countries: 美國 荷蘭

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Supermicro 與 Verda 攜手為新一代 AI 工作負載，提供可持續發展的全堆疊 AI 雲端基建

2026-06-09

Verda 部署 Supermicro 最新液冷 NVIDIA Blackwell 加速系統，大規模推動新一代 AI 工作負載垂直整合的全堆疊 AI 雲端，效能超卓、安全可靠、有效節能，兼具合規的 AI 運算能力數據中心採用 100% 可再生能源運作，其產生的多餘熱量足以為多達 15,000 個家庭供暖

加州聖荷西2026年6月9日 /美通社/ — 專注於人工智能 (AI)、企業、儲存及 5G / 邊緣運算的整體資訊科技 (IT) 解決方案供應商 Super Micro Computer, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMCI) 主打數據中心 Building Block Solutions® (DCBBS)，其今日宣佈歐洲領先的 AI 雲端供應商 Verda 已選用 Supermicro 的 NVIDIA 圖形處理器 (GPU) 加速機架級系統，推動其在歐洲各地的現代化 AI 雲端基建。 此部署讓 Verda 得以構建高效能 AI 原生基建，服務遍及歐洲、美國及亞洲，惠及前沿先鋒模型開發者、AI 原生增長企業和受監管企業。

Supermicro 董事長兼行政總裁 Charles Liang 表示：「Supermicro 樂於與 Verda 合作，將新一代 AI 基建帶給全球。 我們在 DCBBS 的設計、工程及支援方面具備專業能力，加上基於最新 NVIDIA Blackwell 的系統，讓 Verda 等客戶可大規模快速部署效能卓著、高效節能的 AI 基建。」

在此閱讀完整案例研究：Verda 成功案例

Verda 創辦人兼行政總裁 Ruben Bryon 說道：「我們的使命，是以 AI 原生基建推動全球先驅團隊。 與 Supermicro 合作，有助我們大規模實現此承諾。 面向未來十年的 AI 雲端，應是按需取用、全堆疊架構，且專為客戶真實運行的工作負載而設。 這正是我們致力構建的成果。」

Verda 的全堆疊 AI 雲端平台，結合 Supermicro 採用最新 NVIDIA Blackwell 及 Blackwell Ultra 架構的先進 AI 系統，能夠支援多種應用場景，例如大型語言模型訓練、多模態 AI、機械人技術及企業 AI 應用。 此解決方案迎合不斷增長的市場需求，透過自助式實例與集群、無伺服器容器及託管推論端點，讓人們即時使用 NVIDIA AI 基建。 此外，Verda 以 100% 可再生能源運作，並與當地公用事業攜手，轉化數據中心的餘熱，為多達 15,000 戶當地家庭供暖，持續邁向其可持續發展願景。

Verda 運用 Supermicro 端到端設計、製造及全球部署的卓越能力，部署一系列先進方案，涵蓋 NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 機架級系統、NVIDIA HGX B300 及 NVIDIA HGX B200 系統，還有 NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition 加速系統。

Supermicro 預先測試並驗證的系統，配合其機架級整合能力，以助 Verda 加速部署進程，同時降低營運風險、完善系統表現。 這些系統採用高節能架構，有助降低整體擁有成本 (TCO)，配合 Verda 對可持續發展及長期營運效率的關注。

DCBBS 提供完整的模組化 AI 基建，採用經驗證的組件及子系統，支援靈活部署——從單一伺服器與網絡設備，以至完整的機架級及數據中心級方案，包括軟件及服務。

Supermicro 設有全面的 AI 基建解決方案組合，持續領先業界，協助全球機構部署可擴展、高效能而又環保的 AI 數據中心。

關於 Super Micro Computer, Inc.Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI) 是應用完善整體 IT 解決方案領域的全球領導企業。 Supermicro 成立於美國加州聖荷西，並選擇以此為營運總部，致力為企業、雲端、AI 及 5G 電訊 / 邊緣 IT 基建，率先提供引領市場潮流的突破性方案。 我們是整體 IT 解決方案供應商，提供伺服器、AI、儲存、物聯網、交換器系統、軟件及支援服務。 Supermicro 憑著在主機板、電源及機箱設計領域的深厚專業知識，強化自身的研發與製造能力，為全球客戶帶來從雲端到邊緣的跨世代創新。 我們的產品均由內部團隊設計及製造（地點包括美國、亞洲及荷蘭），善用全球營運方式實現具規模運作及效率。產品設計亦更臻完善，旨在降低總擁有成本並減少對環境的影響（綠色運算）。 屢獲殊榮的 Server Building Block Solutions® 產品組合，賦予客戶豐富的選擇。各種系統由可重用的靈活構建模塊所締造，支援多種規格、處理器、記憶體、GPU、儲存、網絡、電源及散熱方案（空調、自然冷卻或液冷），讓客戶為其特定的工作負載及應用，建構出最理想的配置。

Supermicro、Server Building Block Solutions 及 We Keep IT Green 均為 Super Micro Computer, Inc. 的商標及／或註冊商標。

所有其他品牌、名稱及商標則歸屬其各自擁有人。


title: President praises Shinzo Abe’s legacy

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SHARED CHALLENGES:  Taiwan, Japan, the US and like-minded partners must step up collaborations to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific, an envoy to Japan said

President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for continuing late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s legacy by upgrading his “free and open Indo-Pacific” strategy, adding that Taiwan and Japan face identical security challenges along the First Island Chain.

Delivering a pre-recorded address at the first Shinzo Abe and Modern Japan International Research Forum in Tokyo, Lai said that Abe’s famous declaration that a Taiwan contingency is a Japanese contingency awakened the international community to the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

The forum is cohosted by National Chengchi University’s Shinzo Abe Research Center and the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals think tank.

Participants pose at the first Shinzo Abe and Modern Japan International Research Forum in Tokyo yesterday. Photo: Lin Tsuei-yi, Taipei Times

Under the theme “Abe’s Grand Strategy and the Taiwan-Japan Relationship as a Cornerstone of the Indo-Pacific,” the forum invited experts from Taiwan, Japan and the US to discuss Abe’s strategy, as well as the security guarantees for modern Japan, its economic strategies and diplomatic ideas.

Akie Abe, Shinzo Abe’s widow, opened the forum by saying she hoped to take on the role of nurturer to continue her husband’s legacy.

She said she had visited the world after her husband’s assassination and came to understand that the late Japanese prime minister had been deeply relied upon by other nations, just as he had enjoyed great faith and trust in Japan.

Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) said that Taiwan’s defense is not just a matter of regional security.

As Taiwan is an important part of the global supply chain and its stock market’s value is the fourth-largest worldwide, its defense is closely connected to the security of democratic countries with competitive advantage in the artificial intelligence and high-tech industries, Lee said.

Taiwan, Japan, the US and other like-minded partners must step up collaborations to jointly defend a free and open Indo-Pacific region, he said.

Institute president Yoshiko Sakurai expressed her respect for Taiwan for establishing a Shinzo Abe Research Center and a Shinzo Abe Library.

Japan lacked similar commemorative facilities to serve as a testament to the wide-ranging impact of his contributions to Japanese reforms and international strategy, she added.

Shinzo Abe Research Center director Lee Shih-hui (李世暉) said that from the inception of the center, its management had hoped to hold an international forum in Japan.

The center is aware that the public in Japan has polarized opinions on the late prime minister, and it hopes to use third-party and objective research from Taiwan to show how his policies were important to regional peace and safety in the Strait, Lee Shih-hui said.

The center hopes to promote the Abe School of Politics and Economics, a project aimed at giving courses in Taiwan and Japan to explain to young people Shinzo Abe’s ideals, strategies and Taiwan-Japan relations, he said.

Additional reporting by Chen Yun

people: 李逸洋 賴清德


title: Army conducts live-fire counter-landing exercise

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PREPAREDNESS:  Previous exercises required troops to enter positions a week in advance, but this time they arrived only one day before the drill, an official said

The army’s 10th Corps yesterday conducted artillery drills around the northern and southern banks of the Dajia River (大甲溪) estuary in Taichung, simulating a scenario in which Chinese amphibious forces attempt to invade central Taiwan in a combat scenario with limited preparation time.

Despite heavy rain, troops carried out live-fire drills in an operational area with the Thunderbolt-2000 multiple launch rocket system for the first time in seven years, followed by exercises involving M109A2 self-propelled howitzers.

The drills incorporated the 58th Artillery Command, the 234th Brigade and the 586th Brigade, with 372 rounds across six weapons systems fired from eight positions across a 20km front, the 10th Corps said.

Locally developed Thunderbolt-2000 rocket artillery, M109A2 and M110A2 self-propelled howitzers, 155mm howitzers, 120mm mortars, and TOW-2A and TOW-2B missile vehicles took part in the drill.

The 10th Corps said the live-fire drills aimed to test joint firepower capabilities and the effectiveness of the kill chain, while simulating efforts to delay and weaken invading forces landing on Dajia Beach.

Colonel Weng Yi-ming (翁一銘), chief of staff of the 58th Artillery Command, told reporters the drills were no longer about set-piece maneuvers.

“What is different about this training compared with the past is that we are no longer conducting heavy artillery firing in a fixed, routine formation as before,” he said. “The timing for entering positions this time was based on realistic combat conditions. So, I believe this training posed a considerable level of difficulty for our troops.”

The drills began at 8:24am, when three Thunderbolt-2000 systems launched 180 MK15 training rockets. Each vehicle salvoed 60 rockets in about 30 seconds.

The first two launchers successfully fired their full loads, but the seventh rocket fired by the third launcher failed in flight shortly after launching.

Weng said the rocket ignited properly and exited the launcher, but the second-stage ignition might have malfunctioned.

Personnel from the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology are analyzing the issue, Weng said, adding that the MK15 training rocket is not outfitted with an explosive warhead and landed more than 400m from the launch site in a safe area.

Major Liao Neng-cheng (廖能政), commander of the 58th Artillery Command’s rocket artillery unit, said the drill validated the unit’s regular training and demonstrated its determination to defend Taiwan.

Previous live-fire exercises required troops to enter positions a week in advance, but this time preparations were completed after arriving only one day before the drill, he added.

After the Thunderbolt-2000 systems withdrew, troops operating M109A2 self-propelled howitzers conducted live-fire exercises against targets about 9km offshore.

Captain Lin Chun-cheng (林俊呈), commander of an artillery company under the 586th Brigade, said rain made observation more difficult, but the unit had prepared contingency plans and used the Team Awareness Kit mobile system to maintain communications.

Additional reporting by Reuters


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Artificial intelligence use widespread among young students, survey shows

About 92 percent of children aged between six and 15 years old use artificial intelligence (AI), and 53 percent of them are happier scrolling, playing games or watching content on computers than socializing, a survey released yesterday showed.

The three-year tracking poll of elementary and junior-high students was conducted by the online educational material vendor Parenting.com.tw, a company spokesperson told a news conference in Taipei.

The figure for AI users includes 20 percent of children who make use of the technology daily or almost daily, the survey said.

Asked who should be held responsible for a mistake made by AI, half of respondents said they do not know or have never thought about the question.

Nine percent of students used AI to do their homework, including 6 percent of elementary students and 11 percent of junior-high students.

About 36 percent of respondents have not gone out with friends in a month, 29 percent reported having no one who understood them in real life, and 24 percent felt burdened by social interactions.

Children are becoming more isolated, with 23 percent of respondents reporting having no one to rely on, up from 6 percent in the 2024 edition of the poll, it said.

When feeling sad or having a secret to deal with, 34 percent said they would tell their real-life friends, while 5 percent would talk with a chatbot, compared with 4 percent for fathers and 1 percent for teachers, it said.

The poll found that 73 percent of junior-high girls talked to chatbots when feeling depressed, 2.8 times higher than those who would seek help from teachers.

In addition, it found that 54 percent of junior-high girls used AI to deal with interpersonal conflict, higher than the 47 percent who would consult their teachers.

Stress and discontent with school are growing among Taiwanese students compared with three years ago, the survey found.

The share of children and teenagers reporting high stress increased to 47 percent from 36 percent, and those who dislike school increased to 43 percent from 31 percent.

It found that 43 percent of respondents were worried about school exams, 38 percent were concerned about their grades and 25 percent were anxious about not having plans for the future.

Exam angst was occurring at a younger age than before, with 29 percent of fifth graders, 35 percent of sixth graders, 46 percent of seventh graders, 55 percent of eighth graders and 64 percent of ninth graders reporting fears about tests.


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Eight dead after Israeli strike on Tyre, Lebanon says

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said an Israeli airstrike on Tyre killed at least eight people yesterday, with the Israeli military warning the entire city to evacuate shortly after the strike.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported raids on more than a dozen other locations across the country’s south, as Israel pressed on with its war against the militant group Hezbollah.

It is acting despite a warning the day before from Iran that it would resume attacking Israel if it continued striking its neighbor.

Tehran insists that Lebanon must be part of any deal to end the wider Middle East war, which Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into on March 2 by attacking Israel in support of its backer Iran.

Residents of Tyre, including from the Christian quarter, were fleeing after the Israeli warning, with heavy traffic heading north.

In Sidon, further north, displaced people arrived from Tyre, some with belongings hastily strapped to the roof of their cars.

Israel has repeatedly struck Tyre since the latest war erupted with Hezbollah, following the militants’ rocket fire at Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

However, until yesterday, Tyre’s Christian quarter in the Old City — a small, picturesque area where displaced people had also sought refuge — had been spared Israeli evacuation warnings targeting the rest of the city in the ongoing war.

“Urgent warning to the residents of the city of Tyre, including the Christian quarter, and the camps and surrounding neighborhoods,” the Israeli army warning on X read, referring to several Palestinian refugee camps in the area. “For your safety, we ask you to immediately evacuate your homes ... and move north of the Zahrani River.”

The Zahrani river is about 30km north of Tyre. The Israeli army last month declared all areas south of the river “combat zones.”

The NNA reported an Israeli strike on Tyre’s outskirts before the evacuation notice was issued, and further strikes on the city later in the day after the warning.

The health ministry said the prewarning strike killed at least eight people and wounded 32 others, with rescuers still searching rubble for survivors.

Hezbollah, the only Lebanese group that refused to surrender its arsenal after a civil war ended in 1990, has also kept up its attacks on Israeli troops who have invaded south Lebanon.

Last week, Israel’s military said that Hezbollah members were operating in Tyre’s Christian quarter and said it would warn people to leave if the group remained there.

Some people who had been sleeping in cars or tents at the edge of the quarter left for other parts of the city after that warning.

On Monday, the Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes on south Lebanon killed at least 14 people, including five in a strike near a Red Cross centre in Tyre.

Lebanese authorities say Israeli attacks since March have killed more than 3,600 people and displaced more than 1 million others.

On the Israeli side, 29 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in Lebanon, the Israeli army said.

Neither side has respected a ceasefire first announced in April.


title: Philippines protests over Chinese naval activities

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The Philippines yesterday said that it has filed a formal protest with China over a “floating structure” spotted near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島), the site of repeated clashes in the South China Sea.

Scarborough Shoal lies 240km west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon and nearly 900km from Hainan, the nearest major Chinese land mass. Taiwan also lays claim to it.

China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea despite a 2016 court ruling that said its claims had no basis in international law.

A Chinese diplomatic vehicle arrives at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila on Dec. 11, 2023. Photo: AFP

Beijing revealed plans in September last year to create a “nature reserve” at Scarborough, prompting Manila’s former national security adviser Eduardo Ano to call it a “clear pretext toward eventual occupation.”

Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Analyn Ratonel yesterday confirmed that Manila had issued a protest over the new structure, said to be at the entrance of a lagoon once used by Filipino fishers.

Manila “has undertaken the appropriate diplomatic action, such as several demarches and the issuance of a formal protest, against the structure,” Ratonel told reporters in a messaging app group chat.

The message came a day after Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner told a government television station that the Philippine Air Force planes had spotted a structure with six people atop it and what appeared to be an antenna.

“We will not allow a repeat of what happened in the past when they initially put up a small structure and then later on it grew into an artificial island,” he said in an apparent reference to reefs in the area that China has turned into militarized islands.

“We will not allow that at Scarborough Shoal,” he said, pledging increased air and sea patrols to monitor developments in the area.

In a statement, the Chinese embassy in Manila repeated Beijing’s “indisputable” claim to Scarborough as part of its “inherent territory.”

“It is fully within China’s sovereign rights to carry out activities including scientific research” at Scarborough, embassy spokesman Ji Lingpeng (季凌鵬) said.


title: Philippine quake toll hits 41

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Doctors yesterday treated patients in tents set up under a scorching Philippine sun — including helping a young mother give birth — as the death toll from a major earthquake that collapsed buildings topped 40.

Thousands remained displaced and more than 450 injured following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck off the southern island of Mindanao on Monday, with four people now believed missing, authorities said.

In hardest-hit Sarangani Province, some areas remain accessible only by helicopter while fears of aftershocks were slowing rescue efforts, local officials told reporters at a briefing yesterday.

A worker carries a rescue dog while conducting search-and-rescue operations in a collapsed building after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in General Santos City, the Philippines, yesterday. Photo: AFP

“There are still aftershocks, so the rescuers are very cautious in their approach. That’s a challenge,” regional civil defense chief Rodrigo Sosmena said.

A series of powerful aftershocks rocked the area from about two hours after the first quake, while hundreds of tiny tremors followed.

Meanwhile, infrastructure damage means some communities would be cut off for at least a week because of the damage to roads and the collapse of a bridge.

At a hospital just outside General Santos, the region’s largest city, a mother gave birth outdoors behind a makeshift screen.

In Glan municipality, where at least 13 people were buried in their homes by a landslide, staff at another hospital said that more than 60 patients were on beds outside the facility due to fears for the building’s structural integrity.

“The hospital sustained a lot of damage,” she said. “The municipal engineer decided we could not use the building.”

As of yesterday afternoon, the death toll stood at 41.


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TOKYO-MANILA DELIMITATION TALKS:  Beijing is attempting to use this opportunity to normalize patrols and law enforcement in the waters east of Taiwan, MOFA said

China has no law enforcement authority over the waters east of Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, accusing China of undermining regional peace and stability.

The Chinese Ministry of Transport on Saturday evening announced that it had launched a “special maritime law enforcement operation” in the waters east of Taiwan, dispatching coast guard vessels to engage in illegal enforcement activities, the ministry said.

State-run Xinhua news agency said the operation was “a necessary action taken in response to Japan and the Philippines unilaterally announcing the initiation of maritime boundary delimitation negotiations in the waters east of China’s Taiwan island, which seriously violates China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”

Coast guard officers warn Chinese government vessels earlier this week after they made radio inquiries to three passing cargo ships under false claims of jurisdiction. Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration via CNA

In Taipei, MOFA spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said China has no right to claim law enforcement jurisdiction over the waters east of Taiwan for any reason, nor does it have the right to exploit potential maritime delimitation talks between Japan and the Philippines as an excuse to expand its jurisdictional claims near Taiwan.

“Taiwan categorically rejects China’s attempts to use this opportunity to normalize patrols and law enforcement in the waters east of our country,” he said. “MOFA strongly condemns China’s actions, which disrupt regional peace and stability and challenge the international order.”

Regarding potential Japan-Philippines negotiations on the delimitation of their exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and continental shelves, Hsiao said the ministry has already communicated its official stance to both governments.

First, according to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and international judicial precedents, bilateral agreements are only binding upon the contracting states and do not affect the rights and interests of third parties, he said.

Japan has stated more than once, including a reaffirmation by the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association on Monday, that the Japan-Philippines agreement would not affect third-party rights, he added.

Therefore, the binding effect of Japan-Philippines negotiations does extend to Taiwan, and all rights and interests enjoyed by Taiwan in its eastern EEZ will remain unaffected, now and in the future, Hsiao said.

Second, when Japan and the Philippines hold negotiations, they should fully consider Taiwan’s overlapping claims, and continue to communicate and consult with Taiwan, he said.

And third, existing cooperation mechanisms — including the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement signed with Japan in 2013 and the Agreement Concerning the Facilitation of Cooperation on Law Enforcement in Fisheries Matters signed with the Philippines in 2015 — remain active, he said.

Citing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Hsiao said the EEZ is a maritime regime where coastal states enjoy specific sovereign rights and jurisdiction over marine resources, and it does not fall within the scope of territorial or territorial sea sovereignty.

Therefore, EEZ delimitation issues between Japan and the Philippines do not involve Taiwanese sovereignty, nor do they affect the legal rights of Taiwanese fishers to operate within Taiwan’s EEZ, he added.

“MOFA will continue to maintain close contact with relevant countries, firmly safeguard Taiwan’s maritime rights and interests, as well as the operational rights of our fishers,” Hsiao said, adding that people should remain rational about the issue and avoid being misled by false information.

The ministry also urged the international community to pay attention to China’s recent escalation of provocations around Taiwan’s surrounding waters, undermining regional peace and stability, and work with Taipei to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region, he said.

title: MOFA rejects China’s maritime claims


title: China Coast Guard harassing merchant ships: CGA

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China Coast Guard (CCG) ships operating around Taiwan over the past few days have been “harassing” commercial shipping by asking them for information about their point of origin and destination and claiming jurisdiction, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday.

Beijing was angered after Japan and the Philippines last month said they would begin formal talks on their exclusive economic zones (EEZ), viewing that as involving waters off Taiwan.

Late on Saturday, Chinese state media reported ships had been sent to carry out a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation” in the waters east of Taiwan in response to the Japanese and Philippine announcement.

A map shows the positions of Chinese coast guard, government and navy vessels operating near Taiwan yesterday. Photo from National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu’s X page

In a statement, the CGA said that since Sunday, the Chinese ships had broadcast messages to three passing commercial ships asking for information such as their ports of departure and destination.

Taiwanese ships broadcast back that these were Taiwanese waters in which China had no jurisdiction, and the Chinese vessels should “not harass ships,” the CGA said.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The CGA said it also broadcast to the passing merchant ships that they should pay no heed to the inquiries of the Chinese vessels.

Ships passing through Taiwan’s waters maintained normal navigation and were not boarded, inspected, approached or interfered with by the Chinese government vessels, it added.

National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) posted a map on X showing the location of China Coast Guard, navy and government ships operating in waters east of Taiwan yesterday.

“China’s Hai Xun & CG vessels are harassing commercial ships in Taiwan’s EEZ to fabricate a facade of PRC [People’s Republic of China] jurisdiction,” he wrote. “This expansionism is a major escalation of regional tension. We call on all commercial vessels in the area to ignore CCG radio calls.”

The Hai Xun are a fleet of large maritime patrol, hydrographic survey and search-and-rescue vessels operated by the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration.

Responding to the escalating Chinese coast guard activity, a US Department of State spokesperson said in a statement that the US expects differences between China and Taiwan to be resolved by peaceful means and “free from coercion.”

“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with the elected leadership,” the spokesperson added.

Additional reporting by Kayleigh Madjar


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By Huang Yi-ching and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Subsidies for taxis are to increase by NT$9,000, bringing the total to NT$15,000 per vehicle, to help stabilize public transportation fees amid rising crude oil prices, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced on Monday.

The measure is part of the ministry’s expanded transport fare stabilization measures, which would also extend subsidies for intercity buses, ferries and domestic flights for another three months to a total of six months.

The idea behind the expansion is to stabilize fares, prevent service interruptions and avoid passing the pressure on to consumers, the ministry said.

Taxis are an important means of transportation for people to commute to and from work, get to hospitals, return home at night, or for other necessary travel, the ministry said.

Since May 20, the government has subsidized taxi drivers NT$5 per liter of fuel, the ministry said, adding that drivers have until Aug. 31 to apply for the subsidies to help them weather challenges through the end of the year.

As of Friday last week, 80 percent of all eligible taxis, or 72,725 drivers, had applied for the subsidies, it said.

Applicants would receive the additional subsidy amount before Tuesday next week, it said.

Drivers who have not applied for the subsidies can visit the Web sites of CPC Corp, Taiwan and Formosa Oil, or apply for the subsidies at designated locations, it said, adding that they would receive a lump sum of NT$15,000 once the application is complete.

For intercity buses, the ministry is subsidizing the price difference if a transport operator receives approval to raise fares, so that increased costs are not directly passed on to passengers, it said.

Regarding domestic flights, CPC Corp has been asked to absorb all increases in fuel prices, so domestic flight fuel prices have been fixed at NT$27.25 per liter for the past three months.

The ministry said that it would allocate a budget to compensate airlines for their additional expenses.

title: Ministry adds NT$9,000 to taxi subsidies


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Experts concerned over downgrading communication equipment procurementBy Chen Cheng-yu and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

Security experts yesterday urged the military to retain frequency hopping as a required feature paired with other technologies for next-generation radios to increase counter-electronic warfare capabilities and interoperability with US forces.

In a solicitation that has since been withdrawn, the army included frequency shift keying as an acceptable feature in new radios, retired air force colonel Chou Yu-ping (周宇平) said at an event cohosted by the Strategy and Public Research Institute of Taiwan.

Procuring frequency-shifting radios would represent a 30-year step backward, while frequency hopping equipment is standard for Taiwanese and US armed forces, said Chou, a researcher at the institute.

Security experts speak at an event held by the Strategy and Public Research Institute of Taiwan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times

The army’s attempt to switch back to frequency-shift technology would degrade its survivability and interoperability, Chou said.

The Ministry of National Defense must ensure that procurements would upgrade existing technologies, instead of downgrading equipment, he said.

Taiwan National Security Institute deputy secretary-general Ho Cheng-hui (何澄輝) said the integration of frequency-hopping encryption and a military mobile ad hoc network is essential for the armed forces’ ability to withstand damage and meet future joint warfare requirements.

Frequency-shifting radio users have extremely low survivability in the intense electronic warfare environment expected in modern warfare, he said.

Real-world combat experience and technological trends suggest that a force must use a dispersed communications network to avoid single-point failures in its command structure, Ho said.

Achieving the national strategic goal of obtaining asymmetric warfare capabilities means being able to share a common operational picture across branches, Taiwan Industrial Technology Association vice chairman Lin Chien-cheng (林健正) said.

Frequency-hopping equipment is standard in the US and adopting frequency shift technology would hinder interoperability, he said.

The government should consider buying strategic-level communication systems from the US and rely on the domestic tech industry to furnish tactical-level devices to expedite force building, he said.

The annual Han Kuang military exercises should incorporate real jamming to test the combat forces’ ability to operate in a contested electronic warfare environment, Lin said.

Public discourse surrounding Washington’s political will to send troops to defend Taiwan misses the matter of what the US forces could do and how they would do it, said Jing Yuan-chou (荊元宙), associate professor at Tamkang University’s College of International Affairs.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army would surely utilize electronic warfare capabilities against Taiwan in an attempt to overwhelm the defenders’ command structure, and utilization of frequency-shifting radios would invite failure, he said.


content_text:
PEACE PLAN:  While urging the US president to end the zero-sum game with China, Cheng said she has a pragmatic solution to settling cross-strait differences

US President Donald Trump would be the “greatest statesman of the 21st century” if he achieved peace in East Asia with China, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said on Monday.

Speaking at a seminar held by the Asia Society in New York City, Cheng said that successfully managing relations with Beijing is key to Trump’s agenda of “making America great again.”

Trump should make good use of the two years he has left in his second term, she said, adding that a confrontational stance toward Beijing or war would lead to catastrophic consequences for the US.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, left, speaks with former US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Daniel Russel during a seminar hosted by the Asia Society in New York City on Monday.  Photo: CNA

She urged Trump to establish mutual trust, exchanges and friendship between the US and China by putting an end to the zero-sum game mentality of the Cold War, and transforming the First Island Chain into a key link to peace and prosperity.

With US leadership, the potential for regional conflict could be changed into cooperation and dialogue that result in an enormous peace bonus, she said.

Cooperation in artificial intelligence is aligned with the interests of all nations in the region and the US, Cheng said.

“Should Trump play a lead role [in this process], he would be a great US president, a great world leader and the greatest statesman of the 21st century,” she said.

Cheng’s visit to the US is prompted by a need for US support in facilitating the KMT’s mission for peace with China, she said.

The EU is an example for a new system that could be developed by both sides of the Taiwan Strait, which would gain popularity among the people by bringing mutual benefits, Cheng said.

Cheng said she has a roadmap to achieve her peace plan, which is the only pragmatic solution to prevent the two sides from settling their differences through coercion or military force.

Anyone seeking to resolve the differences across the Strait through force or coercion would face inevitable failure and pay a heavy price, she added.

title: Trump could be greatest statesman: KMT’s Cheng


title: GCTF aims to raise foreign manipulation awareness

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

The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei is to hold a Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) event in Taipei at the end of this month to raise awareness about foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) efforts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

The event, titled “Building Cyber Resilience: Policy, Business, Innovation,” is to be held in collaboration with the foreign ministry and the Ministry of Justice, Department of North American Affairs Deputy Director-General Chiao Kuo-you (焦國祐) said.

The GCTF hopes to attract participants from 20 member countries, including Japan, Australia, the UK and the US, to this year’s event, he said.

Participants attend a Global Cooperation and Training Framework workshop themed “Building Cyber Resilience: Policy, Business, Innovation” from March 31 to April 2 in Taipei. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Participants are to examine the threats posed by FIMI to the democratic system, how to hold offenders accountable under the law and information-sharing systems between countries, Chiao said.

The workshop hopes to raise awareness in other countries about transnational repression, Chiao said, adding that many countries are unaware that actions by certain countries within the host nation’s borders constitute transnational repression.

The workshop would cover static events, and the foreign ministry would also arrange simulated events and actual visits to the foreign ministry to better establish transnational and cross-departmental support networks, Chiao said.

Taiwan aims to show that it is a force for good in the international community by working with other countries through the GCTF platform, Chiao said.


content_text:
Prosecutors seek 21 years, NT$23m fine in spying case

Prosecutors yesterday requested a combined prison sentence of 21 years and six months and fines totaling NT$23 million (US$727,434) for Xu Chunying (徐春鶯), who was born in China and former head of the Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) New Immigrants Committee.

The New Taipei District Court set the verdict for Aug. 11 following the trial’s final arguments yesterday.

Xu, who was on the TPP’s list of at-large legislator nominees in 2023, is accused of acting under the instructions of Chinese infiltration sources to stump for former Taipei mayoral candidate Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) and former TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).

She was also charged with involvement in illegal underground remittances, loan fraud and assisting infiltration sources to enter Taiwan under false pretenses.

The court yesterday granted Xu bail of NT$2 million, restricted her to her residence and barred her from leaving the country or traveling by sea.

She is prohibited from leaving Taipei and New Taipei City, and was ordered to report to a local police station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Prosecutors said they would consider filing an appeal against the bail decision.

They accused Xu of reducing herself to a tool utilized by hostile foreign forces to interfere in the nation’s elections in exchange for resources, using the opportunity to establish herself as a cross-strait intermediary for personal gain.

They sought individual sentences ranging from four years to four years and eight months for these offenses, along with fines ranging from NT$5 million to NT$10 million.

Prosecutors sought a combined sentence of eight years and six months, plus fines totaling NT$9 million, for an alleged accomplice, Chung Ming-chin (鍾明錦), who was charged with two offenses under the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法).

Xu’s daughter, Pu Chi-cheng (卜啓正), is accused of colluding with her mother and others to fraudulently obtain NT$26.97 million in loans.

Prosecutors requested a sentence of two years and six months for Pu.

Another alleged accomplice, Lo Ying (羅穎), faces a requested combined sentence of four years and 10 months for involvement in loan fraud and document forgery.

people: 柯文哲 黃珊珊


title: CDC reports first cases in 2026 of two diseases

content_text:
PEAK SEASON:  Officials said a woman in her 60s was diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis, while a man in his 50s was diagnosed with paratyphoid fever

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported this year’s first cases of Japanese encephalitis and paratyphoid fever.

CDC Deputy Director-General and spokeswoman Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said that a woman in her 60s living in southern Taiwan was diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis after developing symptoms including a fever and altered consciousness earlier this month.

“CDC monitoring data show that May to October is usually the peak transmission season of Japanese encephalitis, with the peak usually in June or July, so people should get vaccinated and prevent mosquito bites,” Tseng said.

From left, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General and spokeswoman Tseng Shu-hui, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei and CDC physician Huang Po-han attend a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Hou Chia-yu, Taipei Times

CDC physician Huang Po-han (黃柏翰) said that the woman has diabetes, no record of vaccination against Japanese encephalitis and she did not travel abroad recently.

The woman’s symptoms began with a headache and vomiting, followed by fever and loss of consciousness, so she was rushed to an emergency room, where she was found with a stiff neck, an elevated white blood cell count and inflammatory markers, Huang said, adding that she was admitted to an intensive care unit.

She was reported as a suspected case, and a laboratory test confirmed it, Huang said, adding that six family members who she lives with did not develop symptoms.

There are high-risk environments — including rice fields, irrigation ditches, pig farms and poultry farms — near her home and places she frequents, so the local health department has installed mosquito traps in the area and promoted mosquito prevention measures, he said.

The childhood immunization schedule recommends that infants get the first dose of a Japanese encephalitis vaccine at 15 months old and the second dose 12 months afterward, he said.

Adults who live near high-risk areas can consult travel medicine doctors to assess whether they need a booster shot, he added.

Tseng said that a man in his 50s living in northern Taiwan diagnosed with paratyphoid fever developed symptoms including a fever, chills and general muscle soreness late last month.

The man did not travel abroad during the incubation period, Huang said, adding that he first sought treatment at a clinic and received medicine for his symptoms.

As the symptoms were not relieved after three days, he sought treatment at a hospital, where he underwent testing and returned home to rest, Huang said.

Blood tests showed that bacteria was causing paratyphoid fever and he was hospitalized when he returned for a follow-up appointment, Huang said, adding that the man recovered after eight days of treatment.

The man did not eat raw food or drink unboiled water, and people living with him and his coworkers tested negative, so the source of his infection is not yet clear, Huang said.

Paratyphoid fever is primarily transmitted via the fecal-oral route, so people should drink water that has been boiled and eat sufficiently cooked food, separate raw and cooked food to avoid contamination, and wash their hands frequently with soap, he said.

CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said there were 5,576 hospital visits for enterovirus infection last week, about the same as the previous week, although the longer-term trend is upward.

Enterovirus activity in Vietnam remains severe, while it has been rapidly increasing in China and Hong Kong, and to a lesser extent in Thailand, South Korea and Japan, Guo said.

COVID-19 activity is still low, but cases have been gradually increasing for three consecutive weeks, so high-risk groups should get vaccinated and seek immediate medical treatment if they experience difficulty breathing or other signs of severe illness, he said.


title: Grab vows deliverers’ support

content_text:
ACQUISITION PLANS: An executive said if its takeover of Foodpanda is approved, it would ensure couriers a stable income and implement technological advances

Grab Holdings yesterday pledged to support Taiwanese couriers and food businesses, and ensure cybersecurity if regulators approve its acquisition of Foodpanda, amid scrutiny of the deal.

The Singapore-based courier service platform in March announced that it planned to buy Foodpanda in Taiwan from its parent company, Delivery Hero, for US$600 million.

The deal is being reviewed by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and could be completed this year.

Taiwan would be Grab’s first market outside Southeast Asia if the deal is approved.

Grab group managing director Yee Wee Tang (余偉騰) told the company’s first news conference in Taipei that the entry into Taiwan’s food delivery market “makes a lot of sense,” as Taiwan, like other countries in Southeast Asia, has many densely populated urban areas.

“Taiwanese, in general, are tech-savvy and use mobile phones on a daily basis. The nation also has a very diverse food culture, and people are used to ordering food through mobile phones,” Yee said.

The government is scheduled to implement the Delivery Workers’ Rights Protection and Delivery Platform Management Act (外送員權益保障及外送平臺管理法) next month.

Asked whether the act would hurt the platform’s bottom line, and if it would affect the acquisition price for Foodpanda and food delivery fees, Yee said that Grab would comply with the act if the company secures regulatory approval to operate in Taiwan.

“Our understanding is that the acquisition is still ongoing and a lot of details are still being worked out, so it is not the right time to comment or speculate,” he said.

Yee was also asked how the company plans to win consumer trust and convince the FTC that the deal would create greater value for the market.

He was also asked whether the company would pledge not to increase delivery fees or leverage its dominant position in the market to claim a larger share of profits from other firms.

“Grab currently does not have any presence in Taiwan. We would be a new, independent player in this market. If we get the approval for the deal, we would compete fairly, but aggressively,” he said.

Asked whether Grab plans to enter Taiwan’s ride-hailing market, Yee said the company’s priority is its acquisition of Foodpanda and ensuring a seamless transition for the platform’s couriers and merchant partners.

Grab has made a series of commitments to food delivery couriers and merchants in Taiwan, Yee said during his presentation.

The company would ensure couriers have a stable income from the start and seek to minimize job disruptions arising from the transition, he said.

Couriers would be equipped with smart tools to improve delivery efficiency, receive weekly payouts and enjoy flexible working arrangements, he added.

Meanwhile, vendors could be assured that food delivery services would continue to operate smoothly and reliably throughout the transition, Yee said, adding that they would also be provided with an artificial intelligence-powered assistant to help optimize operations and boost sales.

Grab’s merchant app could help food vendors translate their menus into English and facilitate communication with overseas travelers by translating conversations into Chinese, he said.

“We would also help businesses interested in expanding into Southeast Asia by helping launch pilot programs in selected cities,” he said.

Prior to Grab’s offer, Uber Technologies in 2024 agreed to acquire Foodpanda’s Taiwan business from Delivery Hero for US$950 million.

However, the deal was blocked by the FTC in December 2024 over concerns that it would give the combined company more than 90 percent of the local food delivery market.

Uber abandoned the acquisition in March last year and paid a termination fee of about US$250 million.

Last month, Uber proposed acquiring Delivery Hero in a deal valuing the company at about 10 billion euros (US$11.57 billion) as it seeks to bolster its competitive position against DoorDash in international markets.


title: Bureau urges festival driver safety

content_text:
By Wu Liang-yi and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

People should drive safely during the rainy season, the Freeway Bureau said on Wednesday last week as it unveiled traffic controls for the Dragon Boat Festival from June 19 to 21.

Private vehicles would only be able to access the Taipei-bound lanes of the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (Freeway No. 5) if they are carrying three people or more on the second and third days of the long weekend in anticipation of heavy traffic and rainy conditions, the bureau said.

Forecasts show a high likelihood of afternoon rain with the onset of the rainy season this month, which would affect road safety, it said.

Rain reduces visibility and makes road surfaces slippery, leading to delayed brake response and longer braking distances, elevating the risk of car-on-car and car-pedestrian collisions, it said.

Headlights should be turned on during rain to increase driver visibility and visibility to others, it said.

When driving on wet roads, following distances between vehicles should be lengthened to give drivers more reaction time and purchase for their brakes, the bureau said, adding that sudden lane changes, acceleration and braking should be avoided.

Cars and motorcycles should slow down on waterlogged sections of road to prevent loss of control, it said.

Drivers must keep their hands on the wheel and be aware of vehicles in from them at all times, it said.

Overreliance on advanced driver assistance systems, which underperform on wet roads, has been linked to crashes, the bureau said, adding that technology is not a substitute for driver awareness.


title: Taipei announces free checkups for migrant workers

content_text:
A second round of free health checkups for migrant workers is scheduled at Taipei Railway Station on Sunday, the Taipei Department of Labor said yesterday.

The checkups are to run from 12:30pm to 3pm in the station’s main hall and would include general health screenings, as well as consultations for dentistry, ear, nose and throat issues, internal medicine, gynecology, psychiatry and traditional Chinese medicine, the department said.

In addition to medical services, information on healthcare resources and living in Taiwan would be available, it said.

Health workers speak with people at a health checkup program for migrant workers at Taipei Railway Station in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Taipei Department of Labor

To encourage participation, the first 20 people to complete the checkup would receive a voucher for a 15-minute massage by a blind massage therapist, it said.

Migrant workers seeking a checkup must provide their Alien Resident Certificate and National Health Insurance card, it added.

The event is the second of four free health checkup sessions planned this year.

Taipei is partnering with the Tzu Chi International Medical Association for the second consecutive event, the department said.

Two more sessions are scheduled for Aug. 16 and Oct. 4.

Employers and labor brokers should share the information with migrant workers and encourage them to take advantage of the free health services, the department said.


content_text: Men hold aloft the “Ovayan” (“Golden Friendship”) canoe during a ceremony to launch the handcrafted, 20-person wooden vessel on Orchid Island (Lanyu) yesterday. Built by more than 200 people from six local villages, the vessel is part of a project aiming to trace ancient Austronesian sea routes. Its builders intend to use it to cross the Bashi Channel to Mahatao Port in the Philippines’ Batanes Islands, which would be the first such voyage in 300 years.

title: Keel grip


title: Dreaming of drones

content_text: President William Lai, center right, views a drone at an event hosted by the Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance in Taichung yesterday. The government is forming a national team aimed at transforming Taiwan into an Asia-Pacific hub for global drone development, Lai said at the event.


content_text:
RECORD SETTING: Exports are at their all-time second-highest monthly amount, while imports are at their all-time high, driven by AI, the finance ministry said

Taiwan’s exports jumped 51.7 percent year-on-year to US$78.48 billion last month, the second-highest monthly figure on record, while imports climbed to an all-time high of US$60.57 billion, up 54.9 percent annually, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.

As a result, Taiwan’s trade surplus was up 41.8 percent to US$17.91 billion last month, the ministry said.

Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) attributed the results to strong global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, high-performance computing and cloud services, which supported shipments of Taiwan’s advanced chips, servers and electronic components.

The supply constraints and higher product prices helped lift export values, Tsai said.

Imports last month were driven by demand for industrial materials, capital equipment and production inputs tied to AI manufacturing. South Korea has emerged as a key import source, supplying memory chips heavily used in data centers, she said.

In the first five months of this year, exports rose 48.7 percent year-on-year to US$341.83 billion, already exceeding the first half of last year’s total and putting the full-year figure on track for a new high, Tsai said.

Over the same period, cumulative imports grew 37.8 percent to US$256.63 billion. That yielded a trade surplus of US$85.20 billion, up 95.1 percent from a year earlier, she said.

This month, exports are expected to grow 42 to 49 percent from a year earlier to US$75.9 billion to US$79.5 billion, as inventory buildup for next-generation consumer electronics provides additional support, Tsai said.

Looking ahead, exports should remain supported by fast-growing AI investment, resilient cloud demand and ongoing expansion of advanced semiconductor and packaging capacity, with quarterly exports likely to stay above US$200 billion for the rest of the year, she said.

However, Tsai cautioned that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty over US trade policy could weigh on the global outlook.

The ministry’s data showed that information and communications technology (ICT) and audiovisual products remained the main driver of Taiwan’s exports last month, with shipments up 75.2 percent to US$34.84 billion, followed by electronic components, mainly chips, with shipments rising 56 percent to US$26.84 billion.

The two segments accounted for 78.6 percent of last month’s exports, the data showed.

Machinery shipments hit a record US$2.8 billion last month, up 22.7 percent, as global semiconductor producers expanded capacity to meet AI-related demand, Tsai said.

Beyond tech products, traditional industries showed rare signs of recovery in the month, posting average growth of 17.4 percent — the strongest in about 4.5 years — as Middle East tensions pushed up energy and raw material prices, she said.

Exports to all major markets posted double-digit gains last month, led by a 90.8 percent increase in shipments to ASEAN due to strong demand for ICT products and electronic components. Exports to the US rose 47.9 percent, while shipments to China increased 35.4 percent, reflecting sustained demand for AI-related electronics across regional supply chains, Tsai said.

title: AI drives exports to near record high


title: Gudeng chairman says AI demand not just hype

content_text:
Gudeng Precision Industrial Co (家登精密), a key supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and high numerical aperture EUV pods to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), yesterday said it is confident about artificial intelligence (AI) demand over the next three to five years, brushing off fears of another technology bubble like the Dotcom bubble in 2000.

“AI demand may seem a bit crazy. Our subsidiary, We Solutions Technology Co (家崎科技), helps assemble AI servers for Giga Computing Technology Co (技綱), but cannot fully satisfy customer demand, so it is expanding capacity,” Gudeng chairman Bill Chiu (邱銘乾) said at a media event in Taipei.

“This is solid demand,” Chiu said. “Unlike previous tech bubbles, I believe the current demand is tangible rather than just hype.”

Gudeng Precision Industrial Co chairman Bill Chiu, sixth right, and representatives of other companies gesture at a media event in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA

AI growth is especially “solid” for component suppliers such as printed circuit board makers and AI server assemblers, he said.

In order to access chip supply faster, Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc and SpaceX are floating the idea about building their own TeraFab, and Gudeng has been approached to support the project, Chiu said.

Chiu said Musk’s plan is impractical, as it would take time to build a 2-nanometer fab. In addition, as EUV scanner is a crucial equipment used in producing 2-nanometer chips, Musk has to overcome an EUV scanner bottleneck, given limited supply of optics systems from the world’s sole supplier, Zeiss, he added.

Separately, Chiu said he is in discussions with several local companies to create a new consortium to address growing demand for overseas operations, following the precedents of TSS Holdings Ltd (德鑫半導體控股) and TSS2 Holdings Ltd (德鑫貳半導體控股). The new consortium would expand its coverage beyond semiconductor companies, he said.

Three years ago, Gudeng and eight local semiconductor companies formed TSS Holdings to focus on their US operations. It has developed critical semiconductor materials and equipment, significantly shrunk delivery time, reduced costs and boosted supply resilience for customers, Chiu said. Last year, Gudeng joined with another 18 companies to create TSS2 Holdings, he added.

Members of TSS Holdings and TSS2 Holdings are all suppliers of TSMC. TSS2 are mostly back-end chip packaging equipment suppliers.


content_text:
A bipartisan pair of US senators on Monday urged US President Donald Trump’s administration to tighten rules on chip contract manufacturers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to prevent them from making advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips for overseas subsidiaries of Chinese companies.

This comes after the Trump administration last week moved to halt a potential loophole that might have led companies to export advanced chips such as those made by Nvidia Corp to subsidiaries of Chinese companies outside China.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the division of the US Department of Commerce that oversees export control laws, has said that sales to Chinese company subsidiaries in third countries such as Malaysia require a license.

Semiconductor chips are seen on a printed circuit board in this illustration picture created in 2023. Photo: Reuters

Experts such as former US Department of State official Chris McGuire said last week that the guidance still did not address another potential loophole, under which front companies for Chinese firms could order custom chips to be made by chip contract manufacturers such as TSMC.

On Monday, Republican Senator Jim Banks and Democrat Senator Andy Kim sent a letter to BIS director Jeffrey Kessler asking the BIS to directly address the issue of subsidiaries of Chinese firms ordering custom chips.

“Should this gap remain unaddressed, it would substantially undermine every other restriction the United States has imposed on [China’s] access to advanced computing capability,” the senators wrote. “Export controls that can be circumvented through fabrication orders placed at the world’s most advanced foundry offer no meaningful protection to American national security or to the competitiveness of United States industry.”

title: Senators urge US government to close chip loophole


title: Gigabyte Co sees orders coming

content_text:
Gigabyte Technology Co (技嘉) expects strong order visibility for its artificial intelligence (AI) servers to extend to next year, as major customers begin planning their new spending, chairman Dandy Yeh (葉培城) said after the company’s annual general meeting in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢) yesterday.

“All aspects of the business are moving in a positive direction at this stage,” Yeh said, adding that the company’s revenue growth this year could outpace last year’s pace.

Shareholders yesterday approved proposals to distribute cash dividends of NT$12 per share, representing a payout ratio of 65.93 percent based on the company’s earnings per share of NT$18.2 last year.

Gigabyte Technology Co chairman Dandy Yeh speaks to reporters after the company’s annual meeting in Taoyuan yesterday. Photo: CNA

Gigabyte showcased its AI servers powered by Nvidia Corp’s graphics processors at the Computex trade show in Taipei last week.

Regarding speculation that Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform could undergo specification changes due to a shortage of memory chips, Yeh said such adjustments are a normal part of new product development, which often involves specification refinements to address early-stage yield and power consumption issues.

In the second half of this year, Gigabyte’s AI servers would be primarily based on the Nvidia B300 and GB300 platforms, Yeh said. The company would begin small-volume shipments of Vera Rubin-based products, he said.

In contrast to strong growth in AI server shipments, PC shipments would grow more slowly this year amid memory shortages and rising component prices, Yeh said.

As customers are prioritizing supply availability over pricing, it is relatively easier to communicate with them and pass on higher costs, as long as Gigabyte can ensure stable supply, he said.

Asked about the trend of rising AI computing extending from the cloud to end-user devices, Yeh said AI PCs would serve as an important platform for agentic AI applications.

While more AI workloads are expected to be processed on local devices, cloud computing would still be needed, he said. A hybrid computing architecture that combines cloud and edge AI would open up new growth opportunities for the industry, he added.


content_text:
TAIFEX’s 28th AFM meeting sees exchanges, elections

The 28th annual meeting of the Association of Futures Markets (AFM), hosted by the Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX), was held at the Taipei Marriott Hotel last week. The meeting brought together representatives from exchanges, financial institutions, market infrastructure and information service providers from Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa.

In addition to the US, Europe, and major Asian markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan, the meeting was noteworthy for including representatives from numerous exchanges in Africa and Central Asia, such as South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi and Uzbekistan. The gathering facilitated exchanges on global derivatives market development trends and provided collaborative opportunities, demonstrating AFM’s important function as an international derivatives market exchange.

The meeting was opened by AFM chairman Pat Kenny and TAIFEX chairman Wu Tzu-hsin (吳自心), with Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) Vice Chairman Chen Yen-liang (陳彥良) delivering a keynote speech. Wu said it was significant for the TAIFEX to host the AFM annual meeting again after a 15-year hiatus. In addition to helping delegates from around the world gain a deeper understanding of the Taiwanese market, the TAIFEX would continue to promote the development of Taiwan’s derivatives market toward greater resilience, diversification and international competitiveness through international exchanges and cooperation, based on the core principles of “development and innovation” and “financial security,” he said.

Representatives of the 28th annual meeting of the Association of Futures Markets pose for a photograph at an event in Taipei last Friday. Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Futures Exchange

Chen said that the global financial market is facing structural changes such as escalating geopolitical risks, frequent policy adjustments by major economies, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies, leading to increased market volatility and uncertainty. Under these circumstances, the price discovery and risk management functions of the futures market become even more important. Besides providing effective hedging tools, the futures market has gradually developed into an important part of asset allocation and strategic trading, he added.

Chen showcased the FSC’s ongoing efforts to build an Asian asset management center with Taiwanese characteristics to foreign guests, focusing on “retaining capital and attracting investment” and “investing in Taiwan to support industrial development.” This is achieved through regulatory relaxation and system optimization to guide domestic and foreign capital into the Taiwanese market, he said.

Meanwhile, in response to the global AI wave and the development needs of innovative industries, the FSC is promoting policies such as the Asian Innovation Funding Platform to continuously enhance the market’s international competitiveness and resilience, he added.

This year’s meeting covered important topics, including opportunities and challenges for the development of the Asian futures market, the development of collateral and settlement mechanisms, enhancing market participation by individual traders, the impact of extended trading hours on the market and exchanges and AI and market infrastructure. Participants said that they gained valuable insights and looked forward to attending the event again in the future.

During the annual meeting, the AFM held its members’ meeting. With the support of its members, the TAIFEX was re-elected as the AFM supervisor, demonstrating the international market’s recognition of TAIFEX’s long-term participation in international affairs and its efforts to promote cross-market exchange and cooperation.


content_text:
Hon Hai, Brookfield to invest in renewable energy in Vietnam

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) has established a partnership with Brookfield Asset Management Ltd, a leading global investment firm, to make renewable energy investments in Vietnam.

The investments will seek to support the operations of Hon Hai and its suppliers in the Southeast Asian country, the iPhone assembler and artificial intelligence (AI) server maker said in a statement.

Based on the partnership, both sides will jointly develop up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of utility-scale wind, solar and battery capacity underpinned by a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA), said Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康) globally.

The logo of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co is pictured at the AutoTronics trade show in Taipei on April 15. Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, AFP

In addition, the two partners will work with each other on investments and the asset management of targeted projects, the company said.

For its part, Brookfield will leverage its Catalytic Transition Fund, which invests in renewable energy development in emerging markets.

“We are pleased to be a strategic partner to Brookfield to secure long-term access to renewable energy for our operations and supply chain in Vietnam,” Hon Hai chief investment officer James Tu (杜墨璽) said in the statement.

“This initiative where we’re investing and managing alongside Brookfield ensures stable and cost-effective power supply for our continued growth in the region,” Tu added.

Hon Hai said the cooperation with Brookfield is expected to progress alongside Vietnam’s evolving direct PPA framework.

In response, Brookfield Asia Pacific head of energy Daniel Cheng (程敬堯) said the company’s cooperation with Hon Hai “underscores the scale of corporate demand for renewable power in Vietnam, one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.”

According to Hon Hai, Brookfield manages more than US$1 trillion in assets with a wide range of businesses such as infrastructure, energy, private equity, real estate and credit.

Hon Hai said Brookfield is a leading owner, operator and developer of clean energy assets, holding one of the world’s largest renewable energy portfolios covering hydro, wind, solar, energy storage and sustainable solutions across five continents.


content_text: A robot arm mounts axial-flux electric motors at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Berlin yesterday. Mercedes-Benz has launched the first large-scale production of an axial-flux electric motor at its Berlin-Marienfelde plant.

title: Automated assembly


title: EDITORIAL: Remembering Tiananmen

content_text:
“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting,” Milan Kundera wrote in The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.

The June 4 Incident, sarcastically referred to by some as the 35th of May — as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forbids mentions of the actual date — refers to the bloody crackdown on the student-led, pro-democracy demonstrations in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. The exact death toll remains unknown, with estimates ranging from hundreds to possibly thousands.

Hundreds of people gathered in Taipei in heavy rain on Thursday last week for an annual candlelight vigil, themed “Memory Beyond Borders, Resistance Without Boundaries,” marking the 37th anniversary of the massacre.

For years, the world’s largest vigils were held in Victoria Park by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which was disbanded in 2021, until the Hong Kong government banned the event in 2020, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, a year after the 2019 movement opposing an extradition bill. On June 30 that year, the Hong Kong National Security Law was imposed.

For the fourth consecutive year, a patriotic carnival was held on June 4 at the former commemoration site, while police surrounded, intercepted and detained people who appeared to be commemorating the Incident near the park, warning that their behavior could be “seditious” and might constitute “disorder in public places.”

Holding a flower or a lit candle on that sensitive date has officially become a taboo in the territory ever since Lee Cheuk-yan (李卓人) and Chow Hang-tung (鄒幸彤), leaders of the alliance, were put behind bars on charges of “inciting subversion of state power” under the security law in 2021 over the alliance’s efforts to commemorate the Tiananmen crackdown and advocate for democratic reforms in China.

In the same year, the Pillar of Shame and the Goddess of Democracy statues were removed by Hong Kong University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong respectively.

There had been heated debate in the territory over whether people outside China should commemorate the tragedy, especially those who advocated for Hong Kong’s independence following the 2014 “umbrella movement,” which failed to bring universal suffrage despite a 79-day occupying protest, as they do not consider themselves to be Chinese politically and regard the Incident as a “foreign affair.” Some also questioned whether performing the annual ritual was “useful” in resisting the CCP. Ironically, those vocal in the discussion — for and against — are either in prison or in exile, as they are all regarded as “Hong Kong separatists” by the CCP.

There has been a similar discussion in Taiwan. Some say the Incident is none of their business because they are not Chinese and they do not shoulder any responsibility for a democratic China.

Meanwhile in China, young people question why they should even talk about the Incident, as it happened “long ago.”

“What is the point?” they ask.

Some even say that the CCP did what it had to do, showing immense empathy with its “difficult decision” to run over unarmed people with tanks and shoot them with machine guns.

A candlelight vigil would neither “end the one-party dictatorship” nor “build a democratic China,” as the Hong Kong alliance demanded. A memorial would not bring the dead back to life. Nevertheless, an annual commemoration serves as a ritual to pass on the memories of those who witnessed or survived the tragedy, and those who did not make it.

Remembering the Tiananmen Massacre would not make us more Chinese or less Taiwanese. Taiwanese take pride in being the “beacon of democracy” in the Chinese-speaking world. They dare to speak the truth in the face of a tyranny that is in constant denial of its brutality.

They do not to forget, because they care about oppressed people, the lives sacrificed and the families who lost loved ones. They do not stand aside and disregard the pain of others. They have the moral courage to stand in solidarity with those who remain firmly committed to carrying the torch of truth.

They refuse to collaborate with an authoritarian regime that tells them to reject the evidence of their eyes and ears.

“Who controls the past controls the future: Who controls the present controls the past,” was a Party slogan in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. Remembering the truth is an act of defiance and resistance. Taiwanese must preserve memories until the end.


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A number of local governments have been promoting elementary-school testing in recent years, ostensibly to better understand students’ learning needs and provide reference points for teachers and education policy planning.

In practice, the testing system has diverged from this original intent to become more and more like an elementary-school version of high-school exams.

Students and teachers are shouldering heavy workloads and elementary education is losing sight of its real purpose: learning.

When there is an overemphasis on academic testing and grades-based school performance evaluations and administrative review processes, classrooms can slip into a default mode of teaching to test.

Many schools have begun prioritizing test-based study, laden with mock exams and practice questions from previous tests.

Teachers are expected to improve scores, while students must face continuous assessment.

What these classrooms should be emphasizing, meanwhile, is understanding and inquiry-based learning.

Elementary school is a critical stage for cultivating students’ foundational skills and interest in learning.

These shifts are causing students to compare themselves and face exam pressures at an increasingly early age.

Some students develop anxiety over repeated testing and might even lose their confidence in learning altogether.

When learning becomes solely about grades, the focus of education is distorted.

Exam-oriented education reduces the professional role of teachers to score-boosting.

Student performance is influenced by a multitude of factors, including family backgrounds, learning differences and individual needs.

If teaching is evaluated by only pen-and-paper tests, it would be unfair and completely disregard the complexity of education.

When teachers are forced to focus on scores, their flexibility and space for innovation is limited, undermining the quality of education in the long term.

Another concern is the administrative burden that comes with academic testing.

The process of grading, holding review meetings and formulating remedial programs put further demands on teachers’ time.

They become busier and students more exhausted, while educational quality does not necessarily improve, but becomes trapped in a vicious cycle of exam-induced business.

Testing systems should serve as a diagnostic tool to understand learning needs and provide support.

When they become a mechanism for rankings and performance reviews, something has gone awry.

A single pen-and-paper test cannot capture students’ communication skills, collaboration abilities and creativity.

Given too much weight, they can misguide the direction of education.

Elementary-school education should not be a competition over scores, but about nourishing children’s willingness and ability to learn.

Education policy should listen more closely to frontline voices, reexamine implementation and prevent testing from overriding teaching so that schools can return to the essential goal of education — helping children to be better not at test taking, but at learning.

Chiang Chen-ping is an elementary-school teacher.

Translated by Gilda Knox Streader

title: Testing is not the soul of education


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Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) landed in Pyongyang on Monday for his first visit to North Korea in about seven years, and the choreography was immediate.

Gun salutes, children offering flowers and a banner reading “unbreakable friendship” set the tone before any talks had even begun.

The visit had been announced only days earlier, but the political pressure behind it had been building for months.

North Korea’s deepening alignment with Russia, including military cooperation that helped sustain Pyongyang’s economy through sanctions pressure, has steadily reduced Beijing’s leverage over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Xi’s trip is an attempt to reverse that drift and reassert China as North Korea’s most consequential partner.

In an editorial published in the Rodong Sinmun ahead of his arrival, Xi framed the trip in explicitly ideological terms.

“We must oppose hegemony, authoritarianism and all attempts and conspiracies to revive militarism that endanger regional security and stability,” he wrote.

The language was pointed. On the surface, it targets Japan’s expanding defense posture.

That framing also encompasses the US alliance architecture in East Asia, which Beijing increasingly presents as a unified threat, linking Tokyo, Seoul, Washington and Taipei in a single strategic picture.

Taiwan is not the central subject of this summit, but it is part of the regional context that Xi is trying to reshape, and Taipei should pay attention.

Sydney Seiler, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Korea Chair and former US intelligence official, said that Xi is “hoping to demonstrate a dynamic leading role on the international stage, particularly within the China, Russia, Iran, North Korea grouping of revisionist autocracies, while portraying US influence globally as in decline.”

The summit is not simply a bilateral meeting between two neighbors; it is a signal to a wider audience about who is organizing political alignment in Asia.

For years, Beijing’s claim to regional influence rested partly on its status as North Korea’s indispensable patron.

That position is now contested. Kim has leveraged his partnership with Russia to extract economic relief and political recognition on terms that do not require Chinese approval.

He arrives at this summit with more room to maneuver than at any point in recent memory.

Beijing wants to demonstrate that even a more independent Pyongyang still finds it beneficial to stay close to China.

That calculation matters for Taiwan because China does not approach East Asia as a set of isolated bilateral relationships. Beijing frames the region as a single strategic contest with the US and its allies, and builds coalitions accordingly.

When Xi pledges to work with North Korea to resist “hegemony and coercive politics,” that language applies as much to the Taiwan Strait as it does to the Korean Peninsula.

There is a nuclear dimension that carries indirect implications for Taipei.

North Korea revealed a new uranium enrichment facility just days before the summit, with Kim announcing plans to expand the country’s nuclear forces “at an exponential rate.”

If China tacitly accepts North Korea’s nuclear status as part of the political price for closer ties, it signals that Beijing is willing to accommodate destabilizing realities on the ground to preserve bloc cohesion.

That logic is not limited to the peninsula.

Xi left Beijing for Pyongyang immediately after the summits with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

That sequencing is unlikely to be accidental.

It allows Beijing to present itself as the organizing center of a parallel diplomatic order, one that can engage Washington when necessary, coordinate with Moscow on shared interests and reinforce political ties with Pyongyang.

The cumulative message is that China is managing multiple relationships simultaneously and doing so from a position of initiative.

Taiwan’s place in that picture is not incidental.

Cross-strait tensions remain the core of Beijing’s strategic priorities, and every move Xi makes to stabilize China’s regional environment, whether with Russia, North Korea, or in opposition to Japan’s remilitarization, bears on the Taiwan question.

A Beijing that feels more confident about its regional standing and less exposed on its northern flank has more political bandwidth to press on Taiwan.

None of this makes war more imminent or changes the military balance directly, but it does reinforce a pattern that Taipei has to take seriously.

Beijing is not simply reacting to events. It is actively shaping the regional environment, politically and diplomatically, through partnerships that consolidate its position within the US alliance system.

Xi’s visit to Pyongyang ends in two days. The political work it is part of is ongoing.

Aadil Brar is a Taipei-based journalist and geopolitical analyst.

title: China cozying up to North Korea


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The government says that it wants to crack down on drug-impaired driving, and the rhetoric has been strong, strict, swift and severe. Every word makes it sound as though the nation is fully prepared to protect its people. Yet a recent case in Changhua County revealed something else entirely.

On Thursday last week, a person allegedly driving under the influence of drugs resisted arrest and rammed into two police officers, injuring the chief of a local police station. Prosecutors sought detention for the suspect, but the court ordered the suspect released without bail, citing a low risk of repeat offense. Prosecutors immediately filed an appeal.

The public hears the government tout a “zero-tolerance” policy toward drug-impaired driving, but at the same time, the courts decide that detention for such cases is not necessary. This situation is nothing short of absurd. The executive branch stands on its platform delivering tough rhetoric, while the judiciary delivers lenient rulings. The louder the government’s calls for a crackdown, the more jarring the court’s leniency becomes.

Of course, pretrial detention is not a punishment. Courts cannot detain someone simply because of public opinion, nor are judges subordinate to the Executive Yuan. The public may well understand these principles. What people struggle to understand is, if driving under the influence of drugs, resisting arrest, ramming two police officers with a vehicle and causing injury to a police chief still do not constitute high-risk behavior, then what does?

The law requires dispassionate judgement, but it cannot be detached from reality. Due process must protect individual rights, but it cannot leave the public with the impression that all risks are borne by society while police officers and innocent bystanders pay the price. Drug-impaired driving is not just a provision on paper — it exists on the roads, it can strike police officers and can just as easily strike children, the elderly, students or people simply trying to make it home after work. Today, the chief of a local police station suffers. Tomorrow? No one can tell.

Opinion polls over the past few years have repeatedly shown that judicial reform is often the greatest area of public dissatisfaction. The public’s disappointment with the judiciary does not stem from opposition to the rule of law, but from an expectation of it. People want the law to protect the innocent and restrain dangerous individuals. They want the judiciary to be fair, but also grounded in common sense.

It is often said in legal circles that public opinion cannot supersede the law. This is true, but if the law, over time, fails to persuade the public, the blame cannot rest solely on people’s lack of legal knowledge. When legal principles are too far removed from lived experience and judicial decisions drift too far from everyday reality, people would naturally feel that the judiciary stands on too high a pedestal. It is quiet and safe there, but far removed from the streets, from an injured police officer and from ordinary citizens who fear being struck by a car.

If the government truly intends to impose strict punishments for drug-impaired driving, it cannot rely solely on hardline statements at news conferences. If the judiciary truly seeks to maintain public trust, it cannot be concerned only with internal consistency in written rulings. Courts need not align themselves with government slogans, but the judiciary must confront the fears of society.

The public is not asking for much. They are not asking for revenge, witch hunts or emotionally charged legal judgements. People simply want to know — when danger is already barreling down the road toward them, which side does the law stand on?

Chen Chia-fan holds a PhD in management.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen

title: Distrust in judiciary continues to grow


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When I visited Taiwan last summer, I called on the nation to use its status as a technology superpower to build superweapons. It is obvious to me as I return a year later that Taiwan is now answering that call.By 2030, Taiwan envisions a domestic drone hub, capable of producing large quantities of drones per year. The nation continues to tighten cooperation across the private sector, scientific researchers and the elected government, on creating new and innovative production avenues for defense, while efforts to become central to the “democratic supply chain” are only increasing.Anduril is seeing all of these positive

By Palmer Luckey

title: EDITORIAL CARTOON


content_text:
Bola Tinubu’s embrace of Emmanuel Macron comes as much of Francophone Africa is rejecting the neocolonial system

At first glance, Nigeria and France make for an unlikely pair. Nigeria, after all, is the “giant of Africa,” whose vast potential has too often been undermined by weak institutions and poor governance.

France, by contrast, is a former imperial power clinging to a military posture that looks increasingly anachronistic in a post-colonial world.

Yet the two countries share some striking similarities. Both possess an inflated sense of their own importance — a politique de grandeur that often privileges style over substance, sustained by nostalgia for past glory. They have also cultivated national identities associated with fashion, good food and joie de vivre.

Moreover, both must contend with more economically powerful regional rivals: South Africa and Germany.

These shared traits help explain the increasingly warm relationship between Nigeria and France. Since taking office in 2023, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has developed an unusually close rapport with French President Emmanuel Macron, making Paris his most frequent foreign destination. In 2021, the two countries established the France-Nigeria Business Council, which met at last month’s Franco-African summit in Nairobi.

This entente marks a stark departure from six decades of Nigerian foreign policy. Since gaining independence, Nigeria has sought to promote west African integration, most notably through the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which it helped establish in 1975. One of the bloc’s central objectives was to reduce the dependence of Nigeria’s neighbors on France, whose regional policies Nigeria had long viewed with suspicion.

Distrust of France has deep historical roots. During Nigeria’s civil war in the late 1960s, then-French president Charles de Gaulle used Ivory Coast and Gabon to funnel arms to Biafran secessionists. The aim was to weaken and fragment Nigeria, thereby undermining British influence in a country that De Gaulle regarded as central to the UK’s interests in Africa and as a potential threat to France’s post-imperial hegemony in west Africa.

Despite this distrust, economic ties between the two countries have remained remarkably resilient. French firms such as Total, Peugeot and Michelin entered Nigeria in the 1960s and early 1970s. By 1978, the country had become France’s largest investment destination in sub-Saharan Africa. Underpinning the relationship was a simple, if unequal, exchange: Nigerian oil for French goods and services.

However, economic pragmatism did little to resolve the underlying tensions, which resurfaced in 2013 when France outmaneuvered Nigeria in Mali. Having intervened militarily to prevent jihadist forces from seizing power, France used its influence within the UN to establish a peacekeeping mission that sidelined a Nigerian-led African force.

Frustrated by its diminished role, Nigeria subsequently withdrew its troops from Mali.

Ironically, Tinubu’s embrace of Macron comes at a moment when much of Francophone Africa is rejecting the exploitative neocolonial system that De Gaulle helped construct. French troops have already been expelled from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Chad. In several cases, they have been replaced by Russian mercenary groups, most notably the Wagner Group — which has since been largely supplanted by the Kremlin-backed Africa Corps — underscoring the fragility of west African security and the persistence of external intervention.

Meanwhile, economic ties have continued to deepen. Bilateral trade reached US$4.7 billion last year, making Nigeria France’s largest sub-Saharan African trading partner. More than 100 French companies operate in Nigeria, including Danone, Accor and Lafarge. Nigerian banks like First Bank, Access and Zenith have similarly expanded their presence in Paris.

However, many Nigerians view the burgeoning partnership with suspicion. A 2024 agreement granting France access to Nigeria’s mineral resources triggered a fierce public backlash, fueled by fears that the country was surrendering control of a key strategic sector to a former colonial power. Critics have also accused Tinubu of prostrating himself before Macron by seeking France’s help in combating jihadist insurgencies in northeastern Nigeria.

Fears that Nigeria was becoming a proxy for French interests were reinforced by Tinubu’s ill-advised threats of military intervention against Niger in 2023. They intensified further last year after Nigeria signed an agreement granting French authorities access to sensitive tax information and helped thwart a coup attempt in Benin in December last year — an operation reportedly supported by French logistics and intelligence.

Nigeria’s notoriously rent-seeking business elite have played a central role in driving the rapprochement with France. Among the key figures behind the France-Nigeria Business Council is Paris-based Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury, a close associate of Tinubu who previously worked with military dictator Sani Abacha’s corrupt regime.

Convicted by a Swiss court in 2000 of laundering funds stolen during the Abacha era and ordered to return US$66 million to the Nigerian government, Chagoury later contributed to Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign. His company, Hitech, subsequently secured a no-bid US$11 billion contract for the controversial Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.

Against that backdrop, Nigeria continues to grapple with profound social and economic challenges. Although Tinubu has improved the economy’s growth prospects, stabilized the currency and expanded the tax base, 139 million Nigerians still live in poverty. The prices of staple foods consumed by poor households quintupled between 2020 and 2024, while social-protection coverage fell from 20 percent in 2018 to just 6 percent in 2023.

At the same time, terrorist attacks and criminal violence killed more than 10,000 people last year.

France’s own regional standing has been severely weakened. Confronted by mounting resistance to its military presence and growing fiscal pressures at home, the French government has sought in recent years to channel its interventions through the UN and the EU.

For Nigeria, the strategic costs of aligning with France could prove significant. The military juntas ruling Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have withdrawn from ECOWAS and formed the Alliance of Sahelian States, accusing the Nigerian-led bloc of serving French interests. After the 2023 coup, Niger’s rulers turned to Russia for military support, further weakening Nigeria’s influence in the Sahel.

To be sure, Nigeria needs foreign trade and investment, but an increasingly close relationship with a foreign power that has historically sought to undermine Nigerian influence in west Africa risks benefiting politically connected business elites at the expense of the Nigerian public.

Only by returning to its traditional strategy of improving regional integration through a revitalized ECOWAS can Nigeria secure its long-term economic and security interests and forge more balanced, reciprocal partnerships.

Adekeye Adebajo is a professor and a senior research fellow at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship.

Copyright: Project Syndicate

title: Nigeria’s perilous French gambit


title: Spurs snap Knicks win streak

content_text:
NOT UNBEATABLE: New York’s winning streak was halted two shy of the NBA playoff record of 15 wins by the Golden State Warriors on the way to the 2017 title

Victor Wembanyama on Monday scored 32 points to spark the San Antonio Spurs over New York 115-111 in the NBA Finals, snapping the Knicks’ 13-game winning streak with US President Donald Trump booed as he watched.

Frenchman Wembanyama added eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and two steals at Madison Square Garden as the Spurs cut the Knicks’ lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

“We’ve done what we were supposed to do, but the job is absolutely not done,” 22-year-old Wembanyama said. “We’re not even halfway. The hardest is yet to come.”

Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, left, goes to the basket against the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City on Monday. Photo: AP

A raucous crowd created an electric atmosphere for the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999.

That included boos for Trump, the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game, when he was shown on the arena video screen.

“At home it really feels like playing six against five,” Wembanyama said. “In here it feels like playing five against six, but ... it really shows what teams are made of.”

Expanded security measures for Trump’s attendance led to fans being asked to arrive two hours before the tip-off and the cancelation of a watch party outside the arena.

The Spurs knew no team had ever won an NBA playoff series after losing the first three games, helping push them after late-game blunders cost them in a Game 2 home loss.

“Less mistakes, more control,” Wembanyama said. “It’s the little things. We were more serious. Less mistakes. Less turnovers.”

Stephon Castle added 23 points for the Spurs, while Dylan Harper had 13 off the bench.

“He has got great poise,” Wembanyama said of Castle. “It’s hard to put into words how valuable he is to us.”

Jalen Brunson led New York with 32 points, while O.G. Anunoby added 28, but the Knicks shot 40-of-88 from the floor and only hit 13-of-37 from three-point range.

“What was better in the defense was communication, being early,” Wembanyama said.

The Knicks’ streak was halted two shy of the NBA playoff record of 15 wins by Golden State on the way to the 2017 title.

Knicks coach Mike Brown complained about the officiating while admitting the Spurs outplayed his team.

“They won the game. They came and took the game, but I will say this: I never thought I would be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free-throw attempts in the second half to another team’s eight,” Brown said. “That’s tough to overcome when you’re playing against a great team. Maybe we were fouling, but they fouled, too. There were opportunities for fouls to be called to at least try to even the free throws out.”

A Castle three-pointer lifted the Spurs ahead 111-104 with 1 minute, 53 seconds remaining. Anunoby sank a free throw and Brunson added a three-pointer, but De’Aaron Fox made a clutch jump shot with 12.2 seconds remaining for a 113-108 San Antonio lead.

Anunoby followed with a three-pointer to reduce the deficit to 113-111, but Castle sealed victory with two final free throws.

“I just thought we were in attack mode,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “We showed better poise at times. I thought we finished the game still with some things that need improvement, but stronger than we did the first two games.”

Game 4 is also in New York today.

The Spurs are seeking their sixth NBA title and first since 2014, while the Knicks won their only crowns in 1970 and 1973.


title: Brewers beat A’s in wild game featuring 12 homers

content_text:
Andrew Vaughn on Monday had four hits and four RBIs, including a two-run double that tied the score in the ninth inning, as the Milwaukee Brewers outlasted the Athletics 15-14 in 12 innings at Las Vegas Ballpark in a wild game that featured 11 homers.

Automatic runner Christian Yelich scored the decisive run from third when Athletics second baseman Jeff McNeil threw wide to home plate on a grounder by Brice Turang in the top of the 12th.

Abner Uribe (4-2) got four outs for the win and Chad Patrick struck out McNeil with runners at the corners for his third save.

Andrew Vaughn of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a single against the Colorado Rockies in their MLB game in Denver, Colorado, on Monday. Photo: AP

Jose Suarez (0-2) took the loss despite striking out four batters in two hitless innings.

The teams totaled 34 hits, and 14 pitchers combined to throw 444 pitches. It was the fourth game in major league history with at least 29 runs and 11 homers.

Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz each homered twice for the Athletics, who went deep seven times at the site of their Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators. The team normally plays at its temporary home in West Sacramento, California, but is playing six games in Las Vegas this week ahead of a scheduled move into a new stadium in the city in 2028.

Trey Mancini of the Los Angeles Angels hits a single against the Houston Astros in their MLB game in Anaheim, California, on Monday. Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Shea Langeliers hit the first pitch from Brewers starter Kyle Harrison to left-center field for his 17th home run. It was the longest home run of Langeliers’ career and the fourth-longest in the majors this season.

Both teams scored four times in the 10th inning.

William Contreras gave Milwaukee a 14-10 lead with a three-run homer off Scott Barlow, but the A’s answered with an RBI single by Langeliers, a two-run shot by Kurtz and a tying homer from pinch-hitter Jonah Heim.

Zack Gelof also went deep for the Athletics, giving them an 8-4 lead in the third.

In addition to Contreras, the Brewers got home runs from Turang, Vaughn and Jake Bauers. Contreras had three of Milwaukee’s 18 hits. Turang and Bauers each knocked in three runs. Jackson Chourio went three for five and scored three times.

Harrison gave up eight runs, eight hits and three homers in 2-1/3 innings after not allowing more than two runs in any of his first 11 outings. His ERA climbed from 1.57 to 2.72.

In Anaheim, California, Los Angeles Angels first baseman Trey Mancini, a cancer survivor and former Baltimore slugger, had three hits in his first major league game since 2023 in a 5-4 loss to the Houston Astros in 10 innings.

Mancini delivered a run-scoring single in the second inning in his first at-bat. He singled again leading off the fourth, before adding a third single in the eighth.

The Angels selected Mancini against the Astros after placing infielders Vaughn Grissom and Adam Frazier on the 10-day injured list.

Mancini, 34, agreed to a minor league contract with the Angels in February, a deal that included an invitation to major league spring training. Mancini hit .273 with six homers, 29 RBIs and three steals for Triple-A Salt Lake.

Mancini has batted .263 with 129 homers and 400 RBIs over parts of seven seasons in the majors. He played parts of six seasons with the Orioles and hit a career-high 29 homers in 2019.

Mancini then missed the 2020 season after surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. He made a successful return to the Orioles in 2021, and he won a World Series ring in 2022 after Baltimore traded him to Houston.

He spent part of the 2023 season with the Chicago Cubs.

Elsewhere, the Mariners mastered the Orioles 6-3, the Rays stung the Red Sox 3-1, the Phillies beat the Blue Jays 5-2, the Nationals downed the Giants 4-3, the Padres routed the Reds 6-2 and the Yankees edged the Guardians 7-5 in 10 innings.

Additional reporting by staff writer