title: 阿布扎比 Zayed National Museum 向公眾開放

content_text:
此阿聯酋國家博物館講述該片土地與當地人的故事，並向阿聯酋國父扎耶德的流芳百世致敬。 該博物館的開幕，標誌阿聯酋史無前例文化年的巔峰。teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi 和 Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi 已於較早前相繼開幕，而 Al Ain Museum 也重新開放。

阿聯酋阿布扎比2025年12月5日 /美通社/ — Zayed National Museum 是阿聯酋國家博物館兼 Saadiyat Cultural District 最重要部份，今天向公眾開放。

Zayed National Museum 向遊客提供穿越阿聯酋歷史之旅，從最早證據人類居住到塑造自身文化與身份的文明。該博物館擔當連接七大酋長國的文化橋樑，並突顯該等國家的深厚共同歷史與傳統。該博物館體現已故阿聯酋國父扎耶德 (Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan) 生平與阿聯酋歷史緊密相連，並透過他的生平作為一面鏡子，探索支撐該國的價值觀與抱負。

Zayed National Museum 在六個常設展廳內，展出超過 1500 件收藏品。這些展品結合考古文物、歷史文物、視聽與感官體驗，以及當代裝置和真實重建。參觀者參觀之旅可從該博物館 600 公尺長戶外展廳 Al Masar Garden 開始，繼續穿過各個展廳，該等展廳展示扎耶德的生平、阿聯酋的自然景觀，以及該地人類居住歷史。該地人類居住歷史，更以跨越 300,000 年考古發現為特色。它們一起揭示地理、創新、交流與信仰，如何塑造阿聯酋人的身份認同。

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi 主席 Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak 閣下表示：「Zayed National Museum 作為阿聯酋的國家博物館，講述這片土地與人民不斷發展的故事。它展示我們歷史與文化的凝聚力，並提供一個空間。在這空間內，市民、居民與遊客可以於我們人民與土地的故事中，看到他們自己的影子。該博物館將連結過去、現在與未來，而有助我們理解阿聯酋的不斷演變文化故事。它作為世界級研究與學習中心，將啟發和培養下一代阿聯酋策展人、歷史學家和文物保護者，協助我們國家為知識生產與全球文化對話作出更大貢獻。」

該博物館由普利茲克獎得主兼 Foster + Partners 建築師 Lord Norman 設計，它的開幕標誌為該國傳統的新篇章，也標誌為阿聯酋前史無前例文化年的巔峰。在這一年內， Saadiyat Cultural District 的 teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi 和 Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi 相繼開幕，而 Al Ain Region 的 Al Ain Museum 也重新開幕。

深厚根基與永恆傳統：開幕活動為期一個月

Zayed National Museum 為了慶祝這里程碑開幕，誠邀公眾人士體驗一系列表演、工作坊與文化活動。該等活動主題為「深厚根基與永恆傳統」，並將持續至 12 月 31 日。該博物館的室內外空間將透過各式各樣體驗活動，展現阿聯酋的傳統和頌揚當地文化。該活動結合音樂、舞蹈和講故事，從而連結各個年齡層觀眾至該國歷史與文化遺產。

活動重點包括傳統 Razfa 表演與 Naashat 舞蹈、由 Bait Al Gahwa 設計兼伴隨詩歌、Taghrooda 音樂、Nahma 航海歌和 Nadba 山歌的沉浸式 Gahwa 體驗、詩歌表演，以及音樂朗誦。多個實踐工作坊將探索該博物館故事與收藏品所啟發的傳統工藝與藝術品，並提供博物館導覽活動。這些工作坊和導覽活動，均須提前預約。

該博物館的商店 Al Nagwa Boutique，售賣一系列精心挑選的禮品和紀念品。這些禮品和紀念品的靈感，源自該博物館的主題與收藏品。該博物館餐飲選擇包括的招牌餐廳 Erth Restaurant，以及 Al Ghaf Cafe 和 Garden Cafes。

Zayed National Museum 門票與年度會員的售票網站：zayednationalmuseum.ae。

如欲索取更多傳媒資料

請按此下載圖片

阿拉伯語傳媒：Mohammed Al Daqqaq |[email protected] | +971 50 7037115英文傳媒：Dernagh O’Leary | [email protected] | +971 547878226

參觀資料

Zayed National Museum | 阿布扎比 Saadiyat Cultural District

zayednationalmuseum.ae

社交媒體

Instagram | znmuae – X | znmuae– Facebook | znmuae– YouTube | znmuae – LinkedIn | znmuae

開放時間：

每日上午 10:00 至晚上 8:00 開放

最後入場時間為閉館前 1 小時

門票：

售票網站：zayednationalmuseum.ae

一般門票：

成人 – AED 70兒童（未滿 18 歲）– 免費長者 – 免費學生或老師 — AED 35

三大會員類別：

個人 — 適合希望更深入了解阿聯酋文化遺產，並靈活單獨或結伴探索的人士，會員費用：AED 210。教師 — 適合希望透過博物館資源、研討會和專業發展機會，而豐富課堂學習的教育工作者，會員費用：AED 150。學生 — 適合希望參與展覽、活動和教育計劃的學生，會員費用：AED 150。

公眾活動：

Zayed National Museum 的各項活動均透過有意義的文化體驗，並專為匯聚家庭、朋友、個人與社區而設計。這些活動提供多個交流、激發好奇心與讚揚阿聯酋豐富歷史與文化的機會。

該博物館的公眾活動歡迎全部人士參加（從文化探索人士到首次參觀人士），提供豐富兼創意學習、分享與參與方式。

我們的活動時間表包括研討會、參觀、講座、會議、音樂及戲劇表演、文化活動與社區活動。每個項目均以啟發兼互動的方式，邀請參觀人士探索該國的歷史與文化。


content_text:
記者黃俊育 / 新北報導

近年來網路社群、電商平台購物風氣盛行，為圖方便或貪圖低價，許多民眾習慣透過臉書粉絲專頁、LINE群組或網路賣場進行商品買賣。新北市政府動保處今年接獲多起民眾檢舉，查獲4件賣家未取得「動物用藥品販賣業許可證」，卻透過網路平台或實體店面違法販售包含寄生蟲預防藥在內等多種動物用藥品。這些行為已明顯違反「動物用藥品管理法」相關規定，動保處已依法對四個違規案件合計裁罰新臺幣36萬元罰鍰，並呼籲民眾切勿以身試法，共同守護毛寶貝的用藥安全。

▲合格動物用藥品應有許可證字號。(圖/新北市動保處 提供)

動保處今年已接獲4起違法案件，違規通路涵蓋了多元網路平台及實體店面。其中有業者於LINE社群，以團購模式刊登販售如「心疥爽」、「碩騰寵愛PLUS（貓）」等動物用藥品；另有賣家利用Facebook粉絲專頁，並串聯LINE社群進行「滴即樂」、「蚤不到」等藥品的宣傳與販售；此外，亦有民眾在網路電商平台iOPEN Mall上刊登販售動物用藥品「犬新寶」；以及實體店面藥局未經許可，現場販售動物用藥品「壁逃逃-S」。根據「動物用藥品管理法」規定，所有動物用藥品販賣業者皆應向所在地主管機關申請並經審查合格，才能核發許可證登記營業。無論是網路銷售或未經許可的實體店面販售，皆屬違法行為。

▲販賣動物藥用需取得動物用藥販賣業許可證。(圖/新北市動保處 提供)

民眾在判斷是否為合格且具有許可證的動物用藥品時，應認明其外包裝上必須清楚印有經中央主管機關核准的品名及許可證字號，例如「動物藥入字第OOO號」或「動物藥製字第OOO號」，並標示「動物用」字樣，以及其有效成分、含量、用法用量、主治效能及適應症等完整資訊。動物用藥品需透過合法的藥品販賣業者或動物醫院取得，而這些合格的動物用藥品販賣業者，依法都必須具備專任藥品管理技術人員駐店管理。即使是經營觀賞魚等非處方藥品零售業務的公司或商號，依法仍須向主管機關申請動物用藥品販賣業許可證，並聘請專任管理技術人員駐店管理，以確保藥品來源及販售過程皆符合專業規範。

▲動物用藥品僅可於實體店面販售。(圖/新北市動保處 提供)

新北市動保處表示，為保障動物用藥安全，飼主務必循領有「動物用藥品販賣業許可證」之合法業者處購買動物用藥品，切勿以來路不明的管道購買，並應經由專業獸醫師診斷後，始得進行用藥，避免因誤用及劑量錯誤情事，而影響毛寶貝健康。動物用藥品依法不得於網路販售，且販賣任何未經核准製造、輸入、製造動物用藥品的行為亦屬違法。將處新臺幣9萬元以上45萬元以下罰鍰。若擅自販賣未經許可製造、輸入之動物用偽藥及禁藥，更將面臨6個月以上5年以下有期徒刑，得併科500萬元以下罰金，民眾切勿因一時貪圖小利而觸法遭罰鍰，傷了荷包甚至涉及刑責，終將得不償失。

title: 勿貪小便宜以身試法！新北市動保處呼籲：購買動物用藥需循合法管道     共同守護毛寶貝用藥安全

taiwan-subdivisions: 新北市 新北

references: Facebook 臉書


title: 影音/南京中山陵景區石橋底竟有大量中華民國國徽石條 大批民眾前往敬煙祭奠

content_text:
綜合外電

最近有網友發現，南京中山陵景區內的一座石橋的橋底，竟然存有大量刻有中華民國國徽的石條，而這視頻發出後，也引發大批民眾前往敬煙祭奠，12月4日，景區也緊急將該橋洞封鎖。


title: 不定期辦認養會！新北動保處攜手企業推廣     專注熟齡混種動物     讓牠們有更多回家的機會

content_text:
記者黃俊育 / 新北報導

新北市政府動保處為幫助更多收容毛寶貝回歸家庭，對外不定期辦理認養會、廣設「毛寶貝愛心認養小棧」及與企業合作推廣認養，對內修訂各項認養福利措施增加認養動物的誘因，政策多軌並行，並且針對熟齡動物祭出更多加碼好康。動保處表示，動物之家以熟齡混種毛寶貝居多，希望大家能多給牠們一些關注，如欲了解更多動物認養資訊，可查詢動保處官網認養專區（https://act-adopt.ahiqo.ntpc.gov.tw/）。

▲八里動保員介紹「小米」影片。(圖/新北市動保處 提供)

動保處所屬八里動物之家的「小米」是一隻混種米克斯，約莫3年前在新莊區街頭遊蕩被民眾通報入所，八里動保員陳姮蓉表示，「小米」有點混血米格魯，有一對大大的耳朵，體型嬌小，有點圓潤可愛，雖然有點年紀，但個性穩定非常親人也親狗，常常會默默地坐在我們身邊，是一位非常優質的「傾聽者」。「小米」也在日前新莊區IKEA認養會找到新主人，認養人楊小姐表示，因為想要找一隻狗狗作伴，認養會前就有在關注八里動物之家官方臉書，也看過動保員介紹「小米」的影片，相當喜歡牠可愛的模樣及個性，現場實際互動後，立馬決定要認養牠！

▲八里「小米」在認養會找到幸福。(圖/新北市動保處 提供)

八里動物之家的「聖聖」則是1年多前在八里區龍米路二段附近被救援的成貓，八里動物之家獸醫師黃勁達表示，「聖聖」入所時相當虛弱，嚴重脫水、失溫，經檢查後發現有腎功能不全、貧血等問題，經過幾個月時間的調理才逐漸回復元氣，「聖聖」相當幸運，遇到一位有照護急症經驗的主人，認養人李小姐表示，「聖聖」很親人，跟我很投緣，也感謝八里動物之家工作人員細心的照顧牠，以及明確告知我日後照護需注意事項。

新北市動保處表示，動物之家多地處偏遠，因此廣邀異業合作辦理認養會、設立愛心認養小棧，以及透過網路新媒體等管道，以期提升被毛寶貝被認養的機會，同時也訂定多項提高認養率的精進作為，減輕飼主的各項負擔，也提升毛寶貝照護品質，像八里「小米」及「聖聖」因為是高齡久居、罹患疾病不易被認養的毛寶貝，認養牠們除可獲得免費訓練課程、終身免費醫療諮詢及疫苗注射、免費飼料及心絲蟲預防藥等福利，還有加碼贈「新北幣」2000元，也歡迎大家來新北市公立動物之家實地跟動物互動，許收容動物一個幸福的家。

taiwan-subdivisions: 新北 八里區 新莊區 八里 新北市


content_text:
記者蘇凱中/宜蘭報導

宜蘭市公所推出以兒童繪本敘說在地文史的「來喲!來喔!踅宜蘭南北館市場」，委託宜蘭國小附幼林秋萍老師及繪本插畫家周子涵共同創作，希望小朋友能透過這本繪本，認識自己成長的家鄉。

繪本描述的宜蘭「南北館市場」，啟用於 1912 年，至今已超過百年，是宜蘭市最大的市場，最早叫做「宜蘭街食料品小賣市場」。當時兩座市場接壤成一片，直到 1939 年，政府為拓寬火車站前的光復路，將市場中央棟拆除，保留南北兩棟建物，分別劃定為第一公有市場（北館市場）及第二公有市場（南館市場）。「南北館市場」不僅是宜蘭舊城，更是全宜蘭縣最大的傳統市場。舉凡五金用品、南北雜貨、雞鴨豬牛羊、蔬果海鮮、宜蘭小吃，各式香草配料應有盡有。百年來，勾勒出精彩豐富的宜蘭生活史，體現濃濃的宜蘭味，亦是屬於宜蘭人產地直送、鮮活體驗的互動博物館。

南北館市場提供城裡城外、附近鄉鎮，有關婚喪喜慶、生養送死的常民生活用品，即使沒有住在宜蘭市境內的人，也與南北館有著深刻的臍帶連結。每逢歲時祭儀，到北館市場採辦年節用品及南北雜貨；每年莊稼熟了，到南館市場的傳統鐵店磨刀、鍛造農具…。這兩座擁有百年歷史的傳統市場，是宜蘭許多家庭幾代人的重要採買地點，也是宜蘭人的共同記憶。

宜蘭市市長陳美玲表示，南北館市場是一個充滿歷史感和時間感的市場，也是一個生活的市場。在阿公阿嬤的時代，南北館就像是每一個宜蘭人的百貨公司。公所希望藉由這本兒童繪本的推出，讓宜蘭市的鄉土文化可以向下紮根，從小小朋友開始都能對自己的家鄉有更多的了解。繪本除了將分送給宜蘭市內公私立幼兒園的小、中、大班的孩童每人一本，作為今年聖誕小禮物，也會寄送到全國各縣市及宜蘭縣各圖書館，讓大家都有機會可以閱讀到這本親子繪本，跟著繪本主角「古錐ㄟ」來踅宜蘭南北館市場!

title: 「來喲!來喔!踅宜蘭南北館市場」   市公所推兒童繪本敘說在地文史

people: 林秋萍 陳美玲

taiwan-subdivisions: 宜蘭 宜蘭縣 光復


people: 習近平 賴清德

content_text:
ADVICE:  With China’s economy struggling this year, President Xi should focus not on territorial expansion, but on improving the well-being of China’s citizens, Lai said

President William Lai (賴清德) in a US media interview said that Taiwan is “working side by side” with other democracies to deter a Chinese invasion, and “robust preparations are the best way to avoid war and achieve peace.”

Speaking in a prerecorded video interview, which aired on Wednesday at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, Lai said that “peace is priceless and war has no winners.”

“While we aspire to peace, we cannot harbor illusions about it,” Lai told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin in his first foreign media interview since he announced a US$40 billion special defense budget on Wednesday last week.

New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin, left, and President William Lai speak via video during the New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

“Peace must be secured through strength. This is why we are increasing our defense budget and strengthening our national defense capabilities, while also cutting back our economic dependence on China,” Lai added.

The president was one of more than a dozen interviewees at the Times’ event, which also featured conversations with US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, General Motors CEO Mary Barra and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

In the Lai interview, which lasted about 10 minutes, Sorkin asked about China’s goal of being capable of “taking Taiwan by force by 2027” and what Lai thought China’s current timeline could be.

“Whatever timeline China’s People’s Liberation Army may have, Taiwan’s fundamental principle is that we must be ready first,” he said, before expressing gratitude to the international community for their support of Taiwan.

Sorkin then asked how confident Lai felt about US President Donald Trump’s support for Taiwan.

“Our relationship truly is rock solid,” Lai said of the long-standing relationship between the two countries, adding that US cooperation with Taiwan has expanded since Trump assumed office.

On the Russia-Ukraine war, Lai said Taiwan stands with Ukrainians, and he hopes “this irrational and illegitimate war will be over as soon as possible so that the Ukrainian people will no longer have to suffer.”

“However, in ending this war, we also hope that Ukraine’s national dignity and the well-being of its people will be respected and future conflict will be prevented,” Lai said.

Sorkin, a financial columnist for the New York Times and coanchor of CNBC’s business news show Squawk Box, turned the interview to the topic of semiconductors.

Noting the Trump administration’s desire to manufacture “40 to 50 percent of all semiconductors in the next couple of years,” Sorkin asked whether Lai was concerned about Taiwan potentially becoming “less valuable” to the US.

Lai said that “semiconductors are a global ecosystem” and that he hopes Taiwan can “support the reindustrialization of the US” through investments in the country.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) and other Taiwanese chip firms invest in the US, Japan, Europe or “wherever they believe it is needed,” Lai said.

On the question of whether Trump’s 40 to 50 percent domestic semiconductor manufacturing goal was realistic or not, Lai said that would depend on the US government’s ability to facilitate land, water and electricity, workforce and talent development, and investment incentives.

Later in the interview, Lai said that Taiwan’s decision in about 2000 not to relocate its most advanced manufacturing to China was correct.

He also urged Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to focus on China’s economic and not “territorial expansion.”

Taiwan’s economy is forecast to grow 7.37 percent this year, “while international financial institutions estimate China’s growth to be only a little above 4 percent,” he said.

“China’s economy is indeed struggling,” Lai added. “We sincerely hope that as China faces economic pressures, President Xi Jinping will focus not on territorial expansion, but on improving the well-being of the Chinese people.”

He also called on leaders around the world to work together to “take steps to prevent AI [artificial intelligence] from becoming a bubble,” so that the industry can drive long-term global growth.

Additional reporting by Reuters

title: Taipei, partners seek to deter attack: Lai


content_text:
FRAUD ISSUES:  The app meets none of Taiwan’s 15 cybersecurity standards, and in the past year, about 1,706 fraud cases have been identified on it   By Cheng Ching-yi and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of the Interior yesterday ordered Taiwanese Internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu (小紅書, also known as RedNote in English) for a year, after detecting hundreds of instances of fraud on the platform.

The ISPs have been instructed to block access to the app to its more than 3 million users in Taiwan, effective immediately, Deputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) told a news conference at the National Police Agency’s Fraud Prevention Center.

The order is being implemented via protocols governing domain name system (DNS) response policy zones, he said.

The logo of the Chinese app Xiaohongshu, also known in English as RedNote, is displayed on a cellphone in an illustration photograph taken on Jan. 15. Photo: Reuters

Xiaohongshu meets none of the nation’s 15 cybersecurity standards governing online platforms, which puts its millions of Taiwanese users at imminent danger of fraud, he said.

The bureau said in a statement that 1,706 cases of fraud have been identified since last year through the app, with financial losses exceeding NT$247 million (US$7.9 million).

The company that owns the China-based app, Xingyin Information Technology (Shanghai) Co (行吟資訊科技(上海)) does not have an office in Taiwan and has not responded to regulators’ requests to submit a plan to improve data security on its platform, Ma said.

The measures are necessary for authorities to compensate victims of crime and protect consumer rights, he said, adding that Meta Platforms Inc, Alphabet Inc, ByteDance Ltd (字節跳動) and LY Corp, the operator of the Line messaging app, are all in compliance with Taiwanese law.

By comparison, Xingyin has not responded to government legal filings in the 52 days since their receipt, Ma said.

The government must take action against Xiaohongshu or admit the abdication of its regulatory responsibilities, he said, adding that inaction would also be unfair to companies that follow the law.

The decision is part of the ministry’s comprehensive anti-fraud strategy, not an action specifically targeting Xiaohongshu, officials said.

The government has blocked access to 45,059 platform-operating entities, 95 percent of which were based in a foreign nation, they said.

As Xiaohongshu owns more than 1,000 Internet protocol addresses, the government ban would not shut down the app at once, officials said.

Instead, the platform would likely see DNS response policy zone protocols gradually degrade streaming speeds until the corporation complies with laws and regulations, or its service becomes unusable, they said.

title: ISPs ordered to block China’s Xiaohongshu


content_text:
The US is to work with Indo-Pacific partners to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the broader region, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Jonathan Fritz said on Wednesday.

The US would cooperate with South Korea and other regional partners to “uphold the international law of the sea and peace and stability, whether in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea or elsewhere in the region,” Fritz said at the ROK-US Strategic Forum in Washington.

The alliance between the US and South Korea, as well as their extended deterrence commitments, “remain ironclad,” he added.

US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Jonathan Fritz speaks at the ROK-US Strategic Forum in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: screengrab the Center for Strategic and International Studies YouTube

Victor Cha, president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that South Korea’s most important role in a potential Taiwan contingency would be to prevent a second crisis from erupting on the Korean Peninsula, which would “stretch the United States very thinly.”

Cha said that the inclusion of the Taiwan Strait issue in the joint fact sheet released after the October meeting between US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung was “very significant, given that it is a different government from the previous government.”

The statement about the law of the sea and freedom of navigation was “clearly in reference to Chinese activity in the South China Sea, as well as closer to the Korean Peninsula,” Cha said.

As for South Korea’s role in maintaining peace across the Strait, Cha said that it could at least criticize China for using economic coercion against Japan after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took a stance on a cross-strait issue.

He was referring to Takaichi’s recent comment that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute a situation threatening Japan’s survival, a remark that prompted Beijing to issue a travel warning for Japan and suspend imports of Japanese seafood.

Lee Seong-hyon, a senior fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, said at the forum that Takaichi’s remark was not directed at Beijing, but rather at Washington.

“Japan wants to make sure that from Washington’s perspective, Japan is really a reliable partner,” he said.

A previous meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) toned down the tensions and raised the possibility of a “grand bargain” between the two superpowers, prompting “a fear of abandonment” in smaller countries, Lee said.

“Interestingly, US allies are showing strategic clarity,” even as Washington is approaching Beijing with strategic ambiguity, he said.

title: US to work with partners to maintain peace in Strait


title: HK races to take down nets blamed for fueling blaze

content_text:
Hong Kong authorities yesterday rushed to remove mesh netting on all buildings undergoing renovation across the territory after the material was blamed for fanning a blaze last week that has killed at least 159 people.

The government late on Wednesday ordered the immediate removal of scaffolding nets on all public and private residential buildings by tomorrow, to “protect public safety and put residents and businesses’ minds at ease.”

The move comes as authorities investigate the cause of the territory’s deadliest fire in decades, having pointed to the mesh for fueling an inferno that engulfed seven high-rise apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court complex on Wednesday last week.

Workers remove scaffolding mesh from a building at Sui Wo Court in Hong Kong’s Sha Tin neighborhood yesterday. Photo: Reuters

Renovation work across Hong Kong would effectively grind to a standstill as inspectors verify the netting meets safety standards.

At a housing estate in Sha Tin, about a 15-minute drive from the Wang Fuk Court complex, workers began dismantling protective netting yesterday morning.

C.K. Lau, an 82 year old retiree living at the Sha Tin housing estate, said that removing the nets reduced the chance of a similar type of incident.

Paper cranes hang on strings during a vigil held outside the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Hong Kong on Wednesday, in the aftermath of a deadly fire on Wednesday last week. Photo: AFP

“The residents feel better if they [the government] agree to take it down. So they agreed to take it down within this week,” Lau said.

Police have arrested 21 people in their probe into the fire.

Among them are 15 from construction companies suspected of manslaughter, including two directors and an engineering consultant from Prestige Construction and Engineering Co (宏業建築工程), the main contractor at Wang Fuk Court.

A further six from the fire service installation contractor have been arrested on suspicion of fraud.

Residents of Wang Fuk Court, home to 4,600 people, were told by authorities last year they faced “relatively low fire risks” after they complained about fire hazards posed by the renovations, Hong Kong’s Department of Labour said.

More than 200 private buildings, along with more than 10 public housing and government buildings, would have to remove the netting, Hong Kong Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn (甯漢豪) said on Wednesday, adding that contractors must bear the costs.

The Hong Kong Buildings Department aims to issue a new code of practice next week, requiring all scaffold net materials to be sampled on site. The nets would only be installed after being certified by designated laboratories as compliant with requirements.

Authorities are also investigating suspected false safety documents for netting from a Shandong, China-based manufacturer used at two renovation sites in the city.

Of the 159 bodies found since the Wang Fuk Court blaze, authorities say 140 have been identified — 91 females and 49 males, aged one to 97.

Foreign domestic helpers from Indonesia and the Philippines are among 31 people still missing.

More than 2,900 residents have been put in temporary accommodation, with 1,152 staying in hostels, camps or hotel rooms, the government said.

Another 1,765 residents have moved into transitional housing units.


title: Macron urges China’s Xi to push for peace

content_text:
French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to help end the war in Ukraine and to tackle trade deficits as the two leaders met in Beijing, where they were also expected to talk about Taiwan.

China has been looking for support from France — one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — in its dispute with Japan over Taiwan’s status.

Tensions escalated after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last month that a conflict over Taiwan could pose a threat to Japan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron, right, greet attendees at a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday, as Macron arrived for a three-day visit to China to discuss issues such as the war in Ukraine, trade deficits and Taiwan, media reported. Photo: AFP

On the eve of the Macron-Xi meeting, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) told his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, that as World War II victors, China and France must not allow Japan to “stir up troubles” over Taiwan or repeat historical mistakes.

Macron yesterday did not publicly address Taiwan. In the past few days, French officials have reiterated the need to respect the “one China” policy.

For the French president, making his fourth visit to China while in office, the three-day trip is an opportunity to shore up support for a ceasefire in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, as well as to attract more Chinese investment in France.

Speaking in the Great Hall of the People, where the meeting took place, Xi said he and Macron had agreed to push for more “balanced” economic ties, two-way investment and a “nondiscriminatory” environment for businesses in both countries.

Beijing has long sought to avoid EU tariffs on Chinese products, including steel and electric vehicles that Brussels says are sold at unfair prices due to state subsidies.

Xi also reiterated his support for an end to the hostilities in Ukraine, telling Macron that “China supports all efforts committed to peace and hopes that all parties will reach a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement that is acceptable to all parties.”

China — a major Russian trading partner — has said it takes a neutral stance on the war, refraining from condemning Moscow’s invasion.

“We must continue to work towards peace and stability in the world, and in Ukraine and other regions affected by war,” Macron told Xi, adding: “Our capacity to work together is decisive.”

“I hope that China will join our call and our efforts to achieve, as soon as possible, at least a ceasefire in the form of a moratorium on strikes targeting critical infrastructure,” he said.

Macron’s visit to Beijing follows a trip to Paris by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who urged Europe to stand by Kyiv as Washington pushes a plan to end the war.

China regularly calls for peace talks and respect for the territorial integrity of all countries, but has never condemned Russia for its 2022 invasion.


content_text:
HOMEBREW HEALTHCARE: More local pharmaceutical production capability could hardly go amiss in the face of a hypothetical crisis cutting off outside shipping

The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a four-year, NT$24 billion (US$765.8 million) project to enable domestic production of more than 50 key drugs and enhance the resilience of the domestic drug supply chain.

Globalization has narrowed the production of drugs, as demonstrated by drug shortages resulting from shipping delays and other factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the national security implications of pharmaceutical production capabilities, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said during the Cabinet meeting yesterday.

The project, beginning next year, is a comprehensive plan that combines investment and policies to strengthen Taiwanese

pharmaceutical production, storage and logistics, the ministry said.

The program seeks to enhance Taiwan’s organic capability to produce active pharmaceutical components, and to increase production and export of generic drugs, locally produce biomedicine and radiopharmaceuticals, control critical medical ingredients, adopt artificial intelligence in monitoring, draft relevant laws before introducing policies and step up international cooperation, it said.

Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said that Taiwan currently has 30 companies that produce active pharmaceutical ingredients and 144 pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Only 16 percent of domestically produced active pharmaceutical ingredients are used locally, while 64 percent of necessary drugs are imported, Shih said, adding that this is a weakness in Taiwan’s pharmaceutical supply chain.

The project aims to increase the resilience of domestic pharmaceutical supply chains, enabling them to respond quickly in times of need, as well as generate NT$1 trillion in economic benefits, the ministry added.

The project would be overseen by a joint task force, with the ministry providing a list of key pharmaceuticals to be manufactured, providing legal and scientific consultation, formulating policies to encourage the use of generic drugs, overseeing international collaboration and amending regulations when necessary.

The Ministry of Environment would oversee environmental assessment and waste disposal, and the Ministry of Finance would assist with tax reduction policies to support research and development and investment.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs would provide subsidies for industry upgrades and assistance, and would lead delegations to encourage foreign investment.

Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) quoted Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as saying that the NT$24 billion funding is an important part of attracting peripheral financial benefits.

Shih said the health ministry is working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to include domestic pharmaceutical production as a means to apply for tax deductions, and that a Pharmaceutical Drug Resilience Fund has been established to cover any funding shortfalls.

Shih said pharmaceutical storage would prioritize drugs and medical equipment for treating field injuries common to a wartime situation, adding that medicine for dealing with other high-risk incidents would be added to storage based on supply stability.

Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua

title: Ministries seek to harden pharma logistics capacity


content_text:
ANNIVERSARY ADVENTURE:  With funding expected to get legislative approval soon, a thousand people a month should receive the birthday tourism vouchers

A drawing is to be held monthly beginning next month for birthday-linked accommodation vouchers as part of incentives to boost domestic tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday.

Separate drawings would be held from April for subsidies for people traveling domestically on Sundays through Thursdays, the agency said.

One thousand people would be awarded birthday vouchers each month, with each voucher valued at NT$1,200 (US$38.29), it said.

The subsidies for weekday travel would be NT$800 for a one-night stay and NT$1,200 for a two-night stay, it added.

Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) said that the subsidies for weekday travel should become available on April 1, as legislative approval of a budget to fund them is expected in March.

People who win birthday vouchers next month or in February would not receive them until the budget is approved, Huang said.

The ministry presented other plans to boost domestic tourism and attract international visitors at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, including an amusement park overnight stay program, corporate employee domestic travel incentives and weekday domestic travel discounts for Taiwan Pass holders.

Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said he hopes that the budget — proposed to be about NT$2.3 billion — to fund the plans would be implemented by March.

The goal is to encourage people to travel more often, especially on their birthdays, and to visit amusement parks, Chen said.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) asked whether there was any possibility of increasing the number of birthday vouchers given out per month, as only 12,000 people per year would receive them at the proposed level.

“We will try our best to see if we can increase the number of recipients, as it is a good thing to celebrate birthdays,” Chen said.

title: Birthday travel voucher draws begin soon

people: 李昆澤 陳世凱


title: CDC tracking NTU tuberculosis case

content_text:
About 900 people have been listed as close contacts of a student at National Taiwan University (NTU) who was diagnosed with tuberculosis, a case authorities have determined as an isolated infection rather than a cluster, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Shih said that after a foreign student at NTU was diagnosed with tuberculosis, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Taipei Department of Health drew up a list of close contacts to monitor their health.

Shih said that those who spent more than eight hours in the same space as the infected student on a single day, or had more than 40 hours of cumulative contact, were listed as close contacts.

The main boulevard at National Taiwan University in Taipei is pictured on June 19. Photo: CNA

Possible contacts would get chest X-rays and have their blood drawn to check for infection, including latent cases, Shih said, adding that cooperating with the screening is required by law.

Shih said the number of close contacts is relatively high, as authorities traced exposure back to the student’s time of diagnosis and arrival in Taiwan.

Nevertheless, he reiterated that the case is being treated as a single infection rather than a cluster.

CDC spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠) said he could not confirm when the student arrived in Taiwan, but added that the infectious period has lasted more than three months, contributing to the high number of close contacts.

The origin of the infection is still being investigated, Lin said.

According to the WHO, tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that most often affects the lungs and can spread through the air when people with the disease cough or sneeze.

As of Dec. 3, the CDC had identified 5,019 cases in Taiwan this year.


content_text:
The Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI) yesterday signed an agreement with a Czech nonprofit organization to jointly launch a 200 million euros (US$233.5 million) African medical aid procurement program.

The cooperation agreement was signed by IBMI vice president Yang Pan-chyr (楊泮池) and Petr Foit, chairman of the Czech Health Technology Institute, during the opening of the Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan in Taipei.

Since 2023, IBMI has worked with the Czech institute to help a range of Taiwanese medical products — including handheld ultrasound devices, microplate readers and electrocardiography systems — enter European markets through various projects, Yang said.

Representatives of National Taiwan University Hospital pose with a mascot at the Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center yesterday. Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times

This year, the partnership would be deepened through the launch of the African medical aid procurement program.

The procurement program would source a range of medical equipment from Taiwan to enhance primary healthcare, maternal and child care, and regional and central hospital resilience in sub-Saharan Africa, according to IBMI.

The equipment would include about 20 items, such as intensive care respiratory devices and vital-sign monitoring equipment, including fetal heart monitors, it said.

President William Lai, fourth left, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu, third left, and others gesture during the opening of the Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center yesterday. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

It is a major step as Taiwan’s medical technology sector seeks to go international, enabling cooperation with more countries under the EU framework and helping to expand into the European and emerging markets, the IBMI said.

The Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan is being held at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei through Sunday, including a networking reception with global healthcare and association leads.

At the opening yesterday, President William Lai (賴清德) touted the government’s five-year, NT$48.9 billion (US$1.56 billion) investment in a comprehensive plan to create a “healthy Taiwan,” a priority of which is promoting smart healthcare.

The plan includes adopting the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources standard to streamline the integration of technology into medicine, he said.

Taiwan boasts not just high-quality healthcare, but a sizeable biotechnology industry and a powerful technology sector, laying a solid foundation for the continued development of Taiwan’s medical technology industry, he added.

Additional reporting by Kayleigh Madjar

title: Taiwan partnering Czech institute to expand medical aid


content_text:
Environmental advocates yesterday urged the Executive Yuan to reverse the National Property Administration’s decision to end national farmland leases to build an incinerator in Nantou County’s Mingjian Township (名間), saying it would make local agricultural workers ineligible for the new national farmland distribution program.

A farmer from the county, surnamed Lai (賴), said her family has been farming their land for decades, but the agency told her brother that the land has been allocated to the county government and would not be passed down in her family.

President William Lai (賴清德) announced a program to release farmland for private ownership, but her family became ineligible due to the county’s decision, she said.

A woman holds a sign outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday protesting a decision to end national farmland leases to build an incinerator in Nantou County’s Mingjian Township. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

The agency’s decision involved 11 plots of farmland and would affect more than 20 local farmers such as Lai, Changhua Environmental Protection Union president Chang Shu-fen (張淑芬) said.

Government Watch Alliance executive director Hsu Hsin-hsin (許心欣) said the agency allocated the national farmland to the county government for the incinerator project, but that should not have happened, as it infringes on Article 38 of the National Property Act (國有財產法), which specifies that non-public properties — including national farmland — could not be appropriated for official or public use if it would contradict regional planning.

The action also contravened Article 17 of the 37.5 Percent Arable Rent Reduction Act (耕地三七五減租條例), which stipulates that farmland leases would not be terminated until the land has been legally changed to non-agricultural land, she said.

Taiwan Watch Institute secretary-general Herlin Hsieh (謝和霖) said the appropriated farmlands are near Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪), with an area of 7.5 hectares, and are categorized as part of the region’s special agricultural zone.

That means the farmlands should be prioritized for agricultural use, he said.

The agency in March allocated the farmland for the county’s incinerator project after the latter filed an application in February, even though the farms’ rezoning and the project’s environmental impact assessment review had not been conducted, Hsieh said.

In response, the agency has cited two official letters from the Ministry of the Interior written in 1993, which allowed local authorities to allocate national land for different use without prior applications for land use change and if they can prove that the change would not disrupt regional planning, he said.

The letters were about the Six-Year National Construction Plan from 1991 to 1997 and should not be applied to other land use change cases, Hsieh said.

Neither can the letters override statutes such as the two acts, he said, urging the Executive Yuan to revoke the agency’s decision and restore the farmers’ eligibility to apply for the land-releasing program.

An official from the Department of Fiscal, Statistical and Financial Affairs yesterday said that it would examine the issue and respond as soon as possible.

Lai last month announced the program, which would allow agricultural or aquacultural workers to own the farmland they have been cultivating since at least Sept. 24, 1976.

The program is expected to cover about 2,000 hectares of national farmlands nationwide and could benefit at least 4,440 farmers.

title: Nantou farmers seek to own land they have worked


content_text:
EXERCISES? December is normally the busiest time for Chinese military maneuvers, but Beijing is yet to announce any drills despite the uptick in activity since last month

China is deploying a large number of naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters, at one point more than 100, in the largest maritime show of force to date, according to four sources and intelligence reports reviewed by Reuters.

China is in the middle of what is traditionally a busy season for military exercises, although the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not made any announcements of large-scale officially named drills.

Still, the rise in activity is happening as China and Japan are in a diplomatic crisis after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month said that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

Beijing has also been angered by an announcement last month by President William Lai (賴清德) of an extra US$40 billion in defense spending.

The Chinese ships have massed in waters stretching from the southern part of the Yellow Sea through the East China Sea and down into the contested South China Sea, as well as into the Pacific, four security officials in the region said.

Their accounts were corroborated by intelligence reports from a country in the region, which detailed the deployment.

Reuters reviewed the reports on condition it did not name the country.

As of yesterday morning, there were more than 90 Chinese ships operating in the region, coming down from more than 100 at one point earlier this week, the documents showed.

The operations exceed China’s mass naval deployment in December last year, which prompted Taiwan to raise its alert level, the sources said.

National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) on Wednesday said that China is now in what is generally the most active season for its military drills.

As of Wednesday morning, China was operating four naval formations in the western Pacific, and Taiwan is keeping tabs on them, Tsai said, without giving details.

“So we must anticipate the enemy as broadly as possible and continue to watch closely for any changes in related activities,” he said when asked if China could stage any new Taiwan-specific drills before the end of the year.

China’s defense and foreign ministries, as well as its Taiwan Affairs Office, did not respond to requests for comment.

Taiwan has a full and real-time grasp of the security situation in the Taiwan Strait and the broader region, and “can ensure there are no concerns for national security,” Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement.

Taiwan will continue working closely with international partners to deter any unilateral actions that could threaten regional stability, she added.

One of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said Beijing had begun dispatching a higher-than-usual number of ships to the region after Nov. 14, when it summoned Japan’s ambassador to protest Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan.

“This goes far beyond China’s national defense needs and creates risks for all sides,” the official briefed on the matter said, adding that Beijing was testing the responses in regional capitals with the “unprecedented” deployment.

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces declined to comment specifically about Chinese military movements, but said it did not assess that there had been a “sharp” increase in activities since Nov. 14.

“Notwithstanding that point, it is believed that the Chinese military is seeking to enhance its ability to conduct operations in more distant maritime and airspaces through the strengthening of its naval power,” it said in a statement.

Together with warplanes, some of the Chinese vessels in the area have carried out mock attacks on foreign ships.

They have also practiced access-denial operations aimed at preventing outside forces from sending reinforcements in the event of a conflict, the source said.

Two other sources said countries in the region are tracking the developments closely, but added that they so far do not think the deployment carries significant risks.

“There’s a big outing,” one of those sources said. “But apparently just routine exercises.”

However, the number of Chinese ships near Taiwan did not rise significantly, according to the first official and the intelligence reports.

China’s last named wargame around Taiwan was in April and called “Strait Thunder-2025.”

China never formally confirmed it held drills during last December’s mass naval activity.

title: China deploys navy vessels across Asia


content_text:
PROCEDURE:  Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first

Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan.

The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.”

The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list.

They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.

As for the other six, four were also on wanted lists published by other prosecutors’ offices in Taiwan, but have not been convicted, while the other two are not wanted criminals in Taiwan, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported.

The two who were not on the wanted list were released after signing a proof of arrival.

Two of the 10 people were reported to have served prison sentences in China, the report said.

The office has also asked the police and Kinmen Border Affairs Corps to investigate if the returned people were involved in other criminal activities in Taiwan.

China reportedly intended to extradite three other wanted criminals via the “small three links” yesterday afternoon, but the request was denied by immigration authorities on the grounds that their identities must first be verified.

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said that China informed Taiwan about the extradition with shorter notice than usual, and that they were not able to board the ferry to Kinmen because none of them possessed proper legal documents to enter Taiwan.

“We only allowed the 10 individuals to board the ferry after we verified their identities and adopted precautionary safety measures,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei.

“In the past, the matter was handled with fixed channels of operation. However, I must say that the information came to us on relatively short notice,” Liang said.

Asked about the proper way to handle cross-strait extraditions, Liang said that the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement (兩岸共同打擊犯罪及司法互助協議) stipulates that both should agree in advance on when and how the criminals should be extradited.

However, this case was handled differently from what was stated in the agreement, which cannot be thoroughly enforced due to political barriers set up by China, Liang said.

“Nevertheless, these people are Taiwanese and are entitled to return to the country, and some of them are convicted criminals on the wanted list as well. We are dissatisfied with the way the information was relayed to us, but we still need to handle it using a practical approach,” he said.

“We still hope that China would respect the mechanisms that have been in place for a long time, as that is the best approach,” he added.

title: China extradites 10 Taiwanese via Kinmen County


content_text:
By Liu Wan-lin, Chen Cheng-yu and Esme Yeh / Staff reporters

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) yesterday defended her proposal to give legislators full control over their stipends amid criticism that it would open the door to the embezzlement of assistant fees.

Chen proposed draft amendments to the Organic Act of the Legislative Yuan (立法院組織法) to allow legislators to freely use their allowances without providing invoices for reimbursement.

The bill would also make the allowance originally dedicated to covering the wages, health checkup fees and teambuilding expenses for legislators’ assistants applicable to other affairs.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yu-jen speaks at the legislature in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

It states that how legislators use their allowances and whether it is proper “fall outside the scope of the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) and the Criminal Code,” as legislators only have to bear political responsibility to the public.

Chen also proposed draft amendments to the Regulations on Allowances for Elected Representatives and Subsidies for Chiefs of Village (地方民意代表費用支給及村里長事務補助費補助條例) to give local councilors the same power over allowances for assistant compensation.

Critics said Chen is trying to rescue KMT Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒), who has been found guilty of embezzling assistant fees.

Chen said the laws must be reviewed, as many lawmakers have been prosecuted for embezzling assistant fees, adding that she proposed the amendments in response to requests by the National Local Council Leaders’ Association.

The assistant fee system should not be ossified and such allowances should become available for hiring part-time assistants for various tasks, she said.

The bills are aimed at solving problems that involve all political parties, instead of “saving” lawmakers of a certain party, Chen said, calling on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its “cyberwarriors” to refrain from discrediting her proposals.

The bills were directly sent to a second reading and are slated to be discussed at today’s legislative meeting.

However, many KMT legislators reportedly signed on the bills thinking they were proposed by the KMT caucus and that they were doing a favor for KMT secretary-general Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍), according to a source who asked to remain anonymous.

Some KMT legislators expressed regret for their endorsement and sought to remove their signatures, they said.

DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said the KMT lawmakers knew that the bills would be unacceptable and their signatures would not make them look good in elections.

The opposition parties have sent many bills directly to a second reading without proper cross-caucus discussions, as they try to avoid expressing their individual opinions about contentious bills at committee meetings, he said.

Legislators should be transparent about their attitudes toward different issues, which would be revealed during committee meetings, Chung said, adding that sending bills to a second reading via a quick vote is evading public oversight.

Citizen Congress Watch director Chang Hung-Lin (張宏林) said the bills would also cause national security concerns.

Regulations stipulate that a legislator can hire eight to 14 state-funded assistants, who would have free access to the legislature, he said.

However, temporary or permanent assistants would be allowed if the bill is passed, making it easier for Beijing to conduct infiltration work in the legislature, Chang said.

“Legislators and their assistants have access to classified information, so the assistants must be listed for management and legally held responsible for potential misconduct,” he said.

A report from the Legislative Yuan’s Legislative Research Bureau said that the US and Japan include legislators in the scope of regulations on public servants, despite them being elected officials.

The UK also has the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to handle salaries and reimbursements for expenses of UK parliamentary members following an expense scandal in 2009, the report said.

Additional reporting by Lin Che-yuan and Lee Wen-hsin

title: Legislator proposes easing rules on use of stipends

people: 李乾龍 顏寬恒 陳玉珍 鍾佳濱 張宏林


title: Japanese policy toward Taiwan unchanged: Takaichi

content_text:
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated her nation’s long-held position that it understands and respects China’s view on Taiwan, a comment that some Chinese social media users saw as an attempt to walk back her recent remarks.

“The fundamental position of the Japanese government regarding Taiwan remains unchanged from that stated in the 1972 Japan-China joint communique,” Takaichi said on Wednesday in the country’s parliament.

She was asked whether there has been any shift in the official stance that Japan respects China’s view that Taiwan is an “inalienable part of its territory,” without specifically agreeing to the “one China” principle.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is pictured during a party leaders’ debate at the upper house of parliament in Tokyo on Wednesday last week. Photo: Bloomberg

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Yesterday morning, the phrase “Sanae Takaichi finally relented” was the No. 1 trending topic on Sina Weibo.

Some users saw Takaichi’s latest comments as a sign she is backing down, although others said more clarity is still needed.

Takaichi last month said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could mean a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, implying that her country could deploy its military with other nations in that scenario.

Since then, Tokyo and Beijing have been embroiled in a spat in which China has taken various economic and diplomatic measures against Japan.

In the joint statement that formalized diplomatic relations between the two nations more than half a century ago, Japan said it “fully understands and respects” China’s view that Taiwan is an “inalienable part” of its territory, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Since Takaichi spoke on the issue early last month, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi has said multiple times that Japan’s stance has not changed from 1972, but that has not been enough for China so far.

“All the Japanese side has done is dodging the issue by claiming that its position ‘remains unchanged,’” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian (林劍) said on Monday. “We urge the Japanese side to learn the lessons of history, do soul-searching, take seriously what it has heard from the Chinese side, simply retract the erroneous remarks as it should.”

Takaichi has resisted Chinese demands to retract her remarks, saying repeatedly that Tokyo’s position on any security emergency remains the same.


title: Committee approves delivery driver protections bill

content_text:
The legislature yesterday passed preliminary review of most provisions in a bill that would increase pay and mandate insurance for delivery service drivers, clearing a hurdle for the anticipated legislation.

Lawmakers in the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee agreed to support the bulk of a government-backed special act governing delivery platforms, while leaving its name and regulatory purpose to interparty negotiations.

The approved portions of the bill stipulate that drivers must be compensated at a rate equivalent to 1.25 times the minimum wage and no less than NT$45 per delivery.

Lawmakers in the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee hold up placards hailing the passage of a draft act governing delivery platforms at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

The minimum pay per job is determined by applying the 1.25 multiplier to the product of the minimum wage of NT$4.1 per minute and the average work time of 10 to 12 minutes per delivery, the Ministry of Labor said.

Officials took the high-end estimate to compensate for fuel costs, vehicle maintenance and time spent idling, which employers do not cover, it said.

The bill would authorize an independent arbitration panel for drivers to appeal against terminations and wage deductions consisting of at least one union representative and two other members.

It would also forbid delivery service platforms from retaliating against employees who file a complaint with the panel.

In addition, delivery platforms would be obligated to provide drivers with group personal injury insurance and liability before offering services to consumers.

The platforms would be allowed to suspend payment on the insurance policies if the driver does not furnish services for three consecutive days.

Delivery platforms must report work-related accidents and injuries to regulators within eight hours or face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000, according to the bill.

Attempts to evade or obstruct regulatory oversight would result in a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000, and contravening regulations governing drivers’ pay would result in a fine of between NT$20,000 and NT$100,000.

Regulators would be authorized to publish each infraction by a platform that resulted in a fine and impose additional fines on platforms that fail to rectify issues.

The bill would go into effect within six months of its promulgation, should it become law.


content_text:
By Chen Cheng-yu and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday said it is in favor of fine-tuning the severity of corruption charges, but cautioned that changes must consider the makeup of the legal system, or they would result in incessant judicial conflicts.

DPP caucus chief executive Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) was responding to a proposal by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲) to waive punitive measures for corruption charges on gains of NT$50,000 or less.

The proposal came after a Taipei sanitation worker was convicted of corruption earlier this week for gifting a rice cooker worth NT$32.56 slated for recycling to a recycling worker.

From left, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Wang Hung-wei, Weng Hsiao-ling and Chen Yu-jen hold placards at a news conference at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

The man was given a three-month prison sentence, deferred for two years, and was disenfranchised for one year in a ruling that can be appealed.

When the public supports punishing corruption, leading to higher fines and more severe sentences, judges and prosecutors are hard-pressed to overlook petty crimes, Chung said.

It is difficult to take both sides, he said, adding that while legislators’ proposals align with public sentiment, discussions of whether laws should be amended should be grounded in the rule of law.

Amendments to the Criminal Code should include what crimes are considered petty and which should see more severe sentences, Chung said.

Lawyer Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) on Facebook said that the case should not have been tried in the first place, and that a staid practice of law instead undermines public trust in the judiciary.

When a crime is negligible and not worthy of punishment, it should not be sustained, Huang said, adding that this is the “ultimate ratio” concept under law.

Huang cited the Supreme Court’s No. 4225 ruling in 1985, which states that while actions may be considered crimes, if there is no actual criminality in the act, criminal charges should not be sustained.

However, he added that Weng’s proposal was “a joke,” as it meant civil servants would not be penalized if they embezzled NT$49,999 multiple times.

The proposal would only result in more numerous small-sum corruption cases, he said.

In response, Weng said that she was not the only one to have proposed similar amendments, citing proposals from DPP legislators Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆), Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) and Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄).

She also called on the Cabinet to expedite its review of proposed amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) and forward them to the legislature.

Additional reporting by Liu Wan-lin

title: DPP cautious on making changes to corruption charge

people: 賴瑞隆 鍾佳濱 莊瑞雄 黃帝穎


content_text: From left, Mediasphere Communications chairman Huang Wen-te, National Museum of History director Hung Shih-yu, Minister of Culture Li Yuan, curator Frank Smola and actress Ning Chang attend the opening of “A Century of Viennese Flower Painting: From Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller to Gustav Klimt” at the museum in Taipei yesterday. The exhibition organized in collaboration with Vienna’s Belvedere museum is to run until March 22.

title: Flower power


title: Torchbearers

content_text: Athletes carry the flame for the World Indigenous Traditional Games toward the Sinjhuang District office building in New Taipei City yesterday — day eight of the 14-day relay to 39 indigenous communities across Taiwan. The event is to conclude on Wednesday next week in Pingtung County, where the Games are to be held from Wednesday to Friday.


content_text:
TARIFF TALKS: The US secretary of commerce is eyeing more than US$300 billion in investments and said Taiwan would train US workers, but Taipei has denied the latter

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said the US is expecting a large investment pledge from Taiwan in trade talks, while President William Lai (賴清德) listed areas that need improvement in order for projects to be completed.

“We’re in the midst of discussions,” Lutnick said on Wednesday. “But the fact is, this administration’s goal is to bring semiconductor manufacturing to America.”

Lai on Wednesday said Taiwan is supportive of US President Donald Trump’s goal of reindustrializing the US, including efforts to ramp up semiconductor production.

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick speaks during a press conference during the EU Trade Ministers meeting at the European Council building in Brussels on Nov. 24. Photo: AP

Such a goal would require the US to reduce its reliance on Taiwan as a key source of chips.

To bring those plans to fruition, Taiwanese firms need some assurances on moves to facilitate investment, Lai said.

Lutnick has said he wants between 40 percent and 50 percent of US semiconductor consumption sourced domestically.

“We understand President Trump’s sense of urgency,” Lai said in an interview recorded for the DealBook Summit hosted by the New York Times. “Whether this target of 40 percent to 50 percent can be achieved within this time frame depends not only on Taiwan’s support, but also on the US government’s ability to facilitate land acquisition, water and electricity supply, workforce and talent development and investment incentives.”

“If the US government manages to do this well and effectively, then this goal becomes much more achievable,” Lai added.

Lutnick suggested he might be eyeing more than US$300 billion investment from Taiwan.

“TSMC [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, 台積電] announced a US$100 billion increase in their build in Arizona — up to US$165 billion. Micron invested more. Texas Instruments invested more. So we’re up to, like, US$300 billion in investment in America,” Lutnick said. “I think when we do a deal with Taiwan, that’s even going to be bigger.”

He did not indicate whether TSMC’s plans already are included in the administration’s hoped-for commitments from Taipei.

Lai also said that “we hope US tariff negotiations will not only help reduce the US trade deficit, but also deepen bilateral economic cooperation, further integrate Taiwan’s industries with the American economic structure and strengthen the Taiwan-US relationship.”

Taiwan last month said it had proposed a model for investment in the US that would see its industries pursue global expansion independently, with the government providing financial guarantees. The US would offer administrative support and incentives to help Taiwanese companies secure land and regulatory assistance when establishing service parks in the US.

“Our government supports TSMC and other Taiwanese semiconductor firms as they invest in the US, Japan, Europe or wherever they believe is needed. This contributes to global progress and prosperity,” Lai said.

Lutnick also said Taiwan would help train US workers for advanced semiconductor production, even as Taipei maintains such training is not part of bilateral tariff negotiations.

There is discussion of a plan for Taiwan to provide training for US workers to support advanced semiconductor production, he said.

However, Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), head of the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations, on Monday said that Taiwan has not agreed to train US technical personnel, adding that such a commitment is not part of the negotiations.

Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said that workforce planning is essential for Taiwanese companies building fabs in the US, and that firms such as TSMC are already running their own training programs.

Additional reporting by CNA

title: US expecting big Taiwan investment


content_text:
Central bank Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) yesterday took a cautious stance on stablecoins, saying they do not yet meet the standards needed to serve as pillars of the monetary system, despite their growing role in digital finance and tokenized assets.

Speaking at a conference organized by Financial Information Service Co (財金公司), Yang said stablecoins have payment potential, but fall short in key Bank for International Settlements criteria, such as monetary unity, elasticity and integrity, making them unsuitable to be core components of the financial system.

Different stablecoins often trade at discounts or premiums, depending on reserve quality and issuer credit risk, with secondary market prices diverging from their intended parity, he said regarding monetary unity.

Central bank Governor Yang Chin-long speaks at a conference hosted by the Financial Information Service Co in Taipei yesterday. Photo courtesy of the central bank

Combined with many issuers being registered in lightly regulated jurisdictions, some academics have called the environment a modern version of the US’ “wildcat banking” from 1837 to 1865, when a lack of federal regulation allowed many poorly capitalized, state-chartered banks to issue their own currencies.

Talking about supply elasticity, Yang said stablecoins cannot be easily adjusted, because new tokens are only issued after users deposit fiat currency.

Most stablecoins could be used across borders and held by anyone, making it harder to track its users and increasing the risk of fraud or illegal activity, he said.

Taiwan’s payment infrastructure is already highly developed, Yang said.

New Taiwan dollar-based stablecoins would operate as “pay-before” stored-value instruments, similar to electronic payments, Yang said, questioning whether consumers would adopt them for real-world transactions, as people are becoming increasingly cost-conscious and might not see its benefits.

The global stablecoin market is also dominated by USDT and USDC, he said, adding that while the tokens offer fast, low-cost cross-border payments, they carry risks.

For example, USDT is not fully regulated and allows anonymous transactions, he added.

It remains uncertain whether stablecoins can maintain their speed and cost advantages once regulation is applied, Yang said.

Stablecoins’ monthly transaction volume, about US$10 billion, is also still far below traditional networks such as Visa and PayPal, he added.

For Taiwan, the development of NT dollar stablecoins would depend on market demand, regulatory clarity and technological readiness, Yang said, adding that he expects their use to first emerge in virtual asset markets and real world asset tokenization.

Although stablecoins might play a role in a tokenized monetary system, settlements would still require a central bank digital currency to ensure trust and compatibility between different types of private money, he said.

title: Central Bank governor cautious on stablecoins


title: Transcend deal secures chip supply

content_text:
Memory module supplier Transcend Information Inc (創見) yesterday said it has inked long-term agreements with multiple chipmakers to secure supplies amid recent memory shortages.

As the world’s major memory makers shift more capacity to make advanced chips, mainly high-bandwidth memory chips for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, there has been significant declines in chip supplies of DR3 and DDR4 DRAM, and NAND flash memory, along with price surges over the past few months.

“While upstream manufacturers are experiencing capacity constraints and tighter supply conditions, they remain committed to supplying to Transcend and supporting us in minimizing any impact on our customers,” the company said in a statement. “We will continue to prioritize the needs of our existing partners and uphold stable and reliable shipments.”

Transcend Information Inc’s logo is pictured at the company’s headquarters in Taipei on Nov. 6, 2014. Photo: Grace Hung, Taipei Time

Chinese-language media reported that SanDisk Corp and Samsung Electronics Co last week notified Transcend of a delay in chip shipments and of a substantial reduction in supply allocation this quarter.

The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) on Wednesday reported that Transcend planned to raise prices, after market prices soared by between 50 percent and 100 percent last week.

Transcend last month told investors that it expected a severe shortage of DRAM and NAND flash memory chips, adding that it had built significant DDR4 inventory to ensure sufficient supply to customers over the next year, while its DDR3 inventory would meet customers’ needs over the next two years.

It came as the company’s major NAND flash memory supplier, SanDisk, raised prices by 50 percent for chips slated to be delivered last month due to the greater squeeze on supply.


content_text:
Hon Hai-TVGH codeveloped scrub robot could be launched by spring next year

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co’s (鴻海精密) surgical scrub robot, codeveloped with Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TVGH), is in the development phase and could be launched as early as spring next year, a senior hospital official said yesterday.

The scrub robot is the second phase of Hon Hai and the hospital’s three-phase robotics collaboration, following the “Nurabot” — an artificial intelligence (AI) nursing assistant — developed in the first phase, hospital honorary superintendent Chen Shih-an (陳適安) said on the sidelines of the Healthcare+ Expo.

The third phase would involve developing more advanced personal care robots that could provide clinical assistance and save nurses considerable time, Chen said.

A nurse operates a Nurabot, an artificial intelligence nursing robot, at the Healthcare+ Expo at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 1 yesterday. Photo: CNA

The scrub robot, expected to be the first such robot to be used in operating rooms, would help nurses handle repetitive, heavy-loaded and high-precision tasks, such as hand scrubbing and retrieving surgical instruments, Hon Hai digital health chief Barry Chiang (姜志雄) said.

The greatest challenge in developing the scrub robot is ensuring the precision of its computer vision, as the system must be able to identify and handle hundreds of types of surgical instruments, which have different shapes and usages, Chiang said.

Hon Hai also plans to apply robotics and smart factory concepts to radiation therapy, as the work is considered highly dangerous for humans, he said.

The company also wants to promote the use of autonomous mobile robots and exoskeleton robots in medical settings to help reduce the burden on healthcare personnel, with broader deployment expected as early as 2027, Chiang said.

An exoskeleton robot is a wearable powered frame that enhances a person’s strength and mobility, reducing physical strain when lifting or supporting patients.

Hon Hai is developing multimodal medical model applications with TVGH and other hospitals to enhance the smart use of medical data, Chiang said.

It yesterday announced that its AI nursing assistant, Nurabot, which was jointly developed with the hospital and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, has been deployed after four months of multistage testing in clinical settings.

Hon Hai said the hospital’s on-premises hospital information system allows Nurabot to monitor workflow transitions, while Nvidia Corp’s Jetson AGX Orin computing modules provide the robot with decisionmaking capabilities.

Nvidia’s Omniverse digital twin system enables Nurabot to simulate in real-time, and Hon Hai’s large language model FoxBrain supports its smart vision and model updates, the company said.


content_text:
DIFFERING WANTS:  The chipmaker has pressed for less controls on its chips, but lawmakers have expressed concern over selling those advanced chips to China

Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said he was unsure whether China would accept the company’s H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips should the US relax restrictions on sales of the processors, following a meeting on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump.

Huang said he and Trump talked about export controls, but declined to offer specifics. The meeting comes after Trump administration officials discussed whether to allow the H200 to be sold in China.

Asked whether authorities in Beijing would allow Chinese companies to buy the H200, Huang expressed uncertainty.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks to reporters as he arrives to meet with the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

“We don’t know. We have no clue,” Huang said, as he headed into a closed-door meeting with members of the US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, which has jurisdiction over export controls. “We can’t degrade chips that we sell to China, they won’t accept that.”

Meanwhile, Trump sidestepped questions about the status of export controls, but praised Huang as doing “an amazing job.”

Allowing H200 sales to China would mark a significant win for the world’s most valuable company, which has pressed the Trump administration and the US Congress for a relaxation of export controls that keep Nvidia from selling its AI chips in the world’s second-largest economy.

Huang’s Washington visit came as Nvidia neared a major lobbying win in the US Congress, where lawmakers kept a provision out of must-pass defense legislation that would have limited the company’s ability to sell its advanced AI chips to China and other adversary nations. The so-called GAIN AI Act would require chipmakers, including Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices Inc, to give US customers first dibs on their powerful AI chips before selling in China and other arms-embargoed countries.

As the committee meeting concluded, Republican US Senator Mike Rounds acknowledged Nvidia’s desire to compete globally.

“They want the customers around the world,” Rounds said. “We understand that. And at the same time, we’re all concerned, including Jensen, with regard to having restrictions on what goes to China.”

This summer, Nvidia won approval to sell its less-powerful H20 chip, designed to fall just below existing export limits, but China promptly told potential domestic customers to shun the product and rely instead on processors made by Chinese companies.

More recent efforts by Nvidia to win US permission to export a hobbled version of its most advanced Blackwell-generation chip failed to materialize during a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).

The H200, which began shipping to customers last year, is designed to train and run AI models. The prospect of selling a higher-caliber processor to China bolstered arguments by lawmakers from both parties who have pressed unsuccessfully for the GAIN AI Act’s adoption.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the banking panel, warned that allowing sales of the H200 to China would “turbocharge China’s military and undercut American technological leadership.”

In a letter on Wednesday to Lutnick, Warren urged the administration to maintain limits on sales of Nvidia’s advanced AI chips to China and expressed concern over what she called a lack of transparency in the decisionmaking on export controls.

title: Nvidia unsure if China would accept H200 chips

people: 黃仁 習近平


title: UMC signs production deal with Polar Semiconductor

content_text:
Contract chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電) yesterday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Polar Semiconductor LLC to collaborate on the production of 8-inch wafers in the US.

The collaboration aims to strengthen 8-inch wafer manufacturing in the US amid Washington’s efforts to increase onshore manufacturing of semiconductors, contribute to supply chain resilience against shifting geopolitical dynamics, and ensure a secure domestic supply of power semiconductors critical to automotive, electric grids, robotic manufacturing and data centers, the companies said in a joint statement.

Under the MOU, Polar and UMC will identify devices for Polar to manufacture at its recently expanded 8-inch facility in Minnesota, the statement said. By combining Polar’s proven manufacturing capabilities with UMC’s comprehensive 8-inch technology portfolio and global customer base, this partnership is set to drive growth for both companies while supporting customers’ multi-sourcing strategies, it said.

United Microelectronics Corp’s logo is pictured on the company’s building at the Hsinchu Science Park on Sept. 26 last year. Photo: Grace Hung, Taipei Times

“This partnership directly addresses our customers’ needs for more made-in-USA chips, reflecting UMC’s dedication to delivering value through innovative solutions and mutually beneficial partnerships,” UMC senior vice president for global sales Oliver Chang (張士昌) said in the statement.

UMC has no chip manufacturing operations in the US. The company is collaborating with Intel Corp to jointly develop 12-nanometer process technology and aims to ramp up production of 12-nanometer chips at an Intel plant in 2027.

UMC has diversified its manufacturing footprints beyond Taiwan and China in recent years to meet customers’ demand amid rising geopolitical risks. In Singapore, the company plans to ramp up production of 22-nanometer and 28-nanometer chips at a new plant early next year.


title: Taiwan and India to build "resilient" supply chain: MOEA

content_text:
Economic officials from Taiwan and India expressed hopes that both sides can cooperate on building a resilient supply chain and expand global business opportunities, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said yesterday.

The ministry in a statement said Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Cynthia Kiang (江文若) and Amardeep Singh Bhatia, secretary of India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, discussed global trade trends, investment strategies and supply chain cooperation during an economic and trade meeting held in Taipei on Wednesday.

Kiang said India has become a key destination for Taiwanese businesses seeking a safe and resilient supply chain framework, according to the statement.

The main entrance of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times file photo

She said the two countries can further strengthen cooperation in talent development, investment environments and policy coordination, and work together to build a resilient supply chain by combining Taiwan’s advanced technologies with India’s rich software talent pool.

Bhatia said Taiwan and India have built a strong foundation for cooperation, adding that India hopes to further expand supply chain partnerships with Taiwan as it seeks to attract more international companies through incentives and improved infrastructure.

At the meeting, Kiang and Bhatia also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation regarding healthcare product regulations, the statement said.

The ministry said Bhatia also led a delegation of more than 30 Indian industry representatives to Taiwan for the fourth India-Taiwan CEOs Roundtable Meeting on Tuesday, where participating businesses offered recommendations to both governments.

Data compiled by the Ministry of Finance showed that trade between Taiwan and India reached a record US$10.6 billion last year, and totaled US$10.17 billion in the first 10 months of this year marking a 17.69 percent increase from the same period last year.


content_text:
Taiwan, Japan sign two deals on customs cooperation, digital trade

Taiwan and Japan yesterday signed two deals designed to enhance cooperation in customs and digital trade during an annual bilateral conference held in Taipei.

The two pacts — one memorandum of understanding (MOU) on regional customs cooperation and a digital trade agreement — were signed by Taiwan-Japan Relations Association (TJRA) chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA) chairman Shuzo Sumi at the 49th Taiwan-Japan Economic and Trade Conference.

TJRA and JTEA represent Taipei and Tokyo’s interests in each other’s countries in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

Taiwan-Japan Relations Association chairman Su Jia-chyuan, left, and Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association chairman Shuzo Sumi pose with signed customs and digital trade pacts at the 49th Taiwan-Japan Economic and Trade Conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

According to the two organizations, the customs cooperation MOU will facilitate collaboration between the Port of Kaohsiung and the Port of Kobe to improve customs clearance.

The digital trade cooperation deal aims to create “a free, open and safe digital trade environment to promote closer cooperation for consumers and businesses,” the organizations said.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Su accused Beijing of engaging in ongoing economic coercion against Tokyo over recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about Japan’s potential response to a Taiwan contingency.

Takaichi said recently that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would count as a situation threatening Japan’s survival and thus could warrant a military response from Tokyo, which drew an angry reaction from Beijing.

Su said that China has repeatedly taken similar actions against Taiwan, citing China’s 2021 ban on Taiwanese pineapple imports, which many in Taiwan believed was politically motivated, as an example.

He added that in moments like these, Taiwan and Japan look for ways to show solidarity with each other.

In an apparent reference to Beijing’s retaliatory actions, Sumi said some actor “is trying to use military and other means of coercion to unilaterally change the status quo.”

China’s actions against Japan have included travel and study advisories, a ban on Japanese marine products, and multiple rounds of military drills.

Sumi, who attended the conference for the first time since taking office as JTEA head in June, added that Taiwan is Japan’s “important partner and cherished friend” with shared democratic values and close people-to-people ties.


title: Medical helpers

content_text: A visitor interacts with a company representative and the company’s nursing assistant robot during the Healthcare+ Expo at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 1 yesterday. The exhibition features healthcare innovations, product demonstrations, business matchmaking sessions and investment forums. It runs until Sunday.


people: 洪秀柱 鄭麗文

content_text:
Ho Ying-lu (何鷹鷺), a Chinese spouse who was a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Standing Committee, on Wednesday last week resigned from the KMT, accusing the party of failing to clarify its “one China” policy.

In a video released in October, Ho, wearing a T-shirt featuring a portrait of Mao Zedong (毛澤東), said she hoped that Taiwan would “soon return to the embrace of the motherland” and “quickly unify — that is my purpose and my responsibility.”

The KMT’s Disciplinary Committee on Nov. 19 announced that Ho had been suspended from the her position on the committee, although she was allowed her to continue her duties while she pursued an appeal.

When she resigned last week, she said that despite KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) assertion that “we are all Chinese,” Cheng has not made it clear whether China means the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan.

“The KMT should clarify which China it means,” Ho said. “Cheng’s intention is to deceive people in Taiwan and China.“

As a member of KMT’s Central Standing Committee, the party’s top decisionmaking body, Ho’s accusation exposed a core contradiction of the KMT’s cross-strait policy. The KMT has long upheld the so called “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means stance, claiming that the ROC and the PRC coexist under a “one China” banner.

However, it has buried its head in the sand.

China insists that “one China” is the PRC alone, leaving no room for the ROC or Taiwan.

The KMT’s forced “one China” ambiguity is a deceptive political tactic to serve the party’s interests. On the one hand it caters to China’s whims to gain benefits in cross-strait interactions, while on the other it harms the credibility of those who uphold the independent sovereignty of Taiwan with its inconsistent “one China” claims, which includes the anachronistic — but self-flattering — territorial claim to both sides of the Strait.

China is intensifying its legal warfare to promote its “one China” principle in the international arena, while the KMT’s “one China” echo is helping Beijing to isolate Taiwan and even paving the way for a Chinese invasion.

Former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and other party members attended a military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3 as China commemorated the end of World War II and the Second Sino-Japanese War. Their attendance can be interpreted as an endorsement of the CCP’s misrepresentation that the PRC was the victor. That is a malicious overturning of the facts, as the ROC was in charge at the time. The distortion of history is part of Beijing’s false claim that “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.”

The attendance of the KMT members at the Beijing parade also implied that the party acquiesces to authoritarian China’s goal of cross-strait unification, including through the use of force.

An even more worrying aspect is that the pro-China party is enlarging its “one China” ideology to the point of affecting policymaking, putting Taiwan’s security and dignity at risk.

While other nations are increasing their defense budgets and upgrading their self-defense capabilities to counter threats from authoritarian regimes, the KMT is aligning itself with other pro-China parties and criticizing Taiwan’s self-defense deployments.

The KMT’s new leader said that Taiwan was “playing with fire” as the party blocked a proposal to increase defense spending. The party has compromised national sovereignty and is silent in the face of China’s military threats.

The KMT has also proposed amendments to the Nationality Act (國籍法) to exempt Chinese spouses from regulations requiring them to renounce foreign nationalities to hold public office.

The policy is a foundational legal requirement to ensure that public officials are loyal to a single country: Taiwan.

The pro-China nature of the proposed legislative change triggered concerns over national security and a push toward Sinicization.

The words and actions of a Chinese spouse have exposed the true nature of the KMT and the “emperor’s new clothes” nature of its cross-strait policies.

Taiwanese must see through the political fraudulence of pro-China forces threatening the nation’s democracy and sovereignty.

title: EDITORIAL: KMT’s ‘one China’ ambiguity


title: Military spending shows resolve

content_text:
When Taiwan announced it would increase its defense budget, the international security community’s reaction was far greater than the public had anticipated.

In an op-ed published in the Washington Post on Monday, Randall Schriver and Ely Ratner — who formerly served as US assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs from 2018 to 2019 and 2021 to this year respectively — describe Taiwan’s new defense policy as “acting with greater seriousness and focus than ever before,” even suggesting that the nation was moving toward an entirely new strategic baseline.

The article said that Taiwan’s push to increase military spending to a target of about 5 percent of GDP is no longer a symbolic arms procurement, but the beginning of building a long-term, autonomous and sustainable defense system.

For years, Taiwan has carried the burden of external doubts over a perceived lack of resolve for self-defense. Think tanks, the US Congress and military experts in Washington warned that Taiwan’s military preparedness was disproportionate to the threat it faces. The changes proposed to the structure of the defense budget are being viewed by the US as a step toward breaking the stereotype. If Taiwan could stay on course, it would redefine its role in the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region, and provide regional allies with greater confidence in its capability and resolve to safeguard its own security.

The proposed increase is not limited to the procurement of conventional large-scale platforms — instead, it focuses on dispersion, resilience and technological integration. The budget includes items such as anti-ship missiles, drones, air-defense systems, battlefield information integration systems, resilient communications and improvements to the domestic defense industrial chain — all of which fall under asymmetric capabilities, effectively raising the cost of aggression by making the risks associated with military action against Taiwan prohibitively high.

The concept for Taiwan to focus on asymmetric defense — long advocated by the US — has finally been met with a concrete policy response.

What US observers particularly value is Taiwan’s willingness to institutionalize its defense investments. While individual special budgets are undoubtedly important, true deterrence capabilities come from long-term accumulation. When Taiwan establishes a clear ratio of defense spending to GDP and implements foundational projects to develop supply chains, command and control systems, logistics support and maintenance capacity, the international community would see that the nation no longer relies on symbolic policies — rather, it is confronting the threat head-on.

Taiwan will continue to face challenges. Finding a balance between military spending and public finances, securing long-term legislative support, and ensuring that industries and talent pools can keep pace with transformations in defense technology are all issues that require time, consensus and effective governance. Building national defense is not merely a military matter — it is one that involves industrial development, investment in education, scientific research and civic participation. Only through comprehensive mobilization could Taiwan transform increased military spending into genuine national security capabilities.

The international community understands that what Taiwan seeks is not an arms race, but rather to use the most rational means to ensure the survival of its democratic society amid a rapidly deteriorating security environment. Taiwan is showing the world that it is determined to close its defense gaps. The international community, in turn, would be more willing to provide assistance.

For the US, this means that Taiwan is no longer merely a vulnerable front line requiring protection, but an important partner that is willing to shoulder its own responsibilities, bolster deterrence and work with allies to maintain regional stability.

Increasing defense spending would not solve all of the problems, but Taiwan has already taken an important step — one that allows the international community to see a more mature, resolute and self-reliant nation. When Taiwan demonstrates the will to defend its own way of life, external support is legitimized.

This marks an important turning point in Taiwan’s security policy and the beginning of reshaping the security order in the Indo-Pacific region.

Edwin Yang is an associate professor at National Taiwan Normal University and chairman of the Central Taiwan Association of University Professors.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen


content_text:
Honduras’ election has opened a diplomatic moment that Taiwan cannot afford to ignore. Tegucigalpa’s 2023 decision to switch recognition from Taiwan to Beijing was a setback, but it is not irreversible.

The incoming government in Honduras faces the same stubborn challenges that made China’s sweeping promises appealing in the first place — migration pressures, energy insecurity and limited foreign investment. Taiwan has an opportunity to make a unique offer consisting of credit lines and export credit. The offer should be strategic, well-structured, and large enough to command the attention of Honduras and other nations in the Western hemisphere.

Taiwan’s development assistance has traditionally been modest when compared with the offers that Beijing promises. Taiwan in 2023 spent US$468 million on official development assistance. Taiwan often delivers between US$20 million and US$40 million annually to its remaining diplomatic partners. This is a respectable figure, but it is not enough when measured against Honduras’ economic and political needs. Honduras previously asked Taiwan to double its aid to the nation to US$100 million.

If Taipei wants to reverse Honduras’ diplomatic pivot, it must think on a larger scale. A four-year package worth about US$400 million to US$500 million would be proportionate to the foreign policy stakes. Honduras re-establishing ties with Taiwan and the economic benefits for Taiwan should make this a no-brainer. A serious package would show that Taiwan is ready to match its strategic rhetoric with real economic partnerships.

A compelling package for Honduras should avoid simple budget support. Foreign aid is far less interesting than meeting needs by financing energy, infrastructure and other development goals. Taiwan could use its assistance to expand industries in Honduras such as textiles and technology, or develop education partnerships and workforce development initiatives. What Tegucigalpa needs is economic oxygen and credible paths to sustained growth. Taiwan has the tools, partners and comparative strengths that make this possible.

First, Taipei must establish direct flights to Tegucigalpa. Direct flights would send a powerful signal that the relationship is more than symbolic. Restoring aviation connectivity would make it easier for investors, students and supply-chain actors to move between the two economies. Taiwan could underwrite initial route risk or partner with airlines to establish a regular service.

Second would be manufacturing and export-sector support. Honduras has a nimble, but undercapitalized textile and light-manufacturing base. Taiwan’s development finance institutions could provide export credits, loan guarantees or coinvestment vehicles to help Honduran companies upgrade equipment and connect to larger markets. This approach is not charity, it is high-leverage economic diplomacy.

Then there is strategic infrastructure cofinancing. Instead of providing direct cash transfers, Taiwan could deliver targeted financing for projects that produce visible and long-term value. Two opportunities stand out:

A regional highway corridor that would strengthen Honduras’ integration with its neighbors and improve access to ports. Taiwan could join a consortium to finance segments of the project.

Support for gas pipeline development that links Honduran industry more closely with US energy markets. Taiwan’s development finance tools could help reduce risk for long-term financing and attract private participation.

Taiwanese ministries, universities and research institutes could expand cooperation in areas such as semiconductors, agricultural technology, vocational training and digital governance. These programs require modest funding, but deliver recurring political and economic benefits.

Finally, there is education. A structured exchange program would allow Honduran students to study in Taiwan through new scholarships, language programs and technical training pathways. These students would return home with skills that support Honduras’ long-term economic ambitions, as well as a deep familiarity with Taiwan’s democratic values and open markets.

Additionally, Honduras hosts Confucius Institutes, which serve as platforms for China’s cultural and political outreach. Taiwan should encourage alternative Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning that provide language education without pro-Beijing political messaging.

Guatemala has preserved its relationship with Taiwan while seeking expanded economic cooperation. El Salvador, which shifted to Beijing, has learned that promised Chinese investment often never materializes. If things go well with re-establishing ties with Taipei, perhaps El Salvador would reconsider as well.

Timing is critical. A multiyear package that is clearly announced and highly visible would give Honduran leaders something they can defend domestically and integrate into national planning. For Taiwan, it would show that its diplomacy is competitive with China’s, and that it relies on transparent and market-oriented tools rather than opaque arrangements.

Taiwan should act quickly and with confidence. A US$400 million to US$500 million package, spread over four years and focused on connectivity, industry and infrastructure, would give Honduras a strong incentive to reconsider its diplomatic alignment. It would also reinforce Taiwan’s reputation as a partner that delivers real value.

The presidential inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 27 next year. Taiwan should consider sending high level representation to signal what could be the next era of Taiwan-Honduran relations, but diplomacy rarely succeeds through symbolism alone. Taiwan could offer something more tangible. Honduras can see Taiwan not as a distant friend, but as a durable economic partner. Perhaps the delegation could arrive on a direct flight from Taiwan.

Daniel F. Runde is the author of the book The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership Through Soft Power.

title: Making Honduras a unique offer


title: EDITORIAL CARTOON

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

The Cabinet on Nov. 6 approved a NT$10 billion (US$318.4 million) four-year plan to build tourism infrastructure in mountainous areas and the south. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Tuesday announced that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications would offer weekday accommodation discounts, birthday specials and other domestic travel incentives beginning next March, aiming to encourage more travel outside the usual weekend and holiday peaks.The government is right to focus on domestic tourism. Although the data appear encouraging on the surface — as total domestic trips are up compared with their pre-COVID-19 pandemic numbers — a closer look tells a different

For more than seven decades, the Chinese Communist Party has claimed to govern Tibet with benevolence and progress. I have seen the truth behind the slogans. I have listened to the silences of monks forbidden to speak of the Dalai Lama, watched the erosion of our language in classrooms, and felt the quiet grief of a people whose prayers are monitored and whose culture is treated as a threat. That is why I will only accept complete independence for Tibet.The so-called “autonomous region” is autonomous in name only. Decisions about religion, education and cultural preservation are made in Beijing, not

By KhedroobThondup