countries: 臺灣 菲律賓

content_text:
記者張辰卿/台北報導

中華電信董座簡志誠出任會長 整合「電信、製造、系統」打造 NTN 自主實力

在全球 6G、低軌衛星與非地面通訊（NTN）快速崛起的歷史關鍵時刻，台北市電腦公會（TCA）宣布成立「臺灣次世代通訊產業聯盟」（Taiwan NextGen Communications Alliance, TNGCA），12 月 1 日正式登場，由電信營運、電子製造與系統整合三大產業共同組成的跨域聯盟，象徵臺灣從 5G 參與者正式邁向 6G 與衛星通訊國際競局的戰略起點。

目前已有超過50家企業及30位個人會員加入，橫跨電信、衛星、晶片、製造、系統整合、AI 與新創等領域，展現業界對次世代通訊布局的高度投入，並凸顯跨域整合已成全球發展趨勢。

▲臺灣次世代通訊產業聯盟簡志誠會長、馮震宇副會長、井琪副會長、劉瑞隆副會長（林輝誼總處長代表）合影。(圖/台北市電腦公會提供)

臺灣次世代通訊產業聯盟（TNGCA）的成立，正是呼應政府推動自主通訊與太空科技的政策方向，透過跨域整合與產業協力，為未來的 6G、衛星通訊與非地面網路（NTN）奠定更具韌性的技術基礎。

聯盟同步公布首屆領導團隊，將由中華電信(股)公司董事長簡志誠擔任會長，和碩聯合科技(股)公司馮震宇總經理、凌羣電腦(股)公司劉瑞隆總經理以及遠傳電信(股)公司井琪總經理共同擔任副會長，組成橫跨電信營運、電子製造、系統整合三大關鍵產業的戰略陣容。

聯盟也宣布四大委員會主責布局政策倡議、技術推動、國際拓展與產學合作。委員會由三位副會長與國立臺北科技大學林丁丙教授出任主委。此陣容完整串接臺灣通訊產業鏈上中下游，展現臺灣產業界與學研界攜手投入次世代通訊布局的共同決心。

▲臺灣次世代通訊產業聯盟正式啟動—全體會員大合影。(圖/台北市電腦公會提供)

四大推動主軸 全面提升臺灣次世代通訊競爭力

一、衝刺國產化！聚焦 6G、NTN 技術 建立「斷網也能通」的自主能力

聯盟將聚焦 5G/6G、LEO/MEO/GEO 衛星、高空無人機（HALE）、高空平台系統（HAPS）等核心技術，推動國產研發、驗測平台與關鍵模組量能，加強臺灣在極端環境下的網路連續性與安全性，建立「斷網也能通」的通訊自主能力。

二、爭奪話語權！加速接軌 3GPP助臺廠站上國際制高點

TCA 將持續深化與國際標準組織合作，包括 3GPP、O-RAN、HAPS Alliance、GSOA 等，促進臺灣業者與國際標準制定者、全球技術供應商直接對話，提升臺灣在 6G、衛星與 NTN 技術領域的國際參與度與影響力，並協助產業打入全球市場。

三、人才即國力！整合千萬級政府資源 打造次世代工程師供應鏈

聯盟將結合經濟部產業發展署、教育部資訊及科技教育司及會員企業資源，推動產業開放場域、測試平台與千萬級研發設備，讓青年工程師、研究生及新進人才能在真實產線與研發環境中累積經驗。

6G 時代將高度依賴 AI、衛星通訊與軟硬體垂直整合，人才缺口已成所有產業共同課題。聯盟秘書長鄭琇君表示：「TNGCA 目標是打造一條可持續運作的研發人才供應鏈，成為臺灣科技產業的下一支關鍵引擎」。

四、布局全球舞台！從國際合作到市場輸出 推動產業前進世界供應鏈

聯盟將透過促進會員參與國際組織、國際展會與跨國技術合作，強化臺灣技術整合與全球市場影響力；並結合國際夥伴與海外關鍵通路，拓展會員產品與方案在海外市場的曝光度與採用機會，加速臺灣通訊技術邁向國際輸出。

TNGCA 啟動首項國際合作 臺灣衛星技術輸出與東南亞合作加速升溫

菲律賓太空總署與臺廠深度對接，聚焦地面站、天線、材料與測試設備等技術領域

臺灣次世代通訊產業聯盟（TNGCA）成立後立即展開國際合作布局，促成菲律賓太空總署（PhilSA）商業開發總處長 Engr. Rolando P. Martinez 與 10 家臺灣衛星與通訊關鍵業者舉辦一對一商談會，為聯盟推動國際供應鏈合作邁出關鍵的第一步。

PhilSA 近年積極發展自主衛星與太空系統，本次除出席 TNGCA 成立大會外，更與多家臺灣企業進行深度技術對接，交流領域涵蓋衛星地面站系統、天線、太空材料、模組開發與測試設備等項目。

隨著 6G 與 NTN 技術逐步成熟，臺灣次世代通訊產業聯盟 (TNGCA) 將成為引領臺灣在全球新通訊時代「與世界同步、甚至領先一步」的關鍵推手。

title: 臺灣次世代通訊產業聯盟成立　啟動 6G 與衛星戰略布局


taiwan-subdivisions: 大安區 東區

countries: 阿根廷 日本

content_text:
記者張辰卿/台北報導

精品級鐵板料理×彈性包場服務×企業尾牙新亮點

歲末年終將近，企業紛紛著手規劃年度尾牙、春酒與商務活動。位於台北東區核心地段的 TBS 剔邦饈 Teppanyaki，今年推出全新歲末企業饗宴方案，以精品級無菜單鐵板料理、可容納 35 人的彈性包場空間，以及高度客製化服務，成為企業聚餐與各式活動的新焦點。

TBS 剔邦饈以「剔・邦・饈」為品牌理念，象徵：剔——精準火候演繹頂級食材本味、邦——融合多國料理元素打造世界風味、饈——以山海珍味堆疊出層次豐富的味覺體驗。餐廳自開幕以來深受商務客層青睞，今年更特別強化企業服務，鎖定主管宴請、部門慶功、品牌活動等多元需求。Jet 餐廳主理人表示：「我們希望讓企業在歲末聚會中，不僅能享受高品質餐點，更能感受到被照顧的儀式感。TBS 不只是提供美食，而是把每一場餐會，打造成能體現企業文化與價值的專業餐飲體驗。」

頂級鐵板料理打造企業儀式感 展現精品級美學

餐廳以高端食材為核心，融合鐵板燒的火候美學與國際料理語彙，每道皆具備「上得了檯面、吃得出層次」的特色，適合企業宴請重要賓客。近期推出「百搭的藝術：無國界料理」9道精緻菜色令人無比驚豔，亮點菜色包括：

【紫蘇・安康魚肝・煎餅】以香氣鮮明的紫蘇開場，搭配質地細膩的安康魚肝，以薄煎餅平衡口感。層次恰到好處，帶出開胃小品的輕盈與深度。

▲【酸種麵包・油封蛋黃・芝麻葉・牛血葉】主廚以酸種麵包為底，包覆油封蛋黃的濃郁與滑順，搭配芝麻葉與牛血葉，創造出苦韻與溫潤交織的風味，展現充滿現代感的前菜。(圖/業者提供)

【紅玉雞・椰奶・珊瑚菇・蒜蕈】選用肉質細緻的紅玉雞，以椰奶的柔香與珊瑚菇的脆嫩提升整體香氣，蒜蕈更添深度，呈現如湯品般溫暖的層次。

【小卷・燒烤紅甜椒醬・羅美・阿根廷青醬・切達起司】鐵板高溫鎖住小卷鮮甜，搭配燒烤紅甜椒醬與清爽的阿根廷青醬，香草的氣味既明亮又百搭，切達起司則讓口感更加圓潤。

▲【龍蝦半尾】選用新鮮龍蝦，以鐵板火候精準掌控，保留最原始的海味與彈性。僅以極簡手法呈現，強調海鮮最動人的純粹與厚度。(圖/業者提供)

【鮑魚・鮭魚卵・甜菜根・蘋果・青蘋果・南瓜子・百里香】透過鐵板香煎鮑魚的香氣堆疊，結合鮭魚卵的鹹鮮爆發，甜菜根與蘋果賦予酸度與果香，南瓜子帶出堅果層次，整體結構立體而精準。

【金鯧魚・叻沙醬・川七・檸檬】金鯧魚以鐵板微煎至外皮酥香、內裡柔嫩，搭配以椰香與辛香料層層堆疊的叻沙醬，呈現濃郁而不膩的南洋靈魂，檸檬的明亮酸度則為料理注入熱帶的輕盈節奏。

【伊比利豬・黑醋栗・檸檬優格・玉米筍・龍鬚菜・酸紫洋蔥・迷迭香】以伊比利豬的油脂香氣作為主軸，黑醋栗與檸檬優格打造風味對比，玉米筍與龍鬚菜增添清爽層次，酸紫洋蔥與迷迭香則讓香氣更加立體。

▲ 【日本和牛】精選油花細緻的日本和牛，以鐵板封存肉汁與香氣，不需過多調味，便能展現肉質本身的細膩、柔軟與餘韻。(圖/業者提供)

Jet 主理人補充：「每道料理設計的出發點，就是讓企業主人能夠放心邀請貴賓—讓賓客吃得滿意、主人臉上有光，這是我們最重視的餐飲價值。」

東區核心精緻空間：35 人包場、半包空間、客製化服務

TBS 剔邦饈位於台北東區精華地段，交通便利，並以企業聚會最重視的「私密性、儀式感與彈性配置」打造全方位空間。餐廳可容納 35 人以內的團體包場，適合企業尾牙、春酒、新品體驗會等商務聚會。館內具備多座鐵板燒台，賓客可近距離欣賞主廚即席料理，提升活動的沉浸感與記憶點；另設有半獨立包廂感區域，提供更高的私密度，適合主管聚餐、部門慶功或 VIP 客戶接待。TBS 亦提供依預算客製化菜單與流程設計，從菜數配置到活動動線皆可量身調整。Jet 主理人表示：「企業聚會的核心是體面與體貼，我們希望從動線、排餐到服務節奏，都讓客戶感受到最安心、最專業的安排。」TBS 剔邦饈打造兼具美味、質感與專業的高端餐會場域。無論是年度尾牙、春酒、主管宴請、客戶答謝餐會，或品牌小型活動，餐廳均能以頂級料理與細膩服務滿足企業多樣需求，成為今年歲末聚會市場的矚目選擇。

TBS 剔邦饈 Teppanyaki

地址：台北市大安區忠孝東路四段 216 巷 8 弄 6 號

電話：0982 887 848（周一公休）

FB：https://www.facebook.com/teambangshow?mibextid=JRoKGi

title: TBS 剔邦饈 Teppanyaki：以世界美味，重新定義台北高端餐桌體驗


taiwan-subdivisions: 梅山 嘉義縣 嘉義 東石

title: 嘉義縣政府於梅山大南國小舉辦牡蠣食魚教育    近70名學童化身小小蚵學家

content_text:
記者張辰卿/嘉義報導

嘉義縣政府12/1日將沿海的優質牡蠣文化帶進梅山大南國小，與近70位山區學童一起展開一堂兼具趣味與知識的牡蠣食魚教育課程。農業處許彰敏處長特地出席與學童互動，現場氣氛熱絡。活動透過生動講解、剖蚵體驗與趣味教具闖關，引導孩子們認識蚵仔從產地到餐桌的旅程，並認識水產品溯源的重要性。

縣府以「溯源東石蚵」為主題，開發「天啊！蚵以這樣學」教具，讓食魚教育從遊戲與實作中扎根。教具設計三大任務關卡，包括「養蚵順序大考驗」、「小小蚵農來串蚵」及「溯源牡蠣拼拼樂」。學童們在分組競賽中積極搶答、合作闖關，展現高度投入，全班宛如一群熱情的小小蚵學家。

▲ 透過輕鬆有趣的學習方式，培養對國產水產品的認同感。(圖/嘉義縣政府)

課程由好美船屋鄭怡雯講師以簡單易懂的方式介紹牡蠣的生理構造及成長過程，並搭配有獎問答帶動現場氛圍。最受歡迎的剖蚵實作體驗，由蚵農耆老蔡信福夫婦親自指導，孩子們親手打開蚵殼、見到飽滿蚵肉的瞬間紛紛驚呼，現場充滿熱烈討論。課程最後以學習單作為回饋，深化對海洋永續與在地牡蠣產業的理解。

農業處表示，此次食魚教育校園場不僅讓山區學童有機會近距離接觸嘉義的牡蠣產業，也期盼透過輕鬆有趣的學習方式，開啟孩子對海洋議題的想像，並培養對國產水產品的認同感。縣府未來將持續推動食魚教育，串聯更多在地產業與學校，打造更完善的在地食魚教育環境。

▲縣府開發「天啊！蚵以這樣學」教具，從遊戲與實作中扎根。(圖/嘉義縣政府)


content_text:
Mixx Technologies 完成 3,300 萬美元 A 輪融資，透過全棧光整合技術重新定義人工智能基礎架構

2025-12-01

加利福尼亞州聖荷西2025年12月1日 /美通社/ — Mixx Technologies——專注於為人工智能 (AI) 基礎架構提供高效能、系統級光學連接解決方案的創新企業——今日宣佈成功完成 3,300 萬美元的 A 輪融資。本輪融資由 ICM HPQC 基金領投，TDK Ventures、Systemiq Capital、Banpu Innovation & Ventures、G Vision Capital、Ajinomoto Group Ventures 以及其他戰略合作夥伴共同參與。這輪認購額超額的募資，彰顯投資者對 Mixx 突破性方法的高度信心。

Mixx 由 Intel 矽光子收發器科技的創新者，以及 Broadcom 首創網路交換器共封裝光學元件 (CPO) 的開發團隊共同創立。該團隊始終站在連接技術每次重大飛躍的最前線，如今正齊心協力消除限制人工智能 (AI) 性能與可擴展性的互連瓶頸。Mixx 擁有融合光子、先進封裝和系統架構的平台，為更快、更平行的 AI 基礎架構建基礎。

該筆資金將用於推動 Mixx 的產品開發里程碑，並透過在美國、印度及台灣設立研發中心與建立生態系夥伴關係，拓展其全球佈局。

Mixx Technologies 行政總裁兼共同創辦人 Vivek Raghuraman 表示：「隨著 AI 基礎架構擴展至 exabyte 時代，效能指標正在改變。以前以連結速度和元件效率為中心的重點，現在必須考慮在數據中心層級測量的全系統功率、延遲和可靠性。Mixx 正在重新思考這些基礎知識，以最佳化端對端的數據轉移，在數億萬億個相互連的節點中儲存每個微焦點，並獲得納米秒的化合物。

這個轉變的核心是 HBXiO™，我們的矽整合光學引擎，為次世代人工智能基礎架構打造通訊平台。結合開放標準、專有協調演算法與高基數連接器，此先進架構以前所未有的速度與可靠性，串聯後端與前端網路的運算需求。透過提供更高頻寬、更低功耗及降低總擁有成本，Mixx 正重新定義實現未來智能系統完整潛能所需的連通架構。

Mixx Technologies 簡介

Mixx Technologies, Inc. 是深度科技公司，解決人工智能基礎設施的數據移動瓶頸。Mixx 的基礎多太位元組 HBxIO™ 平台提供超高基數、可拓展的連接能力，使雲端服務供應商得以空前速度與效率部署龐大的 AI 推論模型。總部位於加州聖荷西，並在印度與台灣設有營運據點的 Mixx Technologies，正致力推動新一代可靠、可拓展且可持續的人工智能基礎架構。

countries: 台灣 印度 美國


content_text:
TAIWAN-FRIENDLY:  The Conservative presidential candidate, backed by Trump, and his Liberal rival have said they might resume diplomatic relations with Taiwan

Nasry Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate backed by US President Donald Trump, was yesterday leading in Honduras’ presidential election with more than 40 percent of votes counted, preliminary results showed.

A former mayor of Tegucigalpa, 67-year-old Asfura had 41 percent of the votes counted so far. His Liberal Party rival, Salvador Nasralla, was in second place with about 39 percent. Rixi Moncada, of the ruling LIBRE party, was third with 20 percent.

Whichever candidate wins a simple majority would govern the country from next year to 2030.

Honduran presidential candidate of the National Party Nasry Asfura gestures, as he casts his vote in Tegucigalpa on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Outgoing Honduran President Xiomara Castro reposted on X a message from her husband, former president Manuel Zelaya, calling for vigilance while “awaiting the final count, with 100 percent of the presidential ballots tallied.”

In the run-up, Trump weighed in on the tightly contested race to throw his support behind Asfura in a series of social media posts, saying he could work with him to counter drug trafficking and that “if he doesn’t win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad.”

On Friday, Trump also said he would grant a pardon to former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who is serving a 45-year prison sentence in the US for drug trafficking and firearms charges. Hernandez, who led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was also from the National Party.

Honduran presidential candidate of the Liberal Party Salvador Nasralla gestures to supporters after seeing the initial results of the presidential election in Tegucigalpa on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Argentine President Javier Milei threw in his lot with Asfura as well, writing on social media that “he is the candidate who best represents opposition to the leftist tyrants who destroyed Honduras.”

Asfura and Nasralla have said they might resume diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which were severed in 2023. Such a move would mark the biggest diplomatic setback for China in the region for decades.

Sunday’s vote, in which the 128 members of Congress, hundreds of mayors and thousands of other public officials are also being chosen, took place in a highly polarized climate. Moncada has suggested she would not recognize the official results.

Most polls showed a virtual tie between the three candidates heading into election day. The Organization of American States expressed concerns about the electoral process.

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau warned that Washington would respond “swiftly and decisively to anyone who undermines the integrity of the democratic process in Honduras.”

On Sunday, some frustrated voters and electoral observers denounced officials for turning away citizens still waiting to vote.

Honduras, where six out of every 10 citizens live in poverty, suffered a coup in 2009 when an alliance of right-wing military figures, politicians and businessmen overthrew Zelaya. In 2021, Hondurans voted massively for Castro, ending more than a century of rule by the National and Liberal parties.

Honduras’ Attorney General’s Office, aligned with the ruling party, has accused the opposition parties of planning to commit voter fraud, a claim they deny.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into audio recordings in which a high-ranking National Party politician allegedly discussed plans with an unidentified military officer to influence the election. Those recordings, which the National Party says were created using artificial intelligence, were central to Moncada’s campaign.

The Honduran military has also come under criticism for asking the National Election Council to give it copies of the tally sheets on election day in contravention of Honduran law.

The tensions contributed to growing public distrust of the electoral authorities and the electoral process in general.

Castro, the first woman to govern Honduras, increased public investment and social spending. The economy has grown moderately, and poverty and inequality have decreased, but remain high. The IMF has praised her government’s prudent fiscal management.

The country’s homicide rate has also fallen to its lowest level in recent history, but violence persists.

Human rights groups have criticized Castro for maintaining a prolonged state of emergency in parts of Honduras and for continuing to rely on the military for policing, the approach of her predecessor Hernandez.

title: Asfura takes slim lead in Honduras


taiwan-subdivisions: 太麻里 新城 溪口 卑南

title: Taiwan boosting defenses along the east coast

content_text:
By Aaron Tu, Wu Che-yu and William Hetherington / Staff reporters, with staff writer

The army’s Hualien Defense Command is taking measures to bolster defenses along the east coast of Taiwan proper amid a growing threat from China, a source said on Sunday.

The command is to conduct six days of live-fire exercises this month at the mouth of Taimali River (太麻里溪口) in Taitung, using tanks, mortars and machine guns to help troops familiarize themselves with combat conditions and improve coastal-defense capabilities, the source said.

“With the Chinese military fielding an expanding fleet of amphibious landing vessels, threats to Taiwan’s east coast have increased significantly, prompting the armed forces to accelerate deployments across the region,” they said.

A tank fires a shot during an exercise at an army base in Hualien in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Military News Agency

In addition to the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets set for delivery next year and deployment to Chihhang Air Base in Taitung, the navy is establishing a new coastal operations command on the east coast to reinforce Pacific defenses with anti-ship missile forces, they added.

Concerns have been raised over the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) efforts to strengthen its amphibious assault capability, including Type-075 amphibious assault ships, Type-071 dock landing ships and the new Type-076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan now undergoing tests — a large platform believed to be capable of operating helicopters, drones and air-cushion landing craft, they said.

The PLA has also intensified training activities off Taiwan’s eastern waters, they said.

“To improve defense preparedness, the military has designated beaches such as Chihsingtan in Hualien and Chihpen in Taitung as “red beaches,” where they conduct anti-landing exercises during the annual Han Kuang drills to simulate real combat scenarios,” they said.

The navy’s new coastal operations command — scheduled to be formally established in July next year — would integrate mobile anti-ship missile launchers, fast-attack missile boats and radar units, they said, citing information published by the Ministry of National Defense.

Units are expected to be posted at Sincheng Township (新城) in Hualien and Beinan Township (卑南) in Taitung, among the possible sites, they added.

These sites would deploy domestically produced Hsiung Feng II, Hsiung Feng III, extended-range Hsiung Feng III, as well as US-made land-launched Harpoon missiles to deliver multiwave strikes against approaching invasion fleets, they said, citing information released by the defense ministry.

Separately, the US Marine Corps plans to develop Japan’s Yonaguni Island into a strategic logistics and operational hub, validated during the Resolute Dragon 2025 exercise, during which material was transported to the island for operational testing, Web site Naval News said.

The US Marine Corps envisions Yonaguni as a core node of its “first-island-chain” strategy, enabling the movement of medical supplies and disaster-response equipment, it said.

Material delivered during the annual exercise this year included standard shipping containers, cold-storage equipment and potable water units. Within two days, the US Marines transported 18 twenty-foot-equivalent containers, two water tanks and a forty-foot-equivalent refrigerated container, unloading them at the Japan Self-Defense Forces’ Yonaguni garrison, it said.

A second transport mission, completed two months later, involved a contracted civilian barge delivering additional humanitarian assistance and disaster-response equipment.

Then, during a separate Japanese disaster-resilience drill conducted in late October, US CH-53E “Super Stallion” helicopters landed on Yonaguni, and established a forward arming and refueling point (FARP). The equipment for the FARP was airlifted from Okinawa, with KC-130J tankers providing aerial refueling en route. Once operational, the FARP enabled refueling for CH-53E helicopters.

In wartime, Yonaguni could serve as a forward refueling point for transporting equipment and personnel to Taiwan, it said, adding that it could function as an emergency divert airfield for F-35B jets, as it already has a port and runway.

Chinese media have reported that US Marines and Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are expanding ports and runways across Japan to support emergency F-35B operations on islands including Yonaguni.

Analysts said the US Marines’ presence on Yonaguni would allow the deployment of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, to establish a denial zone, preventing the PLA Navy from entering the Pacific, it said.


content_text:
By Lin Tsuei-yi and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter in Tokyo, with staff writer

Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) yesterday thanked the Japanese public for distinguishing between Taiwanese and Chinese, citing a survey that showed nearly three-quarters of Japanese feel a sense of closeness toward Taiwan.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Japan yesterday released the latest poll on Japanese attitude toward Taiwan.

The office has since 2016 been commissioning Tokyo-based Central Research Services to conduct a poll of 1,000 Japanese aged 20 to 89. The poll had been conducted annually until 2021, after which it was done every other year. People this year were polled via telephone from Oct. 24 to 28.

People shake hands in front of the national flags of Taiwan and Japan in an undated photograph. Photo: CNA

The survey showed that 74.5 percent of Japanese felt a sense of closeness toward Taiwan, Lee said, adding that 63.6 percent of Japanese considered Taiwan trustworthy, and 68.5 percent believed Taiwan and Japan have a good relationship.

The figure fell slightly from 76.6 percent in 2023, and is also lower than the 81 percent in the poll conducted by the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association in April, he said.

TECRO will continue to improve Taiwan-Japan exchanges to promote positive impressions of Taiwan among Japanese, Lee said, adding that Taiwanese must work together as a whole in different fields to enhance Taiwan’s international image.

The poll showed a stark contrast between Japan-Taiwan ties and Japan-China relations, he said.

The Japan-China Public Opinion Poll jointly carried out by a Japanese civic organization and the Chinese government has yet to be published, Lee said, adding that it should have been published early last month, but has been postponed twice.

Citing last year’s Japan-China Public Opinion Poll, Lee said that 89 percent of Japanese had negative impressions of China, while 87.7 percent of Chinese held unfavorable opinions of Japan.

The results were starkly different from those between Taiwan and Japan, he said.

People in many countries cannot distinguish between Taiwanese and Chinese, but Japanese clearly understand the difference and would not confuse one with the other, Lee said, thanking the Japanese public.

The TECRO poll also showed that Taiwan topped the list of Asian countries that Japanese feel the closest to, with 44 percent of respondents choosing Taiwan.

Things that would pop up in mind when Japanese hear the word “Taiwan” included friendship with Japan (73.5 percent), good food (43 percent), historical ties with Japan (36.5 percent), abundant tourism resources (26.1 percent), globally lauded semiconductors (23.7 percent), the cross-strait situation (22.4 percent), the large number of Taiwanese visiting Japan (20.8 percent), a free, democratic country (19.7 percent), economically developed (17.9 percent), diverse culture (10.9 percent) and high-quality Taiwan-made products, the poll showed.

As for why Japanese feel close to Taiwan, the reasons cited included Taiwanese being amiable (72.3 percent), time-honored bilateral exchanges (40.5 percent) and strong economic ties (31.4 percent), the poll showed.

They find Taiwan trustworthy because the nation is friendly with Japan (69.7 percent); they shared common values of freedom and democracy (50.8 percent); historical bonds (37.7 percent); Taiwan is a peaceful country (33 percent); and Taiwan is an economic and trade partner (31 percent), it showed.

Fields where respondents said bilateral exchanges should be enhanced included tourism (46.2 percent), economy (45.2 percent), and political and security protection (40.3 percent), the poll showed.

Asked what bilateral issues caused the most concerns to them, 49.6 percent of respondents said “the impact of the cross-strait situation on Japan,” while 22.5 percent said “no special concern,” 9 percent cited “territorial disputes” and 7.2 percent said “economic competition,” the survey showed.

Factors respondents considered crucial to Asian-Pacific peace and stability included diplomatic dialogue and coordination (54.5 percent), establishing Japan-US-Taiwan cooperation (36.1 percent), strengthening Japan’s defense capabilities (34 percent), active US involvement in defending Taiwan (25.4 percent), Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities (24.5 percent), enhancing the Japan-US coalition (24.4 percent), and unity among like-minded countries, such as those in Europe (23.4 percent), the poll showed.

The poll also showed that 59.3 percent of Japanese have read news stories about Taiwan.

What impressed respondents the most included military drills in the Taiwan Strait (64.9 percent), Taiwanese cuisine (48.9 percent), semiconductors (38.1 percent), and Taiwan’s tourism and culture (37.1 percent), it showed.

The poll showed that 61.7 percent of Japanese knew about Chinese interference in Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.

Up to 64.8 percent of Japanese support Taiwan’s participation in international institutions such as the UN, the WHO or the International Civil Aviation Organization, while only 2.8 percent disagreed, the poll showed.

title: Nearly 75 percent of Japanese feel close to Taiwan: envoy


content_text:
The Kaohsiung Department of Health yesterday said it had issued a recall for tilapia fillets after an inspection found traces of a banned veterinary drug in samples of the fish.

The fish fillets were supplied by a cooperative in Yunlin county to 369 PX Mart branches across the nation, with 13,793 pieces sold, the PX Mart said, adding that only 1,831 pieces were recalled.

The recall order was issued on Thursday, after samples of the fish taken from a PX Mart in Lujhu District (蘆竹) tested in October were found to contain 0.028 parts per million of enrofloxacin.

A Nantou County Public Health Bureau official inspects fish products at a supermarket in the county yesterday.

Photo courtesy of the Nantou County Public Health Bureau

Enrofloxacin is a bactericide that is legally permitted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for animal use, but is not approved for aquatic products.

The health department said it found that 24 packets of the tainted tilapia fillets had been sold at the Lujhu store, and instructed the head office of the supermarket chain to pull the product from PX Mart store shelves immediately and ask customers to return the fish they bought.

Customers who purchased the fish can ask for a refund or a replacement by presenting their receipts, the bureau said.

As the fish was supplied by Yunlin County, its Public Health Bureau has been notified of the problem, the department said.

The FDA said excessive ingestion of enrofloxacin could cause an upset stomach or result in kidney problems.

Additional reporting by Huang Shu-li

title: Kaohsiung orders recall of contaminated tilapia fillets


title: China military firms’ revenues fall amid corruption purge

content_text:
CONFLICT: The revenue declines buck the global uptrend and add to uncertainty over China’s military modernization, research by SIPRI showed

Revenues at China’s giant military firms fell last year, as corruption purges slowed arms contracts and procurement, a study released yesterday by a leading conflict think tank said.

The Chinese declines contrast with strong revenue growth globally for big arms and military-services companies, fueled by wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and global and regional tensions, the research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found.

“A host of corruption allegations in Chinese arms procurement led to major arms contracts being postponed or canceled in 2024,” said Nan Tian, director of SIPRI’s Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme.

A member of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army stands as the strategic strike group displays YJ-21 missiles during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing on Sept. 3. Photo: Reuters

“This deepens uncertainty around the status of China’s military modernization efforts and when new capabilities will materialise,” the report said.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was one of the main targets of a broader corruption crackdown ordered by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in 2012, reaching the upper levels of the military in 2023, when the PLA’s Rocket Force was targeted.

Eight top generals were expelled from the Chinese Communist Party on graft charges in October, including the nation’s No. 2 general, He Weidong (何衛東). Asian and Western diplomats said they are still trying to gauge the impact of the crackdown on China’s ongoing military rise and how far down it reaches through the command chain.

Revenues of China’s top military firms fell 10 percent last year, while those in Japan surged 40 percent, Germany 36 percent and the US 3.8 percent, SIPRI data showed.

Revenues of the world’s 100 largest arms firms rose 5.9 percent to a record US$679 billion, the report said, while China’s fall was enough to make Asia-Oceania the only region to post a revenue decline among its top arms firms.

China’s weapons revenue declined, despite three decades of rising defense budgets in Beijing’s growing strategic rivalry with the US, and tensions over Taiwan and the hotly disputed South China Sea.

The buildup is bearing fruit, as China deploys the world’s largest naval and coast guard fleets — including a potentially advanced new aircraft carrier — a host of new hypersonic missiles, nuclear weapons, and air and sea drones.

Revenue fell at Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC, 中國航空工業集團), the nation’s largest arms maker, land-systems producer China North Industries Corp (Norinco, 中國兵器工業集團), and aerospace and missile manufacturer China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC, 中國航天科技集團), all state-owned, the report said.

Norinco experienced the steepest revenue decline, falling 31 percent to US$14 billion.

Corruption-related personnel changes at the top of Norinco and CASC sparked government reviews and project delays, while deliveries of AVIC’s military aircraft slowed, the research found.

The Chinese Ministry of National Defense and the three firms did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

The timeline of advanced systems for the PLA’s Rocket Force, which handles its growing arsenal of ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles, could be exposed, along with aerospace and cyber programs, SIPRI researcher Xiao Liang said.

This adds to uncertainties over the PLA’s target of getting key capabilities and war-fighting readiness in place for its 100th anniversary, Liang said.

“However, in the medium and longer term, sustained investment in defence budgets and political commitment behind modernisation will continue, albeit with some programme delays, higher costs and tighter control of procurement,” Liang said.


content_text:
MIXED SIGNALS: China might be driven by unseen internal pressures as it responds with over-the-top rhetoric to the Japanese prime minister’s remarks

The possibility of China launching another large-scale military exercise or using Taiwan as an excuse to exert pressure on other countries cannot be ruled out, a Taiwanese security official said yesterday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remarks in the context of the diplomatic spat between Japan and China.

China launched retaliatory measures in response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments last month relating Japan’s security to a Taiwan contingency.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian, China`s third aircraft carrier and the first that it has both designed and built itself equipped with electromagnetic catapults, seen on right at a naval port in Sanya city in southern China`s Hainan Province, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. Photo: AP

Although Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) is recognized as an expert with a good understanding of Japan, Beijing’s responses to Takaichi’s remarks departed wildly from diplomatic professionalism and rational decisionmaking, the official said.

The situation has deteriorated since the remarks, they said.

Beijing has accused Takaichi of committing nine offenses, such as provoking the sovereignty of China, interfering with the internal affairs of China, and disrupting the international order, the official said, adding such accusations are simply projections of China’s own misconduct onto Japan.

There is speculation that the uncharacteristically antagonistic response is caused by internal pressures from domestic society due to ineffective governmental leadership or China’s ailing economy, they said.

Beijing might be attempting to divert the Chinese people’s attention over its questionable governance by attempting to stoke nationalism against other countries in the public, the official said.

Taiwan is at risk if China begins basing its decisions on something other than rationality, they said.

The official also pointed to the oddly muted commissioning ceremony of the Fujian, China’s third aircraft carrier and first designed indigenously.

While the other two aircraft carriers’ inaugural ceremonies were grandly held with flag officers lining up to pay tribute, the head of China’s Southern Theater Command General Wu Yanan (吳亞男) and other major generals were absent from the aircraft carrier’s commissioning, they said, while China’s state-run media delayed the live broadcast of the ceremony, and the atmosphere appeared unusually tense and non-celebratory.

While Beijing’s decisionmaking system seemed dysfunctional and its diplomatic signals are mixed, the situation must be closely monitored leading up to Dec. 13, China’s National Memorial Day for the Nanjing Massacre, the official said.

Beijing might use the memorial of the atrocity to stir national sentiment as it finds itself diplomatically feuding with Japan in the present, they said.

If China finds no graceful exit from the dispute, it could turn to military intimidation to attempt to force Japan or other countries in the region into concessions, the official said.

Based on experience, China might launch a large-scale military exercise, using Taiwan as a pretext to exert pressure on other countries, similar to its “Joint Sword” series of exercises last year, they said.

All countries in the region should keep a close eye on the situation, as Beijing’s decisionmaking is neither transparent nor democratic, and has become irrational and confusing, the official said.

Beijing is a hostile nation and considers invading Taiwan one of its major political imperatives, they said.

For Beijing, two main priorities are preventing Taiwan from enhancing its national security laws and regulations, and hindering its defense procurements, they said.

With those two goals achieved, Beijing could take overt action against Taiwan, the official said.

For Taiwan, the goal is clear, which is to use all possible methods to render China unable to effectively invade Taiwan, they said.

title: China could use major drill as leverage: official


content_text:
SEA TRIALS: The first vessel of its class has been dogged by delays in readying for commission, as safety issues come first, the minister of defense said yesterday

Taiwanese shipbuilder CSBC Corp has missed the deadline for completing Taiwan’s first domestic submarine, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday.

The vessel is the lead boat of a program launched in 2016 that aims to deliver eight vessels, but opposition lawmakers have criticized the repeated delays in the project.

Taiwan is seeking to upgrade its defenses to deter China, which has threatened to use force to annex it.

The indigenous submarine Hai Kun undergoes testing in Kaohsiung on Thursday last week. Photo courtesy of CSBC Corp, Taiwan via CNA

Sea trials of the Hai Kun (海鯤), or “Narwhal,” began in June, nearly two years after it was first unveiled.

The original target was to wrap up testing by September 30 and deliver the submarine by the end of last month, the navy said previously. Koo yesterday said that sea trials are ongoing.

“All the sea trials were supposed to be completed by the end of November, but in fact that is no longer achievable,” Koo told lawmakers. “I want to emphasize again that everything we do is based on safety assessments and there’s no rush to meet any specific month.”

A spokesperson for CSBC confirmed the delay.

The submarine program has been plagued by obstacles.

Koo in October said that the original timeline for construction had been unrealistic.

“In practice, we face many difficulties, especially given our own circumstances, including equipment issues and delays in scheduling the manufacturers’ technical personnel,” Koo said.

The submarine measures 80m in length, has a displacement weight of about 2,300 to 2,700 tonnes, and boasts combat systems and torpedoes sourced from the US defense company Lockheed Martin.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party, which together control the legislature, froze part of the program’s budget earlier this year.

The parties said they wanted to see the results of the submarine’s sea trials before releasing the funds.

Taiwan’s navy has two submarines in active commission, Swordfish-class vessels bought from the Netherlands in the 1980s.

Over the same period, China has built itself one of the world’s largest fleets, with nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers.

title: Builder misses deadline for sub delivery


title: F-16s begin flight testing; more delays

content_text:
Flight testing of US F-16V jets built for Taiwan begins this month, an air force official said yesterday, but warned of “very serious delays” in delivery.

The US$8 billion deal for 66 warplanes was approved during US President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House, with delivery scheduled for 2026.

Speaking at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Air Force Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Lee Ching-jan (李慶然) said flight tests of the new fighters would be carried out “earlier” than planned this month.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo speaks at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

“For now, 54 aircraft have entered the assembly line, compared with 50 in October. The progress is being accelerated,” Lee said.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) last month said that Lockheed Martin, the US defense contractor building the jets, had accelerated production, running two shifts every weekday. “There are 50 aircraft on the assembly line at the same time, and some airframes have already completed structural assembly,” Koo said.

Koo said it would be “challenging” for all the aircraft to be delivered in next year.

The F-16V — a fourth-generation multi-role fighter — is a significantly upgraded version of Taiwan’s aging F-16A/B jets. Taiwan finished upgrading 141 older F-16s to the V standard in late 2023.

In other news, Thunder Tiger Group, a Taiwanese drone manufacturer, said it simultaneously operated six SeaShark unmanned surface vessels from a single control station during a sea trial late last month, calling the operation a major milestone in Taiwan’s uncrewed vessel development.

The Taichung-based company said in a statement yesterday that the sea trial at Dapeng Bay in Pingtung County on Nov. 28 showcased its advanced control and artificial intelligence systems, and successfully carried out multiple tactical formations and rapid, second-level maneuvers.

The 6m-long drone boats, named SeaShark, maintained 100 percent connection stability under electromagnetic interference by using a UK-made military anti-interference frequency-hopping communications system, the company said.

The vessels also feature a low-radar-cross-section hull design that reduces its chance of detection, it said.

Thunder Tiger said its SeaShark range carries precision sensors, swarm-control technology, and a stable communications network capable of real-time information exchange and dynamic adjustments.

“The SeaShark series of suicide uncrewed vessels will become the sharpest asymmetric vehicular weapon for defending the Taiwan Strait,” it said.

The company hopes to expand cooperative testing with the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and the Ministry of National Defense to meet operational needs.

The company said it aims to secure a defense contract next year, citing its high localization rate, completed military-specification verification and production readiness.


content_text:
The legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday gave preliminary approval to amendments of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法) and several other laws that are designed to reinforce the protection of key national infrastructure.

The committee reviewed draft amendments to the Telecommunications Management Act, the Meteorological Act (氣象法), the Commercial Port Act (商港法), and the Shipping Act (船舶法).

The approved amendments include allowing government authorities to seize vessels, tools or mechanical equipment used in the commission of a crime regardless of ownership to prevent repeat offenses and requiring ships to keep their automatic identification system (AIS) functioning properly and to provide accurate information. Authorities would be empowered to seize vessels that are detained and found to be using false identities.

Lawmakers attend a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: screen grab from the Legislative Yuan livestream

One of the approved amendments further specifies that anyone who, through negligence or by other unlawful means, damages or impairs the normal functioning of meteorological facilities or equipment would face up to six months’ imprisonment, detention, or a fine of up to NT$2 million (US$63,631).

Another amendment states that if a vessel anchored within a commercial port area is deemed by the port operator, the Maritime and Port Bureau, or another designated authority to be obstructing berthing space or compromising port safety, it would be ordered to leave the port within three months or to relocate to a designated berth. If the vessel fails to relocate as instructed, the authority could move the vessel itself and subsequently order it to leave the port within three months. Further noncompliance could lead to vessel seizure.

Separately, the legislature’s Economics Committee completed a preliminary review of amendments to the Electricity Act (電業法), the Natural Gas Enterprise Act (天然氣事業法), and the Water Supply Act (自來水法).

Based on the approved amendments, anyone who intentionally damages underwater pipelines, natural gas pipelines, or submarine cables would face a prison sentence of up to seven years, and vessels used in the offense would be seized regardless of ownership.

title: Infrastructure protection acts get preliminary nod


content_text:
Taiwan’s Thunder Tiger controls 6 unmanned vessels from single station

Thunder Tiger Group, a Taiwanese drone manufacturer, said it simultaneously operated six SeaShark unmanned surface vessels (USV) from a single control station during a sea trial late last month, calling the operation a major milestone in Taiwan’s unmanned vessel development.

The Taichung-based company said in a news release on Monday that the sea trial at Dapeng Bay in Pingtung County on Nov. 28 showcased its advanced USV control and AI systems and successfully carried out multiple tactical formations and rapid, second-level maneuvers.

The six-meter-long drone boats, named SeaShark, maintained 100 percent communication stability under electromagnetic interference by using a United Kingdom- made military anti-interference frequency-hopping system, the company said.

The vessels also feature a low-radar-cross-section hull design that significantly reduces the chance of detection, it said.

Thunder Tiger said its SeaShark range carries precision sensors, swarm-control technology, and a stable communications network capable of real-time information exchange and dynamic adjustments.

“The SeaShark series of suicide unmanned vessels will become the sharpest asymmetric vehicular weapon for defending the Taiwan Strait,” it said.

The company hopes to expand cooperative testing with the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) and the Ministry of National Defense (MND) to meet operational needs.

The company said it aims to secure a 2026 defense contract, citing its high localization rate, completed military- specification verification, and production readiness.


title: Start sarcopenia screening at 50: study

content_text:
MORE PRECISE:  Previous standards for screening were based on European studies, but newer research shows that Asians have a different body composition, a researcher said

Screening for muscle loss among Asians should start at age 50, a research team from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) and Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) said yesterday, citing a cross-national study they participated in.

Reducing sarcopenia — an age-related condition characterized by the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength — is critical to achieving President William Lai’s (賴清德) “Healthy Taiwan” goal, TVGH superintendent Chen Wei-ming (陳威明) told a news conference in Taipei.

“When people have insufficient muscle mass and muscle strength, they can easily develop a degenerative joint disease and many other chronic diseases, which would affect their mobility and quality of life,” Chen said.

Taiwan has become a “super-aged society,” in which at least 20 percent of the population is 65 or older, making disability prevention just as important as medical intervention for a single disease, NYCU president Lin Chi-hung (林奇宏) said.

Based on the study, the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia this year updated its consensus on diagnosis and treatment, in which it recommended expanding sarcopenia screening to include adults aged 50 to 64, he said.

TVGH-managed Taipei Municipal Guandu Hospital superintendent and NYCU Center for Healthy Longevity and Aging Sciences director Chen Liang-kung (陳亮恭), who led the research team in Taiwan, said the group’s updated consensus was based on eight large-scale cohort studies with long-term follow-ups on nearly 35,000 cases from several Asian countries.

Clinical diagnoses of sarcopenia were previously based on European standards, but studies have found that Asian populations have a slightly different body composition, mainly characterized by a higher percentage of body fat and lower muscle mass compared with Caucasians, especially among Asian women, he said.

The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia in 2014 began collecting data from Asian countries, finding that Asians begin significantly losing muscle mass from age 55 and muscle strength at an accelerating rate from age 45 and 70, Chen Liang-kung said.

Individuals with more muscle strength, such as handgrip strength, could delay muscle strength decline by years, he added.

Building muscle mass and training muscle strength after they start declining can improve their condition, but they might feel frustrated as the effectiveness is relatively limited, he said.

Therefore, the group suggested that sarcopenia screening be moved up from age 65 to as early as 50, to detect if a person is at high risk of developing sarcopenia and begin prevention earlier, Chen Liang-kung said.

The group’s updated consensus also simplifies the diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia to require only concurrent “low muscle mass” and “low muscle strength,” with physical performance as an outcome measure, he said.

The updated consensus was published last month in the international journal Nature Aging, the TVGH said, adding that sarcopenia is one of the few diseases that Taiwan has led in defining the diagnosis and treatment, demonstrating academic leadership in geriatric medicine.

Additional reporting by CNA


title: Nearly 1,000 access Taoyuan’s new terminal

content_text:
PREFLIGHT SNACK:  To celebrate the first day of trial operations, passengers to the north concourse of Terminal 3 were given a bag of Taiwanese snack Kuaikuai

Nearly 1,000 travelers accessed the north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 yesterday during the first day of its trial run, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said.

Eight of the boarding gates at the north concourse (D11 to D18) are scheduled to become available this year, which would help the airport serve an additional 5.8 million passengers per year, the company said.

Currently, passengers who are to board flights at the north concourse must enter through Terminal 2.

People gather at boarding gate D11 at the north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 yesterday, the first day of its trial operation. Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times

A total of 968 passengers boarded three flights — operated by China Airlines, EVA Airways and Starlux Airlines — via the boarding gates at the north concourse yesterday morning, the airport operator said.

The three Taiwanese international flight carriers are today to operate six flights departing from the north concourse, it added.

The trial is to verify the soundness of operating procedures at the north concourse by having passengers access the facility throughout the day, TIAC said.

It allows the company to gather feedback from airlines and passengers before official operations begin at the end of the year, it said.

The company met with the airlines and ground service personnel after the first day of operation, receiving suggestions such as raising the volume of announcements at boarding gates to distinguish them from that of the airport’s central broadcasting system, TIAC president Fan Hsiao-lun (范孝倫) said.

“We would take this type of feedback under advisement and improve operations to ensure that the north concourse opens under optimal conditions,” he said, adding that an official opening date has yet to be determined.

The north concourse features many new elements, such as expansive glass curtain walls and exterior sun shades at the waiting area, as well as a reddish orange exterior for the boarding bridges.

It is also equipped with a bidirectional moving walkway, and public art installations on the walls.

A passenger surnamed Wang (王), who was bound for Sapporo, Japan, said he was impressed by the brightness, spaciousness and technology vibe of the facility.

To celebrate the first day of the trial operation, passengers were given a bag of Taiwanese snack Kuaikuai (乖乖) as a gift.

Eighty-three percent of Terminal 3 has been completed, and it is scheduled to be operational by 2027, TIAC chairman Yang Wei-fuu (楊偉甫) said.

The airport’s passenger volume reached 48.69 million in 2019, doubling from 24 million a decade earlier, with an average annual growth rate of about 7.5 percent, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-hsien (林國顯) said.

During that period, the ministry and TIAC sought to expedite the planning and commissioning of Terminal 3, Lin said.

The combined capacity of the existing terminals is about 37 million passengers per year, and once complete, Terminal 3 would be capable of accommodating 45 million travelers, raising the overall capacity to about 82 million passengers, he said.


title: Eatery probed after diners served cleaning agent

content_text:
A Taichung branch of a teahouse chain was ordered to suspend operations and several employees were referred to prosecutors on Sunday after a worker allegedly served water containing a cleaning agent to three customers, who were rushed to an emergency room.

An employee at the Taichung Gongyi Branch of the international teahouse Chun Shui Tang (春水堂) allegedly mistook a container of diluted cleaning agent for a tea bottle that customers asked to be filled with hot water.

A customer who drank from the bottle said they immediately spat it out because of its sour and acerbic taste, while three others reported a burning sensation in their throat and sought medical treatment.

A glass of Chun Shui Tang bubble tea is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

Chun Shui Tang yesterday said the employee, who had only been on the job for about two weeks, accidentally served a hot water bottle containing sodium bicarbonate.

The district supervisor and branch manager accompanied the customers to the emergency room of China Medical University Hospital for examinations, as well as a follow-up visit, it said.

The customers have been discharged and the company would pay their medical fees, it added.

The hospital said they were not in life-threatening condition.

The Taichung Office of Food and Drug Safety said it ordered the branch to suspend operations effective immediately, while several employees were sent to prosecutors for further investigation.

An initial inspection found that the cleaning agent was an enzymatic cleaning powder, which contained baking powder and sodium percarbonate, the office said, adding that the label showed the product is intended to clean clothes, kitchen towels, ceramics and stainless-steel containers.

The branch must pass further inspection to resume business, the office said.

Additional reporting by CNA


title: Keelung fines Taiwan Water over tainted tap water

content_text:
The Keelung Bureau of Environmental Protection yesterday fined state-run Taiwan Water Corp (TWC) NT$500,000 over an oil spill that contaminated the water supply of more than 150,000 households.

The bureau said the fine was imposed under the Drinking Water Management Act (飲用水管理條例) for a serious contravention that endangered public health and safety.

Inspectors found that one of the oil-film detectors at TWC’s Badu pumping station was malfunctioning, which might have contributed to a delay in detecting the contamination, bureau Director Ma Chung-hao (馬仲豪) said.

Keelung Mayor George Hsieh, center, speaks to reporters in Keelung yesterday. Photo: CNA

The bureau is reviewing whether TWC’s equipment and emergency response deviated from its water pollution control plan, Ma said.

Bureau personnel arrived at the site within 30 minutes of TWC’s report early on Thursday, and began implementing pollution-control measures and daily water sampling at the Sinshan Water Treatment Plant, Sinshan Reservoir (新山水庫) and other areas, he said.

The bureau, police and TWC are seeking to trace the source of the contamination and would refer the case to prosecutors if any criminal liability is uncovered, Ma said.

Earlier yesterday, deputy director of TWC’s First Branch Chen Chao-hsien (陳昭賢) said the odor was detected at about 6am on Thursday.

Of the two oil-film detectors at the Badu intake, one was functioning, but failed to detect the spill due to weak early-morning light, while the second had been decommissioned and not yet removed, Chen said.

Keelung Mayor George Hsieh (謝國樑) earlier claimed that both devices were faulty.

Chen said the odor was first noticed by workers at the Sinshan Water Treatment Plant, prompting an immediate halt to river-water intake and a switch to Sinshan Reservoir.

Patrols later found oil patches along the Keelung River.

The utility is evaluating sensors capable of detecting dissolved pollutants and the river intake would remain suspended until the source is confirmed, Chen said.

Oil traces were found near Chongzhi Bridge, Nuannuan Bridge and the Dingnei gas station, where containment booms have been set up, the bureau said.

The incident affected about 105,000 households in Keelung and 47,000 in New Taipei City’s Sijhih District (汐止), the Keelung City Government said.

The city filed a report with the Keelung District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday, which has already opened an investigation, Hsieh said.

The city and the Ministry of Environment are investigating the source of the pollution and have determined that it is likely industrial-grade oil contamination, Hsieh added.


content_text:
DIFFERENT STANDARDS:  Of the countries that allow gay marriage and the legal change of one’s gender, only Taiwan requires proof of surgery, Chi Chia-wei said

Taiwanese LGBTQ+ rights advocate Chi Chia-wei (祁家威) yesterday filed a complaint at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office against Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳), stating that a requirement that transgender people provide proof of gender-affirming surgery and a psychiatric diagnosis to change their legal gender infringes upon their human rights.

The Ministry of the Interior’s administrative interpretation requiring surgery is unconstitutional, but the ministry has not taken active steps to amend it, Chi said.

Control Yuan member Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) had previously planned to issue a corrective measure to the ministry following an investigation, although the Control Yuan ultimately downgraded it to a recommendation for review and improvement, he said.

Taiwanese LGBTQ+ rights advocate Chi Chia-wei speaks to reporters outside the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times

It was a “superficial outcome” and a “dereliction of duty,” Chi Chia-wei said.

The ministry continues to cite a 2008 administrative interpretation to require proof of gender-affirming surgery and two diagnoses from psychiatric specialists to change legal gender markers, he said.

At the time, no countries allowed transgender people to change their status without surgery, making the original ruling “understandable,” he said.

However, Argentina in 2012 became the first country to no longer require proof of surgery, and as of this year, 50 countries have adopted a similar policy, he said.

In contrast, since the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001, only 40 countries followed suit in 25 years, he said.

“It is clear that allowing surgery-free gender change is not a difficult feat,” Chi Chia-wei said.

Among the 37 countries that allow same-sex marriage and the legal change of gender markers, Taiwan is the only country that still requires proof of surgery, he said.

He added that he hopes the ministry can follow international practice as soon as possible.

The Control Yuan on Nov. 20 approved Chi Hui-jung’s report and said that the ministry’s reliance on the 2008 administrative order “violates the principle of legal reservation, the principle of proportionality and the spirit of international conventions, seriously infringing on people’s bodily autonomy and health rights.”

The Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights expressed hope that the Executive Yuan and the ministry would comply with the Control Yuan’s findings and swiftly abolish the mandatory surgery requirement, restoring transgender people’s bodily autonomy and right to determine their gender.

title: LGBTQ activist files complaint against interior ministry


title: Hikers keep man alive to get help after heart attack

content_text:
Passersby kept a man alive until paramedics could arrive and transport him to a hospital within the “golden hour,” after the American traveler experienced a massive heart attack while hiking in Taipei last month, Taipei Medical University Hospital said on Friday.

The man, who preferred to use the pseudonym Atom, suddenly lost consciousness and fell to the ground on Xiangshan (象山), other hikers rushed to check on him and found that his heart had stopped beating, the man and hospital staff told the news conference.

One of the hikers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him, while others retrieved a nearby automated external defibrillator (AED).

An American man, identified by the pseudonym “Atom,” third left, poses with doctors at a news conference at Taipei Medical University Hospital on Friday. Photo courtesy of the Taipei Medical University Hospital

When paramedics arrived, they took over resuscitation and rushed Atom, who was determined to be in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, to nearby Taipei Medical University Hospital.

The emergency medical team performed catheterization and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on Atom, saving his life.

Atom, who underwent two weeks of treatment following the incident, told the news conference that he was determined to have had a left anterior descending artery occlusion, which is often called a “widow-maker” heart attack due to its high fatality rate of about 88 percent if treatment is delayed.

“I would not be standing here if it were not for all of you,” he said, thanking the passersby who performed CPR and called the paramedics, as well as the paramedics and medical team.

Tsai Hung-wei (蔡鴻維), a doctor who first treated Atom at the emergency room, said the treatment of myocardial infarction is a race against time, and Atom was fortunate that he was found by people who could perform CPR and that an AED cabinet was nearby.

The paramedics were able to use the AED and rush him to the hospital within the “golden hour,” for a smooth transition to catheterization and ECMO, Tsai said, adding that the key to a successful rescue is the seamless transition from emergency pre-hospital treatment to hospital treatment.

As Atom was in cardiogenic shock when he arrived at the hospital, medical staff had to perform critical measures — ECMO to support cardiopulmonary function, then catheterization to remove artery blockage and stent placement — in a short time, said Yang Tsung-lin (楊宗霖), a cardiologist at the hospital.

After being admitted to an intensive care unit, he was placed under therapeutic hypothermia to protect his brain, Yang said, adding that Atom regained consciousness without any lasting neurological damage, and can move around normally.

Chao Chun-chien (趙君傑), director of the hospital’s Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, said that cold temperatures can cause blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise, making the heart work harder, and hiking sometimes requires high myocardial oxygen consumption.

Therefore, if a person has the “three highs” — high levels of blood lipids, blood sugar or blood pressure — is obese or is a smoker, they are more likely to trigger angina pectoris (chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart) or a heart attack from hiking uphill, Chao said.

A study suggested that the risk of heart attacks is highest during the morning, particularly from 4am to 10am, when many hikers like to start their hikes, putting them at higher risk of having a heart attack, he said.

People who have the “three highs” or have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease should consult with a doctor before hiking or mountain climbing in the winter, and should perform warm-up exercises for 10 to 15 minutes before setting out, to prevent a sudden rise in blood pressure, Chao said.

Sudden chest tightness or pressure, cold sweats, shortness of breath and extreme fatigue could be signs of myocardial ischemia — abnormally reduced blood flow in the coronary circulation, he said.

If a hiker experiences those symptoms, they should not try to return on their own, but should immediately stop walking, stay warm and call 119 for help, he added.


content_text:
Taiwan marks World AIDS Day with a drag show to fight HIV stigma

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) marked World AIDS Day yesterday by inviting drag queens for a performance in the hope of breaking down continuing stigma against people living with HIV, even as the agency forecast that new HIV infections in Taiwan this year will fall below 900, to a 22-year low.

“We’ve slowly moved beyond just talking about respect and acceptance,” CDC Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said in his opening remarks at a press event on HIV prevention and stigma reduction in Taipei. “Today, what matters is that we are here to embrace people representing many different communities.”

Themed “Breaking Myths, Keeping Love on Track,” the event marked World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 and turned the CDC’s main auditorium into a runway-like space bathed in dimmed light, setting the stage for performances by local drag queens Chiang Weiii, Hannah, and Bagel.

Centers for Disease Control Director-General Philip Lo, second right, joins drag queens Chiang Wei, left, Bagel Rim, second left, and Hannah Monina, right, to mark World AIDS Day in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

The trio, introduced by Lo as the “house daughters” of well-known drag queen Nymphia, took to the stage as health ambassadors to dance and interact with the crowd.

The CDC said it hoped its “bold and inclusive image” would help dispel long-held myths and discrimination surrounding AIDS.

, Lo said the number of newly reported HIV infections as of late November stood at around 800 and is expected to end the year at under 900, marking a 22-year low.

Noting that more than 1,000 cases were reported last year, Lo said Taiwan’s policies on HIV testing, follow-up, and treatment are on the right track, which has led to a decline in new infections this year.

“HIV testing has in fact been more active this year than last year,” Lo said, adding that as of October, the cumulative number of HIV self-tests was about 10,000 higher than in the same period last year, rising from roughly 64,000 to over 74,000.

To further strengthen prevention, Lo said the enrollment quota of the publicly funded HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) program -- which can significantly reduce the risk of infection among people at higher risk of exposure to the virus -- will be raised from 8,000 people this year to 9,500 in 2026.

It will be backed by a budget of NT$340 million (US $10.8 million), up NT$40 million from this year, he said, adding that the goal is to further reduce the number of new infections next year to below 800.


people: 陳其邁 蔣萬安

content_text:
Taiwan courts Japan’s Ayumi Hamasaki after singer snubbed by Shanghai

Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai.

Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and will continue to “surprise” her.

Japanese pop queen Ayumi Hamasaki, center, performs in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of dabu.imc

Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including in Taiwan, recently wrapped up two Taipei Arena concerts on Aug. 1 and 2 as part of her Asia Tour 2025. About 260,000 people attended in total.

During her stay, the Taipei City Government presented her with local delicacies and a handwritten welcome card from the mayor.

Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said at City Hall the same day that China’s handling of the Shanghai concert was “extremely unacceptable.”

“Concerts and cultural events should not be subject to political interference,” Chen said, adding that many internationally known artists have performed in Kaohsiung and that he welcomes Hamasaki to do the same.

In a social media post Friday, Hamasaki apologized for the cancellation but declined to comment on “matters I do not understand.”

In another post on Sunday, she included photos of her performing on the Shanghai stage and taking a curtain call with staff members, with empty seats visible behind the stage lights.

“Despite 14,000 empty seats, I still felt so much love from my fans from all over the world. It was one of the most unforgettable shows ever to me. I appreciate the 200 Chinese and Japanese crew, band members, and dancers who made this stage happen,” she wrote.


title: Tech team

content_text: Taiwan NextGen Communications Alliance president Chien Chih-cheng, front, third right, attends the alliance’s launching ceremony. The alliance aims to help build Taiwan’s global competitiveness in 6G and satellite communications in Taipei yesterday.


title: Christmas spirit

content_text: People shop for Christmas decorations at the Huayin Street Shopping District in Taipei yesterday.


title: Merck opens major Kaohsiung chip fab

content_text:
INSULATED: The company said it is less exposed to global complications, as it has built a strong footprint worldwide, and has multiple sources of rare earths and raw minerals

Merck Group yesterday said it would ramp up production next year at its new flagship facility in Kaohsiung’s Lujhu District (路竹) to satisfy growing demand for advanced semiconductor materials and specialty gases, and to address supply resilience issues amid mounting geopolitical risks.

Merck made the remarks during a news conference before the inauguration of its 500 million euros (US$582.1 million) facility, which is also to supply other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, it said.

Merck executive board deputy chair and electronics CEO Kai Beckmann told reporters the company adopted a “local-for-local” strategy about seven years ago to address the cycle time of the development of customers’ products, but the group now sees that approach as more about enhancing resilience in supply.

The logo of Merck Group is pictured at its new facility in the Southern Taiwan Science Park’s campus in Kaohsiung’s Lujhu District yesterday. Photo: Su Fu-nan, Taipei Times

Merck Group Taiwan managing director John Lee (李俊隆) said the group can supply more than 50 percent of semiconductor materials and specialty gases to local customers via its plants in Taiwan, adding that the localization rate would go up after the new facility enters volume production next year.

For thin-film materials, Merck is capable of satisfying 80 percent of local demand, compared with 54 percent last year, Lee said.

Merck last month also launched a capacity expansion project to increase the supply of formation materials used in semiconductor manufacturing, Lee said.

That aligns with Taiwanese customers’ advance toward cutting-edge semiconductor technologies and artificial intelligence-related technologies, he added.

Beckmann said Merck also applied its “local-for-local” strategy in other regions of the world to provide locally built capacity.

Asked whether Merck is gaining an upper hand over rivals in supplying semiconductor materials to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), which is reportedly avoiding sourcing key equipment and materials from China, Beckmann said that the company’s “local-for-local” approach in China aimed to build local capacity for Chinese customers and does not export key equipment or strategic materials.

As for whether the company would be affected by the growing weaponization of key raw materials such as rare earths, Beckmann said he would “try to find something positive in that complication, because it sounds all very complicated and negative.”

Merck would be less exposed to that issue, as it has built a strong global footprint, allowing it to differentiate itself, Beckmann said, adding that the company has expanded its technology offerings and material portfolios, and developed multiple sources of rare earths and minerals.


title: Excess savings predicted to reach record NT$5.4tn

content_text:
Taiwan’s excess savings are expected to reach a record high of NT$5.424 trillion (US$172.57 billion) this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) spurs economic growth, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday.

Excess savings refers to the difference between a country’s gross domestic savings and gross domestic investments, often indicating a country’s idle funds.

However, DGBAS Department of Statistics head Tsai Yu-tai (蔡鈺泰) said the funds are not necessarily “idle,” and could be invested in the stock market or used elsewhere.

New Taiwan dollar banknotes are pictured in Taipei on March 26. Photo: CNA

As Taiwan’s economy is export-oriented, its current account is often in surplus, meaning its export values are higher than its imports, spurring excess savings, Tsai said.

The AI boom has driven Taiwan’s export performance this year, prompting the DGBAS to raise its annual growth forecast to 7.37 percent, the highest in 15 years, he said.

Exports this year are projected to exceed US$600 billion, a 31.58 percent growth from last year, he added.

The rapid growth of excess savings over the past few years — surpassing NT$3 trillion in 2020, NT$4 trillion last year and projected to exceed NT$6.2 trillion next year — reflects the sharp expansion of Taiwan’s current-account surplus, rather than insufficient investments, Tsai said.

Taiwan’s gross investment soared to a record NT$6.9 trillion last year, with the numbers expected to reach NT$7.2 trillion this year and NT$7.4 trillion next year, he said.

Based on these figures, gross investment is projected to grow by 4.35 percent this year and 2.78 percent next year, compared with an estimated increase in excess savings of about 25 percent this year and 14.39 percent next year, he added.


content_text:
Manufacturing activity continued to expand last month, fueled by strong demand for electronic components and power equipment, even as firms remained cautious about medium to long-term prospects, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中經院) said yesterday.

The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose 1.1 percentage points to 51.4, marking the second month of expansion, the think tank said.

“Manufacturers are still wary about their business outlook, but their pessimism has eased,” CIER president Liu Hsien-ming (連賢明) told reporters.

People look at robotic arms on display during the Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robot Show in Taipei on Aug. 20. Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA

PMI surveys gauge the health of the manufacturing sector, with readings above 50 signaling expansion and those below 50 suggesting contraction.

The upturn was broad, except among firms supplying basic materials, which continued to lag, the monthly survey found.

While shortages and the rising prices of key components sustained production and hiring — with the indices at 50.9 and 52.2 respectively — growth in new orders and output was slower than the previous month, the institute said.

Inventories at downstream clients remained low at 45.5 and unfilled orders continued to contract to 43.6, indicating that end-market demand has yet to fully recover, it said.

CIER researcher Chen Shin-hui (陳馨蕙) said the demand forecasts of some clients for next year, combined with short-term rush orders for restocking, supported a second month of expansion in new orders and production, but added that uncertainty in long-term demand limited further acceleration.

The impact of US tariffs has eased for some sectors, and earlier concerns about a sharp drag on second-half demand have not materialized, Chen said.

However, Lien said concerns over US tariffs would persist until Taiwan finishes its trade negotiations with the US, adding that a 15 percent tariff rate would put Taiwan on comparable footing with Japan and South Korea.

The six-month outlook across major industries rose 3.9 points to 45.4, the strongest showing since April. The weak sentiment was in sharp contrast to Taiwan’s robust export performance, driven by strong demand for artificial intelligence chips and servers.

Nonmanufacturing activity held resilient, with the nonmanufacturing index (NMI) climbing 1.4 points to 55.8 last month, reflecting a seasonal sales peak and a rebound in manufacturing-linked demand.

The Double 11 Singles’ Day shopping festival, travel fairs, year-end conventions and improving car sales helped keep the sector positive, Lien said.

Still, service capacity remains underutilized, with some firms relying on existing staff to meet short-term seasonal demand.

The six-month outlook for the NMI rose 5 points to 47.5, its highest since April, but was still in contraction territory.

Consumer spending is expected to benefit from the government’s NT$10,000 cash handouts, which were distributed last month and are claimable until early next year, the CIER said.

title: PMI rises to 51.4 as manufacturers’ pessimism eases


content_text:
BOJ governor sends clear hint at chance of an interest rate increase this month

‘ADVANCED NOTICE’: Economists brought forward their rate hike predictions, and the market moved accordingly, with the yen rising as much as 155.4 against the US dollar

Bank of Japan (BOJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda sent the clearest hint yet that his board might increase interest rates soon, highlighting the possibility of a move at the bank’s meeting this month.

The central bank “will consider the pros and cons of raising the policy interest rate and make decisions as appropriate” by examining the economy, inflation and financial markets at home and abroad, Ueda yesterday said during a speech to business leaders in Nagoya, Japan.

Any hike would be an adjustment in the degree of easing, with the real interest rate still at a very low level, he added.

Ueda emphasized that he has had smooth communications with the government, an assertion that might indicate Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would not object to a move.

Takaichi is known to favor dovish policies, but she might be worried that inflation could further damage the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after two bruising election results that reflected frustration over costs of living.

“I think I’ve had frank, good discussions at face-to-face meetings with the prime minister and economic ministers since last month,” Ueda said. “I intend to continue to keep close communications.”

BNP Paribas SA economists in a research note wrote that Ueda’s speech was “almost an advance notice” for a hike this month, while economists at Barclays PLC and JPMorgan Securities LLC brought forward their rate hike predictions to this month after previously pegging it for next month.

Those sentiments were reflected in market moves. Government bonds slumped, with the two-year yield rising to its highest level since 2008, while yields on five-year and benchmark 10-year bonds climbed at least 6.5 basis points each to 1.375 percent and 1.87 percent respectively.

The yen rose as much as 0.5 percent to 155.4 against the US dollar.

“Raising the policy interest rate under accommodative financial conditions is about the process of easing off the accelerator as appropriate toward achieving stable economic growth and price developments, not about applying the brakes on economic activity,” Ueda said.

Ueda spoke after his fellow board members signaled support for raising rates, and two dissenting members called for the action at the past two meetings.

BOJ board member Junko Koeda said rate normalization should take place without specifying when.

Another member, Kazuyuki Masu, in an interview with the Nikkei said the timing of the hike is approaching.

Even dovish member Asahi Noguchi last week mentioned the risk of being too late on any policy change.

Ueda sketched out both sides of the timing dilemma in his morning remarks. He pointed to the BOJ’s appropriate policy conduct — moving neither too late nor too early — as an approach that would help the economy grow in a sustainable manner.

Adjusting the degree of accommodation appropriately will be necessary “to guide Japan’s economy onto a long-term growth path, which will ultimately lead to the success of the efforts undertaken by the government and the bank thus far,” he said.


content_text:
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said exports are expected to grow next year despite a high comparison base this year, as corporate demand for artificial intelligence (AI) technology remains strong.

Export growth is expected to continue next year even after the US sets a new tariff rate on Taiwanese goods, Kung said during a legislative meeting in Taipei, citing feedback from firms — including comments by Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) — pointing to continued strong demand for AI technologies.

Nvidia last month delivered a surprisingly strong revenue forecast, pushing back on the idea that the AI industry is in a bubble and easing industry-wide concerns.

Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin speaks at a legislative meeting in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

Taiwan is in the final stage of tariff talks with the US, and the two sides have reached a consensus on issues, including semiconductor and automotive tariffs, Kung said.

The government aims to finalize the tariff rate before next month, although the exact timeframe would depend on the negotiation schedules of both sides, he added.

The Taiwan-specific supply chain cooperation model would differ from Japan’s and South Korea’s direct capital investments, Kung said.

Under this model, the government would work with the US to help Taiwanese companies localize operations and offer one-stop services or establish an industry cluster, he said, adding that supply chains would not necessarily be based in the US.

The ministry in a report said that the impact of the US’ 20 percent “reciprocal” tariffs on Taiwan has lessened by about 50 percent from when the tariffs were first announced in August.

Many exporters have already adapted to the new tariffs, and exchange rates and broader conditions have stabilized, Kung said.

Machinery makers reported a year-on-year growth in orders, but some manufacturers — including for woodworking machinery and machine tool makers — continue to feel the effects of the tariffs, Kung said.

Steel and transportation equipment makers are also facing low-price competition from China, he added.

Manufacturers would need to differentiate and upgrade their products to meet these challenges, Kung said.

title: Exports to grow next year despite US tariffs: minister


title: Window shopping

content_text: People walk in a market in Guomao Community in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District yesterday. The community is a residential complex that was a naval dependents’ village in the 1970s. It has traditional markets, restaurants, snack shops, clothing stores, beauty salons, laundromats, pharmacies, clinics, convenience stores and electronics stores, and has a nostalgic atmosphere.


content_text:
From Microsoft Corp to Amazon.com Inc and HP Inc, and from Allianz SE to Deutsche Lufthansa AG and ING Groep NV, major Western companies have been announcing job cuts for a variety of reasons, with many firms citing the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a major factor allowing them to eliminate staff and reduce hiring.

As the AI craze sweeps the globe, a wave of AI-related layoffs is also emerging, leaving many people wondering whether the boom of this technology would continue causing widespread job losses, and if and when this wave of layoffs would reach Taiwan.

Amid the AI boom, technology companies were the first to report job cuts, as the technology gathered pace. However, over the past few months, firms across other industries have followed suit, with those involved in finance, retail and food services also announcing intentions to freeze hiring and engage with AI.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) last week published a study that found that the layoffs in the tech industry were just the tip of the iceberg.

The workforce truly being impacted by AI on a massive scale is hidden beneath the surface, far exceeding what the outside world imagines, the report said.

A CNBC report on Wednesday said that an analysis of 151 million US workers — via a labor simulation tool called the Iceberg Index, which the MIT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory jointly created — found that AI can already replace 11.7 percent of the US workforce, or as much as US$1.2 trillion in wages.

The layoffs in the tech industry — the most visible part — represent just 2.2 percent of total wage exposure, or about US$211 billion, the study showed.

Beneath the surface lies a large number of routine, standardized white-collar jobs that are most affected by AI, such as human resources, logistics, finance and office administration. These backend and administrative functions were often considered relatively safe in the past, but are now typical positions that can be fully covered by AI automation capabilities, it showed.

Some experts have said the waves of layoffs came as Western firms adjusted their workforce back to a more reasonable level after they significantly increased hiring during the period following the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, others believe the job cuts show that firms are taking advantage of advances in AI to keep costs low and adjust their headcounts, are responding to increased economic uncertainty and are racing to appeal to investors — because when a company announces layoffs and says it would invest resources in AI, it often pleased investors and could be seen as the company showing a commitment to keeping abreast of trends.

Regardless, job displacement due to the increased use of AI is an ongoing reality in parts of the world. The question is, would this AI-driven wave of layoffs reach Taiwan, or has it already occurred here?

The answer is that although the wave of AI-related cutbacks in Taiwan might not escalate into a full-blown workplace catastrophe, the technology has started to impact some repetitive, high-volume work in technology, finance, customer service and administrative positions, as local firms pursue organizational optimization. While AI is not the sole reason for the firms’ organizational optimizations, it certainly accelerates such efforts.

From another perspective, it is precisely because companies value the development of AI that workers with AI skills have become indispensable figures in the workplace. Even when companies do not openly mention AI in their layoff announcements, many of their new hires are required to have AI capabilities.

According to 1111 Job Bank, there were about 14,000 job openings related to AI in April. That number reached more than 31,000 last month, with work opportunities ranging from data analysis to deep learning and image recognition.

The demand has increased rapidly in just seven months, indicating that Taiwanese companies are increasingly valuing AI talent. It also reminds workers of the importance of improving their skills and staying abreast of the latest AI trends to remain competitive in the workplace.

title: EDITORIAL: Workers must adapt to the AI era


content_text:
Amid heightened tensions between Japan and China, US President Donald Trump spoke by telephone with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).

While Trump termed it a positive development, saying he would visit China in April next year, Beijing said it made it clear to Washington that Taiwan’s return to China is an “integral part of the postwar international order.” While it has been reported that Trump requested a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the details of any such conversation have not yet been made public.

Trump’s claim of “extremely strong” US-China relations has once again seized global attention. Last month, just ahead of his highly anticipated meeting with Xi in Busan, South Korea, Trump boldly announced on Truth Social: “THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”

Unsurprisingly, the statement sparked widespread discussion, directly invoking China and seemingly reviving the long-dormant G2 concept, which was also promoted by the administration of former US president Barack Obama.

The apparent attempt to resurrect the “G2” notion, which envisions shared global leadership between the US and China, marks a notable rhetorical shift and is surprising, given that Trump has been hawkish on China even during his first term. By invoking it, Washington has brought back a concept dismissed as a faulty trade-off, given the persistent and often adversarial nature of US-China relations.

Media analyses suggest that the move reflects a growing recognition within the US of China’s rising power and an uneasy acknowledgement of its near-equal status on the world stage. The renewed attention signals an implicit acceptance within US policy circles of China’s expanding international influence and the shifting balance of global power.

For Beijing, the idea holds little appeal.

First, China continues to present itself as a developing country, aspiring to lead the global south and, eventually, to achieve broader global influence. Unlike the West, China sees strategic value in retaining the support of developing nations to bolster its legitimacy. While it aims to surpass the US militarily, economically and technologically, it is unlikely to embrace a bilateral framework implying formalized cogovernance of the world.

Second, the ideological, strategic and global ambitions gap between China and the US remains vast, limiting the feasibility of any institutionalized G2 arrangement.

Third, if such a framework were ever to exist, it would likely involve a broader coalition of nations with differing ideologies, capacities and priorities, rather than a US-China duopoly. In this light, the G2 concept appears even less plausible for China this year than it did in the 2000s.

While much commentary has focused on how such discourse might be interpreted in Beijing, the implications extend far beyond the bilateral relationship. Washington’s allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific region are closely observing the developments. For many in the region, stability in US-China relations is desirable, as it would help mitigate the risks of confrontation, economic disruption, regional instability and global upheaval.

Yet Trump’s rhetoric has also generated unease among the US’ regional partners regarding Washington’s long-term strategic intentions. Concerns are growing that a return to the G2 framework could signal a weakening of the US commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in terms of security and regional order.

While sustained engagement with China is widely accepted as necessary, framing the relationship as one of shared global governance might alarm the US’ allies and partners, especially Taiwan, the Philippines and other members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue — Australia, India and Japan. For these countries, any suggestion of a US-China alliance raises doubts about the credibility of the Washington’ status as a security guarantor, and its assurances of collective defense and regional stability.

From the US perspective, reviving the G2 discourse might appear advantageous to smooth the way for a rare earths deal with China or to ease bilateral tensions. However, fundamental differences and rivalry cannot be erased: China’s ultimate goal is to overtake the US.

In all likelihood, China would view G2 rhetoric skeptically, interpreting it as a sign of US weakness and declining influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Xi-Trump phone call and China’s reiteration of its claims to Taiwan put pressure on Washington’s G2 plan. How Trump would manage ties with Tokyo and Taipei while building relations with Beijing is worthy of international attention.

Trump’s episodic and erratic approach to China and the region risks eroding the trust the US has painstakingly built with its partners. There is little chance that countries such as India, Japan or the Philippines would accept a bipolar world dominated solely by the US and China.

Rather than serving as a stabilizer, the G2 concept is more likely to be seen as an attempt to divide the world into two poles once again, or worse, as a signal that the US is content with a bipolar world rather than a genuinely multipolar order.

Even if the G2 never materializes, the rhetoric has already bolstered China’s position, while placing the US in a strategic bind. In effect, it is a win-win for Beijing, but a lose-lose for Washington.

There are limitations to Trump’s “America First” approach, not only for the region, but also for the US itself and its foreign policy. His administration would do well to consider the perspectives of the US’ allies and partners, rather than advancing a strategy that ultimately benefits China.

Rahul Mishra is an associate professor at the Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and a senior research fellow at the German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance at Thammasat University in Thailand. He was formerly director of the Centre for ASEAN Regionalism Universiti Malaya. He is the series editor of the Palgrave Series in Indo-Pacific Studies.

title: ‘G2’ gambit a lose-lose for the US


title: Wang Fuk Court fire no accident

content_text:
When the towers of Wang Fuk Court turned into a seven-building inferno on Wednesday last week, killing 128 people, including a firefighter, Hong Kong officials promised investigations, pledged to review regulations and within hours issued a plan to replace bamboo scaffolding with steel. It sounded decisive. It was not.

The gestures are about political optics, not accountability. The tragedy was not caused by bamboo or by outdated laws. Flame-retardant netting is already required. Under Hong Kong’s Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme — which requires buildings more than 30 years old to undergo inspection every decade and compulsory repairs — the framework for proper supervision already exists: registered inspectors, registered contractors and statutory oversight.

The laws were there. What failed was the political will to enforce them.

Mandated renovations worth HK$330 million (US$42.4 million) at Wang Fuk Court exposed a sickness that has festered across Hong Kong’s property-maintenance sector. Renovation tenders routinely bear the same fingerprints: inflated bids, implausibly low consultant fees and owners pressured or manipulated into approving packages they cannot refuse once inspectors order repairs.

For more than a year, all eight towers sat shrouded in scaffolding and green netting while work crawled on. When the fire occurred, that netting became a vertical wick, carrying flames up 30 stories in minutes.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) promised more reviews, but the disaster was not born of insufficient law. The netting used in the Wang Fuk Court was “certified,” yet it burned like fuel. Polystyrene foam boards on windows were never permitted. Alarms did not sound.

A similar scaffolding fire in Central District last month should have triggered inspections; none were ordered. Residents at Wang Fuk Court complained that workers smoked on the scaffolding and, alarmed by last month’s blaze, warned that the netting posed a serious fire hazard. Their warnings were not heeded.

In today’s Hong Kong, enforcing rules has become politically hazardous. Contractors with the right affiliations must not be disrupted. Cross-border suppliers tied to Chinese networks must not be scrutinized. Owners aligned with the patriotic establishment must not be challenged. Bureaucrats, shaped by the ethos of “patriots governing Hong Kong,” have absorbed the era’s lesson: Do what is politically correct, and little else.

If bamboo is the culprit, there is no need to trace the netting’s origin, verify certificates, examine Chinese suppliers, investigate contractors or probe party-linked networks that dominate the renovation economy. Blame bamboo, and the investigation can end without disturbing anyone powerful.

The residents did not die because bamboo burns. They died because a territory that once prided itself on world-class governance has allowed its institutions to rot. Journalists who once scrutinized procurement have been silenced, civic groups dissolved and directly elected district councilors purged. Regulators fear the consequences of challenging the connected.

Under the patriots-only system, Hong Kong’s bureaucracy has drifted from competence to obedience, from accountability to self-preservation and from serving the public to avoiding political risk. This is how governance collapses — through years of quiet refusals to do the job. The netting that burned through the night was only the first layer. Beneath it lies a deeper fire: a political order that has made oversight impossible and negligence routine.

Hong Kong did not lack the expertise to prevent the fire. It lacked the courage, conscience and integrity to stop it. The government must confront the rot — bid-rigging cartels, political protection and a governance model that punishes honesty — as the next disaster is already rising from another scaffold, shrouded in another netting, waiting for another spark.

John Cheng is a retired businessman from Hong Kong now living in Taiwan.


content_text:
Anyone who has lived in New York long enough would eventually notice a truth everyone knows, but few dare to write down: When it comes to China, the New York Times keeps a special back door open — one that only Beijing can walk through. There is no key to this door, only a tacit agreement that as long as the New York Times does not kick it open, Beijing would not weld it shut.

And so, the world’s most self-consciously “free” newspaper has learned to speak in the syntax most palatable to the Chinese state. The “professional neutrality” reserved for authoritarians: The New York Times never openly praises Beijing. It simply sands down its sharpest words, one by one.

On Xinjiang, it avoids the word “genocide,” preferring the softer “mass detention.” For Hong Kong, it would not say “crackdown,” only that the “situation is deteriorating.” Regarding Taiwan Strait issues, its go-to phrasing is always, “Taiwan’s actions, which Beijing views as provocative,” as if an aggressor is merely “annoyed,” not sharpening its knives.

This style of writing has an elegant name: “balanced reporting.” Authoritarian regimes simply call it free polishing services.

The New York Times does not lack reporters who can expose China, it lacks editors willing to pay the price for those exposures.

At every pitch meeting and headline discussion, the question that gets quietly weighed is never “Is this accurate?” It is “Will this get us barred from China forever?”

The paper never needs a call from the liaison office in Beijing. Its reporters never need to “have tea” with state security. Self-censorship is completed quietly and precisely inside that glass tower on West 40th St.

What is deadlier than hostility is this kind of gentleness. The real danger is not the People’s Daily. It is the New York Times, decorated with Pulitzers, yet softening at the critical moment.

It does not lie on Beijing’s behalf. It simply files down the edge of truth until it no longer cuts and then hands it to the world in its most professional tone. Under this gentle packaging, concentration camps become vocational training centers, fighter jets circling Taiwan become routine drills, threats become “warnings” and aggression becomes “unification claims.”

This is not ignorance, it is calculated benevolence. The New York Times remains an influential newspaper, but it is no longer an impartial referee on China — and certainly not a shield Taiwan can rely on.

When the lighthouse of the free world begins to shine using authoritarian grammar, what gets illuminated is no longer the truth, but a widening gray zone.

Taiwan has no retreat. It cannot learn to be silenced nor mistake someone else’s ambiguity for its own safety. In this war — silent, smokeless yet long under way — what we need is not subtler “balance,” but sharper courage.

Hsiao Hsi-huei is a freelance writer.

Translated by Lin Lee-kai

title: ‘New York Times’ is dulling the sharp truth


content_text:
In Kaohsiung, you can find an old dojo built by the Japanese overlooking the seaside. There, a master of blade martial arts is the custodian of the sword of the legendary Japanese swordsman Musashi.The Japanese developed Kaohsiung. There was little to show before they arrived. The city does not define itself as a “Japanese” place, but it does not anchor its identity in anything that would oppose Japan, such as revanchism — a barbaric ideology that has only ever generated suffering — or national pride.The residents of Kaohsiung are too pragmatic for that. The city might have become a wonderful

By JulienOeuillet

Urban prosperity does not always begin with industrial parks or investment briefings — sometimes, it begins overnight, when the heartbeats of 170,000 people land in a stadium, shaking the ground like an invisible wave of urban renewal. During the two nights that K-pop group Twice performed in Kaohsiung last weekend, the city was not just a city. Instead, it felt like a massive body that had just woken up — the MRT’s blood flow sped up, the night markets’ sense of smell remained active until 4am and the shopping districts swelled as if injected with oxygen. This was not a

By Liu Che-ting 劉哲廷

I recently watched a panel discussion on Taiwan Talks in which the host rightly asked a critical question: Why is the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) spearheading a robust global movement to reject China’s ongoing distortion of UN Resolution 2758?While the discussion offered some context, a more penetrating analysis and urgent development was missed. The IPAC action is not merely a political gesture; it is an essential legal and diplomatic countermeasure to China’s escalating and fundamentally baseless campaign to manufacture a claim over Taiwan through the deliberate misinterpretation of a 1971 UN resolution.Since the inauguration of Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as

By TsengYueh-ying 曾月英

title: EDITORIAL CARTOON