content_text:
墨新聞｜記者張游舜／台北報導

花繪調色盤雙主題展區 呈現在地花卉藝術南投年度壓軸花卉盛會「2025埔里花卉展暨南投花卉嘉年華」，將於11月22日至12月7日隆重登場！今年以「花繪調色盤 色號#2025」為主軸，分為兩大主題展區同步開展，串聯埔里在地產業、文化、藝術與觀光體驗，邀請民眾一起走進「花之都」，感受最美的山城風華。

埔里鎮公所今（20日）舉行活動記者會，今年活動以雙展區呈現埔里花卉產業特色風貌，鎮長廖志城表示，第一展區位於籃城里「埔里花卉暨多功能農特產中心」（花卉物流中心），以大型花藝裝置藝術為主題，打造四大特色地景—埔里山景、農村風光、好水意象與蝴蝶之鄉，以埔里在地花農生產的盆花為素材，結合花藝老師創作與志工巧手，呈現出層層疊疊、色彩斑斕的花卉地景，展現花卉產業與自然景觀的融合美學。

活動假日期間，將舉辦趣味滿滿的「花繪調色盤闖關活動」，設置五大主題關卡，包括「花漾撈撈樂」、「幸福釣花趣」、「綻FUN花台」、「投進花花世界」與「花開富貴麻將戰」，讓大小朋友在遊戲中體驗花卉魅力；凡完成全部關卡的前100名參與者，即可兌換限量植栽花卉小禮物，為活動留下美好紀念，每週六、日還將發送100張市集券，可於現場農特產與文創市集使用，鼓勵民眾支持在地品牌，感受「玩花、賞花、購花、體驗」的樂趣。

第二展區於埔里恒吉宮媽祖廟前廣場，展期同為11月22日至12月7日，特別將花卉與宗教結合，展出地景花毯作品，此花毯由在地社區攜手花藝老師共同創作，以蝴蝶與山水意象為主題，象徵埔里的自然之美與文化底蘊；花毯以在地花卉拼接成色彩鮮明的畫面，呈現出埔里「花之都」的浪漫魅力與社區凝聚力，成為本屆花展最受矚目的焦點。活動期間不僅有花卉展覽與地景藝術，更規劃週末現場表演節目、親子互動活動，以及結合信仰文化、花藝體驗與文創探索的「小旅行遊程推薦」，讓遊客能從不同角度深度認識埔里花卉的多元風貌。

農糧署指出，近3年攜手埔里公所、中華盆花發展協會舉辦秋季花展，第1年以「兒童樂園」為主題，第2年是「花現好店」主題，今年則是「花繪調色盤 色號＃2025」，透過戶外花藝裝置，鼓勵民眾走出戶外，感受花卉的五感體驗，這些活動地為地方帶來產業效益，每年參觀人次逾4萬人，為埔里創造的產業效益超過1000萬元，是非常有意義的活動，也建立起活動口碑，不少民眾每到11月就會期待埔里秋季花卉展。

圖/埔里鎮公所提供

此篇文章最開始出處為: 2025埔里花卉展暨南投花卉嘉年華 11/22繽紛登場！

taiwan-subdivisions: 南投 埔里

title: 2025埔里花卉展暨南投花卉嘉年華　11/22繽紛登場！


countries: 台灣 臺灣

title: 出席Google台灣AI基建研發中心開幕 賴清德：政府將持續推動AI新十大建設

content_text:
政治中心∕綜合報導

總統賴清德11月20日出席「Google台灣AI基礎建設研發中心」開幕活動時表示，面對全球AI浪潮，政府將持續發揮臺灣優勢，推動「AI新十大建設」，目標在2040年前創造超過15兆產值、50萬個AI就業機會，並建置3座國際級AI實驗室，全力推動臺灣成為「人工智慧之島」。

賴清德代表政府及人民向Google表達誠摯祝賀與感謝。肯定該中心的啟用，對深化臺美合作、培育AI人才及強化供應鏈韌性具有重大意義。

他說，這些年，Google在板橋陸續啟用2座硬體研發辦公大樓，到今天的「AI基礎建設研發中心」，一步一步實現對臺灣長期投資的信心與承諾，也讓世界看見臺灣不只是全球科技供應鏈重要的一環，更是打造安全、可信賴AI的關鍵樞紐。

臺灣能夠成為Google的重要夥伴，有兩項因素：第一，臺灣具有開放的民主制度，並且在全球賄賂風險、投資環境風險、政府清廉印象等指標上，都是亞洲的前段班，是國際企業值得信賴的合作夥伴。

第二，臺灣位處印太戰略關鍵位置，更擁有世界級的半導體產業聚落、高素質的研發人才，還有健全的智慧財產權制度。這些條件都讓臺灣成為發展AI軟硬體整合的最佳基地。

賴總統表示，面對全球AI浪潮，政府也要繼續發揮臺灣的優勢，將推動「AI新十大建設」，從數位基磐層、關鍵技術層、智慧應用層三個面向，建構完整的臺灣AI生態系。

並且強調：「我們的目標是在2040年之前創造超過15兆元產值、50萬個AI就業機會，並建置3座國際級AI實驗室，讓臺灣成為全球AI創新的關鍵節點。我們要讓臺灣成為全球前5大的算力中心，協助百工百業導入AI工具，並推動AI在各領域的應用，全力推動臺灣成為『人工智慧之島』。」

「在這樣的國家戰略下，今天Google『AI基礎建設研發中心』的啟用具有標誌性的意義。未來這座中心將協助培養臺灣AI核心人才，讓臺灣的工程師、研究者，能夠與世界同步創新，共同開發新一代AI解決方案。同時，Google與臺灣產業的合作關係將更加緊密來提升臺灣產業的技術能力，鞏固臺灣在全球AI供應鏈中的領先地位。」

他也特別感謝Google這幾年來在臺灣協助強化網路安全、防範資安威脅，與政府共同打擊詐騙與不實訊息。未來臺灣會繼續和Google以及全世界理念相近的夥伴共同合作，致力讓AI技術造福全民，同時兼顧資安、隱私與社會信任。政府也會持續打造穩定、友善、創新的環境，推動更多元的跨域合作，讓企業安心投資、讓全球人才都可以放心發揮。


title: GBS Malta 舉行具里程碑意義的首屆畢業典禮

content_text:
馬耳他聖朱利安斯2025年11月20日 /美通社/ — GEDU Global Education 旗下院校 GBS Malta 今日宣佈，隨著首屆畢業生正式投身職場，將為當地經濟注入新動力。

典禮由馬耳他總理 Robert Abela 擔任主禮嘉賓，馬耳他商界領袖及外交界高層亦有出席見證。

本屆畢業生中，修讀人數最多的為項目管理工商管理碩士 (MBA) 課程，該課程現已獲項目管理協會 (APM) 認證。GBS Malta 的課程日益受歡迎。這不僅歸功於馬耳他的優質生活，更因該國經濟強勁增長所帶來的就業機遇——除旅客量高企外，島上各地的私營機構投資亦相當龐大。

若馬耳他要維持此積極發展軌跡，優質的高等教育至關重要。

馬耳他總理 Robert Abela 在典禮上談及學生的成就時表示：

「這反映了馬耳他已蛻變成一個集優質教育與理想事業發展階梯於一身的活力樞紐。

在瞬息萬變的世界中，這些技能讓學生能把握先機。

GBS Malta 支持本地教育、就業及社會發展，展現了對我們社區的真誠承諾。」

GBS Malta 歐洲營運總監 Allen Lofaro 形容，這對學院而言是極具意義的一天。

Lofaro 先生表示：「看到學生今天畢業，我深感自豪。深信他們將在馬耳他以至全球各地發揮影響力。

現時投身馬耳他教育界令人振奮，我們亦很榮幸獲得總理的支持。馬耳他吸納及挽留年輕人才的能力日益提升——他們在這個國家看到了樂觀及長遠的未來。

這有助馬耳他發展成教育樞紐，吸引來自世界各地有抱負的學生和院校。

本島的知識型經濟蓬勃發展，GBS 將繼續發揮作用，加以鞏固。我們的課程設計迎合行業需求，特別是高科技及高增長領域。

今天的畢業生只是首批，未來將有更多學子接棒，我熱切期待他們未來的成就。」

GBS Malta 簡介：

GBS Malta 為高等教育機構，隸屬全球教育機構 Global Education (GEDU)。GEDU 為領先業界的組織，為全球 15 個國家的 80,000 名學生提供優質教育。

GBS Malta 致力提供結合實際商業經驗的學術培訓，培育學生擔任領導角色。學院課程涵蓋商業、創業、資訊科技、公共衞生及市場營銷，由行業導師及從業員任教，專為期望獲得教育投資回報、並立志在現今競爭激烈的就業市場中脫穎而出的學生而設。

GBS 位於聖朱利安斯的全新先進校園，致力營造協作學習環境。校園設計仿照現今專業職場，裝備學生所需技能及行業觸覺，助其在需求殷切的領域中盡展所長。

馬耳他是歐洲最安全的國家之一，學生可在此享受優質且學費相宜的教育，以及充滿活力的生活方式。

GBS Malta 是一所經許可的高等教育機構（MFHEA 牌照號碼：2022-010）。其牌照已獲得馬耳他進修與高等教育管理局 (MFHEA) 的批准。MFHEA是一個獨立、透明且具有國際性權威的機構。GBS 的課程同時符合馬耳他資歷框架 (Malta Qualifications Framework) 及歐洲資歷框架 (European Qualification Framework) 的標準。


title: Cabinet eyes NT$1.2tn for local governments

content_text:
OPPOSITION:  The KMT and TPP caucuses said the Cabinet’s proposal was not in line with public opinion and failed to match the legislature’s version passed last week

The Executive Yuan yesterday approved its version of draft amendments that would raise funds for local governments to a record high of NT$1.2 trillion (US$38.34 billion) next year.

The Cabinet’s amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) would increase the total amount of centrally allocated tax revenue, general subsidies and project-based subsidies, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Xavier Chang (張惇涵) told a news conference.

Allocations to the six special municipalities — Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung — would rise by 15 percent, while allocations to the 16 other local governments would increase by 25 percent, Chang said.

Premier Cho Jung-tai, third left, presides over a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times

The Cabinet’s version balances the distribution of funds to ensure that central and local governments have a closer relationship and a more reasonable financial distribution, he said.

It also considered local agricultural production, tobacco and alcohol tax rates and pollution in formulating the amendments, he added.

However, the draft bill faces dim prospects in the opposition-controlled legislature, which passed its own revisions to the act on Friday last week.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus in a statement said that the Cabinet’s version is not in line with public opinion and that the Executive Yuan should review the newly amended act before proposing another version.

The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus said that Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) might be derelict in his duties for failing to draft a budget in accordance with the version passed by the legislature.

The current act, amended by the legislature in December last year, has been criticized for uneven urban-rural distribution and a flawed formula.

Amended Article 16-1 mistakenly stated that the calculations for centrally funded tax revenue would be based on “all 22 cities and counties” instead of “the 19 cities and counties on Taiwan proper,” resulting in 0.2 percent of funds being unable to be distributed for municipalities on Taiwan, and 99.8 percent of funds being unable to be distributed to outlying islands.

The total amount of funding that cannot be distributed stands at NT$34.5 billion, the Cabinet said previously.

Paragraph 3, Article 30 also states that general subsidies from the central to local governments should not be less than the total of the previous year.

However, the interpretation of the central government — which said that the total amount would remain unchanged, but the amount allotted to individual municipalities could vary — was at odds with that of local government heads, who said that funding to each municipality should not be less than the previous year.

The Ministry of Finance yesterday said that the Cabinet’s draft aims to achieve five major goals: more balanced quality of life for citizens, fairer urban-rural distribution, stronger central-local government partnerships, more reasonable distribution across financial and administrative expenses, and strengthened local autonomy.

Central government subsidies for local governments include shared tax revenue and grants, with the total amount to at least match this year’s figure, the bill says.

Shared tax revenue next year would total NT$821.3 billion, a NT$353.7 billion increase from this fiscal year, the draft says.

The increase would negate the need for additional “augmentation funds” within general grants, although NT$108 billion in funding would be returned to local governments for administrative functions, it said.

Shared tax revenue would first be used to cover local governments’ fiscal shortfalls, ensuring that essential expenditures are met and that all local governments start from an equal fiscal baseline, the ministry said.

Of the NT$250.1 billion to be used for general grants, NT$142.1 billion would be reserved for education, social welfare and basic infrastructure, while the remaining NT$108 billion would be included in basic fiscal needs first covered by shared tax revenues, it said.

The draft amendments include a formula to ensure fair distribution across the 22 municipalities, incorporating factors such as population structure, land management and pollution-control costs to balance urban-rural and agricultural-industrial needs, and regional development, it said.

As for project-based grants to improve quality of life and support major public infrastructure, such as rail projects, they would remain at NT$236.8 billion, after the expiration of phase five of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Plan this year, it added.


title: Planned Taiwan visit triggers row for Panama officials

content_text:
IN THE MIDDLE:  Some of the lawmakers defended the trip as an opportunity for investment, cooperation and to see models that could help modernize Panama

A planned trip by some Panamanian lawmakers to Taiwan has unleashed the latest diplomatic spat with China as the Central American country tries to navigate the turbulent waters between the Asian superpower and the US.

The Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US ambassador to the country on Wednesday criticized China’s diplomats in Panama for asking the lawmakers to cancel their trip to Taiwan, with the ministry accusing the Chinese embassy of “meddling” in its internal affairs.

That followed comments from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino a week earlier saying that the planned Taiwan trip did not have the approval of his administration and reminding the lawmakers that the executive branch was responsible for Panama’s foreign policy.

The skyline of Panama City is pictured behind the Port of Balboa at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal on Feb. 25. Photo: Bloomberg

China has also been embroiled in a spat with Tokyo after new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Nov. 7 said that a Chinese naval blockade or other action against Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response. Her comments drew a warning from China against any interference in Taiwan.

In Latin America, Chinese diplomats have worked to get governments to establish diplomatic relations with it and cut ties to Taiwan. Panama established relations with Beijing in 2017 after breaking them off with Taipei.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has brought the weight of the US government to bear on the issue this year, starting with accusations that China could influence the operations of the strategically important Panama Canal because a Hong Kong-based conglomerate held the long-term concession to operate ports at either end of the canal.

The canal’s administration and the Panamanian government have denied that China had any sway over canal operations.

The Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said in a statement that “as a sovereign country, it does not accept restrictions, nor pressure that tries to influence the legitimate decisions of its subordinates.”

The statement did not name China, but came a day after one of the country’s largest newspapers, La Prensa, reported that 10 lawmakers were asked by the Chinese embassy to immediately cancel the trip because it “seriously violates the principle of one China” and constitutes “an intervention in Chinese internal affairs.”

The Chinese embassy referred a request for comment to the reporting from La Prensa.

Some of the lawmakers who planned to make the Taiwan trip later this week defended their decision.

They said the visit would expose them to models and experiences that could help Panama’s modernization, others cited opportunities for investment and cooperation.

US Ambassador to Panama Kevin Marino Cabrera said that China’s embassy “shouldn’t be involved in those issues.”

Mulino has lamented that Panama has been drawn into US-China tensions.

When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in February visited Panama on his first trip as the US’ top diplomat, he made China’s influence a top issue.

Mulino said then that Panama would not be renewing its agreement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative when it expires.

The initiative promotes and funds infrastructure and development projects that critics say leave poor member countries heavily indebted to China.

Cabrera in August gave public backing to Panamanian lawmakers who joined the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from dozens of countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing.


title: Drivers who refuse saliva test to face NT$180,000 fine

content_text:
People suspected of drug-impaired driving who refuse to take a rapid saliva test at a police checkpoint would face a fine of NT$180,000, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.

The updated Uniform Punishment Standard Forms and Rules for Handling Matters of Violating Road Traffic Regulations (違反道路交通管理事件統一裁罰標準及處理細則), which took effect on Wednesday, require the entire testing process to be recorded by police.

Tests are to be administered on-site at a checkpoint, although officers can direct the suspect to a police station or another suitable location if needed.

A rapid drug-testing kit is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo copied by Cheng Ching-yi, Taipei Times

Under the new rules, officers must inform the suspect of the testing procedure, the kit’s expiration date, how the results are interpreted and the valid time window for reading the results.

If a test fails due to a kit malfunction or because the suspect does not follow the procedure, officers must explain the reason and ask them to retake it.

After the test, the officer must inform the driver of the result and request a signature on the enforcement record form.

If they refuse to sign, the reason must be documented, the ministry said.

The updates provide clearer procedures for officers and enhance the regulations’ legal basis, it said.

The revisions align with the Criminal Investigation Bureau’s (CIB) plan, announced in late September, to fully introduce rapid saliva drug tests capable of detecting drug residues in about three minutes.

The bureau previously said the move follows practices in several countries and aims to curb rising drug-driving incidents.

Drivers who refuse testing must be informed of the legal consequences, which include a NT$180,000 fine, revocation of their driver’s license and a two-year suspension of their vehicle license plate.

If the refusal occurs in a case involving serious injury or death, the vehicle can also be seized.

Repeat offenders within 10 years face a heavier fine of NT$360,000 for refusing a saliva test.

For operators of slow-moving vehicles, including scooter, motorcycle or bicycle riders, the fine is NT$4,800 for refusal. For those riding light electric scooters, the vehicle would also be impounded.


people: 賴清德 林佳龍

title: Taiwanese urged to visit Japan in show of support

content_text:
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday called on Taiwanese to increase travel to Japan and buy more of its products to help the country amid a wave of reprisals from China after it expressed support for Taiwan.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has repeatedly deployed economic and military coercion to bully countries, Lin said during a legislative session, referencing China’s retaliation against Japan for remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

On Nov. 7, Takaichi, in her first parliamentary address since taking office last month, said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, which could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

President William Lai holds up a piece of sushi in Taipei yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office

China said that the “blatantly provocative remarks on Taiwan” have “further damaged the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges ... creating additional risks to the safety and security of Chinese citizens in Japan.”

China has since imposed a slew of measures aimed at Japan’s economy, including advisories against travel and study in Japan.

Taiwan has also been a victim of such coercion, as Beijing frequently weaponizes trade, investment and tourism to threaten Taipei, Lin said.

“That is uncivilized and undemocratic behavior,” he said. “Taiwan will support Japan at this critical time to effectively stabilize the situation and stop the CCP’s bullying.”

Asked how exactly Taiwan can help Japan, he said Taiwanese should to step up travel to Japan and buy more Japanese products to demonstrate Taiwan’s friendly relationship with Japan.

An NHK report on Wednesday cited Japanese government sources as saying that China has taken steps to suspend imports of marine products from Japan and has already informed Tokyo.

China said that the decision was taken to assess the monitoring of treated and diluted water from Japan’s damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, the report said.

However, the sources said that the decision is part of China’s response to Takaichi’s remarks about Taiwan, NHK reported.

President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday also showed his support for Japan with a lunch of Japanese-sourced sushi.

Lai, in pictures posted on social media, posed with yellowtail from Kagoshima and scallops from Hokkaido.

Taiwan has in the past few years been subjected to similar food export bans by China, including pineapples and fish.

Additional reporting by Reuters


title: Ex-Philippine mayor convicted for human trafficking

content_text:
A Philippine court yesterday convicted a former mayor, who officials say is a Chinese national, of human trafficking charges for helping establish an illegal online gaming complex in a northern province where hundreds of Chinese and other foreign nationals were forced to conduct scams.

The Pasig Regional Trial Court in Metropolitan Manila sentenced Alice Guo (郭華萍) to life in prison with seven other Filipino and Chinese co-accused, and ordered them each to pay a 2 million pesos (US$33,856) fine and compensate several trafficking victims, who filed the complaints.

Guo denied all allegations against her and says she is a Filipino citizen.

Alice Guo, left, former mayor of Bamban in the Philippine’s Tarlac province, is escorted to a news conference in Manila on Sept. 6 last year. Photo: AFP

Philippine authorities allege that Guo is a Chinese national named Guo Huaping, who faked Filipino citizenship to run for mayor of Bamban in northern Tarlac province, where she ran a sprawling illegal scam compound near the town hall.

The complex — which included office buildings, luxury villas and a large swimming pool — was raided in March last year after a Vietnamese worker escaped and called the police.

More than 700 Filipinos, Taiwanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Indonesians and Rwandans were found on site, along with documents allegedly showing that Guo was president of a company that owned the compound.

“They used the parcels of land and buildings to house the trafficked workers and to force them to work as scammers,” the court said in its decision.

Last year, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered a ban on hundreds of mostly Chinese-run online gaming operations, which proliferated under the administration of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. Marcos accused the gaming operations of crimes including financial scams, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and murder.

“The conviction of Alice Guo, also known as Guo Huaping, is a victory against corruption, human trafficking, cybercrime and many other transnational crimes,” Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros said. “But it is far from over.”

Hontiveros led televised Senate inquiries last year that exposed online scam operations in the Philippines, along with Guo’s alleged criminal involvement.

Philippine security officials and Hontiveros have said the scam centers operated by Guo and other Chinese nationals might have also been used for espionage by China, which has had increasingly fierce territorial conflicts with the Philippines in the South China Sea and has strongly opposed the presence of US forces in the country.

“We will continue to demand accountability from every government agency that failed in their duties, and we will continue to investigate the full extent of Chinese intelligence operations in our country,” Hontiveros said. “And to all others who enabled Alice Guo’s criminal empire: The Philippines is not a playground for exploitation, infiltration and espionage.”

Guo has not been charged with espionage and she denies any connection to spying.

Bamban is located kilometers from a Philippine air force base, where US forces have been allowed to maintain a rotating presence with their aircraft and weapons under a 2014 defense pact.

Additional reporting by AFP


people: 柯志恩 葉元之

title: MOE to boost media literacy education

content_text:
MISINFORMATION:  Numerous studies have shown that TikTok and other platforms host false information and content promoting self-harm, the education minister said

The Ministry of Education (MOE) would address the negative impacts of social media by boosting media literacy education and supporting teachers, as banning students from using Chinese platforms such as TikTok and Xiaohongshu (小紅書, or RedNote) is impractical, Deputy Minister of Education Liu Kuo-wei (劉國偉) said yesterday.

Last month, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said that the Taiwan Academic Network — the Internet system set up by the ministry for academic institutions across the country — has blocked access to Xiaohongshu, TikTok and Douyin (抖音, the Chinese version of TikTok), citing concerns that short videos were detrimental to children’s and teenagers’ development.

However, the ministry is only able to control academic network access, not students’ personal Internet connections, Liu told the legislature yesterday.

Deputy Minister of Education Liu Kuo-wei, right, speaks to legislators at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

Instead, the ministry would help students identify misinformation and enhance their online personal data security, while strengthening teachers’ competence and resources through seminars and professional communities, Liu said.

He said numerous studies in Taiwan and abroad have found that many TikTok search results contain misinformation, and that the platform’s algorithm often promotes content related to self-harm, including material about eating disorders and negative messaging about body image.

Such content has been proven to lower teenagers’ body satisfaction and increase negative emotions, he added.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said she hoped the ministry would step up its awareness efforts, adding that many of its media literacy publications have only about 1,000 views.

Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Liu Shu-pin (劉書彬) warned the ministry about “overregulation” that might affect creative development, saying that “education should not be replaced by prohibition.”

KMT Legislator Yeh Yuan-chih (葉元之) also questioned the ministry’s dedicated Web site for fraud prevention on Xiaohongshu, saying there are more scams on Threads and that many other media spread false information.

Liu Kuo-wei said that the ministry welcomes suggestions, and that it would conduct anti-fraud work on all platforms.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Isabel Hou (侯宜秀) told lawmakers that the use of China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) applications has been prohibited in all government agencies, after the National Security Bureau conducted an investigation that showed the models feature cybersecurity risks.

Five AI tools, namely DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), generate content with propaganda in favor of the Chinese Communist Party, historical bias and disinformation, the bureau’s report showed.

The Ministry of Digital Affairs has formulated testing protocols and frameworks for information security and AI evaluation, which it supplies to administrative units for verification purposes, Hou said.

The bureau conducted the investigation under the ministry’s framework, while the Artificial Intelligence Evaluation Center has also conducted related tests, she added.

Asked whether Taiwan would ban the use of Chinese-made generative AI models, as some countries have banned or advised against them, Hou said that “this is an option to be considered within the scope of legal authority.”

Additional reporting by Fion Khan


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Local governments may face scrutiny over PRC-national ward chiefs

The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has referred four local governments and five district and township offices to the Control Yuan for investigation after they failed to dismiss five ward and village chiefs who are said to hold People’s Republic of China (PRC) nationality.

Chieh Yu-chin (簡鈺珒), deputy head of the ministry’s Department of Civil Affairs, said at a press briefing in Taipei on Thursday that the MOI sent letters to local authorities starting on Nov. 29, 2024 to handle the issue in accordance with the Nationality Act.

The local governments and district and township offices failed to respond, however, and the matter was referred to the Control Yuan -- the government branch responsible for investigating and censuring government wrongdoing -- in May for investigation, Chieh said.

Chieh Yu-chin, The deputy head of the ministry’s Department of Civil Affairs Chieh Yu-chin speaks at a news conference Thursday in Taipei. Photo: Lee Wen-hsin, Taipei Times

It was unclear why the MOI did not make the referral public until Thursday, six months after it happened.

Since May, however, only one of the five village and ward chiefs in question has been removed, and that case remains under appeal.

In explaining its Control Yuan referral, the MOI asserted that the village chief in Hualien County’s Fuli Township and four ward chiefs from Tucheng and Zhonghe districts in New Taipei, Songshan District in Taipei, and Xinwu District in Taoyuan are still PRC citizens, which is not allowed under the law.

Once Chinese spouses become Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan’s official name) nationals, their eligibility to hold public office is governed by the Nationality Act, Deputy Interior Minister Wu Tang-an (吳堂安) said at the press briefing.

Article 20 of the Nationality Act stipulates clear steps an ROC national who has dual citizenship has to take if they want to hold a government office.

The individual must apply to renounce the other nationality before taking office and complete the process and obtain the necessary documentation within one year from taking office, according to the act.

The four village chiefs still in office said to hold PRC nationality are Wang Min-ju (王敏茹) in Taipei, Peng Hsiao-lin (彭小林) in Taoyuan, and Teng Yueh-lan (滕月 蘭) and Lin Hsiu-chen (林秀貞) in New Taipei.

The only one who has been removed is Deng Wan-hua (鄧萬華), who served as chief of Xuetian Village in Hualien County’s Fuli Township before being removed from her post by the township office on Aug. 1.

Deng appealed against her removal, and on Oct. 29 the Hualien County government’s Appeals Committee said it had reversed this decision, though Deng was still not allowed to return to office.

The MOI said Thursday that the case now has to be further investigated by the Fuli Township Office before any new decision is made.

The township office said it would review the matter by taking into account the views of both the ministry and the Hualien County government, while reviewing the relevant laws.

At the same time, however, the law requires that township or district offices be responsible for removing people with PRC nationality, apparently leaving the MOI with little direct legal recourse.

Deng, meanwhile, said she has not received any official documents or notifications regarding the case and that she was not in a position to comment publicly before a conclusion was reached.

The catch for these and other naturalized ROC citizens from the PRC is that it is extremely difficult to renounce PRC citizenship for naturalized ROC citizens.

Under PRC law, Chinese nationals who have settled abroad and been naturalized as a “foreign national” shall “automatically lose Chinese nationality.”

But China does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, making it hard for people like Deng to qualify as a “foreign national” in Beijing’s eyes.

She previously said she had tried to contact Chinese authorities to renounce her PRC citizenship but was ignored.


content_text:
SELF-AWARE? An MAC official said that the KMT must know the issue of allegiance, as it suspended a Central Committee member for pro-China posts on social media

Any proposed amendments to the Nationality Act (國籍法) that enable Chinese spouses to serve in public office must take into account the issue of loyalty, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.

The council issued a response after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said it would propose an amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) that would exempt Chinese spouses married to Taiwanese from adhering to Article 20 of the Nationality Act.

The article requires elected officials to renounce other nationalities within a year after being elected.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi, center, presides over a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

The proposal was in response to the removal of Chinese spouse Deng Wanhua (鄧萬華) from her post as a warden in Hualien County, as she could not produce evidence that she had renounced her Chinese nationality.

Deng appealed the ruling to the Hualien County Government, which ruled in her favor.

However, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) on Tuesday said that the article leaves no room for interpretation.

MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) yesterday told a news conference that the core concept of Article 20 is that the nation’s elected officials can only pledge allegiance to one country, as conflicts of interest could emerge with dual nationalities.

The core issue of loyalty must be addressed in amendments to the Nationality Act, Liang said.

The KMT must also be concerned with the issue of loyalty, or it would not have suspended a Central Standing Committee member and Chinese spouse Ho Ying-lu (何鷹鷺), Liang said.

Ho wore clothes depicting Mao Zedong (毛澤東) and advocated for cross-strait unification on her channel on Douyin (抖音).

Elected officials with Taiwanese and Chinese nationalities could put the country at risk, as China’s National Security Law requires all citizens to cooperate with intelligence agencies, Liang said.

Moreover, naturalized citizens, including those from Hong Kong, Macau and China with Taiwanese citizenship, are banned from running for president or vice president, as per the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法), Liang said.

“If the president and vice president are not allowed to pledge allegiance to two countries, why should legislators, mayors and county commissioners be exempt from the allegiance requirement?” Liang said.

“I hope these issues can be thoroughly deliberated at the legislature,” he added.

people: 劉世芳 梁文傑

title: Nationality Act must consider loyalty: MAC


title: Allies speak out for Taiwan at COP30

content_text:
By Huang Ching-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Six of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies spoke out for Taiwan at this year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, with Paraguay making a national statement to support Taiwan’s inclusion in the convention, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

The ministry thanked the allies for their support of Taiwan’s inclusion in international environmental organizations, saying that Taiwan is willing to shoulder its responsibilities as a member of the global community, and collaborate with friends and like-minded nations to make positive contributions toward addressing climate change.

It called on the international community to support its meaningful participation in the UN climate conferences and in the Paris Agreement.

A nun poses for a picture with a banner of the UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Brazil, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Marshallese Minister in Assistance to the President and Environment Bremity Lakjohn during the high-level segment of COP30, which ran from Monday to Tuesday, said that those who have helped the Marshall Islands, such as Taiwan, should be included in the convention.

Lakjohn said Taiwan’s contributions should be considered, especially as the COP30’s central theme was an emphasis on “global mutirao,” and that it should be brought into the convention so Taiwan could contribute its experiences to combat climate change.

According to the event Web site, “mutirao” means “a continuous method of mobilization that begins before, extends through and continues beyond COP30.”

Haitian Minister of the Environment Joseph Emmanuel Philippe said that a multilateral structure for international collaboration would not only rebuild trust, but also demonstrate to the world that only through inclusive, collective action could a global transition that leaves no one behind be achieved.

Based on these convictions, Haiti urges the convention to consider Taiwan’s inclusion and to allow Taiwan to participate constructively in convention meetings, Philippe said.

Belizean Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet said that Belize believes that capable partners, including Taiwan, should be allowed to meaningfully participate in UN climate meetings.

Taiwan’s innovative clean energy solutions and its support for countries prone to climate effects cannot be overlooked, and Taiwan’s support for the Joint Global Proposition put forth by Brazil shows that it is working with other countries to ensure that the goals of the Paris Agreement to achieve a net zero future are achieved, Habet said.

Saint Kitts and Nevis Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment Joyelle Clarke said the UN climate convention should include the voice and comments of all nations.

Saint Kitts and Nevis supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation under the UN climate convention framework, Clarke said, adding that efforts to combat climate change should transcend national borders.

Guatemalan Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change Edwin Castellanos said Taiwan’s contributions to Guatemala in carbon pricing, carbon reduction and other solutions were significant, and demonstrated Taiwan’s firm commitment to achieving net zero.

Saint Lucian Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Sustainable Development, Innovation, Science, Technology and Vocational Training Pauline Antoine-Prospere said climate change affects everyone on the planet.

The UN climate convention and the Paris Agreement should not exclude Taiwan, she said, urging all nations attending COP30 to observe the spirit of mutirao and support Taiwan’s inclusion.


title: Groups urge government to fix solar EIA loopholes

content_text:
Environmental groups yesterday called on authorities to close loopholes in environmental impact assessments (EIA) for solar facilities, after the legislature passed a bill tightening regulations last week.

The bill is a big step forward in environmental protection, as it would curb inappropriate solar projects at national scenic areas and geologically sensitive areas, they said.

However, loopholes remain in the legislation, as land subdivision can still be exploited to evade solar panel EIAs on wetlands, farmland, hillsides or reservoirs, while mandatory statutes are lacking for solar projects in national parks or indoor “aquavoltaic farms,” also known as “fishery solar farms,” they said.

Solar panels are pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Tainan City Government

Government Watch Alliance executive director Hsu Hsin-hsin (許心欣) said that “destroying forests to grow electricity” on non-privately owned, government-subsidized afforested land used to be unregulated, as the Standards for Determining Specific Items and Scope of Environmental Impact Assessments for Development Activities (開發行為應實施環境影響評估細目及範圍認定標準) — which is governed by the Ministry of Environment — stipulates that such solar projects can be exempted from EIAs “if prior approval from energy authorities is obtained.”

While the ministry did not adopt environmental advocates’ advice to remove the clause when it revised the standards in January, it has now been overridden by the amended bill, meaning that solar projects on such afforested land would be subject to EIA review to prevent forests’ carbon storage and ecological habitats from being damaged, she said.

Changhua Environmental Protection Union researcher Lin Cheng-han (林政翰) said that solar projects on regular farmland could be exempted from EIAs unless they cover at least 40 hectares, while those larger projects could evade EIA by means of land subdivision at an interval distance of 20m or more.

Regular farmland should not be stigmatized as “low-fertility land” for green energy development, as they can cultivate high-quality sweet potatoes and peanuts even though they are not suitable for growing paddy rice, he said.

Lin also called for enhancing regulations for indoor fishery solar farms to prevent unscrupulous developers from “growing electricity and backfilling waste at fake indoor fishing farms,” such as the project run by Solar Infinity Co in Changhua County’s Hanbao Township (漢寶).

Forest City Association, Taiwan chairman Chuang Chieh-jen (莊傑任) said the passed bill left out stipulations for national parks, with requirements previously specified in the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (環境影響評估法) removed, as legislators thought statutes had been established to prohibit ground-mounted solar panels.

The law should be promptly amended to close such loopholes, he said.

Regarding floating solar panels, although the amended bill requires an EIA for such projects if they cover five hectares or more, they could also evade EIAs by exploiting the 20m-or-more interval distances as ground-mounted solar panels, Chuang said.

To prevent such loopholes, regulations should stipulate that EIAs for floating solar facilities may not be separately conducted for a single body of water, and that ground-mounted solar facilities’ project areas may not be separately calculated if their interval distance is less than 500m, he said.

Miaoli County Environmental Protection Association president Chen Chi-chung (陳祺忠) said that different projects with the same capital source should be regarded as having the same developer to prevent developers from evading EIAs by setting up subsidiary companies.

Legislative loopholes like land subdivision or subsidiary establishment could be tackled by the ministry by revising the standards, he said.


title: Foreign ministry plans increases to foreign aid

content_text:
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday said that the ministry is planning to increase funding to its foreign aid agency next year by NT$3 billion (US$95.86 million), as part of the government’s ongoing efforts to gradually boost its international development assistance.

TaiwanICDF, the nation’s primary organization for international development aid, this year has about NT$12.4 billion to meet its goals of assisting developing countries with their socio-economic and human resource development through technical cooperation, financial assistance and humanitarian aid, Lin said in a report to the legislature.

To boost Taiwan’s foreign aid capabilities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allocated an additional NT$3 billion to TaiwanICDF for the next fiscal year to offer greater assistance to Taiwan’s partners, Lin said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs logo is pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

The increased funding for TaiwanICDF is part of the ministry’s overall budget proposal of NT$41.5 billion for fiscal 2026, which has been submitted to the legislature for review and approval.

TaiwanICDF was established in 1996 with an initial allocation of NT$11.6 billion, well short of the NT$30 billion the government had pledged at the time, Lin said.

Since then, the ministry has allocated an additional NT$800 million to its annual budget, NT$17.5 billion short of the pledged NT$30 billion, he said.

Due mainly to the shortfall, Taiwan spent only about 0.049 percent of its gross national income (GNI) on official development assistance (ODA) last year, far below the 0.7 percent suggested by the UN, Lin said in his report.

In comparison, Japan last year allocated 0.39 percent of its GNI to ODA, South Korea 0.21 percent and Australia 0.19 percent, Lin said at the briefing.


title: Ex-TSMC executive had no access to core secrets: NDC

content_text:
A former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) executive suspected of leaking technical secrets did not have access to the company’s core technology, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) said yesterday.

Yeh, who also serves on TSMC’s board, made the remarks after local media reported that Lo Wei-jen (羅唯仁) allegedly took confidential information on TSMC’s 2-nanometer, A16 and A14 processes before retiring in July and joining Intel last month.

TSMC typically reassigns employees one to two years before retirement to other divisions to prevent access to trade secrets, Yeh said.

National Development Council Minister Yeh Chun-hsien, right, attends a session at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

Lo would not have had access to the company’s core technology, as he had been reassigned more than one year ago, he added.

Regarding concerns over potential leaks, Yeh said confidence in TSMC remains strong and the company would not be affected by a single individual.

Speaking to reporters before a Legislative Yuan hearing yesterday morning, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said that, as semiconductors are a core technology for Taiwan’s industrial development, they are now treated as matters of national security.

Even though trade secret violations normally require a company complaint to prosecute, those involving national security are subject to public prosecution, Kung said, adding that this is why the High Prosecutors’ Office has launched an investigation into the case.

Regarding the impact on the industry, Kung said that Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem is solid and well-established.

Whether it could be disrupted because someone took certain information remains to be seen, but for now, it does not appear the ecosystem would be easily affected, he added.


title: Activist warns of democracy threat

content_text:
Prominent human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk, whose organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for efforts to document war crimes, during a talk on Wednesday warned of the risks to democracies should Moscow win its war against Ukraine.

“This Russian war of oppression against Ukraine, this is not just a war between two states, this is a war between two systems: authoritarianism and democracy,” Matviichuk said at the event in Taipei organized by German-based non-governmental organization the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF).

Russian President Vladimir Putin, by waging war on Ukraine, is attempting to show the entire free world that “freedom, democracy, human rights [and the] rule of law” are “fake values,” “because they couldn’t protect anyone during the war,” she said.

Human rights advocate Oleksandra Matviichuk speaks at an event in Taipei on Wednesday. Photo: CNA

Putin is telling the world that a country with military might and nuclear power “can do whatever they want,” Matviichuk said.

“And if Putin succeeds, it will encourage other authoritarian leaders in different parts of the globe to do the same,” she said.

Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer and advocate, is chair of the Center for Civil Liberties, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for its efforts to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the abuse of power in Ukraine.

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Matviichuk cofounded the “Tribunal for Putin” to document international crimes in all regions of Ukraine.

In her Wednesday address, Matviichuk also accused China of helping Russia to avoid sanctions and equip Moscow with technologies critical to warfare.

North Korea has also sent millions of artillery shells and troops to help Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine.

Matviichuk argued that these regimes “see people as objects to be controlled” and constantly “deny them their rights and freedoms.”

At the same event, Moritz Kleine-Brockhoff, head of FNF’s regional office in Southeast and East Asia, noted that Ukraine “must win this war for all of us.”

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) on Wednesday received Matviichuk at the Presidential Office and praised the Center for Civil Liberties’ long-standing commitment to defending human rights in Ukraine.

Taiwan understands the threat and pressure brought by an aggressive neighboring country, Hsiao said, referring to China.

That is why Taiwan has assisted in Ukraine’s ongoing efforts in rebuilding the country, Hsiao said.


title: Labor ministry enhancing protections for sick leave

content_text:
LEGAL SAFEGUARDS: An amendment to a worker’s rights act protects employees from adverse work treatment for taking up to 10 days of sick leave each year

The Ministry of Labor yesterday said it would bolster legal protections for sick leave, following the conclusion of a ministry investigation into the death of a flight attendant who worked while feeling unwell.

Crew interviews conducted during the ministry’s investigation showed that EVA Air “excessively used” its evaluation management system, causing staff to believe that applying for sick leave would lead to punitive treatment, Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) told reporters.

The ministry would amend the Regulations of Leaves for Workers (勞工請假規則) to state that when a worker takes no more than 10 days of sick leave in a year, the employer may not take any unfavorable action, he said.

From left, Occupational Safety and Health Administration Director-General Lin Yu-tang, Deputy Minister of Labor Lee Chien-hung and Department of Employment Welfare and Equal Employment Director-General Huang Chi-ya hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

To protect workers’ right to request sick leave, the ministry said it first held an online survey and found that most workers request sick leave about 10 days per year.

The ministry on Monday last week held a meeting with representatives of labor groups, business associations and government agencies to discuss sick leave regulations.

“Labor representatives request 12 to 15 days of sick leave per year, while business groups say that sick leave should be three to seven days per year. We decided to change the rules governing leave of absence to allow 10 days of sick leave per year,” Department of Employment Welfare and Equal Employment Director-General Huang Chi-ya (黃琦雅) said.

First, employers may not impose any adverse action on workers who take fewer than 10 days of sick leave, Huang said.

If a worker demonstrates that they have suffered an adverse employment action, the burden of proof shifts to the employer, she said.

When conducting performance evaluations, employers must consider an employee’s abilities, attitude and actual work performance in a holistic manner, and may not rely solely on the number of days of sick leave taken, Huang said.

Attendance bonuses must be stipulated in work rules, collective agreements or employment contracts so that workers are clearly informed of the criteria, she said.

Any deductions must be reasonable and proportionate. If attendance bonuses are reduced due to sick leave, employers may not deny the entire bonus when the employee has taken only a few days of sick leave in a given month, to prevent workers from refraining from taking needed sick leave out of fear of being placed at a disadvantage, Huang added.

The amendment would authorize fines of between NT$20,000 and NT$1 million (US$639 and US$31,954) for employers who have violated the rules, the ministry said.

The changes are scheduled to take effect in January next year, the ministry said.

The announcement comes as the ministry completed its investigation into EVA Air over the death of a 34-year-old flight attendant surnamed Sun (孫) soon after returning from Milan, Italy, last month.

The investigation found that EVA flight attendants are reluctant to request sick leave, as their attendance records affect their work schedules, bonuses and performance reviews.

Sun reportedly felt unwell before the trip and had asked for assistance multiple times from coworkers and the cabin chief during the round-trip flight between Taipei and Milan.

The incident triggered a nationwide discussion of whether a worker’s performance should factor in the number of sick leave days requested, as local media reported that Sun did not dare request sick leave for fear that doing so would hurt her performance review.

Additional reporting by CNA


content_text:
EVA Air flight attendants are reluctant to request sick leave, as their attendance records affect their work schedules, bonuses and performance reviews, an investigation from the Ministry of Labor showed yesterday.

The ministry began investigating the nation’s second-largest airline after a 34-year-old flight attendant surnamed Sun (孫) died soon after returning from a round trip to Milan, Italy.

Sun reportedly felt unwell before the trip and had asked for assistance multiple times from coworkers and the cabin chief during the flight to Milan.

EVA Air planes are pictured at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in an undated photograph. Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times

Her request for MediLink service during the return flight was allegedly ignored by the cabin crew chief.

The incident triggered a nationwide discussion of whether the worker’s performance should factor in the number of sick leave days requested, as local media reported that Sun did not dare request sick leave for fear that doing so would hurt her performance review.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration spent nearly one month interviewing cabin crew members working with Sun, Sun’s family members, and representatives of the Taoyuan Flight Attendant Union and EVA Airways.

The investigation found that EVA created a high-pressure corporate culture in which any sick leave request would affect a flight attendant’s work schedule, day-off arrangements and shift-swap requests.

“If a flight attendant requests more than three days of sick leave in three months, they lose the right to arrange their workdays and off days in the next months. Their work schedules would be completely arranged by the airline instead,” agency Director-General Lin Yu-tang (林毓堂) told a news conference in Taipei, adding that most flight attendants cited this as the main reason why they were reluctant to request sick leave.

A flight attendant would be deducted points from attendance records for requesting sick leave and not be granted additional points in the category of “special contributions” to the airline, Lin said.

Points would be deducted three times more if an attendant requests sick leave during Lunar New Year or other national holidays, Lin said, adding that it would affect the attendant’s year-end bonus as well as promotions.

The agency found that Sun had told her coworkers that she once requested more than three days of sick leave in three months after a traffic accident.

She said she then received a “very tiring” fight schedule after returning for work.

Sun’s experience of exhausting other types of leave before requesting sick leave was shared by other flight attendants, who said they would take menstrual leave or family care leave instead of sick leave, or simply go to work while feeling unwell to avoid punishment, Lin said.

The cabin chief told the work safety inspectors that she knew that Sun was physically unwell, but she did not ask Sun to stop working or take sick leave as “it would hurt her attendance record.”

The airline’s operational manual for cabin crew stipulates that emergency response procedures must be activated when a cabin crew member is unconscious or is unable to accurately convey their health.

Other crew members are supposed to contact MediLink service, a real-time, ground-based medical support system for airlines to assist flight crews during medical emergencies on a plane, Lin said.

However, the cabin crew chief did not activate MediLink as Sun said she did not need to consult a doctor and could take her own medication.

Nor did the cabin crew chief contact EVA’s ground personnel to take Sun to the hospital once the flight landed, Lin said.

Instead, the cabin crew chief gave Sun a hot towel, told her to seek medical attention after the flight landed and adjusted her duties.

“EVA is responsible for leaving the cabin crew to react to emergency situations and bear risks themselves, and failing to list explicit emergency operating procedures for them to follow,” Lin said, adding that most cabin crew reported that they thought MediLink was for passenger use only.

The investigation found that Sun was told she needed to pay for herself if they called an ambulance, and her request to be picked up by her roommate after landing was also denied.

When disembarking, Sun was also asked to remove the blanket she used to cover herself.

Work safety inspectors also found that Sun was supposed to receive a compensatory off day for working on Children’s Day, a national holiday, but the airline could not name the exact date of the off day, Lin said, adding that the airline could contravene Article 37 of the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) in this regard.

The Civil Aviation Administration has been asked to investigate if the airline contravened the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法) and Aircraft Flight Operation Regulations (航空器飛航作業管理規則), while EVA has been ordered to complete an investigation within two months to determine whether Sun was being bullied.

The Taoyuan City government would investigate whether the airline breached Article 37 of the Labor Standards Act.

With permission from Sun’s family, the ministry would request her medical records from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and consult medical specialists to determine if Sun died of occupation-induced illness.

EVA said that since the incident occurred, it has investigated the matter and promptly implemented improvements, and would continue to work with the Ministry of Labor to review and adjust its systems.

title: Ministry completes probe of EVA attendant death


title: Animal group pushes cage-free chicken farms

content_text:
The Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan yesterday urged the government to ban building more henhouses with cages and begin a 10-year transition to cage-free status to improve animal welfare in line with international standards.

The society this year examined eggs sold through outlets of Taiwan’s four major retailers.

PX Mart Co underperformed the most in animal welfare, as nearly 80 percent of eggs available at its stores nationwide were cage-raised, it said.

An official takes samples to test for pesticide at an egg farm in Changhua County, home of the largest caged chicken farms in the country, in an undated photograph. Photo Courtesy Of Changhua County Government

PX Mart also went back on RT-Mart International Ltd’s cage-free egg commitments made in 2021 after acquiring the company and rebranding it as Mega PX Mart in August, causing its cage-free eggs to decline from 37 percent in 2021 to 7.14 percent this year, the report said.

Carrefour Taiwan pledged to source 100 percent cage-free eggs by the end of this year, but only its upscale supermarket chain Mia C’bon has achieved the goal, it said.

Its budget hypermarkets and supermarkets were halfway toward the goal, and whether the pledge would be fulfilled after it was taken over by Uni-President Group remained to be seen, the report said.

Costco Taiwan is moving toward the goal of 100 percent cage-free eggs set by US-based Costco Wholesale Corp last year, but its 48 percent achievement this year lagged far behind its South Korean counterpart’s 100 percent, it said.

City’super Taiwan, a Hong Kong upscale supermarket chain funded and operated by Far Eastern Group, in 2018 set the target of sourcing 100 percent cage-free eggs by this year and has achieved about 50 percent, the report said.

However, the company quietly removed the pledge originally published on its official Web site and refused to reply to queries from the society and animal rights groups based in Hong Kong, it said.

Society deputy executive director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said that cage rearing ruins hens’ physical and mental health, and many countries are planning to abolish the approach, particularly since the EU implemented a ban in 2012.

Western countries such as Switzerland, Finland and Germany, as well as 10 US states, have banned cage rearing, while Asian countries including South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines have adopted regulations to promote industrial cage-free transition, she said.

About 75 percent of egg farms in Taiwan still use cage rearing. The biggest production line is in Changhua County, where eggs with excessive levels of the pesticide fipronil sulfone were identified two weeks ago, Chen said.

Some egg farmers would secretly spray the pesticide at henhouses with cages to prevent hens from ceasing egg laying due to illness, as the tight spaces and accumulated bodily waste make it impossible for them to move freely and clean themselves, she said.

Chen called for substituting cage-free floor systems — also known as barn systems — for cage rearing, as the manure at such systems would become sandy, lose its odor and can be processed into organic fertilizers.

Switching from cage rearing to barn systems can reduce costs not only because the total manure weight would decline by about 80 percent, but also because the land area required for flat floor housing would be only half of the henhouses with cages used for the 40 million hens nationwide, she said.

Research from the society showed that barn-laid eggs are not as expensive as imagined, as they cost about NT$7 to NT$13 each at retail outlets, Chen said, adding that some cage-reared eggs are even more expensive.

The government should follow the international trend of phasing out cage rearing by banning constructing or expanding henhouses with cages as soon as possible, and set a 100 percent cage-free egg target over the next decade, Chen said.

It should assist egg farmers with technological transformation and require retail giants to stick with their targets of zero cage-reared eggs, she added.


title: Health ministry expands Social Safety Net

content_text:
OUNCE OF PREVENTION: The ministry will work with families that may need extra assistance to help prevent negative outcomes occur using more accurate tools

The Cabinet has approved a Ministry of Health and Welfare proposal to expand the Social Safety Net program to bolster preventive assistance for disadvantaged households, health officials said yesterday.

The expanded program would focus on preventive measures instead of reacting to family tragedies that have already occurred, Social and Family Affairs Administration Director-General Chou Tao-chun (周道君) told reporters after he was sworn in as agency head.

The reoriented program would look to support vulnerable couples expecting children, known domestic violence cases, low-income families, families with members who have learning difficulties or related conditions, and families dependent on long-term care, he said.

The changes to the program reflect the department’s shift of policy focus from dealing with the aftermath of domestic abuse to preventing it, Chou said.

Under the proposed policy changes, the department would begin advising expectant mothers under its purview on best practices for raising children and making adjustments to their home environment in the third trimester of pregnancy, he said.

Some parents could expect help in the form of home visits by social workers, childcare workers, nurses and other professionals as soon as their children are born, Chou said.

The Social Safety Net program was originally established to integrate social welfare services and match government assistance to the requirements of individual cases, he said.

Revisions to the program emphasize ensuring that government offices involved in a case would share pertinent information with each other, Chou said.

The agency would implement “smart” and community-based long-term care solutions and propose amendments to the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act (身心障礙者權益保障法) by the year’s end, he said.

Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said that upgrading the former social and family department into a ministerial administration is part of a push to reorganize the ministry.

The ministry’s policy aim is to improve the integration of medicine and long-term care, fields in which Chou has decades of experience, Shih added.


content_text:
A study by Taiwanese researchers has found that compared with firstborn children, second and third-born children had lower rates of allergies and asthma, possibly due to increased microbial exposure early in life.

The study, published in September in the medical journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, investigated the relationship between Taiwan’s declining birthrate and the rising prevalence of allergic diseases among children.

Fertility rates in Taiwan have dropped significantly, from 3.69 in 1970, to 1.5 in 1998 and 0.87 in 2023, the study said.

A woman blows her nose in an undated photograph. Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Taipei Times

At the same time, the prevalence of asthma in children has risen from 1.3 percent in 1974 to 20.3 percent in 2019, while allergic rhinitis (hay fever) rates rose from 7.8 percent to 50.6 percent and eczema rates rose from 1.4 percent to 11.3 percent, the study said.

To understand the changes, the study authors analyzed data from the Taiwan Birth Registration Database from 2004 to 2014 and linked them to the National Health Insurance Research Database, categorizing children by their birth order.

Fertility rates and allergy prevalence data from 1974 to 2023 were analyzed to explore longer-term trends.

The researchers found that later birth order was associated with lower risk of allergies.

Compared with firstborns, second-born and third-or-later born children had reduced risks of eczema (by 21.3 percent and 37.5 percent), asthma (25.0 percent and 26.9 percent) and hay fever (16.3 percent and 29.3 percent), the study found.

Findings suggest that “declining fertility and smaller family size may contribute to increased childhood allergy prevalence,” according to the authors.

While they did not state why firstborn children had higher rates of such conditions, they said that it could be related to “reduced microbial exposure earlier in life.”

The study was authored by Chan Chin-kan (詹金淦), a pediatrician at Taoyuan General Hospital, and Chen Pau-chung (陳保中), director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

title: Firstborn children experience more allergies: study


title: Flower power

content_text: Workers set up an installation for the Chiang Kai-shek Shilin Residence Chrysanthemum Festival in a photograph released yesterday. The event is set to open on Friday next week and run through Dec. 14.


title: Wintery warning

content_text: A person holds up a mousepad with snowflakes on Yushan yesterday after the mountain saw its first snowfall of the season. The normal timeframe for the first snow is between Nov. 8 and Dec. 31, with the average date falling on Dec. 14.


content_text: Members of the marine corps honor guard perform a rifle-throwing demonstration at Kaohsiung’s Sinbin Base yesterday, ahead of the military’s only open house of the year to be held tomorrow at the base.

title: Guard of honor


content_text:
TRADE WAR:  Nvidia’s expansion has faced challenges, with US restrictions on shipping advanced chips to China locking the company out of a massive market for its products

Nvidia Corp on Wednesday delivered a surprisingly strong revenue forecast and pushed back on the idea that the artificial intelligence (AI) industry is in a bubble, easing concerns that had spread across the technology sector.

The world’s most valuable company expects sales of about US$65 billion in the first quarter of next year — about US$3 billion more than analysts predicted.

Nvidia also said that a US$500 billion dollar revenue bonanza due in coming quarters might be even bigger than anticipated.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang attends the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

The outlook signaled that demand remains robust for Nvidia’s AI accelerators, the pricey and powerful chips used to develop AI models.

Nvidia had faced growing fears that the runaway spending on such equipment was not sustainable.

“There’s been a lot of talk about an AI bubble,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said on a conference call with analysts. “From our vantage point, we see something very different.”

The upbeat commentary sent Nvidia shares up about 5.4 percent in early trading yesterday before the markets opened in New York.

They had gained 39 percent this year through the close on Wednesday, leaving the company’s market value at US$4.5 trillion.

Nvidia’s results have become a barometer for the health of the AI industry, and the news lifted technology firms in Asia yesterday, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) rising 4.3 percent in Taipei, Samsung Electronics Co gaining 5 percent and SK Hynix Inc adding 2.2 percent in Seoul.

Among broader markets, Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul were up between 1.9 percent and 3.2 percent.

Sydney, Singapore, Wellington, Mumbai, Bangkok and Jakarta were also well up, but Hong Kong pared gains to end flat, while Shanghai finished lower.

The company has more than US$500 billion of revenue coming over the next few quarters, Huang said last month.

Owners of large data centers would continue to spend on new equipment, because investments in AI have begun to pay off, he said.

Nvidia chief financial officer Colette Kress on Wednesday went further, saying the company would likely eclipse the US$500 billion target.

“There’s definitely an opportunity for us to have more on top of the US$500 billion that we announced,” she said on the conference call. “The number will grow.”

Nvidia’s third-quarter results also topped analysts’ estimates.

Revenue rose 62 percent year-on-year to US$57 billion in the period, which ended on Oct. 26. Earnings per share were US$1.30.

Analysts had predicted sales of US$55.2 billion and earnings per share of US$1.26.

Nvidia’s main data center unit had revenue of US$51.2 billion in the quarter, compared with an average estimate of US$49.3 billion.

Chips used in gaming PCs — once the company’s chief source of revenue — delivered sales of US$4.3 billion. That compared with an average estimate of US$4.4 billion.

However, Nvidia’s expansion has faced challenges. US restrictions on the shipment of advanced chips to China have largely locked Nvidia out of a massive market for its products.

“Our forecast for China is zero,” Huang said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “We would love the opportunity to be able to re-engage the Chinese market with excellent products.”

Some investors have also expressed concerns about the structure of the deals that Nvidia has struck with customers.

The transactions involve investments in start-ups such as OpenAI and Anthropic PBC, raising the issue of whether the pacts are creating artificial demand for computers.

Nvidia’s investment in OpenAI, which still has not been finalized, would provide a good return, Huang said.

Backing Anthropic would help establish ties with a company that has not been a big user of Nvidia’s technology, he added.

Additional reporting by AFP

title: Nvidia forecast soothes AI bubble fears


content_text:
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said Taiwan’s economy “is not ill,” adding that the development has been strong over the past decade.

Kung made the statement on the sidelines of a legislative meeting in Taipei, in response to The Economist magazine’s cover story last week about what it called the “Formosan flu.”

The country’s outstanding economic performance stemmed from the government’s three investment programs, launched in response to the US-China trade war, which accelerated the return of Taiwanese businesses, Kung said.

Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin speaks to reporters on the sidelines of a legislative meeting in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

Taiwan also secured opportunities in the remote digital business brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the artificial intelligence trend, he said, adding that these factors affected the nation’s economy and exchange rates alone do not shape Taiwan’s strong export performance.

The story said the New Taiwan dollar has been undervalued for a long time and warned of hidden risks behind Taiwan’s prosperity.

Exchange rates are determined by the market dynamics of supply and demand, and the NT dollar has remained relatively stable compared with other countries, Kung said.

“It is strange to describe this kind of economy as ill — it should instead be viewed as a model case,” Kung said.

In comparison, China is facing weak domestic demand and is flooding global markets with low-priced products, creating international turmoil and contributing difficulties for Taiwan’s traditional industries, he said.

“The Economist should instead advise them [China] on how to solve the problem — that would be more meaningful,” Kung added.

Separately, Kung yesterday said the alleged intellectual property theft at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), Kung was unlikely to undermine the nation’s semiconductor industry, the ecosystem of which has remained robust and complete for more than 40 years.

“It is not so simple that one person taking away some data can destroy Taiwan’s semiconductor industry,” Kung said, referring to former TSMC senior vice president Lo Wei-jen (羅唯仁) — who allegedly stole the company’s most advanced process technologies, including 2-nanometer, 16A and 14A technologies before joining Intel Corp last month.

The ministry would assist TSMC should it decide to file a lawsuit against Lo, pursuant to the Trade Secrets Act (營業秘密法), he said, adding that the High Prosecutors’ Office has already launched an investigation under the National Security Act (國家安全法).

title: Taiwan’s economy is not ill: economics minister


title: WinWay plans to double probe card capacities

content_text:
EXPANSION:  WinWay said it plans to build an Arizona plant next year, in response to demand for US capacity and some customers’ ‘no China, no Taiwan’ policies

Chip testing interface supplier WinWay Technology Co (穎崴) yesterday said it would double its probe capacity next year to meet strong chip testing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and servers.

The company also downplayed concerns over a potential AI bubble, saying demand for WinWay’s testing services and products has been strong since last year, and that it has not seen signs of weakness.

“Strong customer demand is pushing up factory utilization to a nervous level in the fourth quarter,” WinWay chairman Mark Wang (王嘉煌) said. “We are pretty optimistic about market demand and expect our revenue to grow next year.”

WinWay Technology Co chairman Mark Wang, right, and senior vice president Jason Chen pose for a photograph in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

WinWay expects double-digit percentage growth in revenue next year, Wang said.

Revenue for the first three quarters of this year surged 32 percent year-on-year to NT$5.62 billion (US$179.6 million), with AI and high-performing computing applications accounting for 44 percent.

Coaxial sockets made up 41 percent, followed by vertical probe cards at 32 percent, company data showed.

With strong market demand, WinWay plans to expand its probe capacity to about 6 million to 7 million units per month at its Kaohsiung plant, compared with 3.5 million units now, Wang said.

The strong momentum is not limited to AI and advanced chips, but also extends to less advanced chips, he added.

A growing number of large companies, including cloud service providers, are also seeking to develop their own AI chips, which would underpin the market’s further growth, Wang said.

WinWay is next year planning to build its first manufacturing plant in Arizona, in response to US customers’ demand for local capacity amid geopolitical risks, he said, adding that some customers are requesting a third manufacturing site based on their “no China, no Taiwan” policy.

The US factory is expected to start operations in the second half of next year, focused on coaxial sockets and probe cards used in advanced packaging technology, Wang said.

The company plans to invest between NT$500 million and NT$1 billion in the US plant, he added.

WinWay’s new micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) probe card is making progress, as a major project is entering the second phase of a partnership with a customer, Wang said, adding that it had a larger scale and longer supply agreement of at least five years.

A MEMS probe card is an advanced tool used for electrically testing semiconductor wafers.

The company said its net profit for the first three quarters soared by 43.72 percent annually to NT$1.19 billion from NT$828 million. Earnings per share leapt to NT$33.4 from NT$24.08, and gross margin rose to 46.62 percent from NT$42.25 over the period.


content_text:
Export orders last month expanded 25.1 percent year-on-year to US$69.37 billion, the ninth straight month of double-digit percentage growth and the second-highest for a single month, driven by strong demand in the artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing and cloud service industries, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

Last month’s export orders — an indicator of product and component shipments to overseas markets over the following one to three months — decreased 1.2 percent from the previous month, but were still within the ministry’s estimate of US$68.6 billion to US$70.6 billion.

In the first 10 months of the year, export orders grew 22.6 percent to US$593.74 billion, the largest for the period, the ministry said.

Gantry cranes, shipping containers and a cargo ship are pictured at the Port of Kaohsiung on Aug. 1. Photo: CNA

Export orders this month are projected to reach US$66.7 billion to US$68.7 billion, or a year-on-year increase of 27.6 percent to 31.4 percent, it said.

Order momentum is expected to remain strong through the end of this year, supported by robust demand for information and communications technology products, and electronic components, Department of Statistics Director-General Huang Wei-jie (黃偉傑) said.

Export orders for the whole year could hit a new high, surpassing US$674.1 billion in 2021, if orders this month and next month average US$40.2 billion — a scenario that is highly possible, Huang said.

It is also highly likely that the annual total could exceed US$700 billion if orders this month and next month average US$53.2 billion, he added.

Ministry data showed export orders for electronic components last month surged 35.9 percent year-on-year, as AI and emerging technologies continued to drive demand for chip production, design and packaging services, while orders for information and communications technology products rose 28.4 percent on the back of strong momentum in server and Internet communications businesses.

Machinery orders were also 16 percent higher than a year earlier, driven by increased demand for semiconductor production equipment, the ministry said.

Weakness persisted in some traditional industries, with export orders for plastic and rubber products falling by 9.8 percent, base metals dropping by 10 percent due to US tariffs and oversupply from China, the ministry added.

Chemical product orders rebounded, rising 4.4 percent, it said.

title: Export orders rise for ninth month to US$69.37bn


content_text:
ECCT calls on government to quickly bolster resilience, not rely on AI boom

The European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) yesterday urged the government to move faster to bolster the nation’s economic and societal resilience, cautioning that Taiwan cannot count on the artificial intelligence (AI) boom to drive growth forever.

Taiwan was one of the clear winners of the COVID-19 era tech cycle and is riding the AI demand wave, the chamber said in its annual position paper.

However, the group warned that such momentum would not last indefinitely.

From right, European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) chairman Henry Chang, National Development Council Deputy Minister Jan Fang-guan and ECCT CEO Freddie Hoglund pose for a photo at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

“There is no telling how long the AI bonanza will continue, while Taiwan is facing numerous other economic and geopolitical challenges,” the report said, adding that the country still lacked a comprehensive, human-centered AI governance framework.

The absence of clear rules creates ethical, security and economic uncertainties for innovators, investors and the public, it said.

As the durability of the AI upswing is uncertain and geopolitical risks are increasing, Taiwan should “make hay while the sun shines” by reinforcing its energy system, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory environment, the ECCT said.

A major concern is that Taiwan is falling behind its renewable-energy targets due to global supply constraints, restrictive permitting and fragmented policymaking, it added.

The chamber urged the government to strike a better balance between maintaining reliable and affordable power, and meeting climate and energy-security objectives.

The report also identified opportunities for deeper AI collaboration between Taiwan and Europe, saying their complementary strengths could shape global standards for safe and ethical AI development.

To improve the energy transition, the ECCT recommended the government establish a dedicated energy agency, ensure adequate financing for the next phase of offshore wind projects, and ease permitting processes for geothermal and onshore wind projects.

The chamber also called for greater investment in grid and storage infrastructure, and for relaxing localization rules when there are no competitive domestic suppliers.

Additional proposals included creating a roadmap for floating offshore wind plans, expanding tax incentives for electric vehicles, and updating rules for biodiesel, sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen and ammonia.

Demographic pressures pose another long-term vulnerability, as Taiwan turns into a super-aged society, the chamber said, calling for stronger efforts to attract and retain foreign talent, including by lower qualification thresholds, simpler visa procedures, standard three-year work permits and a new short-term business visa.

The ECCT also urged more flexible labor policies and exempting senior executives from certain requirements, saying that overly rigid rules constrain productivity and hold back women’s career advancement.

These reforms are crucial if Taiwan is to remain competitive and resilient as global conditions grow increasingly uncertain, it said.


title: E.Sun vows US$540 million capital boost to revive insurer

content_text:
E.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) plans to inject at least half a billion dollars to revive a struggling life insurance firm it is acquiring, as part of its broader ambition to become a more prominent player in Taiwan’s increasingly competitive financial sector.

The Taipei-based financial holding company plans to transfer around NT$17 billion (US$544 million) in cash — drawn from the group’s profits — to Mercuries Life Insurance Co (三商美邦人壽) next year and in 2027, E.Sun chairman Joseph Huang (黃男州) said in an interview on Monday.

The group also has plans for Mercuries Life to further strengthen its financial position by issuing at least US$100 million in US dollar-denominated subordinated bonds in Singapore next year.

E.Sun Financial Holding Co chairman Joseph Huang speaks at a news conference in Taipei on Nov. 5. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

Earlier this month, E.Sun emerged as the winning bidder to acquire Mercuries Life — an insurer that has repeatedly failed to meet Taiwan’s regulatory capital requirements — in a US$1.6 billion share-swap deal expected to be completed in August next year.

While the acquisition will give E.Sun long-sought exposure to the insurance business, ratings agencies have cautioned that the merger could weaken the group’s overall credit profile in the short term.

E.Sun will face the immediate challenge of having to improve Mercuries’ capital situation and adopting stricter accounting rules for Taiwan’s insurance companies starting in January next year.

“The capital issue was what we considered most carefully in this deal,” Huang said, wearing the group’s signature green-tinted suit — a uniform required for all senior executives during public appearances, embodying the bank’s culture of uniformity and discipline. “We plan to exceed the regulator’s expectations by bringing Mercuries Life’s capital level above the regulatory standard in less than half the expected time.”

Acquiring Mercuries turns E.Sun into the fifth largest of Taiwan’s 13 financial groups — excluding a fully owned state bank — with assets totaling NT$5.9 trillion as of September. Prior to the deal, E.Sun ranked eighth.

Issuing US dollar debt is “a very cheap way to raise capital” for Mercuries Life, according to Huang, as the insurer can reinvest the proceeds in US bonds, reducing the effective cost to just 70-80 basis points — the spread between the bond’s coupon and the expected yield from the reinvested assets. “It also eliminates currency mismatch risk,” he said.

“If market conditions worsen significantly and E.Sun’s earnings fall short of expectations, I can issue preferred shares as a last resort to boost capital,” Huang said.

He expects Mercuries to return to profitability next year and generate around NT$10 billion in profit within three years, contributing roughly a fifth of the parent group’s earnings.

E.Sun will retain all of Mercuries’ staff and seek to hire more talent to revamp the insurer’s investment team. In the early 2020s, a string of poor investment decisions involving inverse exchange-traded fund resulted in heavy losses and regulatory fines, severely eroding the firm’s capital and ultimately paving the way for its sale.

E.Sun was founded in 1992 as a commercial bank before later expanding into securities, venture capital, and more recently asset management. The purchase of Mercuries Life is seen as a crucial step in E.Sun’s effort to build a full-stack financial services platform.

Despite the New Taiwan dollar’s historic appreciation versus the greenback in May causing headaches for local insurers through the rest of the year, Huang believes that pressure from exchange and interest rates will ease as currency hedging costs decline, supported by the new reserves system and a potential change in accounting rules aimed at further reducing the foreign exchange burdens.

Policy sales are also expected to recover as the US Federal Reserve begins cutting interest rates, he said. “So we feel the timing is right to make the acquisition.”


title: Vibrant blooms

content_text: Dancers perform at a news conference in Nantou County’s Puli Township yesterday promoting the upcoming Puli Flower Exhibition and Nantou Floral Carnival, which are to start tomorrow and run until Dec. 7 at the Puli Flower Logistics Center and the plaza in front of Puli Hengji Temple respectively.


people: 鄭麗文 蔡正元

title: EDITORIAL: KMT head walking a dangerous path

content_text:
On Nov. 8, newly elected Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) and Vice Chairman Chi Lin-len (季麟連) attended a memorial for White Terror era victims, during which convicted Chinese Communist Party (CCP) spies such as Wu Shi (吳石) were also honored.

Cheng’s participation in the ceremony, which she said was part of her efforts to promote cross-strait reconciliation, has trapped herself and her party into the KMT’s dark past, and risks putting the party back on its old disastrous road.

Wu, a lieutenant general who was the Ministry of National Defense’s deputy chief of the general staff, was recruited by the CCP to spy on the KMT. He was executed in 1950 after being convicted as a spy.

Wu leaked crucial military intelligence, including the military deployment plan in the Huaihai Campaign (淮海戰役), which resulted in the KMT’s crushing defeat and the deaths of more than 550,000 Nationalist Army troops.

While Wu was convicted as a traitor in Taiwan, Beijing has long praised him as a “martyr” who contributed to the CCP’s takeover of China. This year, Chinese state media even released a TV series propagating Wu’s espionage work in Taiwan as a “noble act to promote cross-strait unification.”

It is ironic that Cheng, as KMT chair, showed up at a ceremony hosted by the pro-unification Taiwan Political Victims Mutual Aid Association to commemorate political victims of the White Terror era, and to publicly honor Wu and other spies as martyrs. Her action could damage the KMT, as it not only shone light on the ugly history of the party’s authoritarian rule, but also aligned with China’s propaganda regarding the CCP defeating the KMT to occupy the mainland.

Cheng is blurring right and wrong by lumping together political victims and treasonous spies.

The KMT has blocked the promotion of White Terror-related compensation measures, such as the Regulations for the Organization and Operation of the Review Committee for Judicial Misconduct and Administrative Misconduct During the Period of Authoritarian Rule (司法不法及行政不法審查組織條例). Meanwhile, Cheng is commemorating Wu, using White Terror victims as a pretext to echo the CCP’s distortion of the Chinese Civil War to vilify the KMT and belittle Taiwan.

On top of Cheng’s previous comments, such as “making all Taiwanese proud to be Chinese” and “Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a dictator,” Cheng giving tribute to Chinese spies shows she is pro-China and pro-unification, and oblivious to Taiwan’s dignity and de facto independence.

Cheng has not only drawn public criticism, but also raised doubts within her own party. Former KMT legislator Alex Tsai (蔡正元) said the party might as well change its name to the “Chinese Nationalist Surrender Party.”

A poll released on Tuesday by the Taiwan Opinion Foundation found that more than 50 percent of Taiwanese see the KMT as a pro-China party, and not an anti-communist force. More than 52 percent also believed the party is untrustworthy.

A democratic society could allow different perspectives of history, but it should not tolerate the deliberate confusion of basic values of national identity and fidelity. Cheng’s goal of so-called “cross-strait reconciliation” should not come at the expense of Taiwan’s sovereignty and dignity.

Cheng and the KMT should face history and remember that dancing with the devil only leads to a disastrous fate.


content_text:
Recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi — asserting that “a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency” — have intensified tensions in East Asia.

China’s strong diplomatic protest, combined with uncertainty surrounding Washington’s long-term Taiwan policy, has reshaped the strategic environment of the Taiwan Strait. These developments underscore that Taiwan’s security rests within a complex strategic triangle involving the Republic of China (ROC), the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the US, with Japan emerging as an increasingly consequential external actor.

A useful way to make sense of this shifting environment is to analyze cross-strait relations through the framework of small and large triangular games. The small triangle focuses on interactions among the ROC government, Taiwan’s domestic political forces and the PRC. The large triangle incorporates US strategic commitments — commitments that are now influenced by Japan’s more explicit security posture.

Despite changing diplomatic signals, national defense remains the core of strategic stability. Facing persistent military pressure from China, Taiwan must reinforce its deterrence while preserving public confidence. Excessive reliance on US security guarantees might reduce short-term conflict risks, but could undermine Taiwan’s long-term strategic autonomy.

A resilient defense structure — integrating force deployment, early-warning capabilities and civil-military coordination — sends credible signals to domestic and international audiences. Stronger defense capacity raises the cost of coercion and enhances Taiwan’s leverage in broader strategic interactions.

Takaichi’s statement reflects a more explicit alignment between Taiwan’s security and Japan’s national interests. Beijing interprets this alignment as part of a containment effort, triggering more forceful diplomatic responses. Meanwhile, Washington continues to stress deterrence, but the consistency of its long-term commitments remains subject to domestic politics and shifting global priorities.

Taiwan must navigate this multilayered strategic environment. In the small triangular game, careful management of cross-strait signals is necessary to avoid unintentional escalation. In the larger strategic game, Taiwan should make use of multilateral platforms, expand cooperation with democratic partners, and maintain flexibility amid evolving US and Japanese policies. Diplomatic diversification, rather than reliance on any single patron, can bolster Taiwan’s strategic resilience.

Taiwan’s economy is deeply embedded in global supply chains, especially in advanced manufacturing and semiconductors. Any geopolitical friction — whether driven by cross-strait tensions, US-China technological rivalry or Japan’s shifting posture — could disrupt production stability, export performance and investment flows.

China may employ economic leverage to shape Taiwan’s political choices. In contrast, the US and Japan seek to reinforce Taiwan’s bargaining position through technological collaboration, market openness and foreign investment.

Taiwan must balance attracting foreign partners with maintaining autonomy in critical technological sectors. Industrial resilience supports national defense and diplomatic flexibility.

Security is not solely the product of military capability and diplomacy; social trust is equally vital. When citizens trust government policies, crisis management becomes more effective and deterrence more credible. Conversely, fragmented public opinion or declining confidence weakens defense readiness and diplomatic maneuvering.

Enhancing transparency in security policy, ensuring clear communication and encouraging public participation are essential for building internal cohesion — an indispensable asset in long-term strategic competition.

The Taiwan Strait is shaped by a complex combination of military pressures, diplomatic maneuvering, economic interdependence and social dynamics. As Japan takes a more proactive stance and US-China rivalry intensifies, Taiwan must operate within an expanded and increasingly unpredictable strategic equation.

To safeguard stability, Taiwan should bolster its autonomous defense capabilities, employ diplomacy with strategic flexibility, enhance industrial resilience, and fortify social trust and internal unity.

Only by balancing these dimensions can Taiwan navigate the evolving triangular — now increasingly quadrilateral — geopolitical landscape, protect national security and sustain long-term socioeconomic development.

Leonard Fong-sheng Wang is an honorary chair professor at the National University of Kaohsiung.

title: The triangular game in the Strait


content_text:
Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) was recently invited to deliver an address at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China’s (IPAC) annual summit, in the European Parliament building in Brussels.

On the world stage, the moment was hailed as a breakthrough. The Guardian and Reuters framed it as a rare opportunity for a top Taiwanese official to publicly defend its democracy and call for global support. Meanwhile, as predictable as clockwork, Hsiao’s visit drew China’s ire.

Beijing condemned IPAC as “merely a clique of anti-China elements” and accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government of colluding to stage “a farce.” This is a familiar dance: Taiwan reaches out; China pushes back.

What is alarming is the cynicism of Taiwan’s opposition parties, as well as the more subtle, pervasive reaction from citizens who might be disillusioned with the “status quo.”

Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) offered an odd interpretation, saying it was not easy for Hsiao to “rent the venue” and that “we do not want to criticize her too harshly.”

The lukewarm praise communicated a misrepresentation of the nature of Hsiao’s presence in Brussels.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has also been criticized by the DPP for minimizing the significance of the trip.

DPP spokeswoman Han Ying (韓瑩) accused the KMT of undermining Taiwan’s international standing by refusing to join IPAC and by “moving to embrace China.”

At the same time, rumors circulated online.

Some said the speech was “bought” or that it was arranged solely for optics, despite Hsiao publicly refuting such misinformation and international media widely reporting the significance of her trip.

For the vitality of Taiwan’s democracy, such reactions are more toxic than just sour grapes. Indeed, this discourse is what sociologists Anne Taylor and Jeff Alexander describe as “active performances of de-fusion.”

In other words, comments and speculations that twisted the facts about Hsiao’s speech at IPAC did not debate the impacts of her diplomatic effort, or even to express apathy toward the achievements of an unfavored politician. Instead, they become part of a social performance to actively demonize the other side — in this case, the ruling party and its diplomatic initiatives — while seeming within the bounds of “free speech.”

This civic cynicism is especially hazardous for Taiwan. As the nation faces serious external challenges — needing to withstand increasing military, cyber and diplomatic pressure from China while struggling to garner international recognition — it is profoundly dangerous when the impulse to demonize political opponents becomes stronger than recognizing a shared destiny.

Instead of facilitating discussions about Taiwan’s challenges and puzzling through the best way forward, the performances of de-fusion propel the spread of collective detachment. The inclination to delegitimize the government promotes an “emotional high” in being right about the government’s failures.

It insidiously erodes the fabric of our civic culture, replacing discussions such as “I do not think this is a good policy” with “this diplomatic effort is fake,” “this outreach is useless,” “this party is only for show” or “this move is foolish.”

It mistakenly equates cynicism with an intellectually superior, morally righteous gesture, encouraging citizens to criticize without engaging and to embrace feeling wronged by “them” rather than expanding the bond of “us.”

So what can be done?

The emotional resonance that is cynicism is rarely disrupted by fact-checking and rational debates. However, the social drama of hope could be a strong antidote.

Stories such as “IPAC vows to combat China’s moves” (Nov. 12, page 1) are part of such a larger social drama of hope: Taiwan stepping into a role beyond its borders and asserting its stake in the international democratic order.

Elected officials, opposition leaders and citizens choosing to take part in these actions and share such stories might not change the minds of all. However, slowly but surely, we would reach those who want to find hope about Taiwan’s future, but do not know how.

As I pen this piece while preparing for an academic talk entitled “Can Taiwan’s Democracy be Saved?” I ask myself: “Can it?”

The answer, in part, lies in Taiwanese cultivating what Stanford University psychologist Jamil Zaki called “hopes for cynics”: a healthy suspicion of the naysayers and a willingness to participate in creating positive change.

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: Why embrace cynicism over hope?

people: 黃國昌 蕭美琴