taiwan-subdivisions: 基隆 基隆市 成功

title: 八斗子鯨豚救援池啟用　謝國樑：打造基隆成為海洋永續首都

content_text:
墨新聞｜記者江育銓／基隆報導

中華鯨豚協會今（24）日下午於八斗子岸置中心舉辦「鯨豚救援池啟用典禮」，市長謝國樑與海洋委員會海洋保育署組長羅進明、中華鯨豚協會理事長祁偉亷、海巡署組主任范至善等貴賓共同見證這項具有指標意義的成果。新落成的鯨豚救援池象徵北臺灣鯨豚救援工作邁向專業化與永續化的新階段，也突顯基隆在全國海洋保育體系中不可或缺的角色。

謝國樑致詞時表示，基隆是一座與海共生的城市，長期以來市府積極推動海洋保育政策，致力讓基隆成為「全台最有愛、最具海洋永續精神的城市」。他指出，基隆在北臺灣鯨豚救援網絡中扮演重要角色，五年內已協助收容14隻鯨豚，其中9隻成功重返大海。他強調，救援池的落成代表基隆保育行動的升級，未來市府將持續推動海洋教育，讓愛海、護海的精神深植人心。

中華鯨豚協會理事長祁偉亷指出，新建的水泥式救援池由協會發起募資，並獲基隆市政府、海洋保育署及漁業署支持。池體為類橢圓設計，內徑長9公尺、最深達1.3公尺，比舊有帆布池大約1.5倍，並使用八斗子漁港外乾淨海水，未來將升級過濾系統，確保水質穩定。新設施具備金剛吊臂與多鯨豚照護空間，大幅提升救援與搬運安全性，是全台唯一兼具吊掛系統與長期照護功能的鯨豚救援據點。

產業發展處長蔡馥嚀表示，八斗子岸置中心原為漁工安置設施，市府接手後積極轉型為結合海洋教育、志工培訓與鯨豚救援的多功能基地。中心鄰近八斗子漁港、國立臺灣海洋大學及海科館，具備完善專業能量，是基隆推動鯨豚救援與海洋保育的重要節點。她指出，今日啟用不僅是硬體升級，更展現基隆推動海洋永續與尊重生命的決心。

能源航運股份有限公司為本次最大贊助單位，並與超過1,650位善心人士共同響應。該公司透過鯨豚協會表示，希望以實際行動支持鯨豚與海洋生物的永續生存，也邀請更多航運與海運業者投入海洋保育，共同守護海洋生態。

謝國樑最後表示，八斗子鯨豚救援池的啟用，是基隆在海洋保育領域的重要里程碑，市府將持續深化與中央及民間團體的合作，強化海洋救援與教育推廣，讓基隆成為守護海洋生命、實踐永續的城市。

此篇文章最開始出處為: 八斗子鯨豚救援池啟用 謝國樑：打造基隆成為海洋永續首都


title: 謝典霖：生活要有運動習慣　和家人一起走最健康

content_text:
▲10月24日下午於鹿港舉辦的「親子健行．巷弄鹿港—帶著毛小孩一起走」活動，謝典霖議長與王惠美縣長一同出席。（圖／謝典霖辦公室提供）【記者 顧慎言／彰化縣 報導】「運動不是比誰快，而是比誰能持之以恆！」彰化縣議會議長謝典霖今（24）日下午與王惠美縣長一同參加「親子健行．巷弄鹿港—帶著毛小孩一起走」活動，和上千位大小朋友、毛孩們一起出發，用雙腳感受鹿港巷弄的魅力，也一起為健康加分。

謝典霖表示，自己平常就保持運動習慣，無論是散步、快走或打球，只要讓身體動起來，心情就會變好、精神也更飽滿。他鼓勵大家在忙碌生活中，抽點時間陪家人、帶著孩子或毛小孩一起出門走一走，「身體健康、心情愉快，家裡的氣氛也會更好。」

這項由鹿港鎮體育會舉辦的健行活動，路線全長四公里多，穿梭在古色古香的鹿港巷弄之間，沿途充滿人情味。現場除了健行，還有親子手作課程、舞台表演和寵物友善宣導，吸引超過八百位民眾熱情參加。

謝典霖說，看到大家一家大小一起出門運動，是最棒的畫面，「運動不只是活動，更是一種生活態度。」他感謝所有志工與體育會的努力，讓「運動 i 臺灣」在鹿港扎根，讓健康成為每天的習慣。

▲這項由運動部全民運動署指導、鹿港鎮體育會舉辦的「運動i台灣」健行活動，路線全長四公里多，穿梭在古色古香的鹿港巷弄之間，沿途充滿人情味。（圖／謝典霖辦公室提供）〈謝典霖：生活要有運動習慣 和家人一起走最健康〉這篇文章最早發佈於《世界觀新聞網》。

taiwan-subdivisions: 彰化縣 鹿港

countries: 台灣 臺灣

people: 謝典霖 王惠美


title: Parties back stricter anti-spy measures

content_text:
SECURITY:  DPP and KMT legislators proposed national security amendments to close legal loopholes, enhance safeguards and prevent the leaking of sensitive information   By Chen Cheng-yu, Lin Hsin-han, and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

Legislators across party lines have proposed amendments to the National Security Act (國家安全法) to prevent potential Chinese infiltration and safeguard the nation’s democratic system.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers, including Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄), Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) and Wang Mei-hui (王美惠), yesterday submitted draft revisions to Paragraph 1, Article 13 of the act intended to reinforce the loyalty of the military, educators and civil servants.

The draft called for establishing security measures, effective immediately, to shore up perceived loopholes in legislation regarding national security.

According to the draft, if military personnel, educators, civil servants or employees of agencies handling sensitive or classified information are suspected of contravening, or abetting others to contravene, Article 2 or Paragraph 1, Article 3 of the act in a way deemed harmful to national security, their agencies would be required to report the situation and, upon approval, suspend the people concerned while conducting investigations.

In serious or time-sensitive cases, the organization, agency or unit should suspend the people immediately and submit a report to their superiors within three days, the draft says.

Although existing laws impose penalties for acts that harm national security, there are no provisions to address cases in which actions could endanger national security without producing immediate or observable effects, Chuang said.

The amendment introduces preventive measures, such as suspension from duty, to mitigate risks posed by potential actions that could seriously harm national security, he said.

The draft passed its first reading and has been referred to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee for further review.

Separately, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲), Huang Chien-hao (黃健豪), Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) and Liao Wei-hsiang (廖偉翔) have proposed amendments to articles 32, 33 and 34 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法).

Those found guilty of leaking or disclosing classified information to people from China, Hong Kong, Macau or to enemy states or their agents would face increased penalties under the proposed revisions, Wu said.

The draft would raise the maximum prison sentence to 12 years, up from the current maximum of 10, while those who unintentionally break the law would face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to NT$500,000, according to the amendments.

The law must clearly define “foreign forces” and “acts of intervention” to prevent people from inadvertently breaking the law when engaging in routine cross-strait interactions or expressing political views, Wu said.

People who breach the law should incur administrative penalties rather than harsher criminal sentences, he said, adding that the ruling party should establish a cross-party oversight mechanism to prevent “selective enforcement.”

Wu also urged the government to ensure proper enforcement of the act, saying that the National Security Act should be used to protect the nation’s security, adding that it should not be used to punish political adversaries.

people: 王美惠 莊瑞雄 牛煦庭 廖偉翔 吳宗憲 黃健豪


content_text:
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said

Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.”

The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank.

Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable partly because Lai — whom he referred to as “brash” and “evidently reckless” — has been more explicit in “making the case for Taiwanese nationhood” and Taiwan’s national sovereignty than his predecessor, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Goldstein said Lai’s statements on Taiwan’s independent status were not sufficiently low-profile and provoked accusations from Beijing that he was inviting “more conflict and risk.”

“Washington should tread carefully,” Goldstein said, adding that the US should refocus its defense efforts in the Indo-Pacific region on “actual treaty allies” such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines.

In response, MOFA said the government consistently upholds cross-strait peace and stability, and promotes its China policy with a steady, practical and reasonable attitude.

Taiwan has never changed its commitment to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo,” nor has it sought to escalate tensions, it said, adding that Lai has repeatedly emphasized that “peace is the only option.”

Maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait has long been Taiwan’s position and is a widespread consensus within the international community, the ministry said.

Beijing is the party undermining peace and stability by continuing to engage in political propaganda, military intimidation against Taiwan, including large-scale drills, “gray zone” tactics and cognitive warfare operations, it said.

The government will continue to improve its self-defense capabilities and bolster whole-of-society resilience to safeguard Taiwan’s democracy, it said.

Robust self-defense capabilities are indispensable to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the region, it added.

Time also published two other Taiwan-related articles on Thursday. One, titled “Taiwan in the Shadow of War” by Charlie Campbell, editor-at-large at the magazine, examined the geopolitical risks and growing threat of conflict facing Taiwan.

Another, “How Trump Can Avoid a War Over Taiwan,” was written by retired Chinese People’s Liberation Army senior colonel Zhou Bo (周波), a research fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

In his piece, Zhou echoed themes raised in the other two articles, saying that US President Donald Trump was right not to allow Lai to stop over in New York, adding that Taiwan is “the only issue that can drag the two titans [the US and China] into a full-blown conflict.”

Zhou also suggested that Trump establish a formal rule prohibiting Taiwanese officials from transiting through major US cities as a way to “test the reaction of the US government over any changing attitude,” and thereby avoid a potential war with Beijing.

He urged Washington to silence “sensational remarks” by US military officers on when China might invade Taiwan, and withdraw US military trainers stationed in Taiwan.

“President Trump should warn Lai to watch his words,” Zhou wrote, adding that Trump should encourage Taiwan to accept “the ‘one China’ 1992 consensus.”

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

Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party has never recognized the “1992 consensus,” saying that Beijing does not acknowledge the existence of the Republic of China and that acceptance of the formula would imply agreement with China’s sovereignty claim over Taiwan.

title: MOFA rejects ‘Time’ ‘reckless leader’ label

people: 賴清德 蔡英文


title: Takaichi vows to further bolster defense buildup

content_text:
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in her first major policy speech yesterday, pledged to further accelerate Japan’s military buildup and spending, and complete an early upgrade of the country’s security strategy as tensions rise with China, North Korea and Russia.

Takaichi took office on Tuesday after being elected Japan’s first female leader. That ended months of a political vacuum amid power struggles within her party following consecutive election defeats that led to the ruling coalition’s loss of a majority in both houses of parliament.

Takaichi said her government would hit an annual military spending target of 2 percent of GDP by March, instead of by 2027 under the initial plan.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, right, delivers a policy speech at the Diet in Tokyo yesterday.  Photo: EPA

She would also revise the security strategy early and have it ready by the end of next year, she said. Japan used to revise its strategy about once a decade, the last time in December 2022.

Japan would upgrade its strategy early due to a change in the security environment, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Middle East conflict, she said.

“The free, open and stable international order that we were accustomed to is violently shaken in the face of historic change of power balance and intensifying geopolitical competitions,” Takaichi said in her speech at parliament. “In the region around Japan, military activities and other actions from our neighbors China, North Korea and Russia are causing grave concerns.”

“Japan needs to proactively push for a fundamental buildup of its defense power,” she said.

Her pledge yesterday came days before US President Donald Trump visits Tokyo on Monday for a summit, where she is expected to face tough demands from Trump, such as a further increase in Japan’s defense spending and more purchases of US weapons. Her meeting with Trump is part of a major diplomatic test that also includes two regional summits.

Takaichi said she plans to discuss with Trump further strengthening the Japan-US alliance, while fostering the two sides’ personal relationship based on trust.

She said that Japan needs to establish a constructive and stable relationship with China, but that there are “security concerns” between the two sides.

The upgrading of the security strategy might involve more offensive military roles for the Japan Self-Defense Forces, further easing of restrictions on arms exports and increased military spending, but she did not elaborate on how she plans to fund them.

To achieve any of her pledges or policies, her minority government needs cooperation from the opposition.

Her immediate task at home is to tackle rising prices and sagging wages, and win back support from conservatives.

Takaichi said Japan needs foreign workers to make up for the shortage of labor in the country, which has a rapidly aging and declining population, but only by allowing those who follow the rules.

“It is a fact that unlawful activity and violation of rules by some foreigners are causing the sense of unease and unfairness among Japanese people,” Takaichi said. “The government will respond decisively to these activities. It’s not xenophobia.”


title: Trump ending trade talks with Canada over TV ads

content_text:
US President Donald Trump announced he is ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad opposing US tariffs that he said misstated the facts and called “egregious behavior” aimed at influencing US court decisions.

The social media post came on Thursday night after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he aims to double his country’s exports to countries outside the US because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs.

Trump’s call for an abrupt end to negotiations could further inflame trade tensions that have already been building between the two neighboring countries for months.

A combination of pictures shows Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, in Ottawa on May 21, and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on June 27.  Photo: AFP

“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring [former US president] Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“The ad was for $75,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts,” he wrote. “TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”

Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The prime minister was set to leave yesterday for a summit in Asia, while Trump was to leave later yesterday.

Earlier on Thursday night, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute wrote on X that an ad created by the government of Ontario “misrepresents the ‘Presidential Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade’ dated April 25, 1987.”

It added that Ontario did not receive foundation permission “to use and edit the remarks.”

The foundation said it is “reviewing legal options in this matter” and invited the public to watch the unedited video of Reagan’s address.

As for the US Supreme Court, Trump is referring to a case scheduled for early next month in which the justices would consider the legality of his sweeping tariffs.

Two lower courts have determined that Trump cannot unilaterally impose wide-ranging tariffs under an emergency powers law. His administration argues otherwise, saying he can regulate importation and that includes tariff policy.


content_text:
By Yang Yuan-ting and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer

A study by Taiwanese and Japanese researchers has found that video games translated into local languages can boost sales revenue in those markets by as much as 12.1 percent, the first research to offer concrete evidence of how translation supports international trade.

While translation is known to lower cultural barriers and make products more accessible to consumers, its economic impact has long been difficult to measure.

The study, led by Academia Sinica Institute of Economics researcher Yang Tsung-han (楊宗翰) and Yuta Watabe, a research fellow at the Tokyo-based Institute of Developing Economies, analyzed sales data from more than 10,000 video games in 2018 across more than 70 countries on Steam, which accounts for about 70 percent of global game sales.

People play video games at the Taipei Game Show at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center on Jan. 25 last year. Photo: CNA

They found that localized games earned at least 10 percent more revenue in markets where they were translated, highlighting the commercial value of product localization.

Yang said the team chose video games rather than books as their subject because books in different languages are considered separate products competing for the same audience.

In contrast, video games typically have a single version in which players can freely select their preferred language, providing a cleaner comparison of the translation’s effect on sales, he said.

Video game sales have surpassed film, music and sports in global sales, and can be instantly purchased across borders online, he added.

Game translations and subtitles also directly affect player experience, making the game easier to learn and understand, he said.

Games offering more language options are typically produced by larger companies, as translating into multiple languages requires significant financial resources, Yang said.

How much financial firepower a company has naturally determines its ability to use translation to bridge cultural and linguistic divides, he said.

However, the data were collected before the emergence of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) translation tools, Yang said.

The team’s model suggests that AI applications such as real-time subtitle translation, although not yet fully accurate, are helping to further dismantle language and cultural barriers in global trade, he said.

This trend extends beyond cultural products to general consumer goods, with e-commerce platforms such as Amazon reporting sales growth linked to automatic translation, he added.

The team plans to examine the economic impact of AI-driven localization before and after such tools became widespread, Yang said.

The study, titled “The Tower of Babel: Localization, translation, and international trade,” was published in the European Economic Review.

title: Study finds game translations boost sales by 12.1%


content_text:
Hog farms test negative for African swine fever virus, concerns remain

Inspections of nearly 80 percent of hog farms yielded no new cases of African swine fever after a recent infection was reported in Taichung, but the situation remains "tense" due to the virus’s 15-day incubation period, Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said yesterday.

The first round of screening included 40 farms linked to the site in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲), which on Tuesday reported the country’s first confirmed case of African swine fever since 2005, Chen told a press conference.

Confirming the infection as African swine fever, Chen said a single round of testing may be insufficient, given the incubation period for African swine fever is 15 days.

Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih speaks at a press conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times

"In other words, we are now entering a more tense phase," he added.

Chen, who heads the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) handling the infection, said that nationwide testing of hog farms is expected to be completed by Sunday, adding that the authorities could refine monitoring efforts if necessary.

The government has imposed a 15-day ban on slaughtering, transporting, and feeding pigs with kitchen waste to prevent the potential spread of the disease, measures that are disrupting the operations of food providers and hog farmers.

Chen said the CEOC based in Taichung will review the implementation and impact of the measures on a daily basis, with discussions held every five days to determine if any change is necessary.

The case also sparked debate over whether kitchen waste should be banned as a feed source, with some, including the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), criticizing President William Lai (賴清德) for opposing such a ban when he was premier in 2018.

Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan (張麗善) of the KMT said on Wednesday she imposed a ban on using kitchen waste as hog feed in late 2018, amid the African swine fever outbreak in China, because it exposed local farms to the risk of contagion.

Responding to the criticism, Lai countered yesterday that most local government heads opposed a full ban during a meeting held at the time.

Consequently, the government set a rule that allows local governments to continue using kitchen waste to feed hogs only if they meet hygiene standards by heating the waste above 90°C for more than an hour, according to Lai.

He also argued that the policy effectively prevented the possible spread of the virus through improperly managed kitchen waste.

Given that local governments are in charge of issuing related recycling licenses, the central government respects their decisions regarding the use of kitchen waste as hog feed, Chen said.

However, the ministry is willing to gather information on international practices on recycling kitchen waste into feed, rather than simply using raw and unprocessed waste for hogs, Chen said.

people: 張麗善 賴清德


title: Ministry warns of fines on contravening pig feed ban

content_text:
UPDATE: Twenty-eight pigs from an ASF-affected farm had been transported before the case was confirmed, and most of the pork has been sold, an official said

People who transport kitchen waste to hog farms could be fined up to NT$1 million (US$32,452) and a maximum NT$3 million fine could be imposed on those who feed pigs leftovers, Deputy Minister of Environment Shen Chih-hsiu (沈志修) said yesterday.

The Ministry of Agriculture has banned transporting or slaughtering pigs and feeding them kitchen waste after an African swine fever (ASF) case was discovered in Taichung earlier this week.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tu Wen-jane (杜文珍), the leader of the ASF response unit set up in the city, said that no more cases had been reported or confirmed as of yesterday.

Out of 435 farms nationwide that feed pigs kitchen leftovers, 434 must refrain from doing so during the ban period, she said.

The Taichung City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office said that the city’s epidemic control personnel have inspected 106 of 168 hog farms and 58,030 pigs in the city, adding that the inspected pigs were all healthy and no abnormal deaths had been found.

Shen said that kitchen waste from places such as restaurants and schools would be collected as usual, but cannot be transported to hog farms during the ban.

Data from the Ministry of Environment showed that about 63 percent of kitchen waste from businesses nationwide was processed into animal feed, while leftovers from households were mostly processed into compost.

Leftover food from businesses must be delivered to sites designated by local environmental protection bureaus, Shen said.

Composting, anaerobic codigestion or biological treatment with black soldier flies would be used to process such kitchen waste, while incinerating or sending the waste to landfills would be adopted as supplementary approaches, he added.

Ministry data showed that kitchen waste repurposing facilities nationwide have a capacity of 1,620 tonnes per day, which is enough to process the 1,384 tonnes of household leftovers per day.

However, facilities would not be able to handle the additional 731 tonnes of kitchen waste from businesses, so that must be incinerated or to sent to landfills.

The ministry has issued guidelines on the kitchen waste ban for hog farms, Shen said.

Those who transport kitchen waste to hog farms could be fined up to NT$1 million, while those who feed pigs with kitchen waste could be fined a maximum of NT$3 million, he said.

Twenty-eight pigs were transported out of the affected farm before the ASF case was confirmed, Taichung Health Bureau Director Tseng Tzu-chan (曾梓展) said, adding that 21 had been slaughtered.

Of the slaughtered pigs, 13 were bought by pork vendors and sold to customers, while eight went to 19 meat purchasing agencies and were sold, he said.

Of the other seven pigs, two were bought by a purchasing agent in the city and then sold to downstream buyers in Changhua and Chiayi counties, Tseng said, adding that those were sold to customers, too.

One pig was directly supplied to Chiayi County and sold to customers, while two went to a purchasing agency in Changhua County and were sold to customers, he said.

The remaining two pigs were bought by a meat processing plant in Changhua County and processed into semi-finished pork products, which were sold in New Taipei City, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taichung, Tseng said, adding that the products in Taichung had already been sold.

Yunlin County Health Bureau Director Tseng Chun-mei (曾春美) said that the bureau found that the processing plant had supplied 3.7 tonnes of pork to Yunlin County, some of which had been turned into products such as pet feed oil, semi-finished pork floss and dried meat.

All those products and the remaining pork were seized and did not enter the market, she added.

Additional reporting by Lee Wen-te


title: EVA vows policy changes after crew death

content_text:
TOXIC WORKPLACE?  Flight attendants face penalties for taking leave, a union said, urging EVA to guarantee leave would not impact evaluations or scheduling rights

EVA Airways yesterday outlined possible policy changes following an internal investigation into the death of a flight attendant this month, who was allegedly forced to work even though she was ill.

The airline said it is considering a new rule requiring chief and deputy pursers, who oversee flight attendants onboard the aircraft, to relieve any cabin crew member deemed unfit for duty and to report the situation to the company.

Under the proposal, a crew member who feels unwell would be sent back to Taiwan as a passenger, while other crew on the flight would receive a bonus for taking on extra work.

EVA Airways Corp aircraft are pictured at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

The airline said it also plans to revise its job performance review system by the end of the year to “allow margin for sick leave,” but did not say what measures would be implemented.

The company made the announcement following the death of a 34-year-old flight attendant surnamed Sun (孫), who reportedly fell ill while working a round-trip flight between Taipei and Milan late last month and died on Oct. 10 after returning to Taiwan.

EVA said its investigation found that the purser on the flight “failed to use available medical resources” or report Sun’s condition to the pilots and the company due to “a lack of knowledge,” delaying her access to medical care.

The airline said it would more clearly inform flight attendants about manager contacts and ambulance fee coverage at foreign destinations, adding that some were unaware of these details.

An “open platform” disclosing the information would be created as well, it added.

The Taoyuan Flight Attendant Union responded to EVA’s statement via a social media post yesterday, accusing the company of failing to address the structural pressures that led the flight attendant to work while she was ill and for not adequately reflecting on its workplace culture.

Flight attendants face multiple penalties for taking any kind of leave, such as deductions in performance scores and restrictions on flight scheduling, with even harsher penalties during national holidays, it said.

EVA’s report only vaguely promised to adjust its evaluation system, the union said, adding that it was concerned that the airline’s delay in making changes could be a ploy to defuse criticism.

It urged EVA to negotiate with the union and guarantee that taking a leave would not impact employee evaluations or scheduling rights.

The two sides have so far held only one meeting.


title: Restaurant investigated over alleged food poisoning

content_text:
A French restaurant in Taichung is being investigated after 13 diners were treated for suspected food poisoning, city authorities said yesterday.

Taichung City’s Office of Food and Drug Safety in a statement said it was alerted to a suspected food poisoning case by the Taichung Hospital on Thursday evening.

Thirteen people developed acute gastroenteritis with symptoms such as nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea after dining at the restaurant in Taichung’s West District (西區), the office said, adding that 10 had sought medical attention.

The entrance to the emergency room of Taichung Hospital is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

The office said it launched an investigation, collecting samples during the restaurant’s opening hours yesterday to test for pathogens.

Inspectors discovered a lack of enforcement regarding temperature recording, and several of the restaurant’s seafood and pork products were not properly documented or came from unsanctioned sources, they said.

The Taichung City Government said that if the pathogen tests come back positive, the restaurant could face a fine between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,947 to US$6.49 million), in accordance with the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).

Additionally, if the samples test positive for the same pathogens as those found in the 13 diners who fell ill, the restaurant’s owners could face legal consequences, they added.

In related news, six people fell ill in Taipei after dining at the Happy Cow Sukiyaki Hotpot restaurant in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi’s Nanxi store.

They had eaten at the restaurant on Monday and Tuesday.

The city’s health department said it already ordered the restaurant to close.

A search of the restaurant on Wednesday found that several refrigerated ingredients, such as vegetables and beef, were not properly covered, the department said.

It said it had given the restaurant until Monday to correct the issues.

Investigators also collected samples from pitchers of raw beaten eggs — an ingredient traditionally used as a dip in the Japanese hot pot dish sukiyaki — for pathogen tests, it added.


title: Taoyuan bus driver facing assault case is released on bail

content_text:
By Hsieh Wu-hsiung, Cheng Shu-ting and Jason Pan / Staff reporters

A bus driver who allegedly punched a high-school student during a dispute was released on NT$20,000 bail on Thursday.

The 41-year-old Taoyuan Bus Co driver, surnamed Liu (劉), is facing assault charges under the Criminal Code, prosecutors said.

The incident took place on Wednesday in Taoyuan’s Bade District (八德), when students, including one surnamed Huang, (黃) got on a special “student-only bus.”

A bus driver allegedly punches a student in a clip taken by a passerby in Taoyuan on Wednesday. Photo: screen grab from the Internet

Liu said that one student, who had inserted coins into the coin box, only paid NT$13, although the bus fare was NT$18.

The student said he had counted the money twice and was sure he put in NT$18.

The two began to argue and the student got off the bus, saying he would seek help from school officials.

Some stops later, Huang, who allegedly wanted to stand up for his fellow student, before getting off allegedly told the driver: “You cannot even count money. That is what your life is all about.”

The bus camera recording showed that Liu followed Huang onto the street, where the two eventually fought.

Liu allegedly punched Huang repeatedly until he bled from the mouth and nose, people who witnessed the incident said and video recordings suggested.

After receiving calls regarding the incident, police arrived at the scene, where Liu and Huang accused each other of assault.

Police said that they had examined the bus camera and found that Liu after the fare dispute, before Huang’s statement, had said, “usually, I do not talk to idiots,” adding that it was evidence Liu had a bad temper.

The bus company on Thursday convened a meeting over the incident, which was attended by a drivers’ union representative, during which company executives decided to dismiss Liu.

Liu did not attend the meeting.

A company official said the deputy chairman visited Huang at the hospital when he received treatment.

The case attracted much attention due to the rare instance of a bus driver getting up from his seat to fight a high-school student on the street in public.

People had posted the video online and it has circulated widely on social media.


title: Austria resumes recognition of Taiwan-issued driving permit

content_text:
Holders of a Taiwan-issued international driving permit (IDP) can now legally drive again in Austria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced yesterday.

The Austrian transport ministry updated its administrative regulations in October to recognize the validity of IDP issued in Taiwan, MOFA spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said.

Thanks to continued talks between MOFA, its representative office in Austria, and the Austrian government, anyone presenting a Taiwan-issued permit along with their Taiwan driver’s license can now legally drive in Austria, he added.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ emblem is displayed at the ministry in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) welcomed the move, saying that the ministry will coordinate with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to promptly restore reciprocal treatment for holders of Austrian-issued IDP, the spokesperson said.

Citing Lin, Hsiao said the reciprocal measure is expected to boost business and tourism between Taiwan and Austria and strengthen exchanges and friendly ties between their peoples.

In May last year, MOFA was notified by the Austrian government that it would no longer accept Taiwan-issued driving permits, after Taiwanese travelers reported they were unable to use them in Austria.

In a Facebook post, the Taiwanese representative office in Austria at the time did not say if the Austrian government provided reasons for its decision, but noted it was working to resolve the issue ahead of the upcoming peak summer travel season.

Before the issue was resolved, MOFA said the government would suspend accepting Austrian-issued IDPs in Taiwan.


title: March held in Taipei to support transgender community

content_text:
An estimated 3,000 people marched on the streets of Taipei at the 2025 Taiwan Trans March last night to show support for the community, according to the organizer, Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association.

Themed "Break Prejudice, Shine Diversity," the march started at 228 Peace Memorial Park, headed west to loop around part of Ximending (西門町) shopping area and circled back to the park.

Marching in intermittent rainshowers, participants waved transgender and rainbow flags, calling on the Taiwanese government to abolish the requirement for mandatory surgery to change gender markers on IDs.

IN SOLIDARITYPeople hold up banners and posters during the Taiwan Trans March event at the 228 Memorial Park in Taipei last night. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times

Many also chanted that transphobia should "back off."

Po, a transgender man and volunteer at the Tongzhi Hotline, said the march is important because it is one of the few events centered around the trans community, allowing the community to see that many people support them and are willing to stand up for them, which helps the "1 percent" minority feel less alone.

Po said he realized he was transgender around high school, and started using hormone therapy in college.

He said he was relatively lucky in that he received little pushback from family and support from friends when he came out to them.

Addressing the "hurtful" messages that the community faces, which he believes stem from misunderstanding, he expressed hope that the event can help to show people the real trans community and open the way to a more diverse society.

June Chua, a transgender activist from Singapore, also emphasized the importance of "showing up."

Founder of the only LBTQ+ shelter for the homeless transgender community and HIV positive individuals in Singapore, Chua said that these minority groups are often "hidden," because they do not feel safe to express their needs.

She said it is the first time she has attended the transgender march in Taiwan, and was surprised but happy to see so many different kinds of people taking part.

"This is not something you see in Singapore."

In a press statement, the Tongzhi Hotline said the march was especially significant in 2025, in the midst of setbacks to transgender rights around the world earlier in the year.

These included the United States rolling back inclusive policies, announcing that it would only recognize "male" and "female" genders and withdrawing the option to self- select "X," as well as the United Kingdom Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.

Now in its seventh year, the Taiwan Trans March is one of the few marches in Asia that focuses on transgender issues, according to the Hotline.

Taiwan LGBT+ Pride 2025 is scheduled to begin at 2:25 pm today in front of Taipei City Hall, with the theme "Beyond Links: More than Clicks."


content_text:
FIGHTING BACK: A transparency initiative to expose Chinese misdeeds through factual disclosures has raised national awareness of China as a threat, a Philippine official said

Taiwan and the Philippines should join forces to counter China’s “gray zone” provocations in the region by naming and shaming the latter’s breaches of international norms, an international panel of experts said on Thursday.

The Philippines has turned public opinion against Beijing since the launch last year of its “transparency initiative” to expose Chinese misdeeds, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela told a teleconference held by the Atlantic Council on addressing China’s aggressive and provocative actions in the Indo-Pacific region.

By disclosing factually correct information, Manila facilitated the rise of a national consensus that regards China as a threat to national security, and public support for the transparency initiative stands at 94 percent among Filipinos, he said.

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Indo-Pacific Initiative director Markus Garlauskas, upper left, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela, upper right, National Defense College of the Philippines researcher Arielle Lopez, lower right, and Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology researcher Chen Ta-chen are pictured in a screenshot of the Atlantic Council’s teleconference entitled “Countering the PRC’s Gray-Zone Strategies” on Thursday. Photo courtesy of the Atlantic Council

Like the Philippines, Taiwan is being continuously targeted by China with gray zone activities intended to exhaust the defenders and provoke them into an overreaction that Beijing can later exploit, he said.

The Taiwanese military should consider alternatives to reacting to every provocation with fighter jet interceptions, as the approach would trap its forces in an attritional spiral as China intended, Tarriela said.

Taiwan should instead focus on discerning the pattern of Chinese activities, as a well-timed and appropriate action is effective in seizing the initiative than making the first move, he said.

National Defense College of the Philippines researcher Arielle Lopez told the conference that Manila is transforming the Philippine national security strategy from maintaining internal security to dealing with threats from external sources.

The Philippine government’s comprehensive archipelagic defense concept emphasizes integrating air, sea, land, informational and cyber forces to counter illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive operations China conducts in foreign territories, she said.

The Philippines has much to offer to Taiwan in crafting a multidomain strategy to combat Chinese gray zone warfare, which is conducted across the political, economic, informational and military spectrum, she said.

Society and government must be coordinated on the strategic level to achieve integrated defense, Lopez said.

Taiwan-based Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology researcher Chen Ta-chen (陳大楨) said that the nation’s best approach might well be removing the legal ambiguity that has served as Beijing’s maneuver room.

Taiwan can group China’s gray zone operations into clearly unlawful actions, actions that are damaging to national interests, and actions that are lawful, but awful, each calling for a distinct military, informational and legal response, he said.

Establishing clear categories to govern the level of response would empower the government to avoid being forced into concessions or manipulation by Chinese legal warfare strategy, he said.

Combining legal warfare and disclosure of information would weaken China’s control over the narrative, Chen said, adding that this approach calls for cooperation across ministries and real-time information sharing.

Concerted diplomacy and transparency would then neutralize the maneuver space on which Beijing-directed gray zone campaign depends, he said.

Beijing’s overall strategy in the South China Sea is consistently guided by the same principle of utilizing prolonged, low-intensity and multidomain actions to weaken its opponents, said Markus Garlauskas, director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Indo-Pacific Initiative.

Exposure, coordination and solidarity are the only effective means to counter China’s influence, he said, adding that transparency is both a diplomatic and tactical measure for nation states to defend their security.

title: Taipei, Manila must join forces: experts


content_text:
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official

German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan.

Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China.

Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.”

In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to relax export restrictions on rare earths and semiconductors, and raise the importance of free movement of goods through the Taiwan Strait, a vital trade corridor, during his planned China visit.

If free movement “were no longer possible there due to violent conflicts, it would have an impact on prosperity in many parts of the world,” he said.

“Our one China policy continues unchanged — and we decide on its design. This also includes that there must be no violent change of the status quo,” Wadephul added.

In Beijing, Guo told reporters: “There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is a part of China, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China.”

“This is the most complete and accurate expression of the one China principle, and it is the only expression, with no room or justification for any self-definition,” he added.

Wadephul’s visit to Beijing was to have started tomorrow, but was canceled due to scheduling issues, his spokesperson said.

“The Chinese side was ultimately able to confirm only the appointment with the Chinese foreign minister, and could not confirm any other additional appointments,” German foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer told reporters in Berlin.

She declined to say which country had canceled the trip, adding that Germany regretted the development, given China’s importance as a country “which like no other has influence over Russia in its war against Ukraine.”

title: German foreign minister cancels China trip


content_text:
Taiwan slams China for designating Oct. 25 ‘Taiwan Restoration’ day

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing’s designation of Oct. 25 as “Commemoration Day of Taiwan’s Restoration,” calling it a move to “fabricate” the claim that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The decision by the Chinese authorities to establish a so- called “Commemoration Day of Taiwan’s Restoration” is an attempt to “belittle our country and fabricate the claim that Taiwan belongs to the PRC,” MAC said in a statement issued last night.

As Taiwan’s top agency for cross-strait affairs, the MAC said the Taiwanese people “will never accept” such a move, criticizing Beijing for trying to amplify a false historical narrative and one-sided political framework of “one China across the Taiwan Strait” and “one China internationally.”

A podium is pictured at the Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei in an undated photograph. Taipei Times file photo

“Taiwan Retrocession Day commemorates Oct. 25, 1945, when representatives of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan’s official name), on behalf of the Allied powers, accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in Taiwan,” MAC said.

The council also noted that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had not yet established the PRC in 1945.

“Taiwan Retrocession Day has nothing to do with the PRC, nor with the CCP, which made no positive contribution to the war against Japan,” it said.

MAC’s statement came after China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported earlier in the day that China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) — the top legislative body in China — had adopted a decision to designate Oct. 25 as the “Commemoration Day of Taiwan’s Restoration.”

The decision, made in accordance with the PRC Constitution, stipulates that the state “hold commemorative activities in various forms” on Oct. 25 to mark the commemoration day, the Xinhua report read.

“The restoration of Taiwan is an important outcome of the War of Resistance [against Japanese Aggression] and a compelling proof of the Chinese government’s recovery of sovereignty over Taiwan,” Xinhua said, citing the decision.

“It is also an important part of the historical fact and legal chain that Taiwan is an integral part of China,” Xinhua added.

According to the report, Shen Chunyao (沈春耀), director of the NPC Standing Committee’s Legislative Affairs Commission, told the committee that the ceremony to accept Japan’s surrender “in the Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied powers” was held in Taipei on Oct. 25, 1945.

“From that point on, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands returned to China’s sovereign jurisdiction,” Shen added.

He said establishing the commemoration day and holding commemorative activities “at the national level” would serve purposes such as honoring the “indisputable fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China” and consolidating the international community’s “commitment to the one- China principle.”

It can also motivate “all Chinese to strive together for national reunification and national rejuvenation,” Shen added.

Before the Chinese government designated Oct. 25 as the “Commemoration Day of Taiwan’s Restoration” yesterday, the Taiwanese government had already designated the day “Taiwan Retrocession Day and Memorial Day of Great Victory at Kuningtou Kinmen” and made it a public holiday in 2025 after a 24-year hiatus.

That decision was made after a vote in the Legislature supported by the opposition parties but opposed by the governing Democratic Progressive Party.

“Taiwan Retrocession Day” had long been a public holiday in Taiwan until December 2000, when the then-president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration revised the law, announcing that from 2001 seven national holidays — including “Taiwan Retrocession Day” — would be retained only as commemorative days with no day off.

To the ROC government, “Taiwan Retrocession Day” commemorates the transfer of control of Taiwan proper and the Penghu Islands from Japan to the ROC on Oct. 25, 1945, after 50 years of Japanese colonial rule. That transfer date was nearly four years before the founding of the PRC on Oct. 1, 1949.

Despite the ROC government’s relocation to Taipei in late 1949 at the end of the Chinese Civil War, Taiwan and the outlying islands of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu remain under ROC control to date and have never been ruled by the PRC, which claims sovereignty over these areas.

As 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the ROC and the PRC have clashed multiple times over their respective roles in the Second Sino-Japanese War and over commemorations such as Sept. 3 Victory over Japan Day and Oct. 25 Taiwan Retrocession Day.


title: PRC liberation an illusion: Huang

content_text:
Ahead of China’s planned celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s so-called “retrocession” today, National Security Council adviser Alex Huang (黃重諺) said that without true freedom and democracy, there was no “liberation,” and only when people become their own masters can there truly be a “retrocession.”

The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) definition of “peace” is different from that of people who live in a democracy, Huang wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

It loves to lecture Taiwanese that they should be grateful for the “war of resistance against Japan” and Taiwan’s “retrocession,” or they would have become “colonial” or “imperial” subjects, he said.

Then-Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang is pictured in a photograph dated May 18, 2020. Photo: CNA

This attitude prevents the CCP from even observing international commemorations of the victory that ended World War II and its spirit of unity defeating aggression, Huang added.

The blood shed by Chinese showed their determination to resist the Japanese invasion, and yet after such a hard-won victory and people’s expectations of peace and democracy, they were instead confronted by an even bloodier civil war — the so-called “liberation” of China initiated by the CCP, he said.

The CCP’s “liberation” of China in 1949 resulted in the deaths of at least 1 million Chinese, and its victory brought not democracy, but tens of millions more deaths through its “Three-Anti” and “Five-Anti” campaigns, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, he wrote.

On the other side of the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese, who had become the colonized people of a foreign nation because the Qing Dynasty lost to the Japanese, were looking forward to becoming the masters of their own country and implementing the concepts of human rights and democratic government, Huang said.

Instead, they saw the ushering in of a five-decade-long autocratic government, including 38 years of martial law, he said.

China’s sense of superiority over Taiwan rings hollow, as it is neither democratic nor free, Huang wrote.

China oppresses its people — the martyrs who helped them win the war and who should be the masters of the state, he wrote.

Urging Chinese to view history with greater humility, Huang wrote: “Taiwanese do not owe the Chinese anything,” and “Taiwan is for the people of Taiwan, and is also the world’s Taiwan.”


content_text:
Pro-localization advocates at a rally in Taipei yesterday called for Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence to be recognized, and decried celebrations of Retrocession Day.

Political party leaders and members of the Taiwanese Self-Determination and Nation-Building Alliance said that Oct. 25 marks the day “Taiwan was reoccupied by enemy forces” and urged people not to fall in line with past Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regimes by calling it Retrocession Day.

Alliance spokesman Sim Kian-tek (沈建德) said that after World War II, Allied leaders were opposed to colonial powers returning in Asia.

Members of the Taiwanese Self-Determination and Nation-Building Alliance hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times

The Allied nations promised Asian countries that had been occupied during the war, including Taiwan, that they would have self-determination and voting rights, but the KMT regime in China took over Taiwan by military force, Sim said.

“The past KMT government used its propaganda machine to rewrite history and deceived Taiwanese by marking Oct. 25 each year and calling it Retrocession Day,” he said. “That was based on a surrender ceremony on Oct. 25, 1945, at what is now Zhongshan Hall in Taipei.”

“The KMT government of the time said that representatives of the Japanese government surrendered to it, but in reality, Japan had submitted to the Allied military commanders in Asia,” Sim said.

“So the KMT’s Retrocession Day is a big lie, as Taiwan’s sovereignty was not handed over to it at end of WWII,” he said, adding that the US opposed the return of colonial rulers in Asia, whether it be Japan, China, the UK or France.

Taiwan Solidarity Party Chairwoman Chou Ni-an (周倪安) said that Taiwanese “must stop celebrating the so-called retrocession and instead unite to resist the foreign Chinese regimes of the KMT and communist China by demanding self-determination and the construction of a new Taiwan nation.”

Taiwan Statebuilding Party Chairman Wang Hsing-huan (王興煥) called on “all Taiwanese and the ruling party to act now to complete the unfinished road to self-determination through a public referendum.”

“That would establish de jure independence for Taiwan,” Wang said.

“Then we can discard the shackles of the old KMT regime, and have our own national flag and national anthem,” he said.

“We would then have a place as a new nation on the world stage,” he added.

title: Local groups decry ‘Retrocession Day’


content_text:
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said.

Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions.

China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing.

President William Lai and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim wave during the inauguration ceremony outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei on May 20 last year. Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters

President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials have given a blitz of interviews to conservative US figures in the past few months, using those platforms to promote Taiwan’s security issues to so-called MAGA, or “Make America Great Again,” audiences. During such appearances, they have touted the common democratic values underpinning ties with the US, and encouraged deeper trade and investment links.

The strategy aims to elevate Taiwan on Trump’s agenda, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. Unlike other leaders, Lai is restricted from one-to-one contact with the US president. Even so, the outreach has surprised some officials in Taipei, with one saying it reflects urgency on Lai’s part to reach out to the Republican leader.

“Lai’s full-court press across conservative US media reflects Taipei’s rising anxiety over President Trump’s intentions,” Bloomberg Economics senior geoeconomics analyst for the Asia-Pacific Adam Farrar said.

“Even TSMC’s [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co] multibillion-dollar US investments haven’t clearly strengthened Taiwan’s standing in Washington,” he added, referring to the chip giant’s latest US$100 billion pledge.

In response to questions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said Taiwan’s ties with the US were built on a “foundation of bipartisan support.”

“Taiwan has consistently maintained broad engagement with both major US parties and actively cultivated friendly ties across various sectors,” he added.

The US has encouraged Taiwanese officials to engage with new media outlets so they can converse with real Americans instead of liberal elites, a Trump administration official said in a statement.

This is not an indication of worries about the administration’s policies, the person said, adding that Taiwan and the US are deeply partnered in security, technology, manufacturing and education.

Lai and his deputy have featured on two podcasts with conservative US hosts in the past few months, including one where Lai made an appeal to Trump that standing by Taiwan would help him win a Nobel Peace Prize.

“If Taiwan is annexed, China will become even more powerful in competing with the US,” Lai told “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” podcast earlier this month. “This will also impact America’s own national interests.”

Sexton said he had spent about a week in Taiwan around recording the program and dedicated air time to praising Taiwan’s safety record, contrasting its low crime rate to US cities like Chicago. Days later, the podcast hosted Eric Trump, the president’s son, although they did not discuss China or Taiwan.

Representative to the US Alexander Yui (俞大?) has led the charge from Washington.

Appearing on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Yui told Trump’s former White House chief strategist the “diplomatic trenches are being fought very hard.”

He has followed that up with turns on Fox News and by dining with former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan, whose interview with Trump last year racked up about 4.6 million views.

While the US remains Taiwan’s biggest military backer, there have been signs Trump’s support could be wavering, as China hawks who once restrained his transactional foreign policy increasingly take a back seat.

In July, Lai called off an overseas trip after Washington denied his request to transit in New York. Weeks later, Trump halted a military aid package for Taiwan worth more than US$400 million. Around the same time, Beijing stepped up pressure on the US to officially say it opposes Taiwan independence, which would upend decades of strategic ambiguity.

The US remains committed to its “one China” policy, and to preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, a US Department of State spokesperson said in a statement.

China rejects any official engagement between the US and Taiwan, and has reacted strongly in recent years to any interactions that test those boundaries. In 2022, it responded to then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei by firing missiles over the main island and encircling it with unprecedented military drills.

Although Trump upended decades of delicate diplomacy when he had a phone call with then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) after winning the 2016 election, since then he has not spoken with a leader from the democatic nation.

Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party has little in common with Trump’s MAGA agenda, championing left-leaning social values that helped Taiwan become the first Asian democracy to legalize same-sex marriage. That has led to some awkward exchanges.

Earlier this month, Matt Schlapp, who chairs the Conservative Political Action Conference, was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the Taipei Security Dialogue, which is organized by a research group affiliated with the Ministry of National Defense.

Schlapp spent nearly seven minutes attacking wokeness and undocumented immigrants in the US during his half-hour address, shocking some delegates who expressed concern he was treating the event like a MAGA rally.

On the sidelines of that event, Schlapp told Bloomberg News that before this year Taipei had never reached out to his organization.

Taiwan is now trying to balance its identity as a progressive democracy with the need to strengthen connections with Trump, said William Yang (楊?暐), senior analyst for Northeast Asia at the International Crisis Group.

While that might trigger criticism at home, he added, “it reflects the Taiwan government’s pragmatism in managing relations with the US at a time of growing uncertainty.”

title: FEATURE: Taiwan courting MAGA backers to get to Trump

people: 習近平 賴清德 蔡英文


title: Commission drafts guidelines on free ‘disaster roaming’

content_text:
The National Communications Commission has drafted guidelines for “disaster roaming” that would allow mobile phone users to access other networks free of roaming charges during emergencies such as earthquakes and typhoons.

Under the draft plan, people unable to connect to their usual network would not be charged roaming-related costs, such as interconnection fees, for accessing alternative networks for calls or mobile data.

All costs are to be handled by telecom companies, the guidelines say.

The main entrance of the National Communications Commission in Taipei is pictured on Feb. 6. Photo: Ting Yi, Taipei Times

The NCC is expected to release the full draft as early as next week, including conditions for activation, termination and cost allocation.

The announcement comes after Typhoon Danas in July heavily disrupted telecom infrastructure in southern Taiwan.

In August, the NCC reached a consensus with agencies and telecom operators to launch a pilot “disaster roaming” program.

The pilot began on Aug. 7 in Tainan’s Cigu District (七股), Chiayi County’s Budai Township (布袋) and the surrounding areas, and is expected to end on Friday next week.

Under the plan, during disasters, people would be able to automatically or manually connect to other network providers to continue making calls or using mobile data.

Disaster roaming would be activated when more than 10 percent or at least five of a telecom operator’s base stations are damaged in a single administrative district, and their functionality cannot be restored to 90 percent within three days, the draft says.

Once the Central Emergency Operations Center gives the order, the NCC is to notify telecom operators to initiate the function.

The roaming period would be limited to 30 days, but could end sooner if more than 90 percent of damaged base stations in the area are restored.

taiwan-subdivisions: 布袋 七股


title: Folk treats

content_text: President William Lai, front row, second left, is joined by Changhua County Commissioner Wang Huei-mei, front row, second right, and Democratic Progressive Party legislators Huang Hsiung-fang, front left, and Chen Su-yu, front right, at the Taiwan Design Expo in Changhua County yesterday. Wang explained key details of this year’s exposition, held from Oct. 10 until tomorrow, including folk culture exhibitions centered around Changhua County.


title: Green transition

content_text: Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, front row, sixth left, and other guests attend the Taiwan Climate Action Expo at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Art Center yesterday. Chen said that as Kaohsiung accounts for one-fifth of Taiwan’s carbon emissions, the city bears a heavy responsibility for cutting emissions and must accelerate its net zero transition.


content_text:
BETTER THAN EXPECTED: The firm’s Q3 results exceeded its projections, based on ‘the underlying strength of our core markets,’ chief financial officer Dave Zinsner said

Intel Corp returned to profitability and gave an upbeat revenue forecast after PC demand grew, suggesting that it is making progress on a long and challenging comeback attempt.

In the third quarter, revenue rose 3 percent to US$13.7 billion.

The Santa Clara, California-based company posted its first quarterly net income since the end of 2023, with earnings per share of US$0.23, excluding some items. Analysts had estimated sales of US$13.2 billion and earnings per share of US$0.01 on average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Intel Corp chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan speaks at the company’s annual manufacturing technology conference in San Jose, California, on April 29. Photo: Reuters

Fourth-quarter sales would be roughly US$13.3 billion, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

Intel shares gained about 8 percent in late trading after closing at US$38.16.

“Current demand is outpacing supply, a trend we expect will persist into 2026,” Intel chief financial officer Dave Zinsner said in the statement.

The company’s third-quarter results exceeded its projections, based on “the underlying strength of our core markets,” he said.

Intel spun off its Altera programmable chip unit last month and now owns a minority stake in the business. That removed US$400 million to US$500 million in revenue from its fourth-quarter projection.

Intel’s guidance “looks better” compared with estimates if you strip out the Altera sales, Zinsner said in an interview.

The outlook signals that Intel is on the right track following a turbulent year. In the stretch of a few months, Intel chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) secured an unconventional investment from the US government — a transaction brokered by the White House — and won backing from Nvidia Corp and Softbank Group Corp.

The deals with the US government and technology companies are bringing about US$15 billion of new funds that can help shore up Intel’s balance sheet. This month, the chipmaker also announced new products and manufacturing technology.

Intel on a conference call said that it repaid US$4.3 billion in debt during the third quarter, ending the period with US$30.9 billion in cash and short-term investments. Nvidia’s US$5 billion investment, announced last month, is expected to close in the current quarter.

Intel’s factories, despite falling behind the capabilities of rivals such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), are the most advanced plants owned and operated by any US company in its home country.

The company plans to spend about US$18 billion on new plants and equipment this year, and reduce its outlay next year. That level puts it far below what TSMC is spending.

Zinsner said that the company might now be faced with the “high-class problem” of having to spend more next year than it budgeted — to make sure it has enough supply to meet improving demand.

Intel’s client computing division had revenue of US$8.5 billion last quarter, topping the average prediction of US$8.2 billion. Data center sales were US$4.1 billion, compared with a US$3.97 billion estimate.

The Intel Foundry division — its factory unit — generated revenue of US$4.2 billion. That unit currently relies almost exclusively on Intel product divisions for orders, although it is seeking outside clients.

The business is unprofitable and finding those external customers is seen as key to turning it around. Intel Foundry had an operating loss of US$2.3 billion in the third quarter. Still, that was narrower than the US$5.8 billion loss a year earlier and better than the US$3.2 billion loss suffered in the second quarter.

“My conviction in the market potential for Intel Foundry continues to grow,” Tan said.

title: Intel Corp returns to profitability


content_text:
Mercuries Life Insurance Co (三商美邦人壽) shares surged to a seven-month high this week after local media reported that E.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) had outbid CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) in the financially strained insurer’s ongoing sale process.

Shares of the mid-sized life insurer climbed 5.8 percent this week to NT$6.72, extending a nearly 18 percent rally over the past month, as investors bet on the likelihood of an impending takeover.

The final round of bidding closed on Thursday, marking a critical step in the 32-year-old insurer’s search for a buyer after years of struggling to meet capital adequacy requirements.

Mercuries Life Insurance Co’s logo is pictured in Taipei on Oct. 19, 2022. Photo: Wu Hsin-tien, Taipei Times

Local media reports said E.Sun’s offer was about NT$8.2 per share, compared with CTBC’s NT$7.6 per share, though neither of the companies have confirmed the details.

CTBC on Thursday said that its board of directors had approved an investment plan without naming the target, fueling speculation that it had submitted a formal bid.

E.Sun has not issued any statement, while Mercuries declined to comment, calling the reports “market rumors.”

If the process proceeds smoothly, the preferred bidder could be announced in the second half of next month, after the parties finalize pricing and obtain board approval, the reports said.

Mercuries Life, which manages about NT$1.5 trillion (US$48.68 billion) of assets and ranks as Taiwan’s seventh-largest life insurer, has failed to meet the statutory 200 percent risk-based capital ratio for seven consecutive reporting periods. Its net-worth ratio also remains below the 3 percent regulatory threshold, leaving it under sustained pressure from the Financial Supervisory Commission.

With Taiwan’s new insurance capital standard set to take effect next year, capital requirements are poised to tighten further and Mercuries Life risks losing operational flexibility under the new framework without a deep-pocketed backer.

The insurer has attempted multiple capital injections and bond issues with limited success, leading to the current sale process — led by Morgan Stanley — to secure a stable strategic investor.

For E.Sun, acquiring Mercuries Life would mark its first major step into the life insurance business, complementing its strength in banking and wealth management. CTBC, already one of Taiwan’s most diversified financial groups, would also benefit from broadening its insurance portfolio.

Mercuries Life is reportedly leaning toward a share-swap deal that would allow it to benefit from the buyer’s long-term growth. Its capital shortfall has depressed its market valuation, making a full cash sale less attractive.

Market watchers say the contest between E.Sun and CTBC underscores the accelerating consolidation in Taiwan’s life insurance sector, as tighter regulations, prolonged low interest rates and the coming shift to Taiwan’s new insurance capital standard push smaller insurers to seek stronger partners.

title: Mercuries Life shares surge 5.8%


title: Meta set to be first to deploy HVDC system

content_text:
MORE BUSINESS:  The deployment of HVDC energy systems would benefit Taiwanese power solution providers such as Delta Electronics Inc and Lite-On Technology Corp

Meta Platforms Inc is expected to be the first among major cloud service providers to deploy a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) energy system as early as the first quarter of next year, followed by Google, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Corp, market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said on Wednesday.

As artificial intelligence (AI) data centers’ power density accelerates rapidly, cloud service providers are seeking to implement either 800 volt HVDC or ±400 volt direct current architecture to meet surging power demand, TrendForce said.

Google is likely to take action in the second half of next year, the Taipei-based researcher said.

While the ±400 volt direct current architecture offers advantages in electrical grounding safety, insulation and arc prevention, and can be seen as an extension of existing data centers due to its mature technology, its complex wiring remains a disadvantage, TrendForce said.

By contrast, the 800 volt HVDC architecture features a simpler design, making expansion easier, it said.

There is no clear trend toward standardizing power supply architecture, but the growing power consumption of AI servers has made closer collaboration within the technology industry necessary, TrendForce said.

AI chip designer Nvidia Corp has been promoting 800 volt HVDC architecture to align with the launch of its next-generation chip platform, Vera Rubin, which several institutions said is set for the second half of next year.

The company earlier this month called for efforts to align on common voltage ranges, connector interfaces and safety practices under the 800 volt HVDC environment.

TrendForce said a transition from alternating current systems to HVDC systems involves the deployment of side power racks to facilitate better computing at existing data centers, which would benefit Taiwanese power solution providers such as Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) and Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶).

Both firms are well established in the international data center power component supply chain, and are expected to serve as system integrators for backup battery units and power supply units for HVDC systems, TrendForce said.

Battery makers Dynapack International Technology Corp (順達) and Advanced Energy Solution Holding Co are also expected to lead the production of backup battery units in HVDC data centers, it said.

As high-power server racks are expected to require 1 megawatt or more in the future, manufacturers are increasingly required to design integrated solutions that combine power supply, computing and liquid-cooling units, TrendForce said.


content_text:
China aiming for reasonable growth, bigger consumption

China is seeking to maintain a certain rate of growth and expand consumption’s share of the economy as authorities draft the next five-year development blueprint, a senior official said.

The aim is to achieve high-quality growth where the expansion is kept within a “reasonable range” and the share of household consumption “rises significantly,” Han Wenxiu (韓文秀), deputy director in charge of daily work at the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, said at a briefing yesterday.

The briefing followed a four-day conclave of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) elites to approve the outlines for drafting China’s economic plan for next year to 2030. Beijing is signaling a determination to deepen its manufacturing and technology push as it looks to maintain competitive advantages. Boosting the domestic market has become also more urgent to maintain sustainable growth amid rising global trade protectionism.

Pedestrians cross a road in the Bund in front of buildings in Pudong’s Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai, China, on Oct. 2. Photo: Bloomberg

In a communique released on Thursday, the CCP Central Committee vowed to build a modern industrial system, and called for the beefing up of technology self-reliance and strength. That reversed the order of the two issues seen in a similar document five years ago, suggesting a shift toward the broader industrial base in the economy as Beijing gets concerned about growth deceleration and investment swarming into new sectors, causing waste and excess capacity.

The communique repeated a goal that implies an average annual target of about 4.5 percent growth over the next decade, according to an estimate by Macquarie Group.

China’s economy is on track to have grown an average 5.5 percent annually during the five-year period ending this year, according to previous government estimates.

Chinese National Reform and Development Commission Chairman Zheng Shanjie (鄭珊潔) ranked “optimizing and upgrading traditional industries” first among four priorities in building a modern industrial system.

The nation needs to consolidate and improve the global competitiveness of its petrochemical, machinery and shipping industries, and foster the advanced manufacturing cluster, Zheng said at the briefing.

The drive is expected to generate about 10 trillion yuan (US$1.4 trillion) in new market opportunities in the next five years, he said.

Emerging and future industries would be expanded, with new energy, new materials, space and aviation, and the low-altitude economy being targeted as “pillars,” Zheng said.

He identified sectors such as quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear future energy, brain computer interfaces, embodied intelligence and sixth-generation mobile communications as where new growth drivers would be fostered.

There is “huge potential” for China to expand the services industry, Zheng said.


title: Macron tells EU to consider using ACI trade tool on China

content_text:
French President Emmanuel Macron told EU leaders to consider using the bloc’s most powerful trade tool against China if they are not able to find a resolution to Beijing’s planned export controls on critical rare earths.

Macron said they need to weigh using all options available against China, including the EU’s so-called anti-coercion instrument (ACI), people familiar with the matter said.

He made the statement to his counterparts during a leaders’ summit in Brussels on Thursday, the people said.

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks at a news conference in Brussels on Thursday. Photo: AFP

“This is economic coercion,” Macron told reporters after the summit, referring to the Chinese announcement on rare earths, without commenting on the specifics of the closed-door conversation.

“We can see the impact it is having on us and we need to be able to respond,” he said.

China announced plans to significantly tighten controls on its exports of rare earths and other critical materials earlier this month. Under the measures, overseas exporters of items that use even traces of certain rare earths sourced from China would need an export license.

The export restrictions would pose a massive threat to Europe’s industry and security, as the inputs are critical across sectors and used in everything from electric vehicle batteries to defense manufacturing.

Following the summit, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that the ACI was discussed, but that no decision had been reached on using it. He said it was now up to the European Commission, which handles trade matters for the EU, to decide whether to deploy the ACI.

The ACI, which has never been used, was designed primarily as a deterrent, and if needed, to respond to deliberate coercive actions from third countries that use trade measures as a means to pressure the policy choices of the EU or its members.

Those measures could include tariffs, new taxes on technology companies or targeted curbs on investments in the EU. They could also involve limiting access to certain parts of the EU market or restricting Chinese firms from bidding for public contracts in Europe.

The instrument was created as part of the EU’s effort to boost its trade defenses after the US imposed tariffs on the bloc’s exports during the US President Donald Trump’s first administration.

Another factor was China’s decision to place restrictions on Lithuanian goods after Taiwan opened a trade office in the nation.

Use of the EU’s most potent trade tool is unlikely at this stage as it would significantly escalate tensions with China. France has called for using the instrument before, including during trade talks with the US, but the drive never fully gained traction.

The European Commission is working on options that it could use if a diplomatic solution with China is not found. It is preparing a list of trade measures by the end of the month that can later be deployed against China to boost its negotiating leverage on the issue, Bloomberg reported earlier.


content_text: Visitors gather at Cingjing Farm in Nantou County’s Renai Township to watch sheep and horse shows on the first day of the Retrocession Day long weekend yesterday.

title: Holiday crowd


title: EDITORIAL: Struggles of female migrant workers

content_text:
A Reuters report published this week highlighted the struggles of migrant mothers in Taiwan through the story of Marian Duhapa, a Filipina forced to leave her infant behind to work in Taiwan and support her family.

After becoming pregnant in Taiwan last year, Duhapa lost her job and lived in a shelter before giving birth and taking her daughter back to the Philippines. She then returned to Taiwan for a second time on her own to find work. Duhapa’s sacrifice is one of countless examples among the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who sustain many of Taiwan’s households and factories, despite remaining largely unprotected under the law. Women from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand make up about half of Taiwan’s more than 800,000 migrant workers, many of whom leave children and families behind to provide for them financially.

For those who become pregnant while in Taiwan, motherhood comes at a cost. An estimated 6,000 migrant workers become pregnant each year; data from the Bureau of Labor Insurance show that nearly 80 percent of industrial migrant workers end their contracts and return home after becoming pregnant, rarely voluntarily.

In a United Daily News report published in January, Indonesian migrant worker Xiaomi recounted being coerced by her broker into signing a “voluntary” resignation letter after becoming pregnant. The document was written in Chinese and she was barred from taking a photograph of it or seeking advice prior to signing.

The Gender Equality in Employment Act (性別平等工作法) forbids employers from citing pregnancy, childbirth or childcare as grounds for terminating a contract, yet, for years, advocacy groups have documented similar accounts across industries, exposing an entrenched pattern of coercion, misinformation and intimidation that drives many female migrant workers to quit their jobs or conceal their pregnancies.

The problem partially stems from loopholes that allow brokers and employers to exploit gray areas in labor laws. While firing a worker for becoming pregnant is illegal, coercing her to resign and framing it as “voluntary” often goes unpunished.

Government oversight is lacking and the system relies heavily on self-reporting through the 1955 hotline — a risky option for migrant workers fearing retaliation or job loss.

To make matters worse, most migrant workers — particularly domestic caregivers — are excluded from the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) and not reflected in official statistics. The true scale of the problem is likely far greater than what is visible.

Taiwan’s rapidly aging population and declining birthrate are expected to deepen labor shortages and economic strain. President William Lai’s (賴清德) proposal to ease requirements for hiring foreign caregivers to encourage childbirth confirms this reality — Taiwan needs its migrant workers, and will continue to need them even more in the years ahead.

Why, then, are female migrant workers discouraged from staying in the nation and raising families of their own? It is deeply hypocritical for a nation that prides itself as a beacon of democracy and human rights to turn a blind eye to the exploitation of people whose labor helps carry the economy and care for its most vulnerable.

If the government is serious about addressing the nation’s demographic and labor crises, and safeguarding its international image, it must stop dragging its feet and enact reforms that protect migrant workers from discrimination, hold employers and brokers accountable, and guarantee that no woman of any nationality loses her livelihood simply because she chooses to have a child.


taiwan-subdivisions: 光復 秀林

title: Handling of Taroko barrier lake

content_text:
Landslides occurred on both sides of the mountains near the Swallow Grotto Trail (Yanzikou, 燕子口步道) in Taroko National Park in Hualien County, forming a barrier lake in the Liwu River (立霧溪). As water levels rose rapidly on Friday last week, the Hualien branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency issued a red alert — which has since been lifted — and evacuated more than 900 residents of downstream communities in Sioulin Township (秀林).

The Public Construction Commission also closed part of Provincial Highway No. 8 between the entrance to Taroko National Park and Tianxiang (天祥) and completely closed the park to the public.

Amid the crisis, attention should be paid to the geological and topographical environment, as well as the characteristics of naturally formed dam structures.

The outcrop geology in the area where the barrier lake formed consists of a lot of marble. That part of the gorge is narrow, limiting the flow of the river and making conditions favorable for the formation of the dam early on Friday last week. Within just one day, water levels rose to overflow through the Jin Heng Tunnel (靳珩隧道) before discharging back into the river channel below the dam.

As the lake’s area is relatively small, its capacity to accommodate upstream inflow is limited. If upstream runoff from heavy rain were to exceed the discharge capacity of the tunnel, there would be a significant likelihood that the barrier lake would top the dam’s crest, causing it to erode and potentially fail catastrophically.

Fortunately, the lake is adjacent to the highway — which is about 5m lower than the dam’s crest — and vented through the tunnel. The highway and tunnel functioned like a flood spillway, reducing the threat of dam failure and damage to downstream areas.

Given the relatively favorable situation that arose in which the tunnel acted to ease pressure on the natural dam, using machinery to open a spillway at the dam crest should not have been the top priority, given the safety risk that construction personnel face.

Water was seeping through at the Swallow Grotto Trail site through the landslide debris. The rate of seepage was a critical factor in determining whether the dam would experience piping failure — a phenomenon that occurs when water carries away sediment from a dam, creating natural pipes that expand and lead to the dam’s collapse. That scenario is difficult to prevent and impossible to rule out.

In addition to the potential effect on downstream areas, the risk of a piping failure should have kept construction personnel from being carelessly sent out to work on the dam crest.

Analyzing the sediment and silt accumulation in the middle and lower areas of the barrier lake is critical.

Academic institutions have previously provided relatively accurate forecasts of the potential for disaster from barrier lakes on Hualien County’s Guangfu Township (光復), and similar simulations should have been conducted for the Taroko barrier lake.

Scientific data could help more precisely determine the proper scope of downstream evacuation zones. The residents of Fushih Village (富世) and Sioulin live on terrain that lies just above the Liwu riverbed, without embankments and in an area where the river cross-section widens toward the estuary. Assessing the scope of potential flooding of residential areas in the event of dam failure was essential.

The temporary closure of Taroko National Park was a solid disaster prevention measure. People must always exercise caution in mountainous areas. When traveling through geologically sensitive zones, or areas prone to landslides and barrier lakes, the public is at risk before even reaching the upper sections of the mountain route. The overflow of the lake left parts of the highway impassable — so how could anyone safely enter or exit the park?

Johnson Kung is a civil engineer.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen


content_text:
The National Security Bureau (NSB) found more than 1,200 videos on TikTok and YouTube — many from overseas accounts — discussing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chair election and backing particular candidates. KMT heavyweight Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) has publicly accused “foreign forces” of interference, noting that many of these accounts were registered just before the party launched its election and originated abroad. Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) likewise said that he has been targeted by “external cyberwarriors” using fake accounts and artificial intelligence (AI) generated content. For perhaps the first time, major KMT figures are openly acknowledging disinformation from China as an influence on Taiwan’s internal affairs.

The danger of disinformation and cyberattacks is, of course, nothing new. Multiple studies confirm that Taiwan is among the top global targets for foreign-generated disinformation. According to the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project, Taiwan has been rated the country most affected by disinformation for at least the past 11 years. Much of it originates from China, often through Hong Kong, which has become a hub for propagandistic content.

Unfortunately, efforts to combat disinformation have repeatedly become politicized. Labels such as “freedom of speech suppression,” “green camp censorship,” or warnings of a “red scare” are often used to discredit attempts to introduce stronger measures to counter disinformation.

Are we witnessing, then, a rare window for cross-party recognition of the threat disinformation poses to Taiwan’s democracy?

There is reason for cautious optimism, political polarization in the Legislative Yuan notwithstanding. The KMT’s recognition of foreign interference potentially opens a door. The Executive Yuan is discussing revisions to the legal framework to address foreign interference in internal party elections. Such conversations, even if they do not immediately result in new laws, help shift what topics are publicly acceptable to discuss.

Still, legal change alone can not solve the entire problem. Experience in other democracies shows that disinformation adapts rapidly: once laws are enacted, bad actors shift platforms, adjust tactics and exploit loopholes. Simply criminalizing false speech can chill legitimate dissent or lead to state overreach.

Furthermore, as the “bullshit asymmetry principle” reminds us, it takes far more time and effort to refute a falsehood than create one. Laws are unlikely to move as fast as the spread of lies.

Fortunately, Taiwan’s civil society has a strong ecosystem of fact-checking and media literacy. MyGoPen, the Taiwan FactCheck Center, Cofacts and DoubleThink Lab all work to debunk false claims while training citizens to recognize manipulation.

The Truth Matters 2024 Survey by Taiwan FactCheck Center and National Taiwan University’s Social Resilience Research Center found that 95 percent of Taiwanese respondents have encountered misinformation, and awareness of fact-checking tools is steadily increasing.

These civil-society initiatives continue to counter misleading narratives, foster a diverse media environment, and educate the public about the rapidly evolving tactics behind fake stories.

Yet most viewers scrolling through YouTube or TikTok do not usually pause to fact-check what they consume. It is hard to disrupt the algorithm. One of the upsides in this difficult battle is that the spread of disinformation often happens in interpersonal networks, such as group chats with friends or family.

As other communities’ experiences have shown, combating misinformation begins with connection, not correction. A US National Public Radio report highlights that people are more open to reconsidering false claims when approached through trust and curiosity rather than confrontation — an insight especially relevant for Taiwan’s close-knit community.

When your aunt shares a dubious video, shaming her might only push her away or make her defensive. A gentle question like: “Have you checked who produced this?” or “Do you trust this source?” might encourage her to consider the validity of the content. These warm, relational conversations are especially important if the misleading stories allegedly promote “our side.” They can become the quiet antidotes to the noise that endlessly circulates in our own echo chambers.

Disinformation is like junk food for the mind. Banning every misleading post is neither feasible nor democratic. Education and critical thinking are vital, but empathy is the catalyst that helps people pause long enough to “read the label before opening another bag of chips.”

A multi-pronged approach is thus essential: bipartisan legal reform where necessary, civic collaboration to promote media literacy, and, equally importantly, everyday conversations grounded in relationships, curiosity and mutual respect.

Lo Ming-cheng is a professor of sociology at the University of California, Davis, whose research addresses civil society, political cultures and medical sociology.

title: Countering disinformation on all axes


title: Han’s lies about lake surface solar panels

content_text:
During the Double Ten National Day celebrations, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) condemned solar panels during his speech, referencing Wushantou Reservoir’s (烏山頭水庫) floating solar panels, saying they had negative environmental impacts. Truly, rumours strike faster than lightning whenever Han opens his mouth.

Taiwan’s reservoirs supply water to homes across the nation, and there is no “special pipe” for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The families of DPP officials drink the same water as everyone, and no one would choose to put their family’s health on the line.

Furthermore, using chemicals to clean floating solar panels is banned — only water is permitted. What businessperson would choose to use cleaning chemicals, which are expensive and more troublesome to use, when water is readily available? After all, nobody is in the business of making losses.

Solar panels only occupy about 1.3 percent of the Wushantou Reservoir’s surface area, and their materials have undergone assessments for impacts on water quality and its drinking grade.

Some people have said online that the water is murky and even cited doctors’ assessments. However, a glance at the monitoring data shows that the reservoir’s water is among the clearest and most stable in Taiwan. This is not to mention how solar panels reduce evaporation and algal growth through shading.

The system has room for improvement and some standards could be revised, a responsibility that falls on officials and representatives. Stirring up these issues for political hype is no different from the behavior one might expect from social media influencers. Systems could be reformed, but rumors would leave their mark.

After so much bad press, even the mention of solar panels raises people’s suspicions. They have been accused of taking up land, polluting the environment and damaging ecosystems, but the real issue is the overload and disarray of information.

When misinformation spreads faster than the public notices and is louder than experts, even good policies are dragged through the mud. Online media is focused on getting clicks for profit and stirring emotions for further reach.

As a consequence, we sometimes forget to ask whether the case we see in the headlines is genuinely problematic or if it is just being used.

Countries such as Japan, South Korea and France use floating solar panels with water cleaning systems and ecological buffer zones.

Power generation and environmental protection are balanced through functioning systems and institutions, not through slogans. Taiwan can do this, too. Our issue is that misguided rhetoric has taken up far too much space in public forums.

China’s model of covering entire lakes and mountain ranges with panels is a truly destructive approach; it has no proper systems or checks and balances in place.

There will always be those online who say, “If China is doing it, why can’t Taiwan?” However, when it comes to solar panels, our response should be that just because China dares, it does not mean that Taiwan should.

Chang Shang-yang is a farmer.

Translated by Gilda Knox Streader


content_text:
In 1976, the Gang of Four was ousted. The Gang of Four was a leftist political group comprising Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members: Jiang Qing (江青), its leading figure and Mao Zedong’s (毛澤東) last wife; Zhang Chunqiao (張春橋); Yao Wenyuan (姚文元); and Wang Hongwen (王洪文).The four wielded supreme power during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), but when Mao died, they were overthrown and charged with crimes against China in what was in essence a political coup of the right against the left.The same type of thing might be happening again as the CCP has expelled nine top generals. Rather than a

By Bruce Elleman

The US Senate’s passage of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which urges Taiwan’s inclusion in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise and allocates US$1 billion in military aid, marks yet another milestone in Washington’s growing support for Taipei. On paper, it reflects the steadiness of US commitment, but beneath this show of solidarity lies contradiction. While the US Congress builds a stable, bipartisan architecture of deterrence, US President Donald Trump repeatedly undercuts it through erratic decisions and transactional diplomacy. This dissonance not only weakens the US’ credibility abroad — it also fractures public trust within Taiwan.For decades,

By Meng Chih-cheng 蒙志成

Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) on Saturday won the party’s chairperson election with 65,122 votes, or 50.15 percent of the votes, becoming the second woman in the seat and the first to have switched allegiance from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to the KMT.Cheng, running for the top KMT position for the first time, had been termed a “dark horse,” while the biggest contender was former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), considered by many to represent the party’s establishment elite. Hau also has substantial experience in government and in the KMT.Cheng joined the Wild Lily Student

title: EDITORIAL CARTOON

people: 郝龍斌 鄭麗文