title: 蔡淳佳陪我看日出25年 首攻北流舉辦個唱 驚喜與粉絲見面

content_text:
墨新聞｜記者梁偉華／台北報導

蔡淳佳17年沒有公開與台灣歌迷見面 照片提供：Joi Music / 淳萃文化

出道25年的新加坡歌后蔡淳佳（Joi），將於12月13日唱進Legacy TERA，這也是她首度在台灣舉辦個唱，消息一出讓粉絲驚喜不已！她曾以〈陪我看日出〉紅遍華語圈，卻已有17年沒有公開與台灣歌迷見面，蔡淳佳笑說：「我覺得我能出現在台上就已經是驚喜了吧！」蔡淳佳《淳粹·25週年世界巡迴演唱會》台北站購票，請洽（https://tickets.udnfunlife.com/Application/UTK02/UTK0201_.aspx?PRODUCT_ID=P11JH4J9），樂迷千萬不要錯過！

蔡淳佳17年沒有公開與台灣歌迷見面 照片提供：Joi Music / 淳萃文化

被問到昔日「玉女歌手」形象，蔡淳佳笑回自己其實是「女獅子」個性，直言：「我周遭都是男生多，在他們面前我是tough的，在老公面前人家也會覺得我比他強悍。」她笑說自己個子高，就算想小鳥依人也無法如願。蔡淳佳與老公交往26年、是彼此初戀，感性說：「我比較幸運，遇到對的人，他很體諒我，很難再找到第二個像他一樣的人。」

蔡淳佳17年沒有公開與台灣歌迷見面 照片提供：Joi Music / 淳萃文化

提到好友許哲珮（Peggy），她透露對方曾以催眠師身分為她催眠，「我看到前世自己是一隻鳥，會飛、有翅膀，應該是老鷹，還和另一半生了小鳥，我想那隻應該是我老公！」她笑說還看到另一世的自己是「江南富太太」，古裝造型、小橋流水全都歷歷在目。

蔡淳佳17年沒有公開與台灣歌迷見面 照片提供：Joi Music / 淳萃文化

出道25年，蔡淳佳感慨星路起伏，曾暫別歌壇回歸本行開設精品眼鏡店「Eyecare People」，如今成立「Joi Music／淳萃文化」重拾創作身份。她感性說：「時間真的好快，沒想到能唱那麼久，要謝謝歌迷讓我更想繼續唱下去。」

蔡淳佳17年沒有公開與台灣歌迷見面 照片提供：Joi Music / 淳萃文化

她坦言2009年後演藝機會減少，隔年結婚後又投入創業，一度分身乏術，如今將經營權交給老公、專心回歸音樂，「歌唱和生意都是我的主業，但基本上我不要出現在店裡就好，放手給他去管。」

蔡淳佳17年沒有公開與台灣歌迷見面 照片提供：Joi Music / 淳萃文化

談及早年職場遭遇，蔡淳佳坦承曾被台灣歌手開玩笑式「吃豆腐」：「他說要抱一下，我就回他『你去抱樹吧！』」她強調：「女生要學會拒絕，潛規則潛不到我啦，我都太直接了！」如今她大方一笑：「現在都變阿姨了，再遇到他應該會給個友情擁抱吧。」

此篇文章最開始出處為: 蔡淳佳陪我看日出25年 首攻北流舉辦個唱 驚喜與粉絲見面

countries: 新加坡 台灣


content_text:
墨新聞｜地方中心

新北市政府依據交通部中央氣象署最新天氣預報資料，於20日晚上8時宣布明（10/21）日部分山區學校（新店區直潭國小、新店區屈尺國小、烏來區全區中小學及幼兒園）停班課，其餘地區正常上班上課。

因風神颱風與東北季風共伴效應仍帶給北臺灣持續性降雨，新北市自今(20)日下午19時起開放大漢溪流域左岸及淡水河流域部分水門周邊部分道路(不含高灘地園區道路及堤內外越堤道)紅黃線停車，開放道路路邊停車格亦暫停收費。

此篇文章最開始出處為: 強降雨！新北市正常上班上課 新店、烏來部分山區學校停班課

title: 強降雨！新北市正常上班上課　新店、烏來部分山區學校停班課

taiwan-subdivisions: 新店 新北市 烏來 新店區 淡水 烏來區


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墨新聞｜記者鄭富鈺／綜合報導

臺北市政府依據交通部中央氣象署最新天氣預報資料，於20日晚上8時宣布明（10/21）日各機關學校照常上班上課。惟基於陽明山區大豪雨及安全考量，湖田實驗國民小學、陽明山國民小學、平等國民小學、溪山實驗國民小學、雙溪國民小學停止上班上課。

蔣萬安召開強降雨第1次工作會報因應風神颱風及東北季風共伴效應的強降雨，臺北市長蔣萬安20日召開強降雨第1次工作會報，在聽取災害防救辦公室颱風動態說明及各局處報告後，作出裁示，以加強整備與應變措施。

蔣萬安召開強降雨第1次工作會報他表示，受風神颱風及東北季風雙重影響，臺北市未來幾日將有較強降雨發生之機率，各相關單位須提高警覺，提前採取預防措施。災害預警方面，針對邊坡、老舊聚落或土石流保全戶進行相關撤離作業，紅色警戒必須強制撤離，黃色警戒則有預防性的撤離措施。

在交通與公共安全方面，工務局水利處已於今日17時起對淡水河、基隆河沿線的疏散門及越堤坡道實施「只出不進」管制，並於晚上21時進行拖吊作業，蔣萬安責請相關單位，透過多渠道宣導民眾遵守停車規定確保安全。

此外，陽明山區湖田國小、陽明山國小、平等國小、溪山國小、雙溪國小宣布21日停課停班，蔣萬安責請教育局及人事處，依作業流程與鄰近基北北桃等縣市保持密切聯繫，後續如有相關訊息或民眾權益有關之訊息須儘早發布。

因應降雨將持續多日，蔣萬安請工務局、環保局、交通局及各區公所，加強路樹倒塌、交通號誌異常等災情的準備，提前配置人力、車輛與相關設備，並與合約廠商保持緊密配合，以便即時應對突發狀況。

最後，蔣萬安請災害防救辦公室持續掌握雨勢情形，提供各防救災單位即時應變參考，以最大程度保障民眾生命財產安全。

此篇文章最開始出處為: 北市周二正常上班課 陽明山區5國小停班停課

title: 北市周二正常上班課　陽明山區5國小停班停課

taiwan-subdivisions: 雙溪 臺北市 基隆 淡水


title: 周興哲上海站化身公益行動派 籲現場捐款點亮「愛的星空」

content_text:
墨新聞｜記者梁偉華／台北報導

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

「Wow！體育場果然不一樣，每個人都有螢光棒，好美呀～～」「亞洲創作新天王」周興哲（Eric）於18日以人生首場戶外巨型演唱會《Odyssey·Star旅程·星空》唱進上海虹口足球場，全場座無虛席，三萬名「小興星」手持螢光棒點亮全場，閃閃星海從看台一路延伸到天際。一開場Eric戴著墨鏡、穿著黑色軍裝外套帥氣現身，全場立刻沸騰。

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

當周興哲摘下墨鏡那一刻，全場尖叫量瞬間爆表，「老公！老公！」此起彼落，Eric也笑場直呼：「小興星們，我今天帥嗎？」現場秒被撕裂般的尖叫吞沒，他感性補充：「今天是我人生中第一場體育場演唱會，也是Odyssey旅程第60場，走了三年，謝謝你們！」

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

舞台中央高掛「Stars Odyssey」霓虹燈箱，他問：「大家知道為什麼這次多了一個Stars嗎？」全場立刻大喊「小興星！」讓他豎起大拇指笑說：「果然我的粉絲最聰明、最貼心，愛你們！」周興哲表示因為是戶外體育場，沒有屋頂，可以直接看到星空，「今晚我們一起在星光下唱歌！」

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

緊接Eric開心大呼：「開工！」一口氣唱滿近三小時，從〈怎麼了〉、〈如果雨之後〉、〈以後別做朋友〉、〈你，好不好？〉、〈永不失聯的愛〉到〈摯友〉，全場三萬人齊聲大合唱，形成壯觀星海浪潮。

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

這是周興哲第二度返場上海，從前年首度唱進梅賽德斯奔馳中心，兩場爆滿，去年再返場，一樣兩場好事成雙，到今年一舉升級戶外體育場，晉升「三萬人規格」。事實上，周興哲日前才完成香港紅磡三場、台北小巨蛋三場返場演出，十天內橫掃台港六場紀錄，他感性說：「每個城市都是我旅程中的星星。」

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

近期在Netflix上的爆款現象劇《許我耀眼》拿下亞洲區各大冠軍，成2025年最火天花板大戲，其中，周興哲主唱片尾曲〈Take My Time〉和爆火插曲〈Me and You〉，攻上各音樂榜冠亞軍，他特別選在上海站首唱！當前奏一出，全場瞬間淪陷，尖叫聲此起彼落，小興星們更炸鍋高喊〈許我耀眼〉男主角陳偉霆經典台詞：「妍妍，接電話！」成為演唱會最時尚共感橋段。

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

但這一夜不只帥氣與浪漫，還多了暖意。周興哲不只唱爆三萬人，還加碼做公益！這場演唱會設立「彩虹相伴愛心幫扶」捐款點，讓粉絲能邊聽歌邊做愛心，變成全場最有溫度的星光行動。他暖心喊：「捐一份善意，亮一片星空！」

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

小興星們也自發排隊捐款，現場氣氛宛如一場星光接力。粉絲邊自拍邊投下愛心，笑說：「追星也能做愛心，太幸福了吧！」活動由周興哲與經紀公司「星空飛騰」攜手上海市慈善基金會虹口區代表處共同發起，捐款將用於幫助因病致困家庭、困境兒童與長者，真正讓愛「唱進」生活裡。

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

此外，周興哲《Odyssey旅程巡迴演唱會》在台北小巨蛋場同步推出粉絲限定福利──小巨蛋周邊商品攤位旁設有陽光基金會捐款點，凡現場捐款支持，不論金額，即可獲得《Odyssey旅程巡迴演唱會》限定貼紙一枚！不論貼在筆電、手機還是筆記本，都成為最亮眼粉絲徽章，大聲宣告：「我就是周興哲的鐵粉！」更重要的是，每張貼紙背後，都承載著Eric對燒傷顏損孩子們的愛心。你的支持，正化作力量，讓孩子們更堅強。

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

而秋收時節，三年來周興哲的上海慶功宴也都剛好碰上大閘蟹豐收，每次演出結束後，必定以「大閘蟹宴」慶功！這回也不例外，全家人與團隊全員到齊，現場氣氛溫馨滿滿。眾人舉杯共賀，蟹香飄滿桌，笑聲滿滿，為這趟三年星光旅程劃下最幸福的句點。

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

當〈永不失聯的愛〉歌聲響起，三萬人揮舞螢光棒，星光隨節奏流動，像極了一片會呼吸的銀河。這晚，音樂治癒人心，愛心照亮現實，周興哲以行動詮釋「偶像不只會唱，也會傳遞溫暖」。

周興哲 Eric 人生首場戶外巨型演唱會、唱進上海虹口足球場 照片提供：星空飛騰

從音樂到公益，從星空到心空，《Odyssey·Star旅程·星空》不只是演唱會，而是一場用旋律與善意共譜的盛宴。那一刻，星空閃耀的，不只是燈光，更是三萬份善意的微光。

視覺提供：星空飛騰


countries: 臺灣 台灣

content_text:
墨新聞｜記者梁偉華／台北報導

收視最高點在蔡康永(左起)與小S再度合體、小S與派翠克勇奪綜藝節目最佳主持人獎 照片提供：三立電視

「第60屆金鐘獎」節目類及戲劇類典禮於上週完美落幕，今年因是金鐘60，從入圍名單公布，到典禮都格外受到矚目。三立電視今年再度成功製播兩場金鐘盛典，展現台灣影視製作最高榮耀，從節目策劃、舞台設計、導播轉播到內容創意、宣傳行銷，全程以最高規格執行，不僅展現三立深厚的製作實力與專業團隊默契，打造出兼具感動與娛樂的年度典禮盛事，完美體現「台灣人的電視台」精神，被觀眾稱為是「有始以來最有看頭的一屆」，不只是榮耀的頒獎典禮，更是一場屬於台灣影視的盛大慶典，在掌聲與淚光中，見證六十年來的傳承與不滅光芒。

LuLu 節目類主持人及表演節目 照片提供：三立電視

羅時豐與千田愛紗、黃偉晉、GENBLUE幻藍小熊及ARKis聯手演出 照片提供：三立電視

「第60屆金鐘獎」由三立電視與公共電視同步轉播，不僅電視直播收視屢創高峰，網路同步直播與跨平台串流更刷新歷年紀錄。今年電視加上新媒體總收視人口近1,400萬，締造臺灣影視頒獎典禮「觸及廣度」的新里程碑。典禮橫跨傳統電視、有線頻道、新媒體、OTT及海外平台多點聯播，成功串聯跨世代觀眾，讓今年金鐘成為「史上最被看見」的一屆盛典。兩場典禮全國電視總收視人口數約505.5萬人次。收視率方面，10/17節目類典禮三立電視無線平均收視為1.99(有線平均收視2.85)觀看人數150萬、而公視節目類平均收視則是1.19，總觀看人數為85萬；10/18戲劇類典禮三立電視無線收視2.18(有線平均收視3.02)，觀看人數179萬，公視的戲劇類轉播收視則有1.75，觀看人數116萬。而兩天節目最高點分別為；節目類典禮收視最高點落在小S揭曉綜藝節目主持人獎，F35-54觀眾群收視5。戲劇類典禮收視最高點則落在潘迎紫出場頒獎，F35-54觀眾群收視破5更高達5.02。

邰智源(左)與安心亞頒獎精彩表演 照片提供：三立電視

曾寶儀戲劇類主持人 照片提供：三立電視

另今年典禮和星光新媒網路直播及社群短影音觀看次數超越往年數倍，總觀看量約871萬次，金鐘獎官方YouTube單一頻道，截至發稿為止，節目類典禮與戲劇類典禮觀看次數分別為101萬次及136萬次。節目類頒獎典禮，同時超過10萬人在線，而戲劇類頒獎典禮直播同時在線近17萬人。主要計算新媒平台包括金鐘官方Youtube、三立電視Youtube、金鐘59官網、Vidol YouTube、三立新聞網YouTube、中華電信Hami Video、LINE TODAY、LINE TV等。

江淑娜演唱組曲 照片提供：三立電視

收視最高點在一代女皇潘迎紫(左)出場擔任頒獎人 照片提供：三立電視

「第60屆金鐘獎」兩場典禮，無論節目類或戲劇類，主持人Lulu黃路梓茵與曾寶儀皆以沉穩自信的台風、靈活機智的臨場反應，完美展現專業主持人的高度掌握力與舞台魅力，將典禮節奏拿捏得恰到好處，優雅中帶有溫度，幽默中不失份量，成為金鐘舞台上最耀眼的靈魂人物。網友表示有曾寶儀在就像是吃了定心丸，溫暖感性、知性兼具，而Lulu黃路梓茵典禮中幽默詼諧也大放異彩，成為新生代點利最佳主持人，兩人絕對是金鐘60的定海神針。

柯佳嬿(左)與楊謹華(右)多次爭奪最佳女主角、用深情一吻化解 照片提供：三立電視

楊謹華奪下最佳女主角 照片提供：三立電視

而兩場典禮節目內容設計到頒獎及表演嘉賓更是萬哏連發，每一個環節都充滿驚喜與感動。網友留言熱烈表示：「圓圓滿滿一甲子，萬哏連發、高潮不息！」節目表演更是精采絕倫，節目類的表演主持人Lulu黃路梓茵開場就帶來滿滿「經典回憶殺」，回憶影視圈一甲子的經典作品，「董月花」、「檳榔姊妹花」、「福州伯」再現昔日造型，令全場掌聲不斷。當晚特別是羅時豐更以57歲之姿在台上與千田愛紗、黃偉晉、GENBLUE幻藍小熊及ARKis聯手演出，唱跳九分鐘，氣勢震撼全場，被譽為「金鐘最強壓軸」，9分鐘演出成為當晚討論度最高的表演節目，讓觀眾也大呼「原本以為是老中青三代輪流表演，結果竟然是羅時豐以一擋百，貫穿三代！」而頒獎人邰智源與安心亞，小S徐熙娣及蔡康永再度同台，更是為典禮掀起高潮， 邰智源的王世堅演出，讓現場笑聲不斷，小S徐熙娣及蔡康永頒最後大獎，整段充滿淚水與歡笑，特別是小S徐熙娣得獎，喊出「柳柏丞」時，更是驚呼聲不停。

主持曾寶儀與謝盈萱訪問對話 照片提供：三立電視

影后奪得戲劇節目獎 最佳照片提供：三立電視

另戲劇類驚喜更是不斷，潘迎紫白色性感禮服登場氣場全開，與當年的戲劇神獸嗶波跟哎呀呀靈芝草人同台，完全回憶殺重現，大家都驚呼保養得太過頭，深藏不露！原來身材那麼火辣。網友留言「讓人看到『專業』兩個字最深的樣子：不是短暫的天賦，而是一輩子的自律與堅持。」而被稱為「世敵」的楊謹華與柯佳嬿同台頒獎更是典禮一大賣點，兩人在台上女女吻，除打破外界對「不和」傳言外，連今年視帝連炳發在台大都摀著嘴驚喜大笑。最終楊謹華拿下視后，被網友盛讚「實至名歸」。戲劇類典禮表演也同樣精彩，「那些年，我們一起追的劇」由林凡與潘越雲率先開唱，串聯經典影劇歌曲，緊接著江淑娜驚喜登場，久違十年再現歌壇，演唱《庭院深深》、《煙雨濛濛》等瓊瑤名曲，她的出現讓現場一片驚呼。網友形容：「這根本是一場穿越秀，三位唱將演出宛如時光倒流，讓人彷彿回到黃金年代。」

此篇文章最開始出處為: 金鐘60打造史上最強典禮 收視 網路雙破紀錄共吸引超過1,400萬觀看

title: 金鐘60打造史上最強典禮 收視 網路雙破紀錄共吸引超過1,400萬觀看


taiwan-subdivisions: 五結 宜蘭縣 復興 羅東 宜蘭

title: 6校百名國中生參訪  博愛醫院學校攜手打造醫護職群扎根教育鏈

content_text:
記者蘇凱中/宜蘭報導

宜蘭縣6所國中共100名學生走進羅東博愛醫院，親身體驗醫療現場、了解醫護實務工作，羅東博愛醫院護理部主任賴寶琴表示，透過與校園的連結合作，希望讓年輕學子深入理解醫護工作的價值與內涵，為未來職涯提供不同面向選擇，而肩負醫療專業與使命的第一線醫護人員，就是最好的導師。

隨台灣高齡與慢性病驅動，社會上整體健康照護需求持續提升，護理照護專業已成為現今社會的關鍵能力，年輕學子選擇將醫護領域當作未來方向亦不在少數。羅東博愛醫院與聖母醫護管理專科學校攜手辦理國中技藝班參訪，邀請宜蘭縣內國華、中華、凱旋、羅東、五結、復興6所國中的醫護職群技藝班學生走進嬰兒室、外科、兒科，護理長們用詼諧生動的口吻分享工作的酸甜苦辣，也讓學生們體驗不同科別所提供的護理照護，感受醫療現場。

有好奇的學生提問，小朋友的手那麼小，該怎麼找到血管打針或抽血呢？兒科護理長當場打開「蛇燈」展示，紫紅色的特殊燈光讓學生大開眼界。護理長解釋，蛇燈就是護理師眼中的「打針神器」，在高亮度燈泡照射下，皮下血管就能清晰現蹤，幫助醫護人員對幼小的病人進行注射時更容易找到血管位置。「原來打針這麼不容易。」學生們近距離感受醫護工作的專業與細膩，看見的不只是技術，更是守護生命的用心。

教育部2021年正式將「醫護職群」列入國中技藝教育的課程架構中，成為第15類職群，賴寶琴說，此次參訪活動主軸並非學習臨床照護，而是醫療照護與助人工作的價值傳遞。學生過去只能從網路上、電影中認識醫護工作，這次實地走訪，與醫護人員面對面問答，更能體會到這份職業的另一面，也更真切感受到其中的專業與使命。

羅東博愛醫院除了積極推動「醫護職群體驗參訪」與「校園合作計畫」之外，「公費生補助制度」也行之有年，提供有志投入醫護專業的學子，從升學到未來專業發展上的全方位支持，鼓勵學子畢業後留鄉服務，讓醫護專業得以薪火相傳，成為守護宜蘭人健康的重要力量。


taiwan-subdivisions: 臺東 花蓮

content_text:
記者池文中/臺東報導

交通部觀光署東部海岸國家風景區管理處繼「月光海」和「富岡地質公園」後，再以「山海之間：布農文化主導的永續實踐」，榮獲國際永續獎「文化與傳統」類別肯定，連續第三年獲得全球百大目的地故事獎的認可。東管處表示這次榮譽不僅肯定多年來深耕地方、推動永續發展的成果，也肯定了部落協力所展現的文化治理與環境倫理典範。

高山部落位於花蓮東海岸，是全臺唯一臨海的布農族社群。族人自稱「翻過山來到海邊的人」，融合布農、撒奇萊雅、阿美、漢族等多元文化，孕育出獨特的生存智慧與文化樣貌。面對現代化衝擊、經濟脆弱、人口老化及青年外流等挑戰，部落選擇從自身文化出發，以布農文化為核心發展永續旅遊。

以「高山森林基地」為核心據點，透過田野調查與族人共識，盤點文化與生態資產，建構六大永續區域，形成一幅文化與自然並行的生活藍圖。基地結合布農族傳統智慧與現代科技，把狩獵知識轉化為教育資源，導入生態監測與數位遊牧導覽。例如沉浸式的「一個人的森林」自導式生態行程，均源自於族人的生活經驗，依循土地節奏，而非市場潮流，展現文化自信與土地連結。

在這項永續實踐中，東管處扮演了關鍵協力者角色，協助部落開創文化復振與生態共好的地方發展典範。不僅導入參與式生態監測與青年培力機制，為部落挹注行動能量，更搭建合作平台，促成高山部落與東海岸沿線 10 多個原住民族部落共組「海派聯盟」。

「海派聯盟」共同創立「海派玩家」品牌，推出族人自主設計與定價的小型文化遊程，如「海派療癒玩家：走進高山森林基地」，強調旅遊主權由原民自行定義，讓文化不只是被看見，更能回饋社區、融入日常。高山部落的經驗證明，永續旅遊的核心在於原住民族的文化主體性。這項國際獎項肯定了東管處將政府角色轉為協力者，也展現其支持社區走出深植土地的永續之路的決心。東管處將持續推動此模式，促進區域內環境復育、文化傳承、經濟自立與永續治理，共同實現山海之間的永續共好。

title: 東管處協力促進部落自主共榮  重建山海共融生活藍圖


content_text:
▲彰化縣議會定期會10月20日開議，會期 至12月3日，審議本縣115年度總預算案、縣府提案及臨時動議案。（圖／翻攝自彰化縣議會臉書）【記者顧慎言／彰化縣報導】彰化縣議會第20屆第6次定期會今（20）日上午正式開議，由議長謝典霖親自主持，為期一個半月的會期自10月20日起至12月3日止，議事廳及各相關會議室將陸續展開審查與討論。本次會議重點包括審議115年度總預算案、縣府所提32項提案及各項臨時動議案，是攸關彰化縣明年度建設與發展的關鍵會期。

縣議會肩負監督縣政的重要責任，議員們將在本次會期中嚴格審查各項預算與政策，確保縣府施政方向符合民眾期待，並以最嚴謹的態度為縣政把關。謝典霖議長表示：「每一筆預算、每一項建設，都是來自納稅人的血汗錢，我們有責任審慎監督、合理分配，讓資源用在最需要的地方。」

面對即將展開的總預算審查，謝典霖指出，議會不僅要嚴格監督，更要主動出擊，積極爭取中央與地方建設資源，讓彰化的發展不落人後。他表示，無論是交通建設、長照服務、教育環境還是地方產業升級，縣議會都會全力推動、協助縣府落實施政，讓「建設不只是口號，而是實際改變生活的力量」。

謝典霖強調，縣議會與縣府是一體兩面，唯有同心協力、攜手合作，才能讓縣政穩健推進、縣民生活更加幸福。他也期許所有議員本著為民服務的初心，集思廣益，提出建設性意見，為彰化的下一步發展描繪出更清晰的藍圖。彰化縣議會以嚴謹的態度、務實的行動，協助縣政向前走，讓民眾生活過得更好。

本次定期會不僅是議事運作的重要節點，更是彰化縣下一年度建設布局的起點。議會全體議員與縣府團隊的攜手合作，將為彰化注入新的發展動能，朝向「更進步的城市、更幸福的彰化」目標持續邁進。

〈謝典霖主持縣議會定期會開幕 嚴格監督縣政、攜手打造幸福彰化〉這篇文章最早發佈於《世界觀新聞網》。

title: 謝典霖主持縣議會定期會開幕　嚴格監督縣政、攜手打造幸福彰化

taiwan-subdivisions: 彰化 彰化縣


countries: 台灣 美國

content_text:
圖:永鼎醫藥創辦人沈協聰博士。(圖/永鼎醫藥公司提供)

(記者孟倩玉報導)

來自台灣的永鼎醫藥公司（美股代號YDES）8月29日正式在美國上市，並於台灣時間10月20在美國證券交易所Nasdaq 舉行敲鐘儀式，此次上市不僅是永鼎醫藥發展的重要里程碑，也標誌著台灣生技產業再次站上國際舞台上。

據該公司官網說明，永鼎醫藥成立於2013年，總部位於台灣台北，該公司專注於創新藥物開發與精準醫療，創辦人本身是藥學背景出身，花費超過10年的心力專注新藥研發，為了能夠帶給民眾在醫療上更多幫助與期待，因而創辦永鼎醫藥。

圖: 永鼎醫藥公司10/20在美國華爾街Nasdaq正式敲鐘。(圖/永鼎醫藥公司提供)

該公司聚焦於臨床試驗與輔助服務，永鼎醫藥長期為全球製藥公司提供臨床試驗藥品與輔助物資，支持其臨床開發與上市後商業化，也吸引了國際藥廠與投資者的關注。

永鼎醫藥公司YD Bio Limited 是一個平台，轉化生技團隊與公司的技術，站上全球最高殿堂，讓全球投資人，可以看見來自台灣的團隊與技術，得到更多的投資人認同，來協助台灣生技環境與產業發展。

永鼎醫藥創辦人在敲鐘時表示，科技與醫學的結合將重塑人類健康的未來，此次上市不僅是資金的籌集，是對團隊多年努力的肯定，公司將加速推進產品商業化，並擴大與全球醫療機構的合作。

此次敲鐘儀式，象徵台灣生技產業在國際舞台的能見度提升。後續投資人與產業觀察者將密切關注其後續發展，期待這家來自台灣的企業為全球醫療帶來創新突破。

title: 耀登國際舞台   台灣永鼎醫藥YD Bio Limited  美國華爾街敲鐘


people: 鄭麗文 蔡英文 習近平 賴清德 馬英九

content_text:
‘IMPOSSIBLE’: Peace cannot be achieved solely through a peace agreement, the president said, as the KMT chairwoman-elect vowed to push the ‘1992 consensus’

President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that it would be impossible to achieve cross-strait peace simply by accepting the so-called “1992 consensus” and Beijing’s “one China” principle.

Lai made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the Overseas Community Affairs Council Conference in Taipei after former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), who favors closer ties with Beijing, was elected as KMT chairwoman on Saturday.

The KMT on Sunday confirmed that Cheng had received a congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for her win and she reiterated her support for the “1992 consensus” in her reply to Xi.

The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.

Cheng said that she was willing to meet with Xi in China “as long as it helps resolve cross-strait disagreements and promote peaceful cooperation.”

At the conference in Taipei, Lai recognized the contribution of overseas Taiwanese communities to the nation, adding that they are the pride of Taiwan.

The conference, which began on Sunday and runs through today, focuses on whole-of-society defense resilience, with 117 council members and representatives from 34 countries participating

The president also pledged to provide disaster relief subsidies for agricultural losses caused by typhoons in southern and eastern Taiwan.

An 11m-high “super dam” would be constructed around the barrier lake in Hualien County’s Mataian River (馬太鞍溪), he said, adding that the government would continue monitoring a newly formed barrier lake at the Swallow Grotto (燕子口) along the county’s Liwu River (立霧溪).

On economic development, Lai said that GDP growth climbed to 3.2 percent under former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), from 2.8 percent during former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) term.

The stock market also rose to more than 23,000 points from about 8,000 points over the same period, he said.

Economic growth reached 8 percent in the second quarter this year, Lai said, adding that the Asian Development Bank forecast that full-year growth would be 5.31 percent.

That would be an achievement for Taiwan, outperforming South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong, thanks to efforts by companies based in Taiwan and overseas, he said.

Lai said he is following in Tsai’s footsteps by enhancing Taiwan’s defenses in the face of Chinese threats.

“We must aspire to achieve peace, which, however, must not be based on fantasies,” he said.

Peace cannot not be achieved solely through a peace agreement or by accepting conditions imposed by an invader, Lai said.

“Seeking to maintain peace simply by accepting the ‘1992 consensus’ or the ‘one China’ principle is impossible,” he said.

Ma during his term reduced the defense budget annually, while China’s defense budget continued to rise, he said.

To boost Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, Tsai’s administration raised the total defense budget from 1.8 percent to 2.5 percent of GDP, he said.

The target is to raise the ratio to 3.32 percent this year and to 5 percent by 2030, he added.

Defense spending is not just about purchasing foreign weapons, but also bolstering independent defense, Lai said.

Taiwan’s semiconductor, information and communications technology, and electronic component manufacturing sectors can help develop the local defense industry and become a part of the global defense industrial chain, the president said.

title: ‘One China’ not key to peace: president


people: 陳政宏 顧立雄

title: First batch of Harpoon missiles expected by year-end

content_text:
The first batch of Harpoon missiles purchased from the US would be delivered around the end of this year to provide critical combat power for the Littoral Combatant Command (LCC), the navy said yesterday.

Following the establishment of the LCC on Jan. 1, the first batch of the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles would be delivered around the end of this year on schedule, navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

The LCC is thus expected to start operating in July next year, he said, adding that the navy would collaborate with the Ministry of National Defense to facilitate the adoption of the missiles, which would be critical combat equipment under the LCC’s jurisdiction.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo, left, and navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Chiu Chun-jung speak at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times

Drones and uncrewed vessels would also be incorporated into the LCC system for littoral strikes and multidomain interception, he said, adding that their manufacturing has started.

Asked whether the timeline for the completion of the indigenous Hai Kun (海鯤) submarine was “overly optimistic,” Chiu agreed the initially planned six months for the testing phase was insufficient.

However, he added that he was confident they would be able to complete the test launch of training torpedoes from the submarine before the torpedo verification system leased from the US expires in May next year.

The submarine was built on schedule, but more time is needed for the testing, Chiu said, adding that all the equipment test reports met the navy’s criteria.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said that real-world challenges, such as difficulties in obtaining relevant equipment and technical support from the original manufacturer, were not fully understood when the timeline was set.

However, safety and quality would be prioritized in subsequent sea acceptance tests, he said.

Asked whether the Hai Kun uses a main engine typically for trucks or buses, Chiu said the designer of the engine and power source went through a selection process and has an export license.

CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台船) chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) added that the engine was manufactured by a diesel-engine powerhouse, and that it would submit supporting documents to the legislature.

Asked whether penalties would be meted out if the submarine cannot be delivered to the navy next month as scheduled, Koo and the ministry’s Procurement Office Director Chao Ya-ping (趙亞平) said the daily fine would be about NT$190,000 (US$6,199).

The accumulated amount would be capped at about NT$4 billion, 20 percent of the NT$19.3 billion cost for building the submarine, they said.

Asked whether the verification equipment for the torpedo test must be returned to the US even if the test launch fails to be completed by May, Chiu said the navy would do its best to meet the goal.

It would apply to extend the lease period if needed, he said, adding that whether the equipment must be returned to the US could be negotiated.


content_text:
‘NOT REHABILITATIVE’:  Caning would be a ‘step backwards’ for human rights in Taiwan and draw world condemnation, a DPP legislator said

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) last week sparked widespread discussion when he proposed that people convicted of fraud be caned as punishment.

Hung in a Facebook post that started with “Singapore can. Can Taiwan?” cited a Straits Times report as saying that the Singaporean government plans to expand the use of caning as a punishment to scammers and scam mules.

Despite scammers already facing fines and a maximum of 10 years in prison in Singapore, fraud cases have continued to rise, prompting authorities to seek a more effective deterrent, Hung said.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Mong-kai gestures during a legislative session in Taipei on Sept.19. Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times

Under the proposed law, scam mules in Singapore could face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes, while members and recruiters of fraud syndicates could face up to 24 strokes, he said.

Taiwan has long failed to stamp out crimes such as fraud and drunk driving, even with steadily increasing penalties, leading some “academics and members of the public” to propose adopting Singapore’s caning system, he said.

Hung said he would suggest holding legislative exchanges with Singapore, similar to his trip to Japan with Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to meet with Japanese lawmakers, to gain a “first-hand understanding” of how the caning system works.

Hung’s post garnered an enthusiastic response, racking up more than 100,000 likes and 24,000 comments as of yesterday, with many people calling for other criminals, such as child or animal abusers, to also be caned.

A number of public figures in Taiwan also weighed in on the subject, such as influencer Cheng Tsai-wei (鄭才暐), also known as “Cheap,” who said that Singapore is able to maintain its caning system for a variety of reasons, including its unique role as an international finance and shipping hub, and its relative insulation against international pressure.

Although Taiwan has some international leverage due to its prominence in chipmaking and high levels of support for capital punishment, the government has adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits corporal punishment, he said.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said that the idea would be a “step backwards” for human rights in Taiwan.

Caning criminals would draw international condemnation and serves no rehabilitative purpose, Chuang said, suggesting more “reasonable” ways to combat fraud, such as increasing penalties or making it more difficult for scammers to be granted parole.

According to the Singapore Legal Advice Web site, judicial caning is applicable to more than 30 offenses under the Singaporean Penal Code, and is mandatory for offenses such as robbery, drug trafficking and vandalism.

Judicial caning can be administered to males aged 18 to 50, and involves up to 24 strokes on the buttocks using a long rattan cane.

Hung did not indicate that he would pursue legislation to enact the caning of scammers into law.

title: KMT lawmaker suggests caning fraud convicts

people: 洪孟楷 莊瑞雄 韓國瑜


content_text:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday called for the delivery of an additional 25 US Patriot anti-missile batteries amid the rapidly escalating air war with Russia, as it became clear that US President Donald Trump had once again tacked sharply toward Moscow.

He added that he would be ready to join Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump at their summit in Hungary if he was invited.

Reports over the weekend said Trump had privately urged Zelenskiy to accept Russia’s terms for ending the war in Ukraine during a fractious White House meeting on Friday, warning that Putin had said he would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree.

A man stands among flags and tributes at a makeshift memorial in Independence Square in Kyiv yesterday.  Photo: EPA

The meeting descended at times into a “shouting match,” with Trump “cursing all the time,” a Financial Times report said.

Speaking in Kyiv after talks with Trump and US weapons makers, Zelenskiy said Ukraine needed 25 US Patriot anti-missile batteries and that Russia’s frozen assets in the west should be used to buy them.

Ukraine already has some Patriot missile interceptors, but they are not enough to protect most of its major cities or energy infrastructure, which have once again come under heavy Russian attack as winter approaches.

Zelenskiy’s two phone calls with Trump and a face-to-face meeting in Washington last week had raised hopes that Washington could be on the verge of supplying long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. However, it became clear in the past few days that the US president had once again performed an abrupt U-turn after a two-hour phone conversation with Putin on Friday afternoon.

After inviting Putin to summit in Hungary, Trump reverted to his position on Sunday that Russia should be rewarded for its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, with Kyiv ceding large parts of its sovereign territory.

Behind the scenes, Trump had pushed Zelenskiy to give up swaths of territory to Russia, two people briefed on the discussion told Reuters.

“Let it be cut the way it is,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday.

“It’s cut up right now,” he said, adding that you can “leave it the way it is right now.”

“They can negotiate something later on down the line,” he said.

But for now, both sides of the conflict should “stop at the battle line — go home, stop fighting, stop killing people,” he said.

Commenting on reports of the Trump-Zelenskiy meeting, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said Ukrainians are very resilient, and are fighting for their freedom, their independence and their country.

“So, they can’t just surrender. And I think, for the international order, it is also negative if the aggressor gets what he wants, because that gives a signal to all the aggressors in the world that you can just go and take what you wish for,” she said.

Contradicting Trump’s positive spin on his conversation with Putin, aides close to Zelenskiy told the Kyiv Independent: “Putin doesn’t want to talk about anything with Ukraine and Zelenskiy, except for big concessions. He hasn’t agreed to a direct meeting with Zelenskiy.”

“But Putin has to somehow move in such a way as to keep Trump’s mood away from tough moves; that’s his goal. And he’s succeeding,” they said.

Commenting on the venue for the Trump-Putin meeting, and his desire to attend, Zelenskiy also suggested Budapest was a problematic location.

“If I am invited to Budapest — if it is an invitation in a format where we meet as three or, as it’s called, shuttle diplomacy, President Trump meets with Putin and President Trump meets with me — then in one format or another, we will agree,” he said.

However, he criticized the choice of Hungary, which has a tense relationship with Kyiv and is seen as the most Kremlin-sympathetic member of the EU.

“I do not believe that a prime minister who blocks Ukraine everywhere can do anything positive for Ukrainians or even provide a balanced contribution,” Zelenskiy said, referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said Putin should only come to Europe if it was to sign an unconditional ceasefire with Ukraine.

“It is useful for the US authorities to be able to exchange views in order to follow the dialogue with the Russian authorities. But Vladimir Putin’s announced visit to the European Union only makes sense if it leads to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” he said ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

title: Zelenskiy urges defense; Trump sides with Putin


title: Bolivia elects center-right Rodrigo Paz as president

content_text:
Bolivians on Sunday elected a pro-business center-right senator as their new president, ending two decades of socialist rule that left the South American nation deep in economic crisis.

With 97.8 percent of ballots counted, Rodrigo Paz had 54.6 percent of the vote to 45.4 percent for his rival, right-wing former interim president Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said.

The news was greeted with joy, music and fireworks on the streets of La Paz.

Bolivian president-elect Rodrigo Paz speaks during an election night rally following the presidential runoff election in La Paz on Sunday. Photo: Bloomberg

“We came to celebrate the victory with great hope of a new direction for Bolivia,” said Julio Andrey, a 40-year-old lawyer.

Paz, the 58-year-old son of a former president, has vowed a “capitalism for all” approach to economic reform, with decentralization, lower taxes and fiscal discipline mixed with continued social spending.

In his victory address, Paz said Bolivia was “reclaiming its place on the international stage.”

A newspaper vendor in La Paz smiles yesterday as she receives papers to sell, featuring front-page coverage of the presidential runoff, with Rodrigo Paz elected as president. Photo: Reuters

Paz also said he had received a congratulatory message from US President Donald Trump, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington “stands ready to partner with Bolivia on shared priorities.”

“After two decades of mismanagement, president-elect Paz’s election marks a transformative opportunity for both nations,” Rubio said.

Under former Bolivian president Evo Morales, the nation took a sharp turn to the left: nationalizing energy resources, breaking ties with Washington, and making alliances with China, Russia and fellow leftists in Cuba, Venezuela and elsewhere in Latin America.

After the results were announced, Paz’s vice presidential running mate, Edmand Lara, made a call for “unity and reconciliation” after a bitter campaign.

While Bolivia is enduring its worst economic crisis in decades, he promised improvements are on the horizon.

“We must ensure the supply of diesel and gasoline. People are suffering. We need to stabilize the prices of the basic food basket, and we must put an end to corruption,” he said.

Long lines for fuel have become a way of life in Bolivia, with US dollars in short supply and annual inflation of more than 20 percent.

In a first electoral round in August, crisis-weary voters snubbed the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) party founded by Morales.

Sunday’s election closes out an economic experiment marked by initial prosperity funded by Morales’ nationalization of natural gas reserves.

The boom was followed by bust, notably with critical shortages of fuel and foreign currency under outgoing Bolivian President Luis Arce.

“We hope the country improves,” said homemaker Maria Eugenia Penaranda, 56, bundled up against the cold as she cast her vote in La Paz, about 3,600m above sea level.

“We cannot make ends meet. There is a lot of suffering. Too much,” she said.

Successive governments underinvested in the country’s hydrocarbons sector, once the backbone of the economy.

Production plummeted and Bolivia almost depleted its US dollar reserves to sustain a universal subsidy for fuel that it can also no longer afford to import.

Analyst Daniela Osorio of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies told AFP that Bolivians’ patience was running out.

Once the election is over, she warned that “if the winner does not take measures to help the most vulnerable, this could lead to a social uprising.”

Morales said after the results were announced, the president-elect has urgent and “serious issues” to resolve, such as the fuel and dollar shortages.

Paz faces an uphill task, inheriting an economy in recession, according to the World Bank.

He had promised to maintain social programs while stabilizing the economy, but economists have said the two things are not possible at the same time.

“He has maintained a very calm, centrist tone... he has connected with people who want change, but not radical change,” political scientist Gabriela Keseberg said of Paz’s victory.

Paz on Sunday said that his governance style would be one of “consensus.”

He would not have a party majority in Congress, meaning he would need to make concessions to get laws passed.

Outside of Congress, the new president would also face stiff opposition from Morales, who remains popular — especially among indigenous Bolivians — but was constitutionally barred from seeking another term.

Quiroga on Sunday said his team would review the official results, but congratulated Paz on his victory nevertheless.


title: KMT pension bill risks fiscal crisis: DPP

content_text:
UNDOING REFORMS:  Under the KMT’s proposal, expected contributions to the civil servant pension fund could fall by NT$278.2 billion, a ministry report said

A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposal to roll back Democratic Progressive Party-led (DPP) civil servant pension reforms could jeopardize government finances, with younger civil servants and public school teachers bearing the brunt of the impact, the DPP said yesterday.

The KMT legislative caucus introduced amendments to the Act Governing Retirement, Severance and Bereavement Compensation for the Teaching and Other Staff Members of Public Schools (公立學校教職員退休資遣撫卹條例), proposed by KMT lawmakers Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲), Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) and others.

The bill, one of the KMT’s legislative priorities this session, seeks to suspend gradual pension reductions for civil servants, teachers and military personnel implemented by former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, Weng said.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling speaks during a session in the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times

“The KMT is once again fighting against pension reform. It is attempting to reverse the progress made in restoring fiscal health and ensuring long-term financial stability,” the DPP said in a statement on social media.

Reform was necessary because the old system had allowed civil servants to contribute little, retire early and receive generous benefits, leading the Public Service Pension Fund to the brink of bankruptcy, it said.

The Tsai administration introduced pension reforms in 2017, which included abolishing the preferential 18 percent interest rate on retirees’ bank deposits and lowering the income replacement rate, the statement said.

The reforms stabilized the pension fund, securing its long-term viability and ensuring that younger civil servants would be able to receive their fair share of benefits upon retirement.

The KMT’s proposed amendments aim to halt pension cuts and link pension adjustments to salary increases, the DPP said.

The income replacement rate — the ratio of pension to preretirement salary — was gradually reduced to a maximum of 62.5 percent, meaning the previous 80 percent level was no longer possible, it said.

The measures were designed to promote fairness, so that all civil service pensioners receive their fair share, it said, adding that the reform faced strong resistance at the time.

“Now the KMT wants to turn back the clock. If their proposal passes, it would once again push the country toward a financial crisis,” the DPP added.

“We must not allow such pension injustice, in which retired civil servants receive overly generous benefits, while the financial burden falls on younger generations,” it said.

Ministry of Civil Service officials said that the KMT’s proposal to halt the gradual reduction of the income replacement rate would accelerate the imbalance in the pension system, causing the Public Service Pension Fund to be depleted earlier than projected.

Total contributions to the pension fund from the second half of 2018 to last year amounted to NT$259.1 billion (US$8.45 billion), data compiled by the ministry in a report submitted to the legislature showed.

An additional NT$80 billion was injected as part of military pension reforms linked to the transition toward a smaller, professional armed force, bringing the fund’s total balance to NT$339.1 billion to date, the report said.

However, if the KMT’s amendments pass, they would end the ongoing reductions in the income replacement rate, cutting expected contributions by NT$278.2 billion and causing the fund to run out sooner, the report added.

The reforms had extended the fund’s solvency from a projected 2030 to 2045, but under the KMT’s proposed changes, the fund could be exhausted by 2040, it said.

Additional reporting by CNA

people: 賴士葆 蔡英文


content_text:
DEFENSE:  Reports that Trump blocked a weapons package to Taiwan amid China trade talks were ‘not our understanding at all,’ the head of a business group said

US arms sales to Taiwan next year could reach a record high, pending the approval of a special national defense budget by Taipei later this year, the head of the US-Taiwan Business Council said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters before the annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, which opened on Sunday in Ellicott City, Maryland, Rupert Hammond-Chambers said that the Executive Yuan had already submitted its defense budget for next year to the legislature.

A special defense budget, which could be introduced next month, could reach NT$1 trillion (US$32.63 billion), Hammond-Chambers said, citing Taiwanese media reports.

US-Taiwan Business Council honorary chairman Rupert Hammond Chambers poses for a photograph at the US Defense Industry Conference in Ellicott City, Maryland, on Sunday. Photo: CNA

Such a bill would demonstrate to US President Donald Trump the “significant support” that Taiwanese parties across the political spectrum have for the defense of their country, he said.

The lack of arms sales to Taiwan nine months into Trump’s second term was “relatively normal,” given new administrations’ habit of first reviewing the policies of their predecessors, as well as delays in confirming political appointees, he said.

Similarly, US media reports that Trump blocked a military aid package to Taiwan amid trade negotiations with China were “not our understanding at all,” Hammond-Chambers said.

Trump favors selling weapons, rather than providing military aid, out of consideration for US taxpayers, he said.

Despite the lack of sales this year, next year “is potentially the largest gross total in value of arms sales to Taiwan in any one year,” he said.

Many of those possible sales are “related to the special [defense] budget that will be submitted in a few weeks,” he added.

Hammond-Chambers said that he could not disclose what the sales would include, except to say that they would be “close to 100 percent asymmetric” and consist mostly of items Taiwan has previously purchased.

This year’s US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference would focus heavily on coproduction and joint development of equipment such as uncrewed vehicles for Taiwan’s defense, he said.

He said he agreed with President William Lai (賴清德), among others in Taiwan, about the growing demand for developing “non-red supply chains” — free of Chinese influence — in defense and security.

As the need for non-red manufacturing networks increases, Taiwan “is in a good position” to partner with the US or European countries to develop drones for the Western market, Hammond-Chambers said.

title: US could allow record arms sales next year


content_text:
Navy investigates captain over data, budget, Koo says

The navy is investigating a captain who allegedly collected data from the Han Kuang exercises and told staff to bypass budget audits, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday.

Koo made the remarks at an open meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

Legislators Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) and Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) expressed concern over reports that the captain, surnamed Lin (林), who directs the navy’s Meteorological and Oceanographic Office, had illegally collected operational data from the Han Kuang exercises in July.

Sailors patrol a perimeter during a drill inside a naval base as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Kaohsiung on July 14. Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA

Lin allegedly instructed his subordinates to establish a battle situation center and request classified information from frontline squadrons. He also allegedly told personnel to circumvent audit oversight on budget allocations, telling them to deceive auditors if possible.

The Navy Command said that a preliminary investigation showed that Lin might have contravened the Cyber Security Management Act (資通安全管理法), but he did not leak information related to the Han Kuang exercises.

The investigation showed that Lin created an online chat group on Oct. 24, 2023, to facilitate discussions over marine weather information, it said.

The chat group was deleted on April 3 last year for security reasons, it added.

“Comparing the time that the chat group was created and the time when the exercises were held, the content discussed in the chat group was not about the details of the exercises. However, we would look further into the part that might have contravene cybersecurity regulations,” the Navy Command said.

Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) said that information relevant to the case still needs to be clarified, such as reports that cite budget allocation timelines that differ from the facts.

people: 顧立雄 徐巧芯


content_text:
The National Palace Museum has launched a comprehensive review of its security measures after a high-profile theft of jewelry from the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday.

The seven-minute heist involved a portable electric ladder mounted on a truck, before thieves used grinders to break a window and enter the museum, smashing display cases and stealing jewelry, the New York Times reported.

The National Palace Museum yesterday said it would conduct simulated intrusion drills based on the Louvre case to test the effectiveness of its security systems against nontraditional entry methods, such as lifting equipment, construction passages and exterior walls.

People look at paintings at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum in Chiayi County’s Taibao City on Oct. 11. Photo: CNA

It would further increase the frequency of patrols and night inspections, and test display cases to ensure that blast-resistant glass, locks and alarm systems are in working order and upgraded where necessary, it said.

Moreover, it would require all maintenance work to be reported in advance with identity verification for all personnel involved, it added.

It would continue to work with police to bolster interagency cooperation and enhance real-time monitoring of suspicious people and vehicles, the museum said.

The monitoring center maintains direct, real-time communication with local police to ensure any unusual activity can be reported and addressed immediately, it said.

The museum also holds regular security training and anti-theft drills for stationed police officers and administrative staff to improve emergency response capabilities, it added.

All entrances, exits and surrounding areas are equipped with surveillance cameras, lights and fences, while security staffing and patrol routes are adjusted according to risk level to ensure around-the-clock and complete-coverage monitoring, it said.

In addition, all outsourced personnel and construction workers undergo reviews and identity registration, and are accompanied by museum staff throughout their work, it said.

Exhibition spaces also undergo daily safety checks of display cases, seals, alarms and surveillance equipment, the museum added.

The museum said it is “deeply alarmed” by the incident in Paris and would continue upgrading its security technology and training to ensure the safety of its collections and visitors.

title: Palace Museum launches review after Louvre heist


content_text:
By Lee Wen-hsin and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Fraud comprised 34.73 percent of all criminal cases in the past year, with a total of 224,290 cases recorded from September last year to August, Ministry of the Interior (MOI) data released yesterday showed.

In a special report to the legislature — alongside the National Police Agency, National Security Bureau and the Ministry of Justice — the MOI vowed to continue to efforts toward eliminating fraud, organized crime, drug trafficking and illegal firearms.

A total of 645,790 criminal cases were reported in the one-year period, it said.

Stacks of New Taiwan dollar notes are pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Chen Kuan-bei, Taipei Times

The ministry’s priority is to combat fraud, including online and telephone scams, it said.

It employs a range of tactics, including tracking and blocking fraudulent financial transactions, seizing illegal profits, identifying potential victims and educating the public to raise awareness of fraud prevention, the MOI said.

The goal is to reduce the likelihood of someone falling victim to scams, as well as limiting losses, it said.

It also vowed to systematically target organized crime gangs running fraud operations, particularly gang leaders, key members and groups that recruit minors.

Authorities use a three-step program to dismantle the organizations, cut off their financial sources and eliminate industries that sustain gang operations, it added.

Regarding drug trafficking, the ministry said it is entering the third phase of its New Generation Anti-Drug Strategy, aimed at introducing technology into drug enforcement efforts, bolstering international cooperation, tightening border controls and deepening community-based anti-drug operations.

The ministry also said it is cracking down on drug dealing among young people and on college campuses, and addressing a growing issue of people driving under the influence of etomidate — a Class 2 drug often used to make “zombie vapes” — using rapid tests to detect the drug in saliva.

Separately, modified firearms remain the main source of illegal firearms in Taiwan, the MOI said.

Police conduct comprehensive inspections, and ban replica guns and key gun components to prevent modification, it said.

Nationwide gun sweeps would continue to eliminate illegal possession, it added.

An annual survey by the National Police Agency showed that 91.78 percent of respondents said they are satisfied with security in their communities, a figure that has remained above 90 percent for the third consecutive year, the MOI said.

title: Fraud makes up more than one-third of criminal cases


taiwan-subdivisions: 中壢 淡水

title: Life term confirmed for organizer of 61 kidnappings

content_text:
The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a life sentence given to the organizer of 61 kidnappings that led to the deaths of three abductees in 2022.

Tu Cheng-che (杜承哲) and his coconspirators lured people to rented residences in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢) and New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) under the pretense of paying to use their bank accounts or offering them high-paying jobs, the ruling said.

Once there, the victims were detained, beaten, tortured with electroshock devices, handcuffed and drugged to keep them subdued, it said.

The Supreme Court in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Liu Yong-yun, Taipei Times

The group also robbed 50 of the abductees of their belongings and used their bank accounts to collect and launder funds from large-scale fraud operations.

One of them died after falling from a bathroom window while trying to escape, while two others died due to a lack of timely medical treatment, prosecutors said, adding that their bodies were dumped in mountainous areas in Taoyuan and Nantou County.

The case came to light after police raided the group’s hideouts, freeing 58 people who were being held captive.

Tu recruited several accomplices, including Hsueh Lung-ting (薛隆廷), Hung Chun-chieh (洪俊杰) and Wang Yu-chieh (王昱傑), to help direct and manage the group’s illicit activities, the ruling said.

After a period on the run, Tu was arrested and charged with unlawful confinement resulting in death, aggravated assault and organized crime.

The Shilin District Court and the High Court last year sentenced him to life imprisonment and deprivation of civil rights for life.

The Supreme Court yesterday rejected his appeal, making the ruling final.

The court upheld life terms for Tu, Hsueh and Hung, while reducing Wang’s sentence to 26 years due to his lesser role. Yesterday’s ruling concluded all prosecution in the case.

Another of Tu’s accomplices, Fu Yu-lin (傅榆藺), and 28 others were indicted earlier and handed life or lengthy prison sentences, which were upheld by the Supreme Court in December last year.


people: 鄭麗文 洪秀柱 朱立倫

title: Cheng takes over wounded, divided KMT: academic

content_text:
By Hung Mei-hsiu and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Incoming Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) would be taking over a party full of old wounds, and her main challenge is to rebuild the KMT and political trust, an academic said on Sunday.

Cheng on Saturday won the party chairperson election with 65,122 votes, or 50.15 percent of the vote.

She is to succeed incumbent Eric Chu (朱立倫) on Saturday next week for a four-year term.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman-elect Cheng Li-wun speaks in a meeting with her party’s legislators in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times

The KMT not only must contend with division and an aging membership, but a structural problem which emphasizes top-down obedience, hierarchy and a reliance on closed-door negotiations, said Du Sheng-tsung (杜聖聰), chair of Ming Chuan University’s Department of Radio and Television.

The KMT has a political DNA that evolved from a Leninist-style revolutionary party system, making any reformer inside the party feel like they are “breathing in a stone chamber,” he said.

If Cheng wants to advocate for change, she has to confront two enemies: the party’s systemic inertia and the party factions’ need for self-preservation, Du said.

She would be on precarious footing, as the party’s resource allocation and policy priorities are tied up with local factions, he said.

She has to avoid repeating the mistakes of former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who attempted to redefine the political narrative of “the Republic of China in Taiwan,” but ultimately became isolated and lost support, Du said.

Without a strong political acumen and broad coordination, Cheng could find her authority confined to her office, he added.

If her team does not reshape the narrative, but merely plays defense, the KMT’s cross-strait role could completely devolve into a historical relic, he said.

The political trust that her team has to rebuild involves addressing deep-blue voters’ loyalty concerns, local factions’ pragmatic calculations, younger voters’ emotional disconnect with politics and the Democratic Progressive Party’s fortified media narrative, he said.

Any one of these forces could derail her leadership, he said.

She faces not only a political test, but a quest for a third path centered on trust and generations, he said.


title: NHIA plan could worsen staff shortage, union says

content_text:
WARNING: Large hospitals’ emergency personnel might think that working at clinics and earning bonuses at UCCs over weekends would be better for them, a union said

More critical care medical personnel could quit due to the National Health Insurance Administration’s (NHIA) plan to launch an “urgent care center” (UCC) trial program next month, the Taipei Doctors’ Union said yesterday.

The NHIA announced the plan last week to help relieve emergency room overcrowding at large hospitals during weekends and holidays, when hospitals’ and clinics’ outpatient services are closed.

The program is to be launched on Nov. 2. During the pilot phase, UCCs are planned to be open from 8am to midnight on Sundays, dealing with patients in “urgent but not life-threatening” conditions.

UCC patients would be charged appointment fees at the same rate as district and regional emergency rooms, which are tentatively set at NT$150 per visit, but can be adjusted by local health departments, the NHIA said.

Compared with the NT$750 charged at emergency departments in medical centers, patients could save up to NT$600 per visit, it said.

The union said overcrowding is not caused by too many people with mild conditions being admitted to emergency departments.

People who need to be hospitalized are stranded in emergency rooms due to a lack of available hospital beds in other departments, it said.

The bonuses for medical personnel at planned UCCs are even higher than the ones for large hospitals’ critical care personnel, the union said.

Large hospitals’ critical care medical personnel, who work long hours and rotating weekend schedules, might think that working regular hours at clinics and earning bonuses at UCCs over some weekends would be better for them, it said.

If more critical care medical personnel leave hospitals for UCCs, many of them might end up taking care of people with mild conditions such as fever and diarrhea, while emergency rooms are overcrowded with critically ill patients, the union said.

Medical fees for both emergency rooms and UCCs are low, and most people who need urgent treatment would not feel the difference, it said, adding that encouraging people with mild conditions to go to UCCs instead of emergency rooms could be in vain.

The even lower costs at UCCs could cause a misconception that the cost of healthcare services is low, it said.

The NHIA should consider allocating the resources to emergency departments and critical care services, and enhancing supervision in these departments to improve personnel shortages and overcrowding, the union added.


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PREVENTABLE CRISIS: Overseas studies show that more than 20 percent of people who fracture their hip die within one year, a higher death rate than some cancers

On World Osteoporosis Day, which is observed each year on Oct. 20, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said about one-fifth of elderly people self-reported having been diagnosed with osteoporosis, and urged people to start building up their bone mass at an earlier age.

World Osteoporosis Day is dedicated to raising public awareness of bone health, and the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease.

“It’s Unacceptable!” is the theme for this year’s campaign, highlighting a preventable crisis in osteoporosis care, the International Osteoporosis Foundation said.

Tungs’ Taichung Metro Harbor Hospital doctors and nurses pose for a photograph at a World Osteoporosis Day event in Taichung yesterday.  Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times

Echoing the global campaign, the HPA said a National Health Interview Survey in 2021 showed that 18.2 percent of elderly people in Taiwan reported an osteoporosis diagnosis.

Osteoporosis is called a “silent disease,” because there are typically no symptoms until a bone is fractured, which can be due to a minor fall or even a slight bump, the agency said, adding that bone fractures can also increase the risk of death, as well as creating secondary issues for the person and their family.

The Taiwan Osteoporosis Association last year cited studies conducted abroad showing that more than 20 percent of people who fracture their hip die within one year, a higher death rate than some cancers.

Most people reach peak bone mass at about the age of 30, the HPA said.

Bone density begins to gradually decline after this point, so building strong bones from an earlier age and maintaining them is an effective way to prevent osteoporosis, it said.

HPA Director-General Shen Ching-fen (沈靜芬) said people should first learn about their personal risks and take preventive measures as early as possible.

Elderly women, people with low estrogen (such as postmenopausal women), people with a family history of osteoporosis, or those who are long-term users of medications that affect bone health should prioritize learning about risk factors and take action to prevent osteoporosis, she added.

The HPA provided five tips to help people maintain bone mass, including eating a balanced diet, consisting of six categories of food — grains; vegetables; fruits; proteins such as beans, fish, meat and eggs; dairy; and oils such as those from fats, nuts and seeds — and consume sufficient protein, calcium and vitamin D.

It also suggested exercising regularly — at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week.

Weight training and strength training can improve bone density, build muscle strength and improve body coordination and balance, the HPA said.

People should avoid smoking and limit alcohol consumption, as nicotine and alcohol can block nutrient absorption and reduce bone mass; get moderate sun exposure two to three times per week for about 10 to 20 minutes for adults, to help the body produce vitamin D and improve calcium absorption; and maintain a healthy body weight, it added.

title: HPA warns people about risk of osteoporosis


content_text:
Novelist Yang Shuang-zi (楊雙子) is to engage in three discussions in India next month, including at the influential Mumbai LitFest, under the theme “Taiwan-India Literary Dialogue: The Indian Journey of Taiwanese Literature,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday.

Yang and translator Lin King (金翎) won the US National Book Award for Translated Literature in November last year for Taiwan Travelogue (台灣漫遊錄), making Yang the first Taiwanese writer to receive the honor.

In New Delhi, Yang would join discussions with Indian architect and cultural critic Moulshri Joshi and translator Arunava Sinha, exploring themes that span food culture, national identity and literary translation, the ministry said in a news release.

Taiwanese novelist Yang Shuang-zi speaks at an event in Tainan on Jan. 21.

Photo: CNA

The series would open on Nov. 5 at the Kathika Cultural Centre and Museum, where Yang’s talk with Joshi — a member of the ministry’s Southeast Asia Advisory Committee — would feature Taiwanese snacks to give participants a memorable cultural experience.

Yang’s second conversation, with Sinha, would be held on Nov. 6 at The Bookshop Inc. One of South Asia’s most prominent literary translators, Sinha has translated more than 80 works, primarily between Bengali and English, helping to bridge major literary traditions.

Yang would conclude her India tour at the Mumbai LitFest on Nov. 9 with acclaimed Indian novelist Shubhangi Swarup in a session titled: “When a Woman Writes.”

At the event, Yang would reflect on how a young girl’s coming-of-age experiences shaped her reading, writing and research, the festival’s Web site says.

“Questioning the dominant ideas of history and relationships through her works, the conversation explores her creative journey from Yang Ruo-ci [楊若慈, Yang’s birth name] to her nom de plume, Yang Shuang-zi,” the Web site says.

Yang’s works, blending historical memory, female-centered narratives and imaginative storytelling, embody the richness and diversity of Taiwanese literature, the ministry said.

Her appearances in India are an important milestone for Taiwanese literature’s reach into South Asia, it said.

The Mumbai LitFest, known for its intellectual depth and social engagement, is among the most prominent literary festivals in South Asia, said the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India’s Cultural Division, which co-organized the talks.

title: Novelist Yang Shuang-zi to join Mumbai LitFest


content_text:
A book signing event was held on Saturday at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany for four Taiwanese authors, drawing international readers eager to explore Taiwanese literature.

The event took place at the Taiwan pavilion and featured crime novelist Katniss Hsiao (蕭瑋萱), fiction writer Kevin Chen (陳思宏), BL (Boys’ Love) writer Shi Wu (蒔舞), and manga artist Nownow (小峱峱).

Teerapat Charoensuk, secretary general of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand and founder of Palo Publishing, said that he was a big fan of Shi Wu’s work and had read all her novels.

Taiwanese writers sign books for readers at the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany on Sunday. Photo: CNA

A prominent figure in the Thai publishing industry, Teerapat said Shi Wu’s books are “very charming,” featuring fantasy and paranormal elements, depicting relationships between humans and the supernatural, and describing human and non-human elements.

Karin Betz, a German translator of Hsiao’s crime novel Before We Were Monsters, said that literature can serve as “strong soft power,” leading readers of Taiwanese literature to care about the nation and its well-being.

Through a book’s descriptions of things such as scenes in Taiwan, the streets of Taipei or home-cooked food, people can learn more about the nation in a “very interesting way — more interesting and rewarding than reading a guidebook on Taiwan,” Betz said.

Taiwan is still “unknown” to most Germans, and there are not enough German translations of books by Taiwanese authors, Betz said, adding that she intends to change that by focusing on doing more translations for the next few years.

Meanwhile, Chen said that he and many writers feel “vulnerable,” as they struggle in a world where it is increasingly difficult to push sales in the book market.

It is always moving to meet readers at a book signing event, Chen said.

“As long as someone sincerely says to me: ‘I have read your book,’ I become more motivated,” he said. “It’s like taking a vitamin.”

About 85 percent of Germany’s newly published books last year were written in German, while 15 percent were translated titles, the German Publishers and Booksellers Association said.

Of the translated publications, about 70 percent were originally written in English and only 3 percent were originally written in an Asian language, the association said.

The 77th Frankfurt Book Fair, held from Wednesday to Sunday last week, featured more than 1,000 authors and publishers from 92 countries, organizers said.

title: Event in Germany highlights Taiwanese literature


content_text:
Kaohsiung says Blackpink gave city tourism NT$300 million boost

Blackpink’s concerts helped Kaohsiung generate over NT$300 million (US$9.8 million) in tourism revenue, the city government said Monday.

While more than 120,000 people came to see the K-pop girl group at the Kaohsiung National Stadium over two days, Blackpink’s fans also spent money around the southern port city in its tourist industry, according to Kaohsiung’s Economic Development Bureau.

For example, many vendors in night markets such as Liuhe and Ruifeng saw sales jump by at least 30 percent, the bureau said in a press release.

The Kaohsiung National Stadium is packed with fans during Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend. Photo courtesy of Live Nation Taiwan

Kaohsiung was the first Asian stop of Blankpink’s "Deadline" world tour.

However, with some Blackpink fans unable to procure tickets to the two shows, some resorted to tailgating outside the stadium during the concerts.

The city’s Transportation Bureau said that, including ticketholders and tailgaters, as many as 63,000 people were present within and around the stadium on Saturday, while as many as 59,000 were at the location on Sunday, indicating that at least 120,000 attended the shows over two days.

The Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. (KRTC) also reported that the city’s metro system carried a total of 323,601 passengers on Saturday and 281,511 on Sunday.

Saturday was the busiest day on the metro so far this year in terms of passengers, the KRTC added.

Blackpink had already left its mark on the city before with their "Born Pink" concerts in Kaohsiung in 2023, when the city’s metro ridership record of around 250,000 passengers was also broken.

The Kaohsiung leg of Blackpink’s Deadline tour also made the girl group the first Korean artists to hold the most number of shows at the Kaohsiung National Stadium.

Blackpink also set a record of having over 100,000 audience members in each of the two two-day concerts, selling over 190,000 tickets when counting their 2023 and 2025 tour legs together.


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Taiwanese entertainers Hank Chen, Lulu Huang register marriage

Taiwanese entertainers Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) officially registered their marriage on Monday, a month after announcing their engagement, with family, friends, and their talent agency head Isaac Chen (陳鎮川) in attendance to offer congratulations.

"We really got married! He’s now officially my husband," Huang said through her agent.

She added that the couple chose the date simply because both were available, joking that "not even the stormy weather could stop us from getting married."

Lulu Huang, center,and Hank Chen, left, pose for a photo on Monday to celebrate their marriage, joined by Isaac Chen, their talent agency head. who arrived to offer his congratulations. Photo courtesy of Tian Di He Entertainment Co.

Isaac Chen celebrated the occasion by gifting the couple a golden shovel, a traditional gift to wish newlyweds good luck in conceiving soon.

Huang, 34, and Chen, 41, announced their engagement on Sept. 11 by posting photos on social media.


title: Thriller

content_text: Dancers perform to promote the Taoyuan Halloween Festival in Taoyuan yesterday. This year’s festival begins on Saturday and runs through Nov. 2.


title: Science tour

content_text: Children work on a science project in a carriage of the Science Education Island Tour Train, which departed from Taipei Railway Station yesterday.


title: Helping hands

content_text: A National Luodong Senior High School student pushes another student in wheelchair through a flooded hallway yesterday. Torrential rain brought by the northeast monsoon and Typhoon Fengshen have caused flooding in the northern northeastern and eastern regions.


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CONFIDENCE: Respondents on average forecast 3.42 percent growth, more upbeat than in previous months, but still below the government’s projected 4.4 percent

Taiwanese consumers have become more optimistic about the economy and financial markets this month, with sentiment toward spending and investment improving in tandem, according to a survey released yesterday by Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控), the nation’s largest financial group by assets.

The monthly poll found that 67 percent of respondents expect Taiwan’s economy to grow by more than 3 percent this year, while 60 percent anticipate inflation to exceed 2 percent.

The results suggest growing public confidence as official data and corporate forecasts continue to signal solid momentum. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) in August projected GDP growth of 4.45 percent, but DGBAS Minister Chen Shu-tzu (陳淑姿) said last week there was scope for an upward revision toward 5 percent, citing robust export demand driven by the artificial intelligence boom.

On average, respondents forecast 3.42 percent growth — more upbeat than in previous months, yet still below the government’s projection, Cathay Financial said.

“The public appears more confident about the outlook, but remains somewhat conservative compared with official expectations,” the company said in a statement.

While optimism over growth strengthened, inflation concerns persisted. Respondents on average predicted a 2.25 percent inflation rate, higher than the government’s 1.76 percent forecast. Sixty percent said they expect price increases to surpass 2 percent, reflecting ongoing caution about living costs despite official data showing moderate inflation.

Consumer confidence in spending also rose, with interest in purchasing big-ticket and durable goods rising from the previous month.

In real-estate, more respondents said they saw opportunities to buy or sell property over the next six months, although both readings remained below the neutral level, indicating continued caution in the housing market.

Financial sentiment rebounded notably as global and local stock markets rallied following the US Federal Reserve’s rate cut last month and growing expectations of further monetary easing by major central banks.

Cathay Financial’s stock investment confidence index rose to 24.8, while its risk appetite gauge climbed to 17.2, tracking the TAIEX’s advance to record highs.

The survey also asked respondents how they plan to use the government’s upcoming NT$10,000 universal cash handout, to be distributed next month.

About 41 percent said they would spend the funds on travel and consumption — 26 percent for domestic trips and 15 percent for overseas travel. Another 32 percent plan to invest the money in stocks, mutual funds or foreign currencies, while 14 percent plan to save it.

Cathay Financial said the results suggest the handout could help bolster private consumption in the final quarter of the year, adding further momentum to an economy already buoyed by technology exports and rising household confidence.

title: Consumers upbeat on growth outlook


title: China economy slows to 4.8% amid slack demand

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HEADWINDS:  China’s economy is likely to slow further next year, amid weakness in the property sector and waning momentum from the AI boom, an analyst said

China’s economy expanded at the slowest annual pace in a year in the July-to-September period, growing 4.8 percent, weighed down by trade tensions with the US and slack domestic demand.

That was the weakest pace of growth since the third quarter of last year, and compared with a 5.2 percent growth in the previous quarter, the Chinese government said in a report yesterday.

In the January-to-September period, the world’s second-largest economy grew at a 5.2 percent annual pace, the report said.

Despite US President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs on imports from China, exports have remained relatively strong, as companies expanded sales to other world markets.

Exports to the US fell 27 percent last month from the year before, even though growth in its global exports hit a six-month high, climbing 8.3 percent, government data released last week showed.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and other Chinese Communist Party members convened one of China’s most important political meetings for the year yesterday, where they were to map out economic and social policy goals for the country for the next five years.

The economy slowed in the previous quarter, as the authorities moved to curb fierce price wars in sectors such as the auto industry due to excess capacity.

China is also facing challenges, including a prolonged property sector downturn, which has been affecting consumption and demand.

Data released yesterday showed China’s residential property sales fell 7.6 percent by value in the January-to-September period from a year earlier.

Industrial output rose 6.5 percent year-on-year last month, the fastest pace since June, but retail sales growth slowed to 3 percent from the year before.

S&P Global Ratings estimated nationwide new home sales would fall 8 percent this year from the year before and by 6 percent to 7 percent next year.

The World Bank expected China’s economy to grow at a 4.8 percent annual rate this year.

The Chinese government’s official growth target is about 5 percent.

Investments in factories, equipment and other “fixed assets” fell by 0.5 percent in the previous quarter, underscoring weakness in domestic demand. It was also reflected in prices, which have continued to fall at the consumer and wholesale level.

A Chinese National Bureau of Statistics spokesperson said China has a “solid foundation” to achieve its full-year growth target, but cited external complications — including trade friction with the US and other trading partners, and protectionist policies in many countries — as reasons for the slowdown.

China’s economy is likely to further slow next year, BNP Paribas SA chief China economist Jacqueline Rong (榮靜) said, as property investment in the country “looks [to] continue falling” and the artificial intelligence boom, which helped lift China’s economy and fueled a stock market rally, is expected to moderate.


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ASRock Rack Inc (永擎), which produces server motherboards and rackmount servers, yesterday said it expects fourth-quarter revenue to rise about 5 percent from the previous quarter, driven by demand for artificial intelligence (AI) products, including Nvidia Corp’s HGX B200 servers.

Although shipment volumes are likely to remain flat, the average selling price of its products is projected to increase, supporting overall revenue growth, ASRock Rack vice president Hunter Chen (陳式仁) said on the sidelines of a business presentation in Taipei, ahead of the company’s main board debut next month.

The company — a subsidiary of motherboard maker ASRock Inc (華擎) — earlier this month reported third-quarter revenue of NT$6.63 billion (US$216.3 million), up 193 percent from a year earlier.

Pegatron Corp chairman Tung Tzu-hsien, center, ASRock Rack Inc chairman L.L. Shiu, second right, and other ASRock executives pose for a photograph at a business presentation in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Fang Wei-chieh, Taipei Times

Revenue for the first nine months totaled NT$17.51 billion, a 266.2 percent annual increase.

AI server-related products, which include servers such as the B200 and B300 platforms, accounted for 80 percent of the company’s sales during the period, followed by general-purpose server motherboards at 10 percent and general-purpose server systems at another 10 percent, the company said.

The company has been shipping small volumes of Nvidia’s RTX Pro 6000 servers since the previous quarter, which are expected to contribute to revenue in the second quarter of next year, in line with its previous guidance, Chen said.

The company has order visibility across its three main product lines through the first quarter of next year, he said.

The company’s general-purpose server business this quarter is likely to surpass the previous quarter’s performance, supported by rising demand from tier-2 and tier-3 cloud service providers (CSPs), chairman L.L. Shiu (許隆倫) said.

Tier-2 CSPs refer to smaller or regional cloud infrastructure operators that provide data storage, computing and AI services, but operate on a smaller scale than hyperscalers, Shiu said.

The outlook for AI server-related products also remains strong, with clients’ forecasts staying positive, he said.

However, the supply of key materials — including those for Nvidia’s B200 and B300 platforms — has tightened since the end of last month, delaying deliveries by two to three weeks, he added.

The company said its clients are mainly global AI start-ups, such as computing power rental suppliers.

It also counts US data center infrastructure operators and tier-2 CSPs, as well as European automation developers and Asian system integrators, among its clients, it added.

Headquartered in Taipei, the firm operates warehousing and after-sales service centers in California and the Netherlands, with production sites in Taoyuan, China’s Shenzhen and Vietnam.

Its motherboards and graphics cards are manufactured in China, Vietnam and Taiwan, and can be shipped from Taiwan to US customers upon request for specific production sites, with overall capacity remaining sufficient, Shiu said.

While system assembly capacity remains tight at this stage, it is expected to stabilize next month, he said.

If customers request production in the US, the company would consider working with existing partners, but has no plans to build its own production lines, he added.

title: ASRock Rack forecasts 5 percent revenue growth


title: New iPhone selling 14% better than predecessor

content_text:
Apple Inc’s latest generation of iPhones is off to a faster start than usual, with its most basic model surging in popularity.

The iPhone 17 series outsold the iPhone 16 range by 14 percent over their respective first 10 days on sale in the US and China, Counterpoint Research said.

The standard iPhone 17 is in much higher demand than the corresponding US$799 model last year, the data showed.

A woman uses her smartphone inside the Apple store in Beijing’s Sanlitun area as the new iPhone 17 series smartphones went on sale in Beijing on Sept. 19. Photo: Reuters

Counterpoint analysts attributed the boost to an improved display, more storage and the upgraded A19 chip.

“Consumers are resonating with the base model iPhone 17 on improved specs and upgrades,” Counterpoint senior analyst Ivan Lam (林科宇) said. “In China, sales are almost double those of the base iPhone 16 over the initial availability period — and the momentum continues to be good into October.”

At the other end of Apple’s lineup, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is also seeing strong demand, particularly in the US.

It is drawing people who got their last phone during the COVID-19 pandemic to finally upgrade, Counterpoint said.

Apple’s new top-of-the-line handset has its best cameras to date, an improved heat dissipation system and its most significant physical redesign in years.

The company still relies on the iPhone for about half of its revenue. It has managed to sustain strong sales of it despite several missteps with its development of artificial intelligence features and enhancements, and Chinese consumers are still waiting for its rollout of Apple Intelligence in the country.


countries: 臺灣 中國

content_text:
Inventec Corp (英業達) yesterday signed a US$625 million syndicated loan with a group of banks led by state-run Hua Nan Commercial Bank (華南銀行) to bolster its development of artificial intelligence (AI) servers and other key products.

The syndicated loan was 150 percent oversubscribed as Inventec, which produces notebook computers, servers, data-center systems, automotive electronics and smart devices, had intended to borrow US$500 million, a news release showed.

The deal comes as Inventec scales up its manufacturing capacity as demand for AI servers, automotive electronics and telecommunications devices continues to grow.

Representatives of Inventec Corp and banks, led by Hua Nan Commercial Bank, pose for a photograph at a syndicated loan signing ceremony in Taipei yesterday. Photo courtesy of Inventec Corp

The company is also diversifying its overseas production to Mexico, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and the US.

Inventec has manufacturing bases for automotive electronics in Vietnam and Mexico, production facilities for wearable devices in Malaysia and Vietnam, notebook computer assembly lines in Thailand and Vietnam, and server plants in Taiwan, Mexico and Thailand.

Last week, the company completed a joint venture deal with Dixon Technologies (India) Ltd to manufacture notebook computers, servers and desktop PCs in India. Under the deal, Inventec holds a 40 percent stake, while Dixon owns the remaining 60 percent.

Inventec earlier this month reported cumulative sales of NT$519.9 billion (US$16.96 billion) for the first nine months of the year, up 15.92 percent year-on-year, on the back of robust shipments of servers and notebook computers.

The company said it expected the syndicated loan to provide the capital it needs to expand its global operations, enhance its international competitiveness and drive long-term, stable growth.

Hua Nan Bank is the lead arranger of the syndicated loan, and was joined by other lenders, including Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行), Mega International Commercial Bank (兆豐銀行), First Commercial Bank (第一銀行), Cathay United Bank (國泰世華銀行), Land Bank of Taiwan (土地銀行), Taiwan Cooperative Bank (合作金庫), Chang Hwa Commercial Bank (彰化銀行), E.Sun Commercial Bank (玉山銀行), Taishin International Bank Co (台新銀行), Bank of China (中國銀行) and China Construction Bank (中國建設銀行).

title: Inventec signs US$625m loan for AI, global growth


content_text:
Taiwan intends to build Kaohsiung into a national silicon photonics hub at a time when the country is gearing up to develop artificial intelligence, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) said yesterday.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is discussing the establishment of a silicon photonics hub in Taiwan, Yeh said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee, adding that to his knowledge the MOEA is, in principle, interested in developing such a center in Kaohsiung.

Yeh made the comments when answering a question from Kaohsiung-elected lawmaker Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺) of the ruling Democratic Progress Party (DPP), who praised the city for its advantages in developing computing capabilities and as a good choice for a silicon photonics hub.

National Development Council Minister Yeh Chun-hsien attends a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wu Hsin-tien, Taipei Times

Artificial intelligence (AI) server supplier and iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), the world’s largest contract electronics maker, is set to build a computing center in Kaohsiung.

With silicon photonics to replace copper with optical fibers, data can be transmitted faster, with less delay and using less power during the current AI era.

With the Executive Yuan pushing for AI development, silicon photonics, quantum computing and robotics among others have been designated critical technologies, according to a council report submitted to the Legislative Yuan.

Earlier this year, the Cabinet approved a plan to establish a local Silicon Valley in southern Taiwan, which will begin at Tainan’s Shalun Smart Green Energy Science City project and extend outward to the surrounding S-shaped semiconductor cluster, linking science parks and technology industrial parks in Chiayi County, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County.

In Kaohsiung, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is developing the advanced 2-nanometer process, slated to begin commercial production later this year. Another 2nm process development area for TSMC is Hsinchu.

Commenting on concerns raised by ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝衣鳳) about the possible burst of the AI bubble, Yeh said that current AI development is different from the dot.com bubbles which finally popped without many end-users as the stock market crashed in early 2000s.

Yeh said that with enterprises rushing to set up data centers in the initial stage, AI applications are gradually trickling down from the cloud to end users, referring to smartphones and notebook computers among many others.

According to the NDC, through government efforts to promote AI development, the technology is expected to create NT$7 trillion (US$228 million) in production value and 180,000 high-paying job openings in 2028, making Taiwan the 14th largest AI developer.

In 2040, production value is expected to top NT$15 trillion with 500,000 high-paying jobs created, making Taiwan the fifth largest AI developer, the council said.

title: Taiwan intends to build silicon photonics hub in Kaohsiung


people: 卓榮泰 賴清德

content_text:
TWSE set to ease rules, looks to build Taiwan into 'Asia Nasdaq'

After outlining its ambition to transform Taiwan's capital market into an "Asian Nasdaq," the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) on Monday announced it will ease rules governing listed companies in an effort to attract more foreign startups.

With President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) having vowed to build Taiwan into an Asia Nasdaq and the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) committed to making the country into a major fund raising platform, the exchange will relax its rules, with an initial focus on startups from Southeast Asia and the U.S. Silicon Valley, TWSE President Edith Lee (李愛玲) told reporters.

TWSE President Edith Lee, left, and Chairman Sherman Lin ,second left, pose with local officials during the Asia Innovation Capital press conference on Monday.  Photo: CNA

The combined market value of the local main board and the over-the-counter (OTC) market hit NT$90 trillion (US $2.93 trillion) at the end of September, the eighth largest in the world, with the semiconductor industry accounting for 48 percent of total market capitalization, Lee said.

The FSC has a vision to leverage Taiwan's technology advantage to boost the local capital market's global competitive edge, she added.

Among the rules to be eased by the TWSE, the exchange said, listed foreign companies where the major shareholder controls a more than 30 percent stake, but involves no capital provided by China, Hong Kong or Macau, will be exempted from the requirement to establish a board of directors on which Taiwan nationals account for more than half, the TWSE said. However, such companies will be required to appoint at least two Taiwan nationals as independent board members, the TWSE added.

Meanwhile, the TWSE said, mutual funds will be allowed to use the same requirements to buy stocks listed on the Taiwan Innovative Board (TIB) as when currently buying stocks listed on the main board in terms of investment amounts, while investors are allowed to buy and sell multi- asset exchange-traded funds (ETF) which track stocks listed on the TIB.

The TIB accommodates stocks, which have a limited capital size or still incur losses but have a promising future, to raise funds for growth, according to the TWSE. An ETF refers to investment funds that trade like shares and can track anything from a single stock to a broad market index.

Whenever a company which meets profit requirements set by the main board but chooses to seek a listing on the TIB, the rules governing the period for share depository and clearing will be shortened from two years to one year, while rules governing underwriting and accounting reviews will be also eased, the TWSE said.

Companies listed on the main board, the OTC market, or the TIB will be allowed to migrate to other boards after a minimum of one year as long as they meet with the listing requirements of the board they seek, the TWSE added.

The TWSE did not disclose when the new rules will come into effect.

In addition to the rule relaxation, the TWSE, the Taipei Exchange, which runs the OTC market, will integrate resources to help companies in the industries designated by the government to launch a stock listing.

Companies are eligible to receive assistance if they operate in the fields of semiconductors, artificial intelligence, Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), green energy and environmental protection, robotics, cloud services, smart transportation, smart healthcare, biotech, cybersecurity, next generation communications, drone, and national defense and aviation, the TWSE said.


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Taiwan is ranked the 8th top investor in Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Special Economic Zones, a Philippine official said in a recent interview.

PEZA Director-General Tereso O. Panga told CNA in early October that 84 Taiwanese companies had invested in the 431 economic zones under PEZA as of December 2024.

The ecozones are currently home to over 4,300 investments in areas such as manufacturing, information technology (IT), agro-processing and tourism, Panga said, adding that Taiwanese companies have invested over US $593.04 million, with US$872 million in export revenues and creating over 28,000 jobs in the ecozones.

The Taiwanese companies in such zones are mainly experts in electronics, precision components, advanced manufacturing and IT powerhouses such as Sunon, AcBel, Sercom, Adapter Tech, and ASE, Panga said, noting that Taiwanese firms involved in fabricated metal and rubber, plastic, and paper products have also become prominent in the ecozones.

"Taiwan now ranks 8th among PEZA’s top investors, and there is still massive potential to grow," Panga said.

Panga further revealed that a PEZA delegation to Taiwan in late August 2025 saw the authority attract two new Taiwanese electronics firms to the Philippines.

He said one of the Taiwanese electronics companies has pledged to invest between US$5 million and US$6 million in the province of Batangas and create about 300 jobs by the of 2025.

Panga added that the second company will set up an operation for video products with the aim of making US$90 million in exports within three years.

"PEZA has always valued its strong partnership with Taiwanese investors," Panga said, adding, "who are among our top locators in electronics, precision components, ICT, and advanced manufacturing."

The director-general added that valuing strong partnerships with Taiwanese investors is a big reason why the authority has provided Taiwanese firms with business facilitations.

The services from PEZA include support systems such as fast-tracking permits and customs clearances, Panga said, to linking Taiwanese companies with infrastructure, renewable energy, logistics and skilled workforce solutions inside the ecozones.

The authority is particularly interested in attracting Taiwanese companies that specialize in semiconductors and electronics, precision manufacturing/fabricated metal, medical devices and renewable-energy-related manufacturing, Panga said.

PEZA is interested in those industries due to Taiwan’s strengths and the fact that the country’s supply-chain clusters in semiconductors and electronics fit perfectly with the labor and location advantages the Philippines can provide.

The director-general went on to say that PEZA is excited for additional collaborations with other Taiwanese industries as the Philippines embarks on the nation’s so-called "Industry 4.0" initiative whereby the Southeast Asian nation looks to create manufacturing and ecozone developments in rural parts of the country.

Panga added that Taiwanese companies in PEZA ecozones have been profitable as a result of the Philippines being able to provide them with a skilled labor force that is equipped with high English proficiency.

In addition, the country’s strategic location and strong policy environment are what position PEZA’s ecozones as a credible and reliable partner for Taiwan in global supply- chain realignments, he said.

title: Taiwan 8th top investor in Philippine special economic zones


content_text: Dogs and owners in costume walk during the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York on Sunday. The parade, now in its 35th edition, features dogs and owners showing off creative Halloween costumes.

title: Ruby Dog


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The Legislative Yuan on Friday passed the Executive Yuan’s special resilience budget, and while lawmakers reduced it to NT$544.7 billion (US$17.8 billion), slicing NT$5.3 billion out — mainly from the Ministry of National Defense, but also the labor and health ministries — they kept the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ NT$46 billion spending plan to provide financial support, enhance industry competitiveness and develop diversified markets intact.

The economic ministry’s proposal would allocate money to aid companies hit by US tariffs and international trade developments, such as reduced interest rates on trade financing, preferential export insurance premiums, enhanced guarantees on export loans and expanded loan support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Funds would also be earmarked to boost industrial competitiveness by helping firms upgrade their technology, replace old equipment, secure foreign orders and diversify international markets, the ministry said.

To promptly address the needs of different sectors, especially small and medium-sized enterprises and traditional industries, the ministry on Friday launched a multiagency task force to visit affected companies and confer. It would also enhance firms’ operations with market analysis, financial management, procurement, supply chain management or human resources management, as well as help them integrate artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations, it said.

Many companies in traditional industries operate on thin margins and have posted weak export performance this year due to the trade disputes and tariffs, despite positive GDP news. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) on Wednesday said that the government might revise upward its GDP growth forecast for this year, after it in August upgraded its full-year growth forecast to 4.45 percent, from its 3.1 percent estimate in May. The Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research on Friday raised its GDP growth forecast to 5.45 percent for this year, from 3.05 percent predicted in July.

The stronger-than-expected GDP growth forecast underscores the nation’s growing role in the global AI supply chain, with robust demand for high-end semiconductors and electronics, but the divergence between tech and traditional industries has further widened. DGBAS data showed that electronic components suppliers posted 29.6 hours of overtime in August, a 45-year high, but overtime in furniture, plastics, auto parts, base metal and textile sectors dropped by two to four hours from a year earlier.

The textile sector reported a 4,000-person reduction in employees, while the transportation sector reported 3,000 fewer workers, and the plastics, metal and auto parts sectors each reported a 2,000-person drop in their workforces. In contrast, hiring increased by 17,000 in the electronic components sector and 10,000 at suppliers of computers, electronics and optical components, DGBAS data showed. Overall, unemployment rose for a third consecutive month in August, reaching its highest in a year at 3.45 percent, with unemployment rising by 6,000 to 415,000, while the number of underemployed — those working fewer than 35 hours a week for economic reasons, but willing to work more — increased to 121,000, the highest this year.

The US’ “reciprocal” tariffs are starting to bite, as are the impacts of exchange rate fluctuations and pricing competition from overseas rivals due to overcapacity. Experience shows that the labor market does not reflect changes in the macroeconomic environment early, but it rapidly deteriorates as soon as the situation takes a sharp turn for the worse, be it the dotcom bubble or the 2008 financial crisis. Hopefully, the impacts of tariffs do not worsen, but the government needs to better prepare to avoid being caught off guard.

title: EDITORIAL: Tariff woes could get worse


title: Taiwan can help lift US economy

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US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy serves as an objective and as a tool for him. Its objectives are twofold: first, to ease the US’ debt burden through tariff revenue; second, to provide a tax base for the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” tax cuts.

The execution lies in pressuring other countries to negotiate with the US and make concessions in exchange for tariff reductions. Yet Trump’s tariff policy cannot solve the US’ deeper challenges — widening income inequality, blue-collar workers forced into low-paying jobs after losing manufacturing positions, inflationary pressure and the inability to sustain a long-term confrontation against China.

The US faces several economic problems.

First, its deindustrialization has worsened inequality. Displaced blue-collar workers are unable to shift into other manufacturing jobs and instead, they are forced into low-wage service work. Imposing high tariffs on China without viable substitutes only fuels inflation and undermines the sustainability of these policies.

Second, excessively high education and healthcare costs raise living expenses and reduce living standards, leaving lower and middle-class families unable to advance through education and decreasing social mobility.

Third, the proliferation of drugs and firearms severely threatens public safety. Frequent homicides reduce the labor force and impose heavy social costs.

The most critical issue is deindustrialization — manufacturing accounts for only 10 percent of US GDP. This creates several problems.

First, income inequality continues to widen. High-wage jobs are limited to doctors, lawyers, accountants and specific service sectors such as information technology, telecommunications and logistics while most other service jobs remain low-wage.

Second, workers from the withering manufacturing industry cannot transition into related fields and are forced into low-paying service jobs, with little sense of satisfaction in their work. Manufacturing provides stronger industrial linkages and more job ladders, offering opportunities for advancement.

Third, with a gutted industrial base, there’s a lack of substitutes for Chinese goods. The US must still import from China and Southeast Asia, pushing up prices, worsening inflation and making tariff policy unsustainable — preventing the US from engaging in a long economic contest with China.

Trump’s call for reindustrialization could help narrow income inequality and ease the plight of blue-collar workers. However, Trump has ideas without effective strategies. Beyond pressuring semiconductor and automobile giants to invest in the US, he lacks substitutes for everyday consumer industries, which still depend heavily on imports from China.

Taiwan’s experience in helping China create 60 million to 80 million jobs could be replicated in the US. If Washington sets clear performance indicators such as the level of Taiwanese investment, number of jobs created, skilled workers trained and technical schools established, Taiwan could in return secure lower reciprocal tariffs, special economic zones (with looser restrictions on foreign labor, reduced union constraints and land or tax incentives), while introducing artificial intelligence, automation and robotics to cut costs. This would allow traditional industries to take root in the US, reduce import dependence, curb inflation and create more jobs.

At the same time, Taiwan could access parts of the US market and mitigate the impact of reciprocal tariffs on its domestic industries — a win-win strategy.

In the medical service area, Taiwan offers relatively affordable services. If bilateral agreements are established, some US patients with severe illnesses could seek treatment in Taiwan under international medical programs, significantly reducing medical costs for patients and the US healthcare system.

In education, establishing technical schools or programs and clear promotion channels could expand employment opportunities, reduce income inequality and even lower crime rates.

On drugs and guns, effective zoning laws could be introduced. For example, within particular zones, all firearms and drugs would be strictly banned. People who are caught with these items in those areas, would face heavier penalties. Such measures could curb the spread of drugs and guns. If these programs succeed, they could be expanded nationwide.

The US’ challenges — reindustrialization, high medical costs and expensive education — are deeply entrenched. Taiwan could help alleviate some of these problems by creating more manufacturing jobs, supporting blue-collar transitions, narrowing income inequality and building vocational institutions that lower education costs while providing immediate employment opportunities after graduation. With effective medical agreements, Taiwan could help reduce US medical costs, especially for low and middle-income families. Of course, such cooperation must be subject to volume controls to prevent resistance from US medical associations.

A broader Taiwan-US cooperation and strategic alliance could help mend the US’ deeper structural economic issues. This is a path worth considering by both governments as they seek a closer partnership.

Wang Jiann-chyuan is vice president of the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research.


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A sophomore at Taichung’s Chaoyang University of Technology, surnamed Li (李), died by suicide last month after the university rejected his request for a leave of absence. He was unable to pay one-third of his tuition — about NT$18,000. Many have accused the university of having a rigid and callous system. However, university education is different from compulsory education — students have the freedom to make their own decisions.

Under the higher education system, all universities have mechanisms for tuition waivers, as well as financial aid programs. Students from low or middle-income households, special circumstances, indigenous backgrounds, or those with physical or mental disabilities can apply for partial or full tuition exemptions. These systems are designed to assist economically disadvantaged students. That these tuition waivers require active application is a form of assurance — transparency of resource allocations is guaranteed through the application and review process. For a university to proceed with fee collection or suspension in accordance with regulations if a student fails to apply on time does not constitute negligence.

Most universities have staff to provide support for students’ living, finances and mental health. It is important to ensure that students know these resources exist and that they can be used.

We must help students understand that seeking help in the face of hardship is not a sign of weakness, but an act of courage. There are advisors at universities who can offer guidance and help students find solutions — no student should have to face such challenges alone. Systems exist to protect people, and that protection begins the very moment someone finds the will to speak up. Hopefully, this incident serve as a reminder of the importance of ensuring that students know where to turn for help. When a problem arises, it is okay to speak out. No matter the challenge, there is always a way — there is always a path forward.

Ken is the pen name of a social worker.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen

title: Importance of supporting students