing the satellite to be named after him.

Chi’s son Chi Ting-huan (齊廷洹) said that “Chi Po-lin” now stands for the vision and spirit of how Taiwanese protect their homeland.

“My father recorded from the sky the changes in the landscape wrought by the magnitude 7.3 earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, and disasters caused by Typhoon Morakot from Aug. 6 to Aug. 10, 2009, to assist disaster-relief efforts,” Chi Ting-huan said.

“The launch of the Chi Po-lin satellite would make it possible to look at Taiwan and record the world from a higher vantage point and wider field of view. The world would also see Taiwan’s capabilities and the assistance that it can offer,” he added.

Wu Cheng-wen said that 84 percent of the Chi Po-lin satellite’s key components were developed in Taiwan, adding that it is scheduled to be launched next month after completing tests.

Formosat 8’s resolution has been enhanced to show objects smaller than 1m, a significant improvement over the 2m resolution of Formosat 5, the minister said.

“There are other satellites in the Formosat-8 constellationthat have yet to be created. Our goal is to push the resolution further to 70cm, even to 50cm,” he said. “Formosat-5 allowed us to see a house from space, but we can clearly identify a car with Formosat-8.”

The Executive Yuan in July approved the Next-Generation Communication Technology Development Plan to complement the third phase of the National Space Technology Long-Term Development Program and advance the development of satellite communications technologies, he said.

Wu Jong-shinn said Formosat-8’s high domestic content ratio was made possible after TASA took the lead in advancing the domestic development of optical, mechanical, electrical control and flight control systems.

The technology breakthroughs achieved by the new satellite system mark a steady advance toward Taiwan’s autonomous space development, he added.

Formosat-8 is to have eight satellites, with the launch of all of them scheduled to be completed by 2031, he said.

Once in operation, the new satellite system would pass over Taiwan three times a day, allowing rescuers to gauge the scope of damage after a disaster through real-time images, he added.


title: US talks on anti-sub choppers could restart: official

content_text:
By Lo Tien-pin and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The US has signaled it is willing to restart talks on Taiwan’s long-sought acquisition of MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters, a senior government official said yesterday.

The military operates 17 S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, down from 21 due to four major flight safety incidents, people familiar with the matter said.

To enhance the nation’s anti-submarine capabilities, the military plans to purchase the MH-60Rs, with the possibility of acquiring more than the 10 to 12 it originally sought, they said.

A US Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter from the “Blue Hawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 78 fires chaff flares during a training exercise near the aircraft carrier USS <> in the Philippine Sea on April 24, 2017. Photo: US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano / Reuters

The exact number is to be finalized after negotiations with Washington, the source said, despite some military sources suggesting 13 or more.

The military also plans to purchase onboard anti-submarine sonar, advanced avionics, MK54 or MK50 torpedoes, anti-ship Hellfire missiles, laser-guided rockets and machine guns, the source said.

The navy has set up a team to manage the MH-60R purchase, handling matters such as determining quantity, total program cost, implementation schedule and performance specifications, they said.

The military is optimistic about the possibility of the inclusion of the deal in the special defense procurement budget, they added.

The MH-60R is one of the US Navy’s primary anti-submarine helicopters and has been widely sought by Asia-Pacific nations.

South Korea received its first MH-60R last year, while New Zealand in August announced that it would acquire five.

The trend, combined with Taiwan’s need to update its fleet, highlights the growing threat from China’s submarine capabilities in the region, military sources said.

The US is willing to sell the MH-60R to allies to effectively counter China’s military expansion, they said.

However, Taiwan’s request to procure the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early warning aircraft remained off the table, the official said.

The air force has long eyed the E-2Ds and asked Washington twice for their sale, a source has said.

The first request was rejected due to its perceived redundancy with land-based radar, the source said.

The military’s plan to obtain the radar aircraft was based on “clear operational need and in no way wastes public funds,” they added.


title: A divided Israel marks two years since Hamas attack

content_text:
CEASEFIRE? Peace talks between Israel and Hamas continued yesterday in an Egyptian resort, with US representatives slated to join the discussions today

Thousands of people yesterday converged in southern Israel to mourn the dead as the nation marked two years since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack plunged the region into a devastating war, while Israel and Hamas pressed on with indirect peace talks in Egypt.

The main memorial in Tel Aviv, planned for later in the evening and organized by the bereaved families, is separate from a ceremony that the government is to hold on the anniversary next week according to the Hebrew calendar.

The split in the ceremonies reflects deep divisions over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s leadership, which many blame for the failure to secure a ceasefire that would free the remaining hostages held by the militants.

A woman puts a sticker of an Israeli soldier on the wall of a shelter at the Nova music festival memorial site on the second anniversary of the Hamas attack near Kibbutz Reim, Israel, yesterday.

Photo: Bloomberg

In the Gaza Strip, where Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed tens of thousands of people and razed entire towns and cities, those who can are fleeing another Israeli invasion of Gaza City while others are sheltering in place. Many are unable to make the arduous and costly journey south.

It has been two years since thousands of Hamas-led militants poured into southern Israel after a surprise barrage of rockets. They stormed army bases, farming communities and the Nova outdoor music festival, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, including women, children and older adults. They abducted 251 others, most of whom have since been released in ceasefires or other deals. Forty-eight hostages remain inside Gaza, about 20 of them believed by Israel to still be alive.

Although there was no official ceremony at the Nova site, due to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot that coincides with the anniversary, thousands of people visited throughout the day to share memories of relatives and friends who were killed, weaving through hundreds of photos encircling the spot where a DJ booth stood.

People look at the pictures of victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel during the public opening and European debut of the commemorative installation “The Nova Music Festival Exhibition” at the historic Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, Germany, yesterday. Photo: Reuters

In Egypt, peace talks between Israel and Hamas resumed at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, focused on a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump last week that aims to bring about an end to the war.

After several hours of talks on Monday, an Egyptian official with knowledge of the discussions said the parties agreed on most of the first-phase terms, which include the release of hostages and establishing a ceasefire. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the talks resumed yesterday afternoon.

Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty told journalists that members of the US delegation would join the talks today.


content_text:
Briton John Clarke, Frenchman Michel Devoret and American John Martinis yesterday won the Nobel Prize in Physics for work on quantum physics in action, the Nobel jury said.

The trio was honored “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in an electric circuit,” the jury said.

Quantum mechanics describes how differently things work on incredibly small scales. For example, when a normal ball hits a wall, it bounces back, but on the quantum scale, a particle will actually pass straight through a comparable wall — a phenomenon called “tunneling.”

From left, the Nobel Prize in Physics recipients John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John M. Martinis are announced during a press conference at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm yesterday. Photo: EPA

The prize was awarded for experiments in the 1980s which showed that quantum tunneling can also be observed on a macroscopic scale — involving multiple particles — by using superconductors.

In a series of experiments, the researchers demonstrated that “the bizarre properties of the quantum world can be made concrete in a system big enough to be held in the hand,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in a statement.

“This prize is awarding an experiment that brings the scale up to the macroscopic scale, scales that we can understand and measure through human standards,” said Ulf Danielsson, secretary of the Nobel Committee for Physics and a professor of theoretical physics at Uppsala University.

The discoveries had “provided opportunities for developing the next generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers and quantum sensors,” the jury said.

“It is wonderful to be able to celebrate the way that century-old quantum mechanics continually offers new surprises,” Olle Eriksson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said in a statement. “It is also enormously useful, as quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology.”

Clarke, 83, is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Devoret, 72, is a professor at University of California, Santa Barbara, and is listed as a professor emeritus at Yale University.

Martinis, born 1958, is also a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“To put it mildly, it was the surprise of my life,” Clarke told reporters via telephone during the prize announcement, about learning of his award.

“It never occurred to me in any way that this might be the basis of a Nobel prize,” he added.

Clarke said that the scientists had been focused on the physics of their experiments and had not realized at the time the practical applications that could follow.

“It certainly had not occurred to us in any way that this discovery would have such a significant impact,” he said.

Asked how their discoveries had affected everyday life, Clarke noted that he was speaking to the audience via his mobile phone.

“One of the underlying reasons that the cellphone works is because of all this work,” Clarke said.

Martinis’ wife, Jean, told Associated Press reporters who called at his home about two-and-a-half hours after the announcement that he was still asleep and did not yet know.

She said in the past they had stayed up on the night of the physics award, but at some point they decided that sleep was more important.

“He doesn’t like surprises,” she said.

Devoret could not immediately be contacted.

Additional reporting by AP

title: Trio win physics Nobel for quantum mechanics work


title: Flu cases rise for ninth consecutive week: CDC

content_text:
NO HALF-MEASURES: The CDC said that regardless of age, full doses of flu vaccines should be administered, but two shots totaling one dose in one day is acceptable

Influenza case numbers rose for the ninth consecutive week last week, with 150,251 hospital visits for flu-like illnesses and 16 flu-related deaths reported in the latest seven-day period, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.

CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that hospital visits for flu-like illnesses were 13.5 percent higher than the previous seven-day period.

The centers previously announced that Taiwan last month had entered the flu epidemic period.

Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times

Respiratory viral pathogen surveillance data showed that flu viruses are the most common viruses circulating in local communities in the past four weeks, with influenza A(H3N2) being the dominant strain, followed by influenza A(H1N1) and influenza B viruses, Guo said.

CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said that the 16 flu-related deaths confirmed last week included a five-year-old girl, who did not have underlying health conditions and was not vaccinated against the flu.

She developed a fever and coughing in the middle of last month and was diagnosed with influenza A at a clinic, Lin said.

She rapidly developed symptoms including a persistent fever, diminished consciousness and convulsions, and was rushed to an emergency room, where she was diagnosed with encephalitis, he said, adding that her condition worsened despite treatment.

She died late last month, he said.

A woman in her 40s who had liver disease and was not vaccinated against the flu last year was hospitalized for symptoms including a fever, coughing and shortness of breath in the middle of last month, Lin said.

She developed diminished consciousness and pulmonary edema, he said.

The woman was diagnosed with influenza A and admitted to an intensive care unit, where she passed away about two weeks after the onset of symptoms, he said.

CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said that government-funded flu and COVID-19 vaccinations both started on Wednesday last week.

As of Monday, about 1.068 million doses of the flu vaccines and about 295,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines had been administered, Tseng said.

People who are eligible for the vaccines should get vaccinated as soon as possible, she said.

They should check their local health department’s Web site for information on where they can get vaccinated and book in advance to avoid waiting, she added.

Five brands of flu vaccines are in the government-funded program this year, with all of them 0.5mL prefilled single-dose syringes, she said.

No matter the age of the recipient, they should all receive a full dose of flu vaccine, she added.

The CDC received a report from a parent saying that their two children — aged two and seven — each only received half a dose of at a clinic, Tseng said.

The parent checked the standards online and took the children back to the clinic to get another half dose, she said.

A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study showed that getting the full dose in separate shots on the same day is still effective, Tseng said.

However, her agency has asked the local health department to look into why the clinic made the mistake and it issued a notice to healthcare facilities reminding health professionals about the flu vaccine specifications, she said.

The agency also reported that a newborn had been diagnosed with enterovirus with severe complications.

There have been 17 cases of enterovirus infection with severe complications this year, including eight deaths, the most in the same period in six years, Tseng said.

Fourteen of the cases were newborns infected with echovirus 11, including seven deaths, so people should pay special attention for signs of severe illness in newborns and young children with enterovirus infection, she added.


title: ‘Shovel superhero’ Lin Hung-sen dies at age 48

people: 蕭美琴 林奕華 賴清德 卓榮泰

content_text:
GUANGFU VOLUNTEER: Lin Hung-sen took loaders to Hualien to help clear the mud and debris, but he hurt his leg while working and did not seek prompt care

Lin Hung-sen (林鴻森), the owner of a Taoyuan excavation company who volunteered to help with cleanup efforts in Hualien County’s flood-hit Guangfu Township (光復), died late on Monday following complications from an infected wound, a funeral services operator said yesterday.

Lin was 48.

Lin on Sept. 24 traveled to Hualien, one day after a barrier lake burst on the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) amid Super Typhoon Ragasa, said Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), who is handling Lin Hung-sen’s funeral arrangements.

Volunteer Lin Hung-sen works an excavator in Hualien County’s Guangfu Township in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Lin Hung-sen’s family

Water from the burst lake, as well as mud and debris, inundated Guangfu, prompting an influx of volunteers to travel to the region as the scale of the cleanup operation became clear.

Lin Hung-sen and his nephew transported two Bobcat skid-steer loaders to Guangfu to help clear the mud and debris, the funeral operator said.

While working, Lin Hung-sen sustained a cut on his left leg, but continued working, even as his limb swelled, he said.

After eight days, he finally agreed to seek medical attention for his injury and was taken by ambulance to Hualien’s Mennonite Christian Hospital, Lin Yi-hua said.

Lin Hung-sen was diagnosed with an infected wound and his condition was initially listed as stable, he said.

However, on Saturday he was transferred to Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taoyuan, after which he lost consciousness, the funeral operator said, citing what he had heard from Lin Hung-sen’s family.

Over the weekend, Lin Hung-sen’s condition deteriorated, he said.

He died on Monday night from multiple organ failure brought on by sepsis, he added.

Government officials paid tribute to Lin Hung-sen, calling him a representative of the thousands of “shovel superheroes” who have volunteered to help clean up Guangfu since the disaster.

President William Lai (賴清德) said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of Lin Hung-sen’s death and expressed his condolences to his family.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) also expressed the government’s regret over his passing.

Chi Lien-cheng (季連成), chief coordinator at the Central Emergency Operation Center, said that a deputy health minister was to visit Lin Hung-sen’s family and give them a NT$200,000 consolation payment.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) plans to attend the funeral to extend the government’s condolences and gratitude, Chi said.


title: Over NT$1 billion raised for Hualien flood relief

content_text:
Donations for flood recovery in Hualien County have topped NT$1 billion (US$32.84 million), with nearly 90 contributions exceeding NT$1 million, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said yesterday.

The Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief, which operates under the MOHW, launched the fundraising drive on Sept. 25 to assist residents hit by severe flooding caused the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake to burst on Sept. 23. The disaster affected more than 1,800 households in nearby townships.

As of 11:59 pm on Monday, the foundation had received 285,446 donations totaling NT$1.007 billion, double its original NT$500 million goal, according to MOHW data.

Residents and volunteers clear debris in Hualien County’s Guangfu Township yesterday. Photo: CNA

Funds have been allocated under three categories -- statutory relief, livelihood support and special aid -- with NT$473.65 million already transferred to the MOHW for distribution through the Executive Yuan’s one-stop relief service center.

The foundation said donations continue to flow in daily, setting a new fundraising record. Given that recovery and reconstruction will take time, the campaign will continue after its original end date of Oct. 24.

Donations can be made through bank transfer, convenience store kiosks, LINE Pay, or international remittance to the Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief’s account at the Land Bank of Taiwan, Changchun Branch (Account No. 102-005-201-966, SWIFT Code: LBOTTWTP102). The MOHW said no handling fees will be charged.


title: Taiwan Book Fair in Japan spotlights gender culture

content_text:
The Taiwan Book Fair in Japan opened on Monday with the theme “Taiwan’s Gender Culture.”

Organized by the Ministry of Culture’s Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo and Japanese bookstore chain Books Kinokuniya, the event has entered its fourth consecutive year, with a record 38 Kinokuniya branches participating.

The opening ceremony was at Kinokuniya’s flagship store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District.

Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang, center, and other event guests hold placards at the opening of the Taiwan Book Fair in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: CNA

Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) said that Taiwan was the first Asian country to recognize same-sex marriage.

Citing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s 2023 Social Institutions and Gender Index, Lee said Taiwan ranked sixth globally and first in Asia in gender equality.

The achievement resulted from the collective efforts of the public and the government’s long-term commitment to advancing gender equity policies, he said.

“Up to 32 percent of female candidates were elected to the Japanese House of Councilors this year, showing that Japan continues to make progress toward gender equality,” he added.

Referring to newly elected Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Sanae Takaichi, who is likely to become Japan’s first female prime minister, Lee said that “the dawn of a new era for Japan’s political culture is now palpable.”

Japanese Representative Keiji Furuya, chair of the Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council and head of the Diet’s multi-party Manga, Anime and Game Caucus, said he was impressed with the publishing sector in Taiwan, particularly its comic industry.

Furuya said he had visited the National Taiwan Museum of Comics in Taichung, a site that once served as a prison during the Japanese colonial period.

Taiwan’s experience could help Japan establish its own national comic center, which is planned for Tokyo’s Harajuku District, he said.

Kinokuniya chairman and president Masashi Takai said that bookstores are places for people to encounter and engage with different cultures.

As Taiwan-Japan relations become increasingly important across industrial, economic and political spheres, it is crucial to continue promoting bilateral cultural exchanges, Takai said.

With expanding ties in business and tourism, Kinokuniya would continue to help deepen Taiwan-Japan relations through the nationwide book fair, he added.

SNET Taiwan representative Miwako Akamatsu said that Japan publishes more than 100 books about Taiwan each year, many of which explore gender-related topics.

Taiwan leads Japan in gender equity awareness and practices, Akamatsu said, adding that she expects the book fair to boost mutual understanding of gender and cultural issues in the two societies.


title: Ministry issues EU travel advisory

content_text:
People planning to travel to EU countries should reserve sufficient time for immigration clearance on arrival, as it is launching its automated Entry/Exit System (EES) on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

Department of European Affairs Director Eric Huang (黃鈞耀) said that the European Commission has announced that the EES would be launched on Sunday, although it is to be rolled out over six months for the 29 countries of the Schengen area, with full implementation expected by April 10 next year.

The EES electronically registers entries and exits by non-EU nationals, as well as entry refusals, across European countries that use the system, the EU’s official Web site says.

A person uses an Automated European Union Entry/Exit System (EES) kiosk during a press preview on the rollout of the EU’s new EES at Eurotunnel, southeast England, on Sept. 23. Photo: AFP

The system applies to non-EU nationals traveling for a short stay, the Web site says.

People traveling to Europe should pay close attention to the government Web sites of Schengen area members, we well as other nations in the region, to keep up with the latest rules and travel information, Huang said.

“During the [six-month] rollout of the EES, travelers should also reserve sufficient time for entry immigration clearance, to protect their own rights and interests,” he said.

With the EES operating, travelers must register their biometric data, including facial images and digital fingerprints, with the system to be able to use the self-service kiosks and e-gates for automated customs and immigration clearance services, he said.

Holders of Taiwanese passports have been eligible to use the e-gates when entering three Schengen area member countries — the Czech Republic, Italy and Germany — but after the EES is deployed, travelers must register their biometric data with the new system before they would be able to use the e-gates, he said.

However, the Czech Republic is temporarily suspending its e-gates due to system integration issues, Huang said.


title: ‘The Kung-Fu Kids’ star Yen Cheng-kuo dies at 50

content_text:
Actor Yen Cheng-kuo (顏正國), who rose to fame as a child star in the 1980s film series “The Kung-Fu Kids” (好小子), has died at the age of 50.

Yen passed away at 4:57 pm yesterday, according to funeral business owner Juan Chiao-pen (阮橋本), who confirmed the actor’s death in a Facebook post. He did not specify cause of death.

According to China Times, Yen had been battling stage 4 lung adenocarcinoma and died at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital in New Taipei City after being removed from life support.

Actor Yen Cheng-kuo is pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Sung Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times

Yen’s family and friends were devastated by his passing and asked the public to respect their privacy as they mourn, Juan said.

“Yen’s love and spirit will live on,” Juan wrote. “We ask everyone who misses him to offer their blessings in silence and let love accompany him on his final journey.”

Yen began his career as a child actor, appearing in acclaimed films by director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) such as “Cheerful Wind” (風兒踢踏踩) and “The Boys from Fengkuei” (風櫃來的人). He became best known for his role in the popular “The Kung-Fu Kids” action series.

In 2002, Yen was sentenced to a 15-year jail term for his involvement in a kidnapping case. After being released from prison on parole in 2012, he rebuilt his life through calligraphy teaching and charity work.

He later published an autobiography titled “Letting Go of My Fists, Painting a New Life: The Awakening of Yen Cheng-kuo (放下拳頭，揮毫人生新顏色：好小子顏正國的青春與覺醒),” and directed the 2018 gangster film “Gatao 2: Rise of the King” (角頭2:王者再起).

In a previous media interview about his self-written and directed film “Untouchable,” Yen said that while the movie was not entirely based on his own story, he hoped it would inspire young people to stay on the right path.

“I’m not glorifying or boasting about my past,” he said. “I just want to remind others -- and myself -- never to go down that wrong road again.”


title: Parents of students told to pay in devil’s ivy case

content_text:
By Hsu Kuo-chen, Chang Jui-chen and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

The parents of three elementary-school students must pay NT$61,800 (US$2,024.90) in compensation to a classmate, whose water bottle they dosed with devil’s ivy (Epipremnum aureum) while they were in the fifth grade in 2023, the Taichung District Court said in a ruling.

The ruling can be appealed.

Four girls in the same class plotted to poison the classmate, citing their dislike of his attitude and comments, the court said.

The main entrance of the Taichung District Court is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times

The four made a list of substances they were considering, including oleander, night-scented lily and devil’s ivy, it said.

On April 27, 2023, the four students made devil’s ivy extract and put it in the victim’s water bottle, it said, adding that after drinking, the boy developed symptoms including nausea, diarrhea and numbness in the mouth.

On May 11, 2023, the boy found a glass bottle containing the extract under the chair of one of the four and school authorities were notified, the ruling said.

One of the four asked for forgiveness from the boy, while the remaining three were represented by their parents in negotiations with the victim’s parents, it said.

The victim’s parents sought NT$1.01 million in compensation, but the ruling, taking into account the financial capabilities of the perpetrators’ families, said that they should pay a combined NT$61,800.

In a separate ruling over another incident involving the same boy, the court last year ordered a male classmate accused of chasing the victim with a box cutter and verbally insulting him to pay compensation of NT$69,380.

The male perpetrator verbally disparaged the victim from January to August of that year, and was seen chasing the victim while shouting: “I’ve had enough of you. I’m going to kill you,” it said.

The parents of the perpetrator in the second case said that their child holds a disability certificate and his actions were in reaction to the victim’s “aggressive behavior,” it said.


title: EU denies China’s UN resolution claims

content_text:
INTERPRETATION: UN Resolution 2758 ‘is very short — only 150 words. And among those 150 words, the word ‘Taiwan’ does not appear,’ an EU spokesperson said

The UN resolution that led to Beijing assuming China’s seat from Taipei was about switching representation and did not mention Taiwan, the EU said, commenting on an escalating dispute over the interpretation of the key document.

China says that 1971’s UN Resolution 2758, which led to Beijing taking over representing China from Taipei, gives international legal backing to its territorial claims over Taiwan, and reiterated that point in a long foreign ministry statement last week.

Taiwan says Beijing is trying to use its “misleading” interpretation of the resolution to create the legal basis for a future attempt to invade and take over the country.

The flag alley at the UN European headquarters is pictured on Sept. 11, 2023 during the Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo: Reuters

Taiwan’s formal name is the Republic of China, and it held on to China’s UN seat post-1949, when its government fled to Taiwan after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s (毛澤東) communists, until the 1971 resolution was passed.

“United Nations Resolution 2758 is very short — only 150 words. And among those 150 words, the word ‘Taiwan’ does not appear,” an EU spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement

“The resolution switched representation in the United Nations from the ‘representatives of [former president] Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石)’ to the ‘representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China,’” the spokesperson added.

China called on the EU not to “challenge” the UN resolution, adding that the EU remarks were a “distortion” of the resolution.

“We urge the EU side to strictly abide by the ‘one China’ principle and its promises on the Taiwan issue, not challenge UN Resolution 2758 and not send any wrong signals to Taiwan independence separatist forces,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The comments also come after the US Department of State last week said that China was intentionally mischaracterizing and misusing the resolution as part of broader “coercive attempts to isolate Taiwan from the international community.”

“As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has a special responsibility in upholding the rules-based international order, the United Nations Charter and international law. This includes the prohibition of the use of force, and the maintenance of international peace and security,” the EU spokesperson said.

No EU member state has formal ties with Taiwan.

However, Taiwan has sought greater support from Europe, with Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) visiting European countries twice last month.


content_text:
Leaked Chinese data shows Taiwan potential ‘hacker springboard’: NICS

A recent major leak of surveillance data from China shows Beijing could use Taiwan as a “springboard” for hackers to launch cyberattacks, according to the Ministry of Digital Affairs’ National Institute of Cyber Security (NICS), which urged the public to remain cautious and reduce risks when logging onto Chinese social media.

According to an analysis report released yesterday by NICS, the leaking of 600GB of data linked to the Great Firewall of China demonstrates that Beijing not only conducts domestic cyber surveillance but also exports such surveillance technologies to foreign countries.

In mid-September, what is being described as the largest leak linked to the Great Firewall of China was posted online with materials reportedly containing source codes, internal communications, work logs, and technical documentation from groups believed to be involved in setting up and maintaining the surveillance system.

A person wearing a hooded sweatshirt types on a laptop computer as computer code is projected onto them on May 13, 2017. Photo: Reuters

Commenting on the data leaks from China, NICS President Lin Ying-der (林盈達) said Chinese online surveillance efforts include the use of virtual private networks (VPN), which are used as network virtualization to extend a private network across a public network, instant messaging services and social media, which can monitor email exchanges, measure data flows and even plant malware to launch cyberattacks.

China has also exported such cyberattack skills to countries such as Cambodia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan, he claimed.

While these cyberattack skills currently have had limited impact on the everyday life of people in Taiwan, the NISC report said, Taiwan has been targeted by China as a springboard for hackers to launch their attacks. NISC added people in Taiwan should be aware of such risks.

The NISC said when individual Taiwanese log onto popular Chinese social media such as Xiaohongshu (小紅書, known as RedNote in English), Douyin (抖音) — the Chinese version of TikTok — and Weibo (微博), it is possible that other related Chinese social media will connect with these popular apps to obtain the personal data of Taiwanese users which could result in those users being harassed.

When local individuals take trips to any foreign countries with high cybersecurity risks, they should avoid sharing sensitive information and closely follow multi-factor authentication requirements, the NISC added.

When using unfamiliar devices, it said, Taiwanese should limit personal data exposure and permission settings to reduce the risk of identity verification or tracking.

Taiwanese enterprises should also carefully evaluate possible cybersecurity risks faced by their overseas operations and take into account cybersecurity when engaged in cross-border cooperation, to prevent leaks of their technology, it said.

International news media reported the leaked 600GB of internal files dumped online exposed the inner workings of China’s internet censorship and surveillance infrastructure.


content_text:
By Lee Wen-hsin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The recent US import ban on bicycle manufacturer Giant Group (巨大集團) over alleged forced labor highlights the urgent need for national action against labor abuse, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said yesterday.

Speaking at a news conference marking the World Day for Decent Work, Fan urged the government to update its National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights to improve corporate accountability.

The scandal surrounding Giant Group tarnished Taiwan’s international image and was far from an isolated incident, she said, adding that the nation must create legislation to establish and enforce mandatory human rights due diligence standards for businesses.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Fan Yun, center, and labor rights activists representing the Taiwan Labor Front and Taiwan Transnational Corporations Watch hold placards at a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei Times

“Taiwan cannot claim to be a truly globalized nation unless its labor and human rights regulations align with international standards,” she said.

Taiwan Labor Front researcher Son Yu-liam (孫友聯) said a study by the group on Taiwan’s top 500 enterprises revealed widespread ignorance of human rights principles and a high risk of labor contraventions across industries.

Taiwan Association for Human Rights researcher Shih Yi-hsiang (施逸翔) said a recent report by the US government on human trafficking showed that the exploitation of foreign students, deep-sea fishing employees and other migrant workers is a global concern.

Taiwan’s institutions and legal framework governing labor are “fundamentally discriminatory” against foreign workers, resulting in widespread risks of forced labor, Shih said.

He urged the Ministry of Labor to amend existing laws to better protect foreign workers’ rights, including measures to safeguard whistle-blowers from retaliation by employers or labor agencies.

Separately, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday said the US sanctions on Giant exposed Taiwanese manufacturers’ failure to observe human rights standards essential for the sector’s global standing.

Many firms in Taiwan’s manufacturing and construction sectors — which rely heavily on high-intensity, low-wage labor — engage in practices that constitute forced labor, the commission said in a statement.

These include forcing migrant workers to pay recruitment fees, excessive work hours beyond legal limits, confiscating identity documents, underpayment, and, in severe cases, sexual exploitation and human trafficking, it said.

The NHRC urged the ministry to give migrant workers greater freedom to change employers, abolish recruitment fees and encourage companies to hire workers directly.

Reducing the role of labor agencies in matching workers with employers would likely lower the risk of exploitation among migrant workers, it said.

It also recommended that the Executive Yuan regularly review and update the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, which was introduced five years ago.

The Cabinet should assess the effectiveness of existing mechanisms to prevent forced labor, issue clear guidelines for businesses to eliminate exploitation from their supply chains and strengthen legal mechanisms for inspecting migrant labor conditions, it said.

The law should designate the authorities responsible for enforcing labor standards for migrant workers, establish metrics to evaluate policy outcomes and regulatory performance, and systematically educate businesses on international human rights standards, it added.

Taiwanese enterprises should uphold their duty to protect and respect all workers, the commission said.

Greater transparency in publishing the measures being taken to protect labor rights would go a long way toward earning international trust, it said.

title: Legislator Fan Yun urges action against labor abuse


title: DPP outlines its 13 priority bills for legislative session

people:
Saidhai Tahovecahe
羅美玲
林宜瑾
陳培瑜

content_text:
CHILD SAFETY:  The new legislative session provides an opportunity to strengthen protections for children and young people, Legislator-at-large Ngalim Tiunn said

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has announced 13 priority bills for the new legislative session, focusing on four main areas: social justice, children, education and young people.

DPP Legislator Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) said the proposed “fundamental act on artificial intelligence” (人工智慧基本法) has made limited progress despite appearing to have passed initial committee procedures.

Lawmakers have yet to reach consensus on key issues, including the bill’s official title, its supervising government agency and the definition of “artificial intelligence,” she said.

Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers hold placards at a news conference in Taipei on Friday last week. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

She urged all parties not to delay the process adding that the expertise of administrative bodies and professional sectors should be respected.

DPP Legislator Chen Hsiu-pao (陳秀?) said she proposed a “school food and beverage act” last year, but its advancement has been hindered by fiscal constraints.

She called on the Ministry of Education to work with local governments to finalize the bill’s provisions.

DPP Legislator Saidhai Tahovecahe said she has been working to amend the Regulations on the Development and Management of Lands Reserved for Indigenous Peoples (原住民保留地開發管理辦法) and to propose the establishment of indigenous schools focused on teaching in mother tongues and preserving cultural heritage.

Legislator-at-large Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲), originally from Malaysia, said that as a “new resident,” she understands the challenges immigrants face in public participation, adding that she plans to propose an “organic act for a new resident development agency” to be administered by the Ministry of the Interior, responsible for institutionalizing government support for new residents and strengthening interagency coordination.

Legislator-at-large Lin Yueh-chin (林月琴) emphasized the need for a “childcare services act” following several cases of child abuse causing injury or death.

“We must strengthen protections for children under the age of two and enhance the professionalism of childcare services, with priority given to rural and remote areas as well as disadvantaged communities,” Lin said.

“It is important to ensure children’s safety and to give parents peace of mind. There must be a comprehensive review of children’s rights, and a fundamental law safeguarding the rights and protection of children and youth, including digital and environmental rights, should be established to meet the challenges of the future,” she said.

Legislator-at-large Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) said she is proposing amendments to the Act for Education Development of Schools in Remote Areas (偏遠地區學校教育發展條例) to address the shortage of resources and teachers in rural townships and mountainous regions.

Chen Pei-yu said she also plans to amend the Act Governing the Appointment of Educators (教育人員任用條例) to close loopholes exposed by past sexual harassment cases, ensuring that schools have clear authority to dismiss, suspend or refuse to renew contracts of teachers involved in sexual offenses or deemed unfit for their positions.

Legislator-at-large Ngalim Tiunn (張雅琳) said that the Child and Juvenile Welfare and Rights Protection Act (兒童及少年福利與權益保障法) has not been amended since 2011.

The new session provides an opportunity to strengthen protections so that children and young people can truly benefit, including securing their right to express opinions and their broader right to participation in matters affecting them, Tiunn said.


content_text:
Opposition parties reveal planned bills for new legislative session

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus said it aims to pass special statutes governing the appropriation of subsidies and funds in Hualien County’s disaster-stricken Guangfu Township (光復) as well as 23 priority bills in this legislative session.

More than 1,500 homes in the town were damaged by flooding after a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) burst, triggered by rainfall brought by Super Typhoon Ragasa, the KMT caucus said.

The special budget plan is necessary, as it would help with the town’s recovery, it added.

The caucus also proposed amendments to articles 37 and 67 of the Act Governing Civil Servants’ Retirement, Discharge and Pensions (公務人員退休資遣撫卹法).

The proposed amendment to article 37 would require the government to stop decreasing year-on-year income replacement rate for civil servants, and adjust their pension whenever there is salary adjustment for the government employees.

The proposed amendment to article 67 would tie civil servants’ pensions to inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI). It would stipulate that the monthly pension received by retired civil servants, as well as the monthly compensation or survivors’ annuity received by their surviving family members, be adjusted when the CPI’s cumulative growth rate increases or decreases 5 percent. The adjustment rate would be determined jointly by the Examination Yuan and the Executive Yuan, taking into consideration the nation’s economic conditions, government finances, and the funding ratio of the pension and compensation fund.

In addition, the proposed amendments would stipulate that a review of the adjustment would be conducted at least once every four years.

Although some KMT legislators said the adjustment of civil servant pension funds would be triggered by cumulative CPI rate of 2 to 3 percent or minus-2 to minus-5 percent, the caucus has not declared its stance on the method and frequency of such adjustments.

Key amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) would clearly define the central government’s responsibilities regarding both general and project-based grants to local governments, the caucus said.

The aim is to prevent the Executive Yuan from “arbitrarily” cutting subsidies, and to reduce disputes between central and local authorities, it said.

The caucus also proposed a “draft act governing central government subsidies to special municipalities and county (city) governments,” which it said aims to codify the existing subsidy mechanisms. The proposed act would stipulate the total amount of centrally allocated revenue could not be lower than the amount allocated in the fiscal year preceding its enactment.

Other priority bills include draft acts on artificial intelligence, young people, news media and digital platforms, platform delivery management, and protection of workers’ rights.

They also include amendments to the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall (總統副總統選舉罷免法), Employment Services (就業服務法), Climate Change Response (氣候變遷因應法), Basic Environment (環境基本法), Road Traffic Management and Penalty (道路交通管理處罰條例), Soil and Water Conservation (水土保持法), Slopeland Conservation and Utilization (山坡地保育條例), Housing (住宅法), and Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention (詐欺犯罪危害防制條例) acts.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus said that its priority bills include an amendment to the Referendum Act (公民投票法) to allow referendums to be held alongside general elections, and a special law for absentee voting.

It said it would propose amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法), particularly regarding the grounds for detention, and to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (環境影響評估法) to prevent solar power development from damaging national land.

TPP legislative caucus director Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿) said the party would also push for a surrogacy bill as well as amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act (人工生殖法) to include same-sex male couples.

Additional reporting by Lin Tse-yuan


title: Beheading Lai remark taken out of context: Holger Chen

people: 柯文哲 蔡英文 黃國昌 賴清德

content_text:
By Chang Wen-chuan, Huang Yi-ching and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writer

Internet personality Holger Chen (陳之漢) yesterday said his recent comment about “decapitating” President William Lai (賴清德) had been taken out of context, one day after the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) launched an investigation into the matter.

Chen — a former gang member turned fitness influencer and businessman also known as Kuan Chang (館長) — yesterday spoke to reporters outside the Taipei District Court, where he was showing support for former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who attended a hearing yesterday.

On Monday, the bureau said it had begun a probe into remarks Chen allegedly made on Sunday during a livestream discussing politics and cross-strait relations.

Internet personality Holger Chen, center, speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

Referring to the concept of military “decapitation strikes,” Chen, apparently addressing China, said it should “chop off the head of Lai,” adding: “I am waiting, brothers, I think about it day and night.”

The remarks might constitute incitement to commit a crime and threatening bodily harm under the Criminal Code, the bureau said.

Chen said his words were not an expression of personal intent, but a paraphrase of reports about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s alleged “decapitation strike” tactics, adding that numerous online accounts advocating for China to “reunify” with Taiwan by force had appeared on his livestreams in the days leading up to his remarks.

He said he engaged with those users to express his disagreement with them, telling them he was “willing to get on [his] hands and knees to beg” if that could prevent war.

The CIB took his remarks out of context, he said, adding that it had manipulated footage from his livestream to make it appear as if he were advocating violence against the president.

The government “should not play like this,” he said.

Separately yesterday, Lai said the nation would not benefit from hate speech or calls for violence, adding that his mission as head of state is to promote unity, love and the sense of civic duty.

“I have never engaged in corruption or taken anything that did not belong to me since entering politics,” he said. “Each day, I work diligently with former president Tsai Ing-wen [蔡英文] to make the nation safer, the economy stronger and the public better cared for.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokeswoman Tai Wei-shan (戴瑋姍) called on Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) — a good friend of Chen — to distance the party from figures implicated in making threats against the president.

“The TPP should not allow itself to become a synonym for social violence and hatred,” she said.

Huang said that anyone familiar with Chen’s livestreams knows that he tends to speak his mind without filters.

“The harshness of Chen’s words is not reflected in his actions, which have been free of criminal behavior or bad acts,” Huang said, adding that Chen has been a victim of violence, not a perpetrator.

Additional reporting by CNA


title: Taiwan News Quick Take

content_text:
CRIME

Man arrested after fight

Taichung prosecutors yesterday sought the continued detention of a man accused of pushing a Taiwan Railway Corp station worker onto the tracks after entering the platform without a ticket. The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office said the 39-year-old suspect, surnamed Chen (陳), is being investigated for attempted murder. After questioning Chen yesterday morning, prosecutors said he poses a flight risk and requested his detention. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at Wuquan Station in Taichung, where Chen allegedly entered the station without a ticket. A station worker tried to get Chen to leave the platform, and Chen allegedly pushed him onto the tracks, the Taichung Precinct of the Railway Police Bureau said. The worker broke his ankle, but climbed back onto the platform, police said. Police said they were notified of the incident at 3:44pm on Monday, and Chen was arrested at about 6pm after fleeing the scene.

DIPLOMACY

Estonia eases rules

Taiwanese can drive in Estonia for up to one year using an International Driving Permit (IDP), without needing an official Estonian translation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The ministry previously announced in February that the Estonian government would allow holders of a Taiwanese driver’s license and an IDP, along with an official translation of that document, to drive in the Baltic state for stays under 12 months. Department of European Affairs Director Eric Huang (黃鈞耀) said the Estonian government has further relaxed the rules, removing the translation requirement for Taiwanese.

FOOD SAFETY

Star anise batch destroyed

A shipment of 8,947kg of star anise fragments imported from China was destroyed at the border after testing positive for Sudan III dye, a banned industrial coloring agent, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday. The batch, imported by Jofont Biotechnology Co (宏芳生物科技), was among 14 products on the noncompliance list released, including Japanese melons, South Korean frozen marlin, French spice powder, Australian mandarins and Vietnamese broccoli. Agency official Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘) said the agency is carrying out inspections for Sudan dyes on all star anise fragments from China from April 11 last year through Sept. 30 next year.

DIPLOMACY

Taiwan lectureship unveiled

Roma Tre University on Monday signed an agreement with Taiwan’s representative office in Italy to establish a Taiwan studies lectureship, expanding its Sinology research beyond a “China-centered” perspective. The lectureship is part of a Ministry of Education initiative to promote Taiwan-focused research and raise the nation’s global visibility through partnerships with leading universities. Representative to Italy Vincent Tsai (蔡允中) said the program would deepen bilateral ties, and boost academic and cultural exchanges. Roma Tre University president Massimiliano Fiorucci said the partnership reflects the growing importance of academic collaboration between Taiwan and Italy. Roma Tre has previously worked with Taiwan through education and cultural programs launched in 2012, hosting conferences, Mandarin courses and film festivals about Taiwanese culture, he added. The five-year lectureship is to cover topics such as literature, international relations, Taiwan’s role in the Indo-Pacific region, and its leadership in artificial intelligence, communications technology and economics.


title: Hanging on

content_text: The words “Hang in there, Hualien” are displayed on the Presidential Office Building during a light show last night. This year’s National Day projection show features the theme “Stay Tuned, Taiwan” to mark the 60th anniversary of the Golden Bell Awards, Taiwan’s equivalent of the Emmys. The nightly performances, which started yesterday, run until Friday, from 7pm to 9:30pm, each lasting about 10 minutes.


content_text: Models pose at Yulin Stadium in Huwei Township yesterday wearing dress uniforms for this year’s National Games at an event to promote the competition, which is scheduled for Saturday next week to Oct. 23.

title: Games dresses


content_text:
BOUNCE BACK: While revenue fell 7.28 percent in the first eight months of the year, the company expects demand for AI chips to fuel revenue growth next year, it said

Plasma-based equipment supplier Nano Electronics and Micro System Technologies Inc (暉盛科技) yesterday forecast revenue this year would continue to slip before surging back next year on the back of robust demand for IC substrates for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, and increasing adoption of new glass core substrates and wafer panel-level packaging technology.

The Tainan-based company attributed a slump in its revenue to IC substrate inventory correction over the past two years.

During the first eight months of this year, revenue dropped 7.28 percent to NT$299 million (US$9.8 million), from NT$323 million a year earlier.

Nano Electronics and Micro System Technologies Inc president Winson Hsu, left, and chairman Sung Chun-yi attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

The company makes a wide range of equipment for plasma etching, substrate plasma cleaning, de-bond plasma cleaning and wafer plasma etching. The equipment is used by semiconductor, IC substrate and printed circuit board (PCB) makers. Wafer makers, wafer reclaim companies and chip packagers are also among its customers.

“Plasma technology is the core competence of our company. We believe the gold age of plasma is coming,” Nano Electronics chairman Sung Chun-yi (宋俊毅) told a news conference in Taipei.

As OpenAI drives explosive growth for hardware, powered by AI chips, it is critical to raise the yield rate in semiconductor manufacturing, given its high price tag, Sung said.

The company’s plasma equipment could play a key role in improving yield rate, he said.

The company expects the semiconductor segment to become its biggest revenue contributor, making up 46 percent of total revenue next year, up from 17.7 percent this year. The IC substrate segment would fall to the second-largest contributor, accounting for up to 29.4 percent, down from 43.43 percent this year.

“The company’s order visibility is more than six months and could extend to one year,” company spokesman Kelvin Chiu (邱冠陸) said. “In addition, we recently received rush orders from customers from the AI server supply chain, which would help boost revenue growth momentum.”

Next year, the company is looking at new revenue growth from glass core substrate and wafer manufacturing customers as glass core technology is adopted by the whole semiconductor supply chain in preparation for volume production in 2027 or at the beginning of 2028, Chiu said.

It takes up to six months for the company to ship its equipment, he said.

“We are expecting significant growth next year,” he added.

The company counts Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker; ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), the world’s biggest chip packager; and PCB suppliers Zhen Ding Technology Holding Ltd (臻鼎) and Unimicron Technology Corp (欣興電子) among its customers.

The company is scheduled to trade its shares on the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s Taiwan Innovation Board next month, becoming the second firm to list on the board this year.

In the first half of this year, the company reported NT$15.15 million in net profit, plunging 62 percent from NT$39.39 million a year earlier, while earnings per share dropped to NT$0.44 from NT$1.14.

title: Nano eyes growth boost next year


content_text:
Taiwan foreign exchange reserves top US$600 billion mark for first time

Taiwan’s foreign exchange reserves hit a record high at the end of last month, surpassing the US$600 billion mark for the first time, the central bank said yesterday.

Last month, the country’s foreign exchange reserves rose US$5.51 billion from a month earlier to reach US$602.94 billion due to an increase in returns from the central bank’s portfolio management, the movement of other foreign currencies in the portfolio against the US dollar and the bank’s efforts to smooth the volatility of the New Taiwan dollar.

Department of Foreign Exchange Director-General Eugene Tsai (蔡炯民)said a rate cut cycle launched by the US Federal Reserve and continued enthusiasm over artificial intelligence development led share prices in Taiwan to new highs and pushed up the NT dollar in some trading sessions.

Euro, Hong Kong dollar, US dollar, Japanese yen, British pound and Chinese 100-yuan banknotes are seen in a picture illustration on Jan. 21, 2016. PhotoL: Reuters

To stabilize the local foreign exchange market, the central bank stepped in to buy greenbacks and sell the NT dollar to slow down the pace of the local currency’s appreciation, Tsai said.

The TAIEX soared 1,587.44 points or 6.55 percent last month, while the NT dollar appreciated 0.44 percent against the US dollar in the month. Analysts said without the central bank’s intervention, the local currency would have moved higher.

Due to the strong showing of the local stock market and growing market value, foreign investors held US$1.04 trillion in Taiwan-listed stocks, bonds and NT dollar-denominated deposits last month, a new high and up from US$951.1 billion in August.

These holdings equaled 172 percent of Taiwan’s total foreign exchange reserves last month, up from 159 percent in August.

When asked whether Taiwan will use its huge foreign exchange reserves as a bargaining chip during tariff talks with the US in terms of foreign exchange rate movement acceptable to Washington or Taipei’s potential investments in the US market, Tsai said the central bank is not part of Taiwan’s negotiation team.

“Taiwan’s foreign exchange reserves and the ongoing tariff talks with the US are two separate issues,” he said.

Tsai emphasized the central bank has built a communications channel with the US Department of the Treasury as it comes to its foreign exchange policies.

The central bank has said the guidance the US treasury department gave in its latest semi-annual currency report in June was consistent with Taiwan’s foreign exchange policies. In the report, Taiwan stayed on the currency watch list with eight other economies — China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland.

Taiwan has built up about NT$3 trillion (US$98.36 billion) in overseas assets, including NT$1.5 trillion in private hands, and enjoys a sizable currency account surplus of more than US$100 billion, the country has no problem in liquidity, Tsai said.

The huge overseas assets held by the private sector can be used for investments abroad, he added.

The central bank also reiterated its commitment to maintaining sufficient foreign reserves to safeguard Taiwan’s financial stability and cushion against sudden capital outflows.


content_text:
Taiwanese shares yesterday smashed closing records to top 27,000 points as the bellwether electronics sector continued its momentum after a deal announced by chip designer Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) and OpenAI overnight.

The TAIEX closed up 450.89 points, or 1.68 percent, at 27,211.95, with turnover on the main board totaling NT$556.203 billion (US$18.22 billion), Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.

Foreign institutional investors bought a net NT$676.56 million of shares on the main board, the data showed.

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co logo is pictured at a stock brokerage in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

After strong gains, the market capitalization of the TAIEX reached a high of almost NT$88 trillion.

“The TAIEX continued to ride the wave of AI [artificial intelligence] enthusiasm, in particular after the AMD-Open AI deal,” Cathay Futures Consultant Co (國泰證期) analyst Tsai Ming-han (蔡明翰) said.

AMD on Monday announced it would supply AI chips to OpenAI and also agreed to the ChatGPT creator buying a stake of up to 10 percent in the chip designer.

“The deal drove up chip stocks in the US overnight and it was no surprise that their counterparts in Taiwan followed suit with TSMC [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, 台積電] in focus,” Tsai said.

After its American depositary receipts rose 3.49 percent overnight, TSMC, the most heavily weighted local stock, gained 2.5 percent to close at a high of NT$1,435 to boost its market cap to a record high of NT$37.21 trillion.

TSMC’s gains contributed about 280 points to the TAIEX’s rise and pushed the electronics index 2.05 percent higher.

“After the TAIEX breached 27,000 points, some investors could pocket their gains to create volatility,” Tsai said. “But, as the US Federal Reserve has started a rate cut cycle, high liquidity could possibly ease downward pressure.”

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose just six points to 47,950.88 giving up nearly all of its earlier gains after rising almost 5 percent to a record close on Monday.

Most other markets also rose, with Singapore, Wellington, Mumbai, Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta all up, while Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul were closed for holidays.

Meanwhile, gold hit a fresh peak of US$3,977.44 — pushing closer to US$4,000 — as investors closely watch the US government shutdown, with Republicans and Democrats appearing no closer to an agreement.

Bets on the Fed cutting interest rates this month and the political crisis in France is adding to the allure of the safe-haven asset.

The upbeat mood also gave bitcoin a bump, hitting a record high of US$126,251.

Additional reporting by AFP

title: Taiwanese shares reach high after AMD-OpenAI deal


title: Meta to build new submarine cable to Taiwan

content_text:
CRISSCROSS: The 570Tbps cable would complement Meta’s other lines in the region, including Apricot, which connects 290Tbps of capacity to Taiwan

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms Inc on Sunday announced that it is collaborating with major telecoms in the Asia-Pacific region to build a new submarine cable to bring increased connectivity to Taiwan and five other nations in 2028.

Candle, an 8,000km-long submarine cable, would be the largest-capacity cable in the Asia-Pacific region, connecting more than 580 million people in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore with 570 terabits per second (Tbps) of capacity, the California-based social media company said.

The cable would use new 24 fiber-pair cable technology, capable of delivering bandwidths comparable with Anjana, the company’s largest-capacity cable, which connects Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Santander, Spain.

“The Asia-Pacific region is home to over 58 percent of the world’s Internet users, many of whom rely on robust global infrastructure for online connectivity and access to innovative tech such as AI [artificial intelligence],” the company said in a statement.

“As such, we continue to build world-class network infrastructure with enough capacity and resilience to enable rich online experiences for people all over the world,” it added.

Candle is part of Meta’s Project Waterworth, aiming to build undersea cables connecting five continents by the end of the decade, it said.

In addition to Candle, Meta has also constructed three other cables in the Asia-Pacific region: Apricot, Bifrost and Echo.

Apricot runs between Taiwan, Japan and Guam, with planned extensions to the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore, enabling the 12,000km system to complement the Bifrost and Echo systems with 290Tbps of capacity, the company said.

In 2021, Meta and its partners said they were committed to increasing transpacific capacity by 70 percent through Bifrost and Echo.

Bifrost, which connects Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and the US, is expected to extend to Mexico next year, the statement said.

“Bifrost will chart a different path from prior transpacific cables by adding 260Tbps of redundancy to this popular digital route,” the company said.

Echo also provides 260Tbps of capacity between Guam and California, with options for further connectivity into Asia, Meta said.


content_text:
OpenAI declares focus on enterprise growth with array of partnerships

OpenAI on Monday touted new partnerships to incorporate its artificial intelligence (AI) products across diverse industries at its developer conference, aiming to drive the strong momentum it has enjoyed among consumers to its enterprise business.

“You should expect a huge focus from us on really leaning into enterprise,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told journalists at a news conference following his keynote at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center.

The company revealed a flurry of collaborations with companies including Spotify Technology SA, Zillow Group Inc and Mattel Inc, while debuting a set of fresh tools to help developers build new applications.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks at OpenAI DevDay, the company’s annual conference for developers, in San Francisco on Monday. Photo: AFP

That included a way for other apps to plug into ChatGPT and allow a user to ask questions or perform tasks in the app. One engineer gave a live demonstration showing how someone could use ChatGPT to generate a readymade playlist in Spotify, or ask Zillow to narrow down a list of properties to just show those with three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

Executives said it was the start of a broader vision of transforming ChatGPT into a central portal where users can access a broader range of services.

“What you’re going to see over the next six months is an evolution of ChatGPT from an app that is really, really useful into something that feels a little bit more like an operating system,” ChatGPT head Nick Turley said.

OpenAI president Greg Brockman added that the company was “committed to building the best enterprise platform.”

Spotify said in a statement about its partnership that it would not share user data with OpenAI to train models.

Asked if the same policy applied to the other deals, Turley said it would abide by the preferences users selected in their data settings.

OpenAI had always planned to target the enterprise market, but its AI models were not previously ready for the higher demands of business-use cases, Altman said.

“We needed to let the models get better. The models are there now,” he said, adding that the company had selected “a few active early partnerships.”

The work that went into its models’ self-claimed gold medal performance at the International Mathematical Olympiad would generate benefits for enterprises in other ways, Brockman said.

OpenAI and other tech giants such as Alphabet Inc and Microsoft Corp have courted enterprise AI deals to help justify massive spikes in spending, although the returns across the industry have so far failed to match investment, surveys showed.

The ChatGPT-maker last month outlined ambitious plans to build US$1 trillion or more of computing capacity and launched a viral AI-video-generating app called Sora, which has shot to the top of Apple Inc’s app rankings.

All this has made OpenAI a massive money-losing operation to date.

Altman said it was “not in my top 10 concerns, but we obviously someday have to be very profitable.”

Monday’s moves are the latest in a stream of announcements for OpenAI. However, many of Altman’s ambitions are bold and expensive even by Silicon Valley standards, sparking some concerns among tech investors about whether or not AI investments are a bubble.

Altman said during the question-answer session that many areas of the AI industry are “kind of bubbly,” but that “real value will get created.”


content_text:
Leadtek Research Inc (麗臺) on Friday reported that third-quarter revenue surged 93.6 percent year-on-year to NT$1.95 billion (US$63.9 million), as the supplier of graphics processing units (GPUs), artificial intelligence workstations and servers last month collected sizeable receivables of 279 million yuan (US$39.2 million) from China Mobile Ltd (中國移動).

Leadtek is a long-term partner of Nvidia Corp and an authorized reseller of the US GPU maker’s products under its own brand following customized manufacturing and redesigning. It last year secured a 298 million yuan order to supply 200 Nvidia HGX A800 units for servers to China Mobile.

The company plans to collect the remaining receivables of 19 million yuan from China Mobile between 2028 and 2030, it said.

People visit a Leadtek Research Inc booth at a trade show in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Leadtek Research Inc

Leadtek said it would book a loss of about 11.35 million yuan from the China Mobile deal in this year’s financial report after deducting related costs and expected credit losses.

The company’s sales growth also came as shipments of Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs, typically used for gaming and video editing, started to normalize in the second half of this year, it said.

Revenue in the first nine months of this year rose 32.3 percent year-on-year to NT$3.53 billion, it said.

Revenue growth for this quarter is expected to continue as shipments of products equipped with Nvidia’s RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell series GPUs began last month, along with steady demand for RTX 50 units, which entered mass production in July, industry sources said yesterday.

title: Leadtek Research posts 93.6 percent surge in Q3 revenue


title: Flood aid

content_text: Dakeng Leisure Farm head Tsai Cheng-wen packs grapefruit in Tainan’s Sinhua District yesterday. The freshly harvested fruit, along with others such as papayas and oranges, are to be shipped to flood-hit areas of Hualien County as part of donations for disaster relief, Tsai said.


title: EDITORIAL: KMT’s limits, strengths revealed

people: 卓伯源 郝龍斌 蔡志弘 盧秀燕 羅智強 鄭麗文

content_text:
The election campaign for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chair is heating up, with only 10 days left before party members cast their ballots on Oct. 18. The campaign has revealed potential strengths for the party going into important elections next year and in 2028, particularly the desire among leading candidates to deepen cooperation with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). However, it has also exposed the party’s persistent weaknesses, especially in formulating a policy on cross-strait relations that can appeal to the majority of Taiwanese.

Six candidates are registered: former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), 73; former legislator Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), 56; Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), 55; Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), 71; former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源), 60; and legal academic Tsai Chih-hong (蔡志弘), 71. Among them, Hau — seen as an experienced, authoritative figure with broad appeal — and Cheng and Lo, regarded as representing the younger generation, have drawn the most attention. Chang, given his “deep blue” positions, is adding an extra dimension to the campaign by forcing the other candidates to engage with his hardline positions without alienating the KMT’s conservative voter base.

Party reform and the question of generational change have been important themes in the campaign. However, observers have noted that while every candidate has highlighted “reform” in their platform, most proposals are little more than procedural tinkering, avoiding the harder questions of factional patronage, reliance on local networks and how the KMT can become more appealing to mainstream society.

Nonetheless, a potential strength for the party is the agreement among leading candidates on the need to deepen cooperation with the TPP to defeat the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which points to widespread KMT recognition that it would struggle to win majority support alone. Lo has proposed detailed polling mechanisms to decide joint candidacies, while Cheng has called for institutionalizing the “blue-white” alliance and formally adopting a common rulebook. While questions remain over how far the TPP would be willing to integrate, the prospect of a deeper KMT-TPP alliance means the DPP could face tougher political contests next year and beyond.

However, the campaign has also highlighted the party’s persistent weakness: its inability to address the wide gap between public perceptions of China and the KMT’s own outlook. The candidates have largely ignored Beijing’s intensifying campaign of “hybrid warfare” and military pressure in the Taiwan Strait. Amid China’s growing military threats, they have offered little on strengthening ties with democratic partners and remain wedded to the widely questioned belief that Beijing can be deterred through exchanges alone.

Each leading candidate has presented themself not as a presidential candidate in their own right, but as a “kingmaker” for the party’s next nominee, with Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) widely regarded as the strongest hopeful. She declined to run for chair — citing a desire to focus on governance challenges in Taichung — but the more likely reason is that no serious national politician can afford to stake out positions on China in an internal KMT contest without jeopardizing their broader electability.

This has left the chair election as a battle among ideologues, competing over “one China” identity and ideological purity that is increasingly detached from mainstream public opinion.

The KMT appears stuck in a circular logic: a genuine reformer with presidential ambitions cannot win the chair without adopting positions that alienate mainstream voters, while only a hardline candidate can prevail internally, ensuring the party is unlikely to reform and broaden its appeal. Whether the next chair can break this cycle of contradictions remains to be seen.


content_text:
A Sept. 19 New York Times report has raised questions about China’s role in clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. In July, the most serious armed confrontations in a decade broke out on the border between the two countries, while China has sought to portray itself as a mediator.

However, Thai intelligence documents reviewed by the New York Times showed that Chinese Y-20 military aircraft carried shipments of rockets, artillery shells and mortars to the southwestern city of Sihanoukville in June.

The weapons were stored at a nearby naval base before being transported to the border region, the documents showed.

Senior Thai officials confirmed the intelligence reports to the New York Times, adding that the information was gathered by an intelligence network across military branches.

Cambodia has attempted to play down the report, saying the weapons shipment coincided with joint military exercises with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, despite the exercise concluding in May.

The Chinese Ministry of National Defense is yet to respond to the allegations. However, shortly after fighting broke out, Beijing arranged a meeting with Thai Acting Defense Attache Colonel Siwat Rattan-ananta at the Thai embassy in Beijing to deny any Chinese involvement.

China has become Thailand’s largest arms supplier, far surpassing the US, while at the same time providing weapons to Cambodia’s much smaller military, the report said.

Throughout this expansion in arms sales, Beijing has been fully aware of the growing tensions between Thailand and Cambodia. Most of the rockets used by Cambodian forces were of Chinese origin, Southeast Asian human rights group Fortify Rights said, based on on-the-ground research.

Far from reflecting on the role its weapons exports have played in the civilian casualties in the conflict, China is persistent in framing itself as a regional broker of peace.

The conflict has laid bare the Chinese government’s lack of principles, with its arms sales helping to add fuel to the very fire it purports to be working to put out. As Chinese-made rockets and artillery contribute to civilian deaths, it flies in the face of humanitarianism that senior Chinese military officials have used routine drills as cover to deny supplying weapons to Cambodia in the lead-up to the fighting.

China has long sought to make inroads into Southeast Asian states through arms deals, yet plays at peacemaker at the sight of conflict. That is not just diplomatic hypocrisy, but represents a threat to regional peace and the sovereignty of Southeast Asian states. After intelligence on its weapons shipment emerged, China pushed back with a smokescreen of vaguely worded denial, while Cambodian Secretary of State for Defense Rath Dararoth described the report as “misleading.”

However, civilian casualties and devastated villages are an unavoidable reality left by the Chinese-made munitions. This reality, and the exposing of the “peacemaker” as nothing more than an arms dealer, has put Beijing’s hypocrisy and betrayal on full display.

Any notion of dedication to peace or neutrality is gone with the wind.

Elliot Yao is a reviewer.

Translated by Gilda Knox Streader

title: Chinese arms in Southeast Asia


content_text:
On Oct. 8, 1998, then-South Korean president Kim Dae-jung and then-Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi signed the Japan-Republic of Korea Joint Declaration: A New Japan-Republic of Korea Partnership Towards the Twenty-First Century during Kim’s state visit to Japan.

Twenty-seven years on, it is clear that the declaration not only significantly reshaped South Korea-Japan relations, but also improved the regional strategic environment for Taiwan.

The declaration was unprecedented. For the first time, a Japanese prime minister formally documented in a written joint statement “deep remorse and heartfelt apology” for Japan’s colonial rule in Korea in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Obuchi approached relations with South Korea through a democratic lens, expressing admiration for its democratization, and anchoring their partnership in universal values such as freedom and democracy.

Kim’s approach to Japan was deeply personal. His years of exile there during South Korea’s military rule had fostered lasting bonds with Japanese supporters in the public, media and government. Speaking to the Japanese Diet in 1998, Kim expressed gratitude not simply in generalities, but in deeply human terms, for those in Japan who had sheltered him and supported South Korea’s democratic struggle. That was democratic diplomacy grounded in lived experience.

The implications extended far beyond Seoul and Tokyo. Just one month later, then-Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) visited Japan, pressing for an apology from Japan similar to what South Korea had received. Obuchi rejected Jiang’s request. The episode further strained China-Japan relations, especially after Jiang expressed his dissatisfaction directly to then-Japanese emperor Akihito at a state banquet — a gesture that soured Japanese public opinion. Where South Korea was welcomed, China faced rebuke.

This mattered for Taiwan. By affirming its special ties with a newly democratic South Korea, Japan became less inclined to yield to Beijing’s demands — including those regarding Taiwan — especially as bilateral relations were strained by Jiang’s controversial visit, in contrast to Kim’s success a month earlier.

During Jiang’s visit, Tokyo declined to endorse the “three no’s” policy — then-US president Bill Clinton’s 1998 pledge that the US would not support Taiwanese independence, “two Chinas” or Taiwan’s entry into organizations requiring statehood.

The Seoul-Tokyo reconciliation thus opened diplomatic space for Taiwan at a time when cross-Strait tensions remained raw after the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1995 and 1996.

The significance goes beyond bilateral ties. The reconciliation between Seoul and Tokyo points to the potential of a democratic triangle among Taiwan, South Korea and Japan — a partnership that could strengthen democratic Northeast Asia.

When these democracies build trust, they not only stabilize the region, but also help to expand Taiwan’s space amid great power competition.

As the 27th anniversary of the 1998 declaration is today, how Taiwan’s democratic neighbors choose to work together would shape not only their own future, but that of democratic Northeast Asia and Taiwan’s place within it.

Alan Jeong is a student at Georgetown University in Washington.

title: Seoul-Tokyo 1998 pact and Taiwan