回憶起琉球國中已故戰友莊佳樺老師的身影，阿邦（40歲）並不後悔為她作證，卻沒有想到此舉會惹火校長蘇傳桔。莊佳樺職業災害給付官司勝訴後，蘇傳桔多次明指或影射阿邦上法庭作偽證，弔詭的事，當時阿邦很懊悔沒有錄到音，沒想到事後不只一位同仁已經替他錄下，阿邦也苦笑表示「這樣也大概可以知道目前校內的氛圍如何了」。 本刊9月9日抵達琉球，前往島上唯一的國中「琉球國中」，該校共有194位學生，9個班以及19位老師。9月份的琉球海水依舊蔚藍，整個琉球也因開學而不再過份擁擠。不過，同樣伴隨開學而來的，是另一份不為人知的無奈。 阿邦（40歲）曾是莊佳樺班上的副導，兩人同在2018年進入琉球國中任教，因此2人間也擁有難以言喻的革命情感。回憶起莊師的身影，阿邦臉上滿是不捨，「莊師是名十分用心的老師，凡事親力親為，當年被他帶過的班級都是校內分數最高的」，談到這位戰友，他滿口讚揚。投訴人阿邦回憶曾經的戰友莊佳樺，他滿口稱讚，誇她不僅親力親為，被帶過的班也是成績最高的。（圖／翻攝莊佳樺臉書）不過，阿邦傾吐「判決出來後，校長蘇傳桔就一直覺得我做偽證」，監察院也展開調查，蘇傳桔因而在今（2025）年4月底被教育處約談。沒想到，回來以後蘇傳桔直接公然在5月初的主管會報上連名帶姓指控阿邦作偽證，由於阿邦沒參加那場會報，所以是由前去開會的另名同仁來詢問、關懷他，他才知曉此事。 後續，蘇傳桔在5月9日的擴大導師會報上再度重提有人在法庭作偽證。阿邦坦言，很後悔當時沒有錄音，沒想到當天下午就有其他老師跑來問我需不需要錄音檔，甚至還不只一位。阿邦也苦笑地說，這樣也大概可以知道目前校內的氛圍如何了。 阿邦與記者分享錄音檔，可以聽見蘇傳桔說「109年有個老師過勞死，結果這件事情紛紛擾擾到現在，那你說我會不會害怕，我為什麼要害怕？我又沒有違法，讓我更覺得莫名其妙的是，還有人在做偽證……」透過手機撥放出來的聲音，聽起來泰然自若，彷彿一位年輕老師生命的消逝，竟與身為一校之長的他毫不相干。阿邦為莊佳樺出庭作證以後，遭到校長蘇傳桔連番指控、影射其作偽證，令阿邦不堪其擾。（圖／翻攝自蘇傳桔個人網頁）荒謬的故事並沒有就此畫上句點，蘇傳桔於5月中再度被監察院約談，後續他在5月23日向全校發出一封公開信，信裡除了解釋當時校內關於老師出勤相關制度的問題外，又提及阿邦提供偽證的相關指控，寫道「某位老師提供的不實證詞」。 據了解，監察院目前針對屏東縣琉球國中校長蘇傳桔涉及莊老師案等相關陳情案件仍在進行調查中，由於案件尚未調查完畢，因此無法得知關於此案調查的具體內容，但預計最快將於10月底至11月初調查完畢，屆時也會對外公佈調查結果。對此，琉球國中校長蘇傳桔表示，相關案情仍在調查中，等法定程序告一段落能告知時再說清楚。屏東教育處副處長吳佩珊則表示，確實聽說琉球國中疑似職場霸凌相關訊息，但尚未看到正式文件，如果收到就會開始調查作業。她呼籲，各校校長都應該落實友善職場，畢竟老師是教學現場重要的夥伴，學校端應該是要合作的，才能更加愉快，教育現場也還是有很多正面的議題，她期待可以看到越來越正面的教育現場。◎尊重身體自主權，請撥打113、110。◎若自身或旁人遭受身體精神虐待、性騷擾、性侵害，請打110報案再打113找社工。

惡霸校長2／校長連遭教育處、監察院約談　正義師疑淪出氣箭靶 | 社會 | CTWANT


本刊2021年5月18日揭露，屏東縣琉球國中的代理音樂老師莊佳樺師被重如山的工作量逼到猝死，校長蘇傳桔卻否認此事。事發以後，莊母向勞保局申請職業災害給付，但勞保局駁回。所幸，去年（2024）8月13日，高雄高等行政法院判決，勞工局須重新審查此案，最後莊母也成功拿到職業災害給付。孰料，在此案出庭作證的琉球國中代理教師阿邦（化名），卻成了蘇傳桔的霸凌對象。

成功 高雄 琉球 屏東縣

才女老師每日工時12小時猝死　同事作證反成校長霸凌目標 | 影音 | CTWANT


近年來假幣事件頻傳，真假難辨的情況讓不少店家頭痛。近日有商家分享誤收一枚外觀酷似10元硬幣的代幣，直至翻面發現詭異人臉才驚覺受騙，引發熱烈討論。此事件經原PO在社群平台Threads分享後，已吸引超過190萬人次觀看，不少網友戲稱為「2025限定版拾圓」，提醒大家收錢務必睜大眼睛檢查。網友發文指出，事發當時因忙碌而未立即檢查顧客交付的零錢，該枚代幣正面印有「拾圓」字樣及梅花圖案，外觀與新台幣10元幾乎一致，難以察覺異樣。然而當翻至背面時，卻赫然出現某品牌的LOGO轉化為人臉圖樣，與真幣有明顯差異，這才恍然發現是遊戲代幣，讓他忍不住自嘲「瞬間覺得自己像小丑」。該篇貼文曝光後，網友紛紛留言調侃「這是生氣級拾圓」、「梅花長臉真的笑出來」、「我覺得不能製造這種幣吧，太像了」、「我想用20元跟你買這10元」、「這會榮登我收到的代幣荒唐前三名」，也有不少人分享曾誤收湯姆熊、大魯閣或壽司郎等品牌代幣的經驗。經查，該枚「人臉代幣」為老虎蜜蜂遊樂園台南仁德分店發行的遊戲代幣。對此，該遊樂園也於貼文下留言回應，表示若民眾不慎收下其發行之代幣，可持至店面兌換為新台幣10元，協助民眾挽回損失。中央銀行提醒，辨別真幣需注意細節。以「蔣中正像」版本10元硬幣為例，其臉部五官立體清晰，眼神、鼻形、鬍鬚及衣領細節分明；背面梅花花絲與「拾圓」字樣也應具備立體效果，假幣則可能呈現模糊與色澤灰暗情況。至於「孫中山像」版本10元硬幣，中央銀行指出，其正面頭髮、鬍鬚與眼神輪廓明顯，並藏有變化防偽設計：旋轉硬幣時，背面數字內會浮現「台灣圖形」及「梅花圖案」，並分別顯示「國泰」與「民安」字樣。央行呼籲民眾提高警覺，小心識別硬幣真偽，避免金錢損失。

收10元硬幣翻面驚見「詭異人臉」！老闆自嘲像小丑　190萬人看傻眼 | 生活 | CTWANT


台灣急診面臨嚴重醫師荒，台大醫院院長余忠仁接受本報獨家專訪表示，為減輕缺人壓力，台大醫院規畫聘用「回流醫師」，包括從離開台大自行開業，或已退休醫師，利用沒看診的時間，回台大急診室兼職，小兒科也同步規畫。台灣急診醫學會調查，今年度將有超過110名急診科醫師離職，醫療體系面臨斷崖式崩壞。余忠仁今年8月1日上任，重中之重要做的事就是「留才」，率先要拯救的科別正是急診。「急診醫師在台大非常辛苦，暫留病人多、工作量負荷大。」余忠仁坦言，過去台大名聲可以當作「招牌」留人，如今醫療環境改變，需要全面思考如何利用彈性人力、智慧醫療系統協助減輕醫師負擔，有好的環境，人才會留下來。因此台大著手規畫，聘請從台大離開的醫師「回流」，包括中高齡、自行開業等，利用未看診的時間，到台大急診室「兼差」，且暫不限定台大體系出身、不限定科別。已有醫師表達意願，認為回到熟悉的環境，又有能力可以貢獻所長。余忠仁說，每天「晚餐後」和「消夜後」是急診室高峰，許多長輩不舒服一整天後，等著兒女下班，就會帶到急診室，每天這2個時段就會塞爆，希望透過增加「輔助醫師」來舒緩專任醫師壓力，只要可行，小兒科也將投入規畫。事實上，其他醫院已有聘用兼職急診科醫師的做法。新光醫院副院長洪子仁表示，近年醫療環境差，人力必須多元運用，尤其急診第一線壓力大，以新光而言，急診室約有14至15名專科醫師，另比照專科醫師薪資，聘用約3至4名兼任醫師參與周末與三班輪班；由於必須夠熟悉醫院、資訊及工作環境，因此聘用考量以能長期穩定配合為主，否則連電腦系統都不熟，就很難成為戰力。不過，台北榮總副院長李偉強表示，榮總急診室均為專任醫師，人力雖相對吃緊，但考量便於管理與確保醫病品質，暫時不會考慮聘用兼任醫師。洪子仁也坦言，聘用兼職醫師並非解決人力的根本辦法，長遠而言，政府仍應正視「急重難罕」科別，改善整體工作環境。社區醫院協會理事長朱益宏則認為，醫師去開診所就是希望逃離值班生活，再回流醫院的成效恐有限。對於「急重難罕」科別，甚至胸腔內科、神經內科等頻喊人力不足的專科，衛福部應重新檢討每年各科住院醫師容額，缺人的要給足，不缺的則應減少名額。

急診面臨嚴重人力荒　台大醫院院長余忠仁：高薪聘「回流醫師」 | 生活 | CTWANT


台北捷運信義線東延段自2016年動工，從象山站延伸至廣慈奉天宮站，施工過程經過許多交通要道，施工難度也相當高，被稱為史上最具挑戰性的捷運工程之一。台北市捷運局表示，目前整體工程進度已達87％，除了持續施作土木工程，通車前關鍵的列車動態測試亦於7月展開，為了不影響淡水信義線營運，只能在夜間測試，力拚年底完工，最快明年首季通車。主責機電工程的捷運局機工處主任張育嘉表示，列車動態測試須於斷電狀態下以人工步行方式巡檢軌道，經確認軌道上沒有任何障礙物，才能拆除分隔營運與非營運區段的臨時圍籬，再讓電聯車以每小時10公里的慢速巡軌，確認測試路線是否淨空無虞，當這些過程都確認無誤才能真正以電聯車開始做動態測試。張育嘉指出，動態測試包括多項工作，首先是安全煞車距離測試，以每小時40公里速度，確認煞車功能符合標準，接著是控制線驗證，確認列車收到的速度碼是否正確，最後則是程式化停車，檢視列車可自動停在月台正確位置並順利開門。他說，整體測試作業歷時約2小時，須於凌晨4時30分前將測試列車送回象山站，由捷運公司展開營運前巡軌與列車部署，確保早上6時前往淡水的首班車可順利發車，任務才算圓滿結束。為讓民眾了解信義線東延段進度，捷運局已製作相關影片上傳至YouTube平台，帶領民眾實際了解深夜列車動態測試。捷運局強調，信義線東延段接續象山站尾軌東端，以原高運量地下方案向東延伸，全長約1.4公里，完工後將大幅提升信義線運輸效益，並結合全線網路發揮整體效能，提供市民安全、舒適的捷運服務。

北捷信義東延測試中　力拚年底完工 | 社會 | CTWANT


「目前人多壅塞，急診需等待2～3小時。」今年初發生的急診壅塞，現在已成為普遍現象，根本原因仍在於護理人員不足，醫院只得關床因應。台大醫院院長余忠仁直言「民眾希望醫院開床，又希望有護理師照顧病人，但是人就不來怎麼辦？」呼籲政府，開放引進外籍護理人力來台擔任護佐。走進台大急診室，走廊兩邊排滿等待病床的病患。不只台大，許多民眾都曾在各大醫院急診室裡，看過告示寫著「急診過載！請耐心等候，勿催促。」「急診壅塞就是台大傳統！」余忠仁不諱言，十多年來台大急診就是如此，然而不同的是，過去只有台大和少數醫院會因為沒有床位導致「塞車」，如今醫療壅塞，已變成台灣普遍現象，根本原因就在於護理人力不足，導致醫院有床卻開不出來。余忠仁表示，少子化讓職場各個職類人力都變少，加上現在父母都不捨孩子在醫院辛苦，護理人員進入職場的又更少。他認為，當台灣面臨老化，慢性病與複雜性病患增多，照護人力需求增加時，就需要政策導引，包括考量是否引進外來人力。余忠仁表示，國外容許聘請外國護理人員，並提供優渥的待遇，台灣許多護理師就會到美國，為什麼我們不能這麼做？建議政府開放引進具有護理專業的外籍人力來擔任護佐，並以東南亞人力優先，分擔國內護理工作壓力。中華民國護理師公會全聯會理事長陳麗琴表示，目前已有本國籍護佐協助住院整合照護計畫，工作內容為協助病患餵飯、換衣服等非護理專業工作，已大幅減輕護理師工作負擔，讓護理師不用每天累得跟狗一樣。不過陳麗琴表示，國內高達30萬名護理師領有執照，但實際執業的只有19萬人，「不是人不夠，是工作條件差，才沒人想做！」應該思考提高護理人員待遇，而不是找更便宜的人力來用，這麼做只會更惡化護理工作環境，且降低照護品質。

解急診護理人力荒　台大院長籲開放外籍護佐 | 生活 | CTWANT


48歲的伊林名模林嘉綺和結婚14年的老公黃麟書（Michael），8月8日被時報周刊CTWANT直擊夫妻兩人一起帶著毛小孩散步逛公園，生活相當愜意。當夫妻倆到達公園時，Michael立刻伸手接過林嘉綺手中的遛狗繩，並且在穿著短褲的輕便裝扮下，帶著愛犬跑上小斜坡，展現出他身為健身教練的充沛精力與活力。8月8日傍晚6點多，穿著襯衫、長褲，打扮既時尚又帶著休閒風的林嘉綺，和一身運動勁裝穿著短褲的Michael，兩人一起帶著愛犬前往公園散步，Michael帶狗跑步短暫分開前，不知道對老婆說了什麼，讓林嘉綺仰頭笑得花枝亂顫，夫妻倆的親密互動非常讓人稱羨。Michael不知道對老婆說了什麼，讓林嘉綺仰頭笑得花枝亂顫。（圖／本刊攝影組）遛狗跑步結束後，夫妻倆在公園遊戲場的另一頭再次會合，Michael將遛狗繩交還給林嘉綺，然後像一個小男孩一樣，開始跑跑跳跳，消耗著自己多餘的精力，而林嘉綺也跟著丈夫一同小跑步，短短2分鐘的時間，卻展現了夫妻彼此之間相處的輕鬆與愉快。Michael將遛狗繩交還給林嘉綺，然後像一個小男孩一樣，開始跑跑跳跳自我放風。（圖／本刊攝影組）林嘉綺和老公Michael在2011年結婚，婚後育有12歲Kuku和9歲Sasa兩個寶貝女兒。林嘉綺身高180cm更有著逆天腿，身材卻依舊保持完美比例，她曾透露老公對她說過的甜蜜情話：「他說現在是我認識妳身材最好的時候，現在怎麼比我以前認識妳時身材更好？好過分。」超級名模無論在時尚界的風采，還是家庭生活中的親密互動，始終充滿魅力。林嘉綺的逆天長腿讓人無法將視線移開。（圖／侯世駿攝）

娛樂報報／林嘉綺與老公公園遛狗　甜笑互動如新婚般甜蜜 | 娛樂 | CTWANT


琉球國中代理教師阿邦替亡故的同事、莊佳樺老師作證後，淪為校長蘇傳桔的箭靶，除遭指控作偽證，蘇傳桔甚至企圖用校事會議將阿邦貼上不適任教師的標籤，如此阿邦不但會面臨留任在偏鄉8年的10萬元獎金付諸流水，還有可能被解僱。其中，被為難的還有不按蘇傳桔意思召開校事會議的教務主任阿飆。更誇張的是，蘇傳桔還向總務處要求全校監視器權限，疑似要監控校內老師。 今（2025）年第2次的段考，阿邦出的試題因為涉及宗教迷因，導致信仰基督教的學生不悅，並於6月初向阿邦反應，但事後家長表示不追究，本以為雙方達成共識後就沒事，沒想到蘇傳桔卻堅持通報校安會議，阿邦無奈表示「當時學務主任還想不出來要用甚麼理由通報校安，最後只好勾選其他的選項」。 今年7月家長又再度將此事投訴至教育處，不過後續阿邦以及教務長任和家長好好溝通以後，家長再度表示不追究，但蘇傳桔卻堅持要以校事會議處理，而當時教務主任認為家長已經談妥，無須召開校事會議。阿邦無奈表示，明明和家長和解了，蘇傳桔卻堅持對其發動校事會議。（圖／黃威彬攝）身心俱疲的阿邦本來打算要就此離職，但在同事的鼓勵下，決定再回來考代理老師，且今年是阿邦在琉球國中的第8年，若順利的話可以拿到偏鄉久留獎金。後續阿邦也確實考上了，蘇傳桔也簽了，但卻又要求新的教務主任阿飆對阿邦召開校事會議，甚至用考績來威脅拒絕召開校事會議阿飆。 阿邦向記者痛訴「如果他覺得我是不適任教師，那幹嘛要回聘我，難道回聘目的是要開校事會議？」「今年他還扣著我去年的服務證明，要看校事會議結果決定是否要評優良成績，並藉此影響我這一年的提敘以及10萬元的偏鄉久留獎金」。校長蘇傳桔向總務處要全校的監視器權限，疑似要透過監視器掌控校內老師的行蹤。（圖／AI示意圖）阿飆和記者解釋「若沒有違反解聘、不續聘條件，或是涉及性平、霸凌，其實不構成校事會議的條件，但他只要我在指定的時間內召開校事會議」，即使阿飆向蘇傳桔解釋家長同意目前處理方式，且無要求召開校事會議，但蘇傳桔卻是直接在公文上寫道「阿飆行為已經符合處理行政事務過程中，消極不作為致行政延宕」暗示要用考績來處理阿飆。 除此之外，阿邦還向記者透露，蘇傳桔校長疑似監控老師們的行蹤。2周前，阿邦聽聞蘇傳桔向總務處要全校監視器的權限。阿邦說，學務處的監視器原先是用來監看保管手機的地方，但老師們卻無意間發現，這組監視器具備錄音功能，導致如今在學務處的老師以及主任要談話時，只敢在中庭間進行，說到這裡，阿邦和阿飆無奈地嘆氣，若有所思望著天空。對此，琉球國中校長蘇傳桔表示，相關案情仍在調查中，等法定程序告一段落能告知時再說清楚。屏東教育處副處長吳佩珊則表示，確實聽說琉球國中疑似職場霸凌相關訊息，但尚未看到正式文件，如果收到就會開始調查作業。她呼籲，各校校長都應該落實友善職場，畢竟老師是教學現場重要的夥伴，學校端應該是要合作的，才能更加愉快，教育現場也還是有很多正面的議題，她期待可以看到越來越正面的教育現場。◎尊重身體自主權，請撥打113、110。◎若自身或旁人遭受身體精神虐待、性騷擾、性侵害，請打110報案再打113找社工。

惡霸校長3／校長疑用權力整老師　考績、監視器、校事會議都成武器 | 社會 | CTWANT


面對政府普發1萬元政策引發的財政爭議，玄奘大學台灣宗教系主任釋昭慧法師宣布，將於9月16日上午召開「全民搶救國庫」記者會，提出增設「拒領1萬、轉入國家續命專款」選項的具體訴求，強調拒領並非消極抵制，而是對國家財政體質的正向守護。對此，行政院也回應了。釋昭慧指出，近期立法院強行通過「普發1萬」案，雖然引發廣泛民意關注，但相關預算並未列入年度計畫，行政部門只能透過舉債支應，使中央財政面臨更大壓力。她警告，舉債發錢將成為惡性示範，地方政府也可能仿效加碼，像是新北市議會已喊出發放4.6萬甚至5萬元，「骨牌效應一旦展開，國庫恐將被掏空，國家體質全面崩潰」。釋昭慧強調，「舉債撒幣是飲鴆止渴」，並列出四項潛在後果，包括債務拖累下一代、貧富差距惡化、財政紀律失控，以及面對天災戰禍時缺乏應對能力，對國安形成實質威脅。她透露，早在8月21日已發起「搶救國庫」連署，反對債留子孫，主張應加入排富條款，但立法機關仍未採納相關建議，令不少民眾感到失望。目前普發政策已有五種領取模式，包括登記入帳、ATM領現、郵局領現、偏鄉造冊發放及特定對象直接入帳。釋昭慧則建議行政院應新增第六選項：「拒領1萬→轉入國家續命專款」，專款用途應嚴格限定於重大災害應變或國防備戰，並不得作為其他用途挪用。她表示，增設該選項能讓拒領民眾有具體方式表達立場，也可凝聚社會力量守護國家，「將正義之怒化為實際行動」。釋昭慧最後重申兩項訴求：一是應立即開放拒領並捐款的合法選擇，二是該筆「國家續命專款」應有明確用途與管制機制，確保其專款專用，以因應國家未來可能面臨的重大風險。對此，行政院發言人李慧芝於14日回應，感謝各界守護國家的善意倡議，也表示尊重個人選擇，並會審慎評估相關建議的可行性。

釋昭慧喊拒領普發1萬！籲新增「捐贈國家」選項　行政院回應了 | 政治 | CTWANT


藝人是元介近日忙於國片《角頭－鬥陣欸》的宣傳。日前，有時報周刊CTWANT的讀者在台北市一家港式烤鴨餐廳目擊他與經紀人老婆一同前往用餐，兩人低調地享受一頓樸實的晚餐時光。9月1日下午約5點40分，一對男女走進台北東區一家港式烤鴨餐廳。雖然男方身穿白色T恤搭配休閒褲，臉上還戴著黑色口罩，打扮相當低調，但他五官立體、氣質出眾，仍讓讀者一眼就認出他是是元介。是元介元旦公開與經紀人結婚的喜訊。（圖／翻攝自是元介IG）進入店內後，是元介走向餐廳角落，並自然地選擇背對門口的座位，看得出來有意避開其他顧客的目光。他身旁的女子則疑似是他的經紀人老婆，自入座以來便持續講電話，忙著處理工作事務。期間，是元介默默起身前往醬料區，全程口罩不離身，似乎不想被打擾，他舀了兩碗湯後便快步返回座位。用餐過程中，夫妻倆互動不多，偶爾交談幾句，也多半圍繞著工作內容，看得出來即使在私下時光，兩人仍是「公私不分」，隨時隨地都在為事業打拼。近期是元介忙於《角頭－鬥陣欸》的電影宣傳。（圖／本刊攝影組）是元介去年5月20日與擔任他經紀人的女友登記結婚，並在今年元旦對外公布喜訊。婚後受訪時，他透露婚前、婚後的生活其實沒太大改變，笑說：「唯一變的是從叫外號到叫老婆，我第一次出門叫她老婆真的很害羞。」夫妻倆並未打算舉辦婚宴，至於外界關心的生子進度，是元介則霸氣回應：「老婆娶進門不是為了生小孩！」展現了他對另一半的體貼與尊重。

娛樂報報／是元介現蹤東區！與經紀人老婆吃晚餐全程「公私不分」 | 娛樂 | CTWANT


詐騙猖獗，學生族群容易成為詐騙集團鎖定目標，常見手法包括3C產品詐騙、假投資平台、虛假租屋補助、遊戲詐騙及惡意影音網站等。根據統計，今年第1季未滿24歲的被害人有9493人，已達去年全年的38.83％。立法院法制局建議，教育部等主管機關應增設「詐欺防制教育資源中心」，強化任務編組、課程專業性及教學輔導功能。因應詐騙手法不斷翻新，行政院今年2月核定推動「新世代打擊詐欺策略行動綱領2.0」，教育部持續辦理識詐宣導，舉辦大專校院校園安全及防制詐騙研習。不過統計顯示，114年度第1季未滿24歲的被害人就有9493人，已達113年度全年2萬4445人的38.83％，顯示青少年遭詐騙情況不減反增。警政署統計，111至113年度詐欺案件中，未滿12歲被害人有1萬105人、12歲至未滿18歲1萬1383人、18歲至未滿24歲2萬4445人，總計約占各年度總被害人數2成。各年齡層被害人數逐年增加，113年度甚至出現較112年度倍數成長。立法院法制局報告指出，學生遭詐騙事件頻傳，不僅造成財產損失與身心傷害，甚至可能淪為詐騙共犯，建議教育部等主管機關強化防制任務編組，建立專業自主的課程與教學輔導團，並適時研修相關法規。法制局也建議教育部、內政部等單位評估，將打擊詐欺犯罪案例與法治教育納入高中以下學校共同必修或選修課程，由教育部會同中央主管機關訂定課程標準，並在課程審議委員會中納入打詐專家學者，結合社會資源，完善課程內容，提升學生防詐識讀能力，讓防詐觀念從小扎根。

學生遇詐逐年增　今年1～3月9493人遭騙 | 社會 | CTWANT


Lai to host WoS defense resilience international forum

FIVE PILLARS: The forum would cover key defense topics of civil training, strategic supplies, infrastructure security, transport and communications, and finance security   By Chen Yun and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Presidential Office’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee is to host its first international forum on Saturday, with more than 20 foreign experts and representatives expected to attend, a source said yesterday.

The event, titled “Resilient Taiwan, Sustainable Democracy,” marks the committee’s first anniversary and would be the first time that international participants take part, the source said.

The development demonstrates international recognition of Taiwan’s efforts to strengthen its defense resilience and to create opportunities for cooperation with like-minded democracies, they said.

President William Lai, fourth right, is pictured while inspecting an urban resilience drill in Taipei on July 17. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

Guests are to include Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator James Barros, American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan chairman Dan Silver, UK Space Agency chief scientist Adam Amara, and Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency Director Aki Laiho, they said, adding that representatives from the European and Japanese chambers of commerce in Taiwan would also attend.

The forum is to focus on what President William Lai (賴清德) has defined as the “five pillars of defense resilience,” namely, civil training and mobilization; strategic materials and daily supplies, energy and infrastructure security; social welfare and medical preparedness; communications and transportation; and financial network security, they said.

Panel discussions, keynote speeches and roundtables are planned for the event, which would highlight Taiwan’s progress on defense resilience, enable discussion on international best practices, and present friendly nation’s progress on the issue, they added.

National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) said the forum would open with remarks by Lai, who also chairs the committee.

Each thematic session would be hosted by committee members with international experts discussing the topics, Lin said.

For example, the session on civil mobilization would be moderated by Forward Alliance founder Enoch Wu (吳怡農), with Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Charity Foundation CEO Yen Po-wen (顏博文) delivering a keynote on how Taiwan’s civil society contributes to disaster relief, preparedness and resilience, he said.

Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said Lai has promoted whole-of-society defense resilience since taking office by coordinating the efforts of central and local governments with those of civil groups, while also deepening exchanges with international partners.

Taiwan has already shared expertise with Japan, the US and several European countries in areas such as disaster prevention, cybersecurity and energy security, she said.

The guest list includes experts across sectors such as trade, space science, disaster management, energy security and supply chain resilience, showing that the forum is intended as an opportunity to explore future cooperation in multiple fields, she said.

“Since its establishment, the committee has sought to develop a comprehensive national resilience strategy spanning four areas — defense, civil preparedness, disaster prevention and democratic sustainability,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Office also plans to send a delegation of five officials to Tokyo in August next year to observe a disaster prevention drill there and meet with local officials, according to the Presidential Office budget.

Those officials would include members of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the National Defense Academy, and the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, the budget indicated.

The six-day visit is expected to cost about NT$500,000, including NT$175,000 for transportation, NT$233,000 for living expenses and NT$89,000 for office expenditures, it showed.

The Presidential Office said the trip is “aimed at learning from Japan’s extensive experience in resilience and disaster preparedness, while deepening bilateral cooperation and exploring possibilities for further exchanges.”


NSC to study modular nuclear reactors

CATCHING UP: As demand for nuclear energy specialists has declined, the nuclear research agency would send researchers to the US, Europe and Japan to study

The Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) plans to launch a four-year project to develop small modular reactor (SMR) and micro modular reactor technologies, an official familiar with the matter said.

Before the four-year project, which is estimated to cost NT$800 million (US$26.45 million), the commission would spend NT$100 million next year to fund a research project on SMRs and establish the capacity to review applications for building SMRs, the official said.

The plan was unveiled after the referendum last month on whether to reactivate the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County failed.

The sign of the Nuclear Safety Commission at its building in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph.  Photo: Taipei Times

Although the number of votes in favor did not reach the threshold for approval, the “yes” votes outnumbered “no” votes in every locality. In Hengchun Township (恆春), where the plant is located, 60 percent of those who voted approved the proposal.

President William Lai (賴清德) also ordered Taiwan Power Co (台電) to begin safety inspections at the plant after the referendum, adding that the government does not exclude the possibility of developing new-generation nuclear energy technology.

The official said that the project, which would be executed by the National Atomic Research Institute, would focus on the research on low-carbon and high energy density SMRs.

Key tasks to be accomplished through the project include introducing technology of building SMRs domestically at the initial phase, providing the technology and legal framework for new-generation nuclear energy policy, establishing the capacity to review applications for building SMRs, forming a national team to develop SMRs and reducing the time required to build SMRs, they said.

The nation’s demand for nuclear energy specialists has decreased due to the “nuclear-free homeland” policy. As such, the institute plans to send researchers to national nuclear energy laboratories in Europe, North America and Japan to engage in short-term research or internships, or take nuclear engineering courses at prestigious universities, the official said.

Meanwhile, the institute would recruit international specialists or Taiwanese doing nuclear energy research overseas to help bring in the most advanced nuclear technology and work with local nuclear power specialists, they said.

Regarding the possibility of allowing the private sector or academic institutions to build new-generation nuclear reactors, the commission said that the US, the UK and Japan have invested in related studies, but none has achieved commercial operational capability.

In the US, regulatory standards for the new reactor types are still being drafted, it added.

“We will closely monitor international developments in regulatory frameworks,” it said.


Taiwanese wins nation’s first speedskating gold at World Championships

Taiwanese speedskater Kuo Li- yang (郭立陽) on Saturday won a gold medal in the men’s 200m dual time track final at this year’s Speed Skating World Championships held in Beidaihe, China.

With a time of 17.599 seconds, the 22-year-old skater’s win marked Taiwan’s first-ever gold medal in the tournament.

“It feels great, because the 200m race is highly determined by on-the-spot performance, with any tiny error making all the difference,” he said.

Kuo Li-yang poses after winning a gold medal in the men’s 200m dual time track final at the Speed Skating World Championships in Beidaihe, China, on Saturday. Photo: Screen grab from former Sports Administration Director-General Tai Hsia-ling’s Facebook page

Kuo started skating in preschool and began competing at the national level in elementary school.

Having finally achieved “world champion” status, he thanked his family for their support and the coach who introduced him to the sport for helping him train.

Liu Yu-shen (劉昱伸), a coach accompanying the Taiwanese team, said he had anticipated that Kuo would make it onto the podium.

Kuo gave his “120 percent effort,” handling the curves well and extending his front skate at the finish line, showing his determination to win a gold medal, he said.

The silver and bronze medals in the event went to Jhoan Guzman of Spain and Vincenzo Maiorca from Italy respectively.

Last month, Kuo won a silver medal in the same event at the World Games in Chengdu, China.


Huang Hsiao-wen wins gold at World Boxing Championships

Taiwan’s Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Huang Hsiao-wen (黃筱雯) won gold at the 2025 World Boxing Championships in the United Kingdom on Sunday, by defeating Yoseline Perez of the United States in the finals of the women’s 54-kilogram competition.

Huang defeated Perez 4-1 over three rounds, with just one out of five judges scoring in favor of her American opponent.

The 28-year-old secured the medal in Liverpool, with more than 540 athletes from 66 national federations competing.

Taiwan’s Olympic medalist Huang Hsiao-wen, second right, wins in the finals of the women’s 54-kilogram competition at World Boxing Championships on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Sports

World Boxing is a new international body for Olympic- style amateur boxing founded in 2023 that is provisionally recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

Huang’s Sunday victory was her third career gold at a major international amateur boxing event, with her first two golds earned in 2019 and 2023 under the International Boxing Association’s biennial AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.


Rubio arrives in Israel as Gaza strikes intensify

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel yesterday, as Israel intensified its attacks against northern Gaza, flattening another high-rise building and killing at least 12 Palestinians.

Rubio said ahead of the trip that he would be seeking answers from Israeli officials about how they see the way forward in Gaza following Israel’s attack on Hamas operatives in Qatar last week that upended efforts to broker an end to the conflict.

His two-day visit is also a show of support for the increasingly isolated Israel as the UN holds what is expected to be a contentious debate on commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, and his wife, Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Lod, Israel, yesterday. Photo: REUTERS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly opposes the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Rubio’s visit went ahead despite US President Donald Trump’s anger at Netanyahu over the Israeli strike against Hamas leaders in Doha, which Trump said the US was not notified of beforehand.

On Friday, Rubio and Trump met with Qatar’s prime minister to discuss the fallout from the Israeli operation. The dual, back-to-back meetings with Israel and Qatar illustrate how the Trump administration is trying to balance relations between key Middle East allies despite the attack’s widespread international condemnation.

Displaced Palestinians evacuating southbound from Gaza City travel on foot and by vehicle along the coastal road in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday. Photo: AFP

The Doha attack also appears to have ended attempts to secure an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and the release of hostages ahead of the upcoming UN General Assembly session, at which the Gaza war is expected to be a primary focus.

At least 13 Palestinians were killed yesterday and dozens wounded in multiple Israeli strikes across Gaza, local hospitals said.

They said Israeli strikes targeted a vehicle near Shifa hospital and a roundabout in Gaza City, and a tent in the city of Deir al-Balah that killed at least six members of the same family.

Two parents, their three children and the children’s aunt were killed in that strike, according to al-Aqsa hospital.

The family was from the northern town of Beit Hanoun and arrived in Deir al-Balah last week after fleeing their shelter in Gaza City

The Israeli military did not have immediate comment on the strikes.

As part of its expanding operation in Gaza City, the Israeli military destroyed a high-rise residential building yesterday morning, less than an hour after an evacuation order posted online by its spokesman, Avichay Adraee.

Residents said the Kauther tower in the Rimal neighborhood was flattened to the ground. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

“This is part of the genocidal measures the [Israeli] occupation is carrying out in Gaza City,” said Abed Ismail, a Gaza City resident. “They want to turn the whole city into rubble, and force the transfer and another Nakba.”

The word Nakba is Arabic for “catastrophe” and refers to when about 700,000 Palestinians were expelled by Israeli forces or fled their homes in what is now Israel, before and during the 1948 war that surrounded its creation.

Separately, two Palestinian adults died of causes related to malnutrition and starvation in the Gaza Strip over 24 hours yesterday, the territory’s health ministry reported.

That has brought the death toll from malnutrition-related causes to 277 since late June, when the ministry started to count fatalities among this age category, while another 145 children died of malnutrition-related causes since the start of the war in October 2023, the ministry said.


Drones breach NATO airspace for a second time

Romania scrambled fighter jets on Saturday when a drone breached the country’s airspace during a Russian attack on Ukrainian infrastructure near the border, the Romanian Ministry of National Defense said.

Romanian Minister of National Defense Ionut Mosteanu said that F-16 pilots came close to taking down the drone as it was flying very low before it left national airspace toward Ukraine.

A threat of drone strikes also prompted Poland to deploy aircraft and close an airport in the eastern city of Lublin on Saturday, three days after it shot down Russian drones in its airspace with the backing of aircraft from its NATO allies.

A French Air Force Rafale fighter jet is pictured at an unspecified location in Poland on Saturday following an intrusion by Russian drones into Polish airspace. Photo: AFP VIDEO / ETATS MAJOR DES ARMEES

Romania, an EU and NATO state which shares a 650km border with Ukraine, has had Russian drone fragments fall onto its territory repeatedly since Russia began waging war on its neighbor.

On Saturday, it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and later two Eurofighters — part of German air policing missions in Romania — and warned citizens in the southeastern county of Tulcea near the Danube and its Ukrainian border to take cover, the defense ministry said in a statement.

The jets detected a drone in national airspace, which they followed until it dropped off the radar 20km southwest of the village of Chilia Veche, the ministry said.

Mosteanu told private television station Antena 3 that helicopters would survey the area near the border to look for potential drone parts, “but all information at this moment indicates the drone exited airspace to Ukraine.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on social media that data showed the drone breached about 10km into Romanian territory and operated in NATO airspace for about 50 minutes.

“It is an obvious expansion of the war by Russia — and this is exactly how they act,” he said. “Sanctions against Russia are needed. Tariffs against Russian trade are needed. Collective defense is needed.”

NATO announced plans to beef up the defense of Europe’s eastern flank on Friday, after Poland shot down drones that had violated its airspace, the first known shots fired by a member of the Western alliance during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Romanian lawmakers approved a law earlier this year enabling the army to shoot down drones breaching Romanian airspace during peacetime, based on threat levels, and risks to human life and property, but the bill has not yet had all enforcement rules approved.

Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard wrote on social media that the airspace breach was “another unacceptable violation of NATO airspace.”

“Sweden stands in full solidarity with Romania as a NATO Ally and EU Member State. We are always ready to contribute further to the deterrence and defence of the Alliance,” she wrote.


BETTER TOGETHER: Calls of ‘UN for Taiwan’ and ‘Keep Taiwan Free’ accompanied the launch of the nation’s promotional campaign outside the UN headquarters

Overseas Taiwanese were joined by Taiwanese lawmakers in a parade in New York City yesterday, calling for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN.

Democratic Progressive Party legislators Wang Cheng-hsu (王正旭) and Lai Hui-yuan (賴惠員), along with Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Mach Ngoc Tran (麥玉珍), marched with expatriates along 42nd Street and through Bryant Park to the New York Public Library plaza, chanting “UN for Taiwan” and “Keep Taiwan Free.”

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York Director Tom Lee (李志強) said Taiwan has been excluded from the UN since 1971, and the participants wanted the world to know that the UN is treating Taiwan unfairly, and press for Taiwan’s inclusion as a UN member.

Participants hold banners during a march in New York City on Saturday calling for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN. Photo courtesy of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance

Wang said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted Taiwan’s ability to contain the disease despite its proximity to China, the source of the outbreak, and its experience provided valuable information to the world. Taiwan’s robust health system is an asset that could be shared globally to lessen the impact of future pandemics.

Members of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance (TAIUNA) also joined the rally, traveling from Taiwan to New York for the event. The alliance said taking to the streets was necessary to draw attention to what they described as the UN’s unfair treatment of Taiwan and to press for the nation’s acceptance as a member state.

“I hope one day that Taiwanese will no longer have to take this issue to the streets,” TAIUNA secretary-general Chou Te-wang (周德望) said, adding that until Taiwan is admitted into the UN, the WHO and other international organizations, alliance members would continue to promote Taiwan’s cause in New York, Geneva, Washington and beyond.

TAIUNA member Tung Nai-yun (董乃昀) said that this year, younger members of the alliance staged a “white protest,” performing dances in front of the UN headquarters, Grand Central Station and Times Square to tell the world that “despite being excluded from international organizations, Taiwan is working hard to forge its own path, continuing to contribute to the international community, and has not been forgotten.”

Before the parade, Taiwanese lawmakers joined representatives from the nation’s allies Tuvalu and Belize at a ceremony in front of the UN headquarters to launch Taiwan’s annual promotional campaign.

This year’s slogan, “Chip in with Taiwan, Better Together,” highlights Taiwan’s strength in semiconductor technology.

The campaign includes promotional vehicles, taxi screen ads and a billboard display in Times Square funded by Taiwanese groups.

March held in New York for Taiwan UN inclusion


RECONNAISSANCE:  Apex Aviation has equipped a twin-engine aircraft with advanced radar and optical systems to bolster the nation’s maritime surveillance

A Taiwanese general aviation company that trains pilots for domestic and overseas commercial airlines is assisting the navy and the Coast Guard Administration in detecting Chinese military vessels near Taiwan after installing military-grade sensors on one of its twin-engine aircraft.

Taipei-based Apex Aviation (安捷航空) has equipped a Tecnam P2012 Sentinel SMP twin-engine aircraft with advanced surveillance systems under the “Goshawk Project” (蒼鷹計畫), a rare integration of military-grade sensors into a privately operated jet.

The aircraft carries two primary systems: a Star Safire 380-HDc infrared electro-optical unit made by US-based Teledyne FLIR, and an NSP-7 synthetic aperture radar system produced by US-based IMSAR LLC.

Taipei-based Apex Aviation’s Tecnam P2012 Sentinel SMP twin-engine aircraft is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Aaron Tu, Taipei Times

It is also fitted with an automatic identification system (AIS) to track suspicious vessels before conducting more detailed reconnaissance. To carry out missions at sea, pilots first conduct wide-area radar searches with a detection range of up to 340km, Apex said.

Meanwhile, pilots can use the infrared electro-optical system to lock onto sea vessels that have not activated AIS at a distance of 25km. Through the command and control intelligence platform, encrypted reconnaissance information can be instantly produced and transmitted to decisionmakers on land and at sea, giving them time to respond with greater accuracy.

Over the past six months, the Goshawk Project has detected multiple Chinese military and research vessels, according to data from Apex Aviation. In July, one of its aircraft identified a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 054A guided-missile frigate operating 104km northeast of Taitung County.

Apex Aviation chairman Wilson Kao (高健祐) said that maritime reconnaissance is still primarily conducted by the navy’s P-3C anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft, and by navy and coast guard vessels.

However, the real challenge is in sustaining Taiwan’s reconnaissance capacity amid the frequent “gray zone” incursions by Chinese military and coast guard ships, he said.

“It takes funding and time to establish a dedicated aviation fleet to conduct marine reconnaissance tasks,” Kao said.

“With the capacity we have now, we hope to share the government’s burden and avoid unnecessary waste of costly military resources,” he said.

The project has made significant progress over the past two years, with its results to be showcased at the three-day Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition, which opens on Thursday at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, the company said.

Private firm aids sea watch


Hsiao, Lin express condolences over Charlie Kirk killing

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭 美琴) and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) have made public comments on social media about the death of US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on Wednesday during a public event in Orem, Utah.

“Shocked to see the news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination,” Hsiao, who served as Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US from 2020 to 2023, wrote on X after the shooting.

Taiwanese, like Americans, see “university campuses as safe places for learning, free speech and debate,” Hsiao wrote, referring to the killing of Kirk, 31, who was shot at Utah Valley University.

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairwoman Chou Ni-an, sixth right, poses with others in front of the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei yesterday to pay tribute to late American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Photo courtesy of the TSU

“Different views can be argued, but violence must not be tolerated, on campus or anywhere,” she added.

Wu called Kirk’s killing a “terrible tragedy.”

“My sincere condolences to his family and millions of Americans, and people worldwide, who loved him dearly,” he wrote on X.

Kirk was one of the most prominent voices of the “Make America Great Again” movement within the Republican Party and a staunch supporter of US President Donald Trump. His death has drawn worldwide attention.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) also took to social media yesterday to condemn political violence, calling the death of Kirk "a loss for democratic society."

In a Facebook post, Lin, who is visiting Europe, said: "I was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic shooting of American opinion leader Charlie Kirk, while he was engaging in debates on campus. The suspect has since been apprehended."

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs "strongly condemns all forms of political violence. I extend my deepest condolences to Mr. Kirk’s wife and family," he added.

Separately yesterday, Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairwoman Chou Ni-an (周倪安) led a delegation to the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei to express condolences to the US and Kirk’s family. A pastor led the gathering in prayer and flower offerings, and the crowd sang the hymn Amazing Grace in his memory.

Chou described Kirk as a contemporary freedom fighter who fearlessly faced slander and attacks from the left with courage. Through his eloquence, he inspired a generation of Americans to rediscover traditional values and a patriotic spirit, she said.

Kirk had also worked to raise awareness of the threat China poses to the free world and of Taiwan’s importance within it. In this regard, Taiwan should honor him after his untimely passing, she added.

Formosa Republican Association chairman Chen Yen-sheng (陳彥升) said Kirk, guided by his faith and values, sought to lead young people back to traditional values, helping to make the world a place filled with love and peace.

“I hope that the people of Taiwan could also follow his spirit, and protect our freedom and democracy,” he said.


Public servants found with Chinese IDs, MAC says

By Chen Yu-fu and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer

An investigation of more than 620,000 military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers identified two people with Chinese citizenship and 102 with Chinese residence permits, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.

Of the 627,000 people required to sign an affidavit, more than 626,000, or 99.79 percent, have complied, the council said.

Those found to hold a Chinese ID card or residence permit have since annulled their Chinese citizenship, it added.

The name and logo of the Mainland Affairs Council at its headquarters in Taipei are pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times

The MAC said it has completed its review for the first half of the year and would begin regular inspections on Jan. 1.

Under Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), Taiwanese who obtain a Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be stripped of their citizenship and barred from serving in the military, public service or public schools, the council said last month.

The article also applies to those holding a Chinese ID card or residence permit, it said yesterday.

Recent investigations have found such cases not only among the general public, but also within the ranks of active military personnel, civil servants and teachers, it added.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using “united front” tactics to undermine the single-citizenship policy long upheld on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, it said.

For example, it has eased regulations for Taiwanese to relocate to China’s Fujian Province, and obtain Chinese citizenship or household registration while still retaining their Taiwanese ID card, designed to blur national identity and encourage Taiwanese to apply for Chinese citizenship, it added.

Regular checks are therefore necessary, as it is unacceptable for people loyal to the CCP to infiltrate public institutions, where they could pose risks to national security and social stability, it said.

The initial phase of systematized inspections would focus only on core personnel in the military, civil service and public schools, it said.

For the military, inspections would apply to volunteer service members, and those who refuse to cooperate with the process would not have their applications accepted, it added.

For civil servants, inspections would cover clerks, special and political appointees, judges, prosecutors, judicial administrative personnel transferred from prosecutors’ offices, as well as contract and temporary employees, guards, technicians, workers, drivers and related staff, it said.

People who refuse to cooperate would be unable to undergo employment reviews, sign or renew contracts, or be deemed to have completed contract procedures, it added.

For teaching staff, inspections would apply to full-time public-school educators covered by the 21 categories defined in the Act Governing the Appointment of Educators (教育人員任用條例) and other related regulations, it said.

Those who are noncompliant would be barred from participating in selection processes, employment or appointments, it added.


Taiwan is sending a delegation to the United States to purchase American agricultural products, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced yesterday.

This year’s mission, officially titled “agricultural trade goodwill mission” and led by Minister of Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季), is visiting the US from yesterday through Sept. 27, MOFA said in a press release.

The delegation is joined by representatives from the Vegetable Oil Manufacturers Association, Feed Industry Association, Flour Mills Association, Frozen Food Processors Association, and Association of Chain and Franchise Promotion, among others.

Minister of Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

The US Soybean Export Council, US Grains Council, and US Wheat Associates’ Taiwan offices are also participating to enhance bilateral cooperation between the US and Taiwan, MOFA said.

The mission will first visit Washington before splitting into three groups -- a soybean and corn group, a wheat group and a beef group -- to travel to different parts of the country, it added.

The soybean and corn group will visit Arkansas, Ohio and Indiana, while the wheat group will visit South Dakota, Montana and Idaho, and the beef group will visit Florida and Texas.

Each group will meet with local politicians and farmers’ associations, MOFA said.

In 2024, Taiwan ranked as the eighth-largest export destination for the US, according to MOFA.

The top four US export categories to Taiwan in 2024 included beef (US$709 million), soybeans (US$601 million), corn (US$384 million), and wheat (US$325 million), according to data available on the US Department of Agriculture website.

This year marks the 15th such mission Taiwan’s government will have sent to the US since 1998.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in March that this year’s mission is part of the government’s efforts to reduce its trade surplus with the US, and aims to avert tariff increases imposed on Taiwanese imports by US President Donald Trump’s administration.

Delegation members on Taiwan’s last agricultural trade mission to the US in September 2022 signed three letters of intent with US agricultural industry associations.

According to a news release issued by Taiwan’s representative office in the US at the time, the agreements covered the purchase of wheat, soybeans and corn at an estimated value of over US$3.2 billion in 2023 and 2024.

Taiwan sends agricultural buying mission to US


TECH LEAP:  A government task force has brought together academics and cutting-edge technology to create global-leading systems to test drugs and perform research

Taiwan is leveraging its semiconductor, artificial intelligence (AI) and supply chain strengths to develop a national organ-on-a-chip (OOC) model, aiming to gain a competitive edge in biomedicine.

The miniature devices simulate specific human cells and tissues under real physiological conditions. Taiwan’s efforts to develop its own OOC model are led by the National Institutes of Applied Research.

An OOC is not like a computer chip people might imagine, but rather a miniature physiological system reconstructed outside the human body, including blood vessels, cardiac muscle cells or alveolar cells, National Center for Biomodels Director-General Chin Hsien-ching (秦咸靜) said.

A heart-on-a-chip model developed by National Taiwan University Institute of Applied Mechanics professor Hsu Yu-hsiang and his team is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo provided by Hsu Yu-hsiang

OOC technology involves culturing cells to form tissue-like functions for simulation and experimentation, Chin said.

The technology has struggled to take off due to high costs, but proved valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Taiwan University Institute of Applied Mechanics professor Hsu Yu-hsiang (許聿翔) said that scientists introduced the COVID-19 virus in an OOC with human lung cells to learn how it infected humans.

That was an early breakthrough that facilitated the development of a vaccine, Hsu said.

Chin said that traditional drug development relies on animal testing, but physiological differences can turn early successes into failures when they reach human clinical trials.

By using human cells and tissues, OOC technology can more accurately assess a drug’s efficacy, enhancing the development and success of new medicines, she said.

The technology can simulate the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, brain, eyes and even tumors, she said.

When combined with AI, the technology can help decode diseases and predict responses to treatment, she added.

While Europe and the US lead in OOC development, Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and AI give the nation an opportunity to catch up, Chin said.

The National Institutes of Applied Research established a task force to help research teams translate their finding into practical applications, she said.

The National Center for Biomodels verifies biological models, the National Center for Instrument Research optimizes prototypes and the National Center for High-performance Computing supplies AI technologies, she said.

The goal is to create a standardized local model that can be mass produced at a low cost, Chin said.

Next year, the team plans to roll out three to five products, she said, emphasizing that Taiwan’s OOC technology would be on par with global models.

“The dream of OOC technology is to create a human substitute outside the body,” she said, adding that Taiwan is doing its utmost to advance this development.

Government agencies could also use OOC technology to test the toxicity of chemicals, cosmetics and pesticides, she said.

The US Food and Drug Administration permits new drugs to be screened with OOC technology before animal testing, which has significantly boosted success rates, she added.

Hsu’s team at National Taiwan University has developed an original method for culturing cardiac muscle cells, shortening the process from six months to two weeks, producing cells that act like real heart tissue.

They also added mechanical materials to the OOC that turn heartbeats into electrical signals, so researchers can measure them without expensive microscopes.

The team built an automated system that plugs into industry production lines, making the technology much easier to commercialize, Hsu said.

Unlike normal chips that test one drug at a time, the team’s heart-on-a-chip can test three drugs at once.

The team spent four years developing a small-artery OOC, which simulates the development of blood vessels from microvessels to small arteries.

This device premiered in July and was recognized in an international journal.

Taiwan aims to create biotech standard


Agriculture agency partners with chain stores to promote local produce

The Agriculture and Food Agency is to promote locally produced agricultural products at eight chain outlets from Monday next week to the end of the year, agency Deputy Director-General Chen Chi-jung (陳啟榮) said.

The initiative aims to promote domestic agriculture amid global supply chain restructuring, Chen said.

While US President Donald Trump seeks an “America First” policy, Taiwan should take a “Taiwan First” approach to bolster local industries, he said.

Agriculture and Food Agency officials and event guests hold placards at a news conference in Taipei on Saturday to promote local agricultural products. Photo: Screen grab from the Agriculture and Food Agency’s Web site

Following the example of Japan’s “Green Lantern” movement, the Ministry of Agriculture sought advice from the Corporate Synergy Development Center to explore feasible strategies in promoting locally grown produce to the public, he said.

Launched in Hokkaido, the Green Lantern movement has over the past 20 years spread across Japan, encouraging local eateries to hang a green lantern outside their buildings to show that grown-in-Japan ingredients are used in their dishes.

To encourage customers to prioritize local produce, the first step is to help them identify them, Chen said, adding that agricultural products with national certified marks, such as traceability certification, organic certification or certified agricultural standards, are all homegrown products.

The second step is to let customers know where they can buy local, he said.

While green lanterns are used in Japan, Taiwan has sales channels that can be leveraged for product distribution, which is why the ministry collaborated with eight major chains to market local produce, with promotional campaigns to be held nationwide from this month to December, he said.

The chains are Muji, Carrefour Taiwan, Taiwan Fresh Supermarket, Taiwan FamilyMart, GCI Shop, Post Mall, Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co and City’super.

People can participate in a lucky draw for each purchase of NT$200 or more as long as they register the unified receipt and upload a photograph of the purchased local produce, Chen said.

The incentive plan is not only expected to attract more local produce consumers, but also create greater demand that would encourage more domestic agricultural production, he said.


Basketball union sues CTBA over fees, use of image

The Taiwan Professional Basketball Players’ Association last week filed a lawsuit against the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA), saying that the sport’s governing body did not pay appearance fees and infringed on players’ image rights for commercial use.

The players’ union said in a statement that the suit, filed on Monday last week, demands that the CTBA pay NT$30,000 per player for infringing their image rights by selling posters featuring star players without consent.

It also said that the CTBA had reneged on a promise to pay appearance fees, including NT$5,000 per game for participating in the annual CTBA-organized William Jones Cup.

Taiwan Blue team basketball players pose for a photograph during the award ceremony after winning the bronze medal at the William Jones Cup in Taipei on Aug. 30, 2023. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

It said that players did not receive the fee in 2018, 2019 and 2023.

Responding to the suit, CTBA deputy secretary-general Chang Cheng-chung (張承中) yesterday said that the body held several meetings with the players’ union, but both sides could not agree on per-game appearance fees, adding that the NT$5,000 figure was only settled and paid out for last year’s tournament.

Several issues stood in the way of negotiations on fees for games prior to last year, primarily how to calculate payments for each player, and whether awards and prize money should be deducted from the fees, Chang said.

The CTBA had proposed that if the competition did not turn a profit, it would not disburse the appearance fee, he said.

Regarding the posters, he said the CTBA was not directly in charge of their sale, which was done without its consent, adding that it was wrong not to get players’ consent for them.

“We have to take some blame for that happening. We asked the merchandise company to take them off shelves after finding out,” he said.

The company later issued a public apology and donated the revenue, which it reported at just more than NT$4,000, to a charity, he said.

However, the players’ union did not agree to that outcome, Chang said.

The newly launched Ministry of Sports in a statement released on Friday said it was aware of the lawsuit, and “in principle, we respect the decision by the players’ union, and have requested that CTBA resolve the issues within one month,” by settling in a way that upholds players’ rights.


DIPLOMACY

French senators arrive

A group of French lawmakers led by French Senate Taiwan Friendship Group chairman Rachid Temal have arrived for a six-day trip, during which they are to meet with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday. The delegation is to attend two banquets hosted by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) respectively, the ministry said in a statement. The group — which includes French senators Jean-Michel Arnaud, Francois Bonneau, Bernard Buis, Yannick Jadot and Mireille Jouve — is to visit the economics, defense and environmental ministries, it added. The delegates are also to visit representatives of the nation’s three major parties, as well as electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co and Sun Moon Lake.

TRANSPORTATION

Four injured in fire on HSR

Four people were injured on Saturday night when a power bank on a high-speed rail (HSR) train caught fire. At about 9pm, while the train was passing through Yunlin County, a passenger’s power bank caught fire, the Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said. The conductor quickly evacuated passengers from the car and notified the railway police, it said. An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way, it said, adding that if the fire was the result of the passenger’s improper use or handling of the power bank, they would be held legally and financially responsible. The Railway Police Bureau’s Kaohsiung branch said the case would be probed for potential public endangerment.

MILITARY

Museum to open in 2027

The National Military Museum in Taipei is scheduled to open in 2027 and would showcase a range of retired weapons systems, the state-run Military News Agency reported on Saturday. The museum, which is more than two-thirds complete, would feature an M5A1 tank, an F-5 jet, an MIM-23 HAWK missile and an OH-13 helicopter, the museum’s preparatory office said. The seven-story building is to have a 30m-high lobby and a corridor flanked by installations inspired by color guards and marching bands, to create an “awe-inspiring atmosphere” that reflects the discipline of the nation’s armed forces, the office said. The permanent exhibition would span the second through sixth floors, covering themes such as the development of militaries worldwide, World War II, historical battles between the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan’s efforts toward defense autonomy and the international situation, it added.

WEATHER

Hot weather forecast: CWA

Hot and sunny weather is forecast across the nation over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency urged people engaging in outdoor activities to take precautions against sun exposure, especially at about midday, and to stay hydrated. Sporadic afternoon showers might occur across the nation, while mountainous regions might experience localized heavy rains, the CWA forecast. From Wednesday to Friday, a tropical disturbance is predicted to pass through the Philippines’ Luzon Island and enter the South China Sea, bringing slightly more moisture and increasing the chances of sporadic afternoon rains or thundershowers in the east, mountainous areas and Pingtung County’s Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said.

Taiwan News Quick Take


Indigenous communities wearing traditional clothing dance together during their annual ceremonies at the Jinhe Sports Park in New Taipei City’s Zhonghe District yesterday. The event, organized by the Zhonghe District Office and Zhonghe Indigenous Peoples Development Association, aims to preserve indigenous cultures and foster cultural exchange.

Indigenous pride


Members of dance troupe VHZ, front, in black, the champions of the adult choreography category at the 20th MRT Cup Street Dance Competition, pose with their award check at Zhongshan Hall in Taipei yesterday.

Footloose


NO BREAKTHROUGH? More substantial ‘deliverables,’ such as tariff reductions, would likely be saved for a meeting between Trump and Xi later this year, a trade expert said

China launched two probes targeting the US semiconductor sector on Saturday ahead of talks between the two nations in Spain this week on trade, national security and the ownership of social media platform TikTok.

China’s Ministry of Commerce announced an anti-dumping investigation into certain analog integrated circuits (ICs) imported from the US. The investigation is to target some commodity interface ICs and gate driver ICs, which are commonly made by US companies such as Texas Instruments Inc and ON Semiconductor Corp.

The ministry also announced an anti-discrimination probe into US measures against China’s chip sector.

A silicon wafer is displayed during Semicon Taiwan in Taipei on Thursday. Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA

US measures such as export curbs and tariffs “constitute the containment and suppression of China’s development of high-tech industries” such as advanced computer chips and artificial intelligence, a ministry spokesperson said.

US President Donald Trump and former US president Joe Biden placed curbs on China’s access to advanced semiconductors, including restrictions on the sale of chipmaking equipment to the country. While Washington cited national security concerns, Beijing said the curbs are part of a US strategy to contain its growth.

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent was set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) in Madrid from yesterday until Wednesday, He’s office said.

The meetings between Bessent and He would be the latest in a series of negotiations aimed at reducing trade tensions and postponing the enactment of higher tariffs on each other’s goods.

US and Chinese counterparts previously held discussions in Geneva in May, London in June and Stockholm in July. The two governments have agreed to several 90-day pauses on a series of increasing reciprocal tariffs, staving off an all-out trade war.

Trade experts said there was little likelihood of a substantial breakthrough in the Madrid talks. The most likely result would be another extension of the deadline for TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance Ltd (字節跳動), to divest its US operations by Wednesday or face a US shutdown.

A source familiar with the Trump administration’s discussions on TikTok’s future said that a deal was not expected, but that the deadline would be extended for a fourth time since Trump took office in January, which might annoy Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress who mandated TikTok’s sale to a US entity to reduce national security risks.

Wendy Cutler, a former trade negotiator at the Office of the US Trade Representative and head of the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington, said that she expected more substantial “deliverables” to be saved for a potential meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) later this year, perhaps at an APEC summit in Seoul at the end of next month.

These might include a final deal to resolve US national security concerns over TikTok, a lifting of restrictions on Chinese purchases of US soybeans and a reduction of fentanyl-related tariffs on Chinese goods, Cutler said, adding that the Madrid discussions might help lay groundwork for such a meeting.

However, resolving core US economic complaints about China, including its demands that Beijing shift its economic model toward more domestic consumption and rely less on state-subsidized exports, could take years, Cutler added.

Additional reporting by Reuters

China launches two US chips probes


US penalizes firms that acquired tools for SMIC

The US on Friday penalized two Chinese firms that acquired US chipmaking equipment for China’s top chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯國際), including them among 32 entities that were added to the US Department of Commerce’s restricted trade list, a US government posting showed. Twenty-three of the 32 are in China.

GMC Semiconductor Technology (Wuxi) Co (吉姆西半導體科技) and Jicun Semiconductor Technology (Shanghai) Co (吉存半導體科技) were placed on the list, formally known as the Entity List, for acquiring equipment for SMIC Northern Integrated Circuit Manufacturing (Beijing) Corp (中芯北方積體電路) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Beijing) Corp (中芯北京), the US Federal Register posting said.

The SMIC companies were already on the Entity List and shipping US equipment to them requires licenses, which likely would have been denied.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp’s facilities in Shanghai are pictured on March 15 last year. Photo: AFP

Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Co (上海復旦微電子), which is involved in the production of high-performance computing chips, as well as associated companies and other entities in China, Singapore and Taiwan were added to the list for acquiring US-origin items “in support of China’s military modernization, for participating in China’s advanced computing and integrated manufacturing and distribution sectors, and directly supplying the military, government and security apparatus of China.”

Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics also has supplied technology to Russian military end users, according to the US commerce department, which put an additional restriction on the company.

Entities in India, Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates also were added to the list, the posting showed.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Economic Affairs in a statement said that the Taiwan company added to the entity list is an office established by a Hong Kong firm, adding that it does not hold any import and export qualifications.

The ministry said it would verify whether the actual business operations of the company are consistent with its initial application, and called on Taiwanese companies to conduct due diligence, including end users and usage checks, when exporting goods.

The ministry said that it has this year held 16 campaigns to raise local companies’ export control awareness, with legal experts familiar with US export control and sanctions laws invited to explain regulations to businesses.

Additional reporting by staff writer


Fuel prices to fall NT$0.1 this week

Gasoline and diesel prices are to fall NT$0.1 per liter this week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday, despite global crude oil prices rising amid volatile trading last week.

Gasoline prices at CPC and Formosa stations are to fall to NT$27.3, NT$28.8 and NT$30.8 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, the companies said in separate statements.

Premium diesel is to cost NT$26.3 per liter at CPC stations and NT$26.1 at Formosa pumps, they added.

International crude oil prices fluctuated between gains and losses last week due to rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and eastern Europe, as well as the International Energy Agency’s warning of a looming supply surplus next year, they said.

The proposed US and EU sanctions on Russian oil also weighed on the market, they added.

Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — last week rose 2.927 percent to settle at US$66.99 per barrel on the Intercontinental Exchange, while West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures — the US oil gauge — gained 1.33 percent to US$62.69 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.


PERSONNEL CHANGES: Markets would be monitoring division with the potential arrival of a new governor, as the Fed usually votes almost in unison, an expert said

The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to make its first interest rate cut of the year at its policy meeting this week, spurred by a weakening jobs market — but political tension looms over the gathering.

The Fed’s likely move would follow a monthslong push from US President Donald Trump to slash rates, and comes amid growing concern about political pressure on the central bank.

Since the bank’s last reduction in December last year, it has held interest rates at between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent, as policymakers monitor the effects of Trump’s sweeping tariffs on inflation.

The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington is pictured on June 14, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Analysts now broadly expect a 25 basis points rate cut at the end of its two-day meeting on Wednesday, as hiring slows.

“What’s interesting is that it’s very clear what the Fed is going to do when they meet,” Atlantic Council chair of international economics Josh Lipsky said. “Yet, despite that, there’s high drama around this meeting.”

He was referring to personnel issues on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

While Trump has dropped threats of ousting Fed Chair Jerome Powell over renovation costs at the central bank’s Washington headquarters, the US president moved to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook last month over mortgage fraud allegations.

Cook, who was appointed under former US president Joe Biden and is the first black woman to serve on the Fed’s board of governors, swiftly mounted a legal challenge against her removal.

She has managed to remain in place while the lawsuit, which could have implications for similar moves against other Fed officials, plays out.

Meanwhile, the early resignation last month of Fed governor Adriana Kugler created a vacancy that Trump has rushed to fill with his chief economic adviser Stephen Miran.

Miran chairs the White House Council of Economic Advisers, but has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers over his plans to take a leave of absence — rather than resign — from the Trump administration if confirmed.

A panel has advanced his nomination and if confirmed quickly by the Republican-majority US Senate, he could join the Fed in its next rate meeting.

Markets on Wednesday would be focused on signals surrounding the Fed’s future pace — and size — of rate cuts, Lipsky said.

KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk said she expected this to mark the “start of an easing cycle that the Fed won’t want to commit to.”

With Miran’s potential arrival, markets would be monitoring how much division there is within the FOMC on whether it should make a 25 basis points rate cut, a 50 basis points reduction or keep rates unchanged.

“That’s not something we’re used to seeing from the Fed,” Lipsky said. “This is a group that votes almost in unison over decades.”

Analysts also warned that broader changes to the Fed’s make-up could happen more swiftly than markets expect.

Presidents of the 12 regional Fed banks come up for reappointment every five years, meaning the Fed board of governors could replace them — although this has not happened before.

“The markets, I think, are underpricing some of the risks to central bank independence and what it would mean for monetary policy going forward,” Lipsky said.

Fed poised for rate cut as political tension mounts


Starmer hails US finance firms’ investment plans

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed plans by US finance firms, including PayPal Inc and Citigroup Inc, to invest ￡1.25 billion (US$1.7 billion) in the UK, which were announced days ahead of US President Donald Trump’s state visit.

The investments by leading US companies, which also include Bank of America Corp and S&P Global Inc, would create 1,800 jobs in London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Manchester, the government said.

The announcement came as the UK prepares to welcome Trump tomorrow for a historic second state visit, having been hosted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 during his first term in office.

US President Donald Trump, right, holds a letter from King Charles III during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Feb. 27, 2025. Photo: Reuters

“By working with our allies, we are creating jobs here,” said Starmer, who is enduring a domestic political crisis following this week’s sacking of British ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson over his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The investments confirm “Britain’s place as a leader in global finance,” he said.

As part of the plans, Bank of America would create up to 1,000 new jobs in Belfast in its first-ever operation in Northern Ireland.

Citigroup would invest ￡1.1 billion across its UK operations, including growing its presence in Northern Ireland, where the bank is already one of Belfast’s top employers, now employing more than 4,000 people.

The British government said the twin investments were “firmly establishing Belfast as a major technology powerhouse.”

Meanwhile, S&P Global is set to plough more than ￡4 million into its offices in Manchester, England, which would support 200 permanent jobs to boost their nearly 3,000-strong UK workforce.

In addition, PayPal is to invest ￡150 million in “product innovations and growth,” the government said.

BlackRock Inc, which opened a new office in the Edinburgh this week, was also expected to allocate ￡7 billion to the UK market next year on behalf of clients, while investing ￡500 million in UK enterprise data centers.

Trump’s visit, which would see him feted Wednesday by King Charles III and other royals in Windsor before he meets Starmer the following day, is expected to focus on boosting transatlantic economic ties.


Haul for a cause

Team Goodlife pulls in a competition among charity teams to pull a 30,360kg, 75m Porter Airlines aircraft to raise support for patients making long-distance medical trips, at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday.


A consultation session among political party caucuses late last week decided that the legislative session, which typically begins on Sept. 1, would begin on Friday.

Over the past two weeks, controversies over the allocation of government revenue and expenditures have sparked accusations between the central and local governments, as well as between the ruling and opposition parties, and are expected to be one of the priority bills discussed in the new session.

After the Ministry of Finance on Aug. 29 informed local governments about the “centrally funded tax revenue” they would receive for next year — calculated based on an amendment to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) passed by the legislature in December last year — many local governments were unsatisfied.

Fifteen local government heads from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) gathered in Taipei on Wednesday, demanding that the central government promise them that the funds allocated for local governments would “only increase” year by year.

Ironically, the amendment was proposed by the KMT and rushed through by opposition lawmakers within minutes without proper discussion last year.

The Executive Yuan pointed out flaws in the amendment and asked the legislature to reconsider it, but opposition lawmakers rashly rejected the proposal.

The main issue is a flawed formula for determining the “centrally funded tax revenue” for each local government, which led to a non-distributable NT$34.5 billion (US$1.14 billion) that was also unusable by the central government.

Other controversies include that although the amendment stipulates that the number of general grants cannot be less than the previous year, it did not define whether it was referring to the total number or the number for each local government. The Cabinet revised the items eligible for general grants, but local governments were concerned that they would need to apply and be reviewed for future grants.

The total amount of “centrally funded tax revenue” allocated to local governments next year is to increase by more than NT$400 billion, but several local governments are still unsatisfied due to the perceived “unfairness” of distribution based on the flawed formula, particularly counties on outlying islands and in southern Taiwan, as well as concerns about possible reductions in general and program grants.

The Cabinet said that the legislature had refused to reconsider the flawed amendment, resulting in the non-distributable fund and greater urban-rural divide, adding that as local governments receive more funds, their duties and responsibilities should increase accordingly.

However, the KMT refused to apologize for its mistake, saying that the “small flaw” in the formula could be quickly corrected when the new legislative session starts. It instead accused the Executive Yuan of administrative negligence and creating conflict, and called the Democratic Progressive Party a “big baby.”

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Saturday invited local government heads to discuss the issues, but the legislature and the Cabinet maintained their stances, pointing fingers at each other.

The Cabinet would conduct a comprehensive assessment of the amended law to address the urban-rural inequality problem, he said, but asked the legislature to bear responsibility for its mistake.

Whether the legislature and the Cabinet could come together to work out an acceptable solution for both sides remains to be seen.

Some academics said that revising the formula would be easy with the KMT-TPP majority in the legislature, but the transfer of central government duties and responsibilities to local governments in accordance with increased funding might be challenging.

EDITORIAL: Consequences of rushed changes


Taiwan-EU partnership, building a democratic, prosperous future

Modern democracy was born in Europe. It was carried by the currents of history across the Atlantic and into the Indo-Pacific region, where it has taken root, flourished and branched outward. In Taiwan, democratic governance was achieved through a century of persistent struggle and sacrifice by generations of Taiwanese. Through institutional reform and transition, democracy has become the DNA of our society — reflected in our social environment, cultural diversity, religious freedom and innovation-driven economy.

However, authoritarian expansion continues to challenge the resolve and resilience of the global democratic camp. China, Russia, North Korea and Iran have increasingly formed alliances, collectively supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

At last year’s NATO summit in Washington, China was referred to as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s aggression. As a major power within the authoritarian bloc, China persistently undermines the rules-based international order and targets Taiwan through military intimidation, economic coercion and legal manipulation to weaken our standing.

For Taiwan’s survival and development, it is essential to deepen partnerships with like-minded nations, integrating democratic values with economic and technological interests.

Europe is not only the birthplace of modern democracy and the market economy, but also the cradle of advanced technology. It has long been a foundational partner of Taiwan. Indeed, the earliest investments in Taiwan’s “silicon shield” came from Europe, and European raw materials and technologies remain indispensable to our semiconductor industry.

For example, Belgium’s Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, which I visited in November last year, has maintained deep cooperation with Taiwan. Dutch semiconductor leader ASML has also long engaged with our industry. By last year, European investment in Taiwan had reached US$73.4 billion, exceeding the combined total from the US and Japan. All of that underscores Europe’s exceptional importance to Taiwan.

While Taiwan and Europe face pressure from authoritarian expansionism, they also enjoy unprecedented potential for cooperation. At a time of challenges and opportunities, Taiwan’s strategy toward Europe would leverage its key roles within the global democratic value chain, the first island chain in the Indo-Pacific region and “non-red” supply chains.

Through a policy of integrated diplomacy, Taiwan would advance cooperation with Europe across three major pillars: values-based diplomacy, alliance diplomacy and economic diplomacy.

Europe, with a long democratic tradition and many democracies, requires engagement tailored to its different regions. Taiwan should pursue region-specific partnerships in Europe to build zone defense for democracy and economic resilience. Deeper integration with major institutions such as NATO, which focuses on collective security and the EU, which pursues economic and political integration, would ensure that Taiwan’s integrated diplomacy and three-chain strategy complements Europe’s strategic architecture, thus forming a crucial component in strategic Taiwan-Europe alignment.

In western Europe, G7 countries — particularly the UK, France and Germany — have been the foundation of Taiwan-Europe relations and have shown increased interest in Indo-Pacific affairs. France and Germany remain core EU members. The UK, while no longer an EU member, remains a NATO ally.

Notably, Taiwan’s 2023 Enhanced Trade Partnership with the UK marked its first institutionalized economic framework with any European country — an important template for expanded engagement.

Taiwan is also extending its outreach to central and eastern Europe, the Nordic countries and southern Europe. Central and eastern European countries and the Baltic states — standing alongside Taiwan on the front lines against authoritarian pressure — have strengthened ties with Taiwan in the domains of technology and the economy. Taiwan’s Central and Eastern Europe Resilience Initiative 2.0 seeks to expand codevelopment of semiconductor ecosystems with the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia and now Poland as well.

Furthermore, Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict means that the “Nordic Five” are now all full NATO members. The Baltic states — Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia — share Taiwan’s experience of democratic transformation. Together, the Nordic countries and the Baltic states form a vital front of democratic defense and offer fertile ground for expanded cooperation.

Meanwhile, in southern Europe — including Italy, the Holy See (a formal diplomatic ally of Taiwan), and emerging democracies in the Balkans — there is also significant potential for deepening bilateral ties.

Through integrated diplomacy and the three-chain strategy, Taiwan can thus bolster collaboration with Europe’s traditional and emerging democracies — creating a dual-axis model that enriches strategic, regional and multilayered Taiwan-Europe engagement.

Taiwan’s democratic transformation has received global recognition. In The Economist’s Democracy Index, Taiwan ranks 12th worldwide — on par with leading European democracies. That deep democratic alignment forms a solid foundation for expanding Taiwan-Europe relations.

In response to mounting authoritarian attempts to subvert the rules-based international order — such as China’s efforts to treat the Taiwan Strait as internal waters — European democracies, alongside the US, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, have dispatched naval vessels through the Strait, affirming the right to freedom of navigation.

The EU, the UK and others have also publicly repudiated China’s conflation of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 with Beijing’s “one China principle.” The parliaments of the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Belgium and the UK, as well as the European Parliament, have passed pro-Taiwan resolutions to counter China’s distortions.

Beyond geopolitics, Taiwan and Europe share a commitment to freedom, democracy and cultural pluralism. We continue to strengthen religious and cultural ties, including with the Holy See. Since becoming foreign minister, I have collaborated with the Ministry of Culture and the National Palace Museum to promote the Taiwan Culture in Europe 2025 initiative, showcasing our rich heritage. We are also advancing direct flight routes and scholarship programs to invigorate youth exchanges and people-to-people connections.

The Japan-UK defense ministers’ joint statement emphasized that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential to global prosperity. It further demonstrates that the security of the Strait is not only central to regional stability in the Indo-Pacific region, but also vital to global security. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to foster strategic dialogue with European partners and encourages public affirmations from Europe and the EU that peace in the Taiwan Strait is a global concern.

With NATO countries committing to raise defense budgets, targeting 5 percent of GDP by 2035, and with the EU pushing the ReArm Europe initiative to revitalize its defense industry, Taiwan seeks opportunities for collaboration in defense and emerging sectors such as uncrewed systems, cybersecurity, undersea cable security and societal resilience.

Taiwan’s extensive experience addressing hybrid threats and infiltration can serve as an asset for European democracies confronting similar challenges. Together, we can provide key public goods for democracies and build a “democracy shield” — a shared bulwark against authoritarianism.

With regard to economic diplomacy, Europe is pursuing reindustrialization and risk diversification amid China’s unfair trade practices and overcapacity. Taiwan’s globally distributed and agile industrial base, combined with its leadership in cutting-edge technologies, makes it an ideal partner for Europe’s supply chain diversification and for building non-red supply chains.

With trust emerging as a critical asset in global supply chains, Taiwan is advancing President William Lai’s (賴清德) Five Trusted Industry Sectors: semiconductors, next-generation communications, artificial intelligence (AI), defense, and security and surveillance. Through public-private cooperation, we are promoting Trusted Technology Taiwan — a brand combining democratic values, alliance-based trust and economic added value.

Our Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project (榮邦計畫) focuses on eight flagship areas: semiconductor supply chain resilience; medical and healthcare innovation; AI sovereignty; renewable energy and carbon rights; tourism sustainability; pilot smart industrial parks; agricultural innovation; and digital governance and trusted networks. Paired with financial tools such as the Central and Eastern Europe Investment and Credit Funds, the initiative boosts Taiwanese business engagement across Europe and reinforces deeper bilateral economic ties.

While Taiwan’s GDP approaches G20 levels, our limited land area and population mean that a quantitative gap remains compared with the large European nations that are G7 members. Yet in terms of global competitiveness, economic freedom and innovation — especially in semiconductors, AI and supply chain security — Taiwan is among the world’s top-performing nations.

It stands as a pivotal state — positioned at the nexus where the democratic camp and authoritarian bloc compete in AI and technology. Taiwan now has the opportunity to assert itself as a new middle power — not merely a guardian of democracy, but as an architect of global prosperity through economic and technological collaboration.

Taiwan-Europe cooperation is a shared duty to defend democracy and a historic opportunity to create prosperity. Advancing our relationship demands expanded resources and whole-of-society engagement, guided by the spirit of “every ministry is a ministry of foreign affairs and every citizen is a diplomat.” Taiwan looks forward to working hand in hand with Europe to reaffirm our shared democratic values, translate values-based diplomacy into value-added action and together build a brighter future of democracy and prosperity.

Lin Chia-lung is the minister of foreign affairs.


Modern global politics has been deeply shaped by the European model of development. Constitutional monarchies and democratic republics that emerged from England’s and France’s imperial transformations defined the foundations of modern governance and exerted worldwide influence. The US and the Soviet Union represent two divergent political traditions that emerged from Europe, both rooted in the continent’s theories of democracy.

The Soviet Union was a federation of communist states grounded in extreme state socialism, while the US is a democratic federation shaped by European liberal capitalism. The former has since disappeared, but the latter endures as a dominant power.

The US began its ascent in the early 20th century, while the Soviet Union grew into a superpower after World War II. Allied in the struggle against fascism, they emerged from the conflict as leaders of rival global blocs. Their prolonged confrontation defined the Cold War until the Soviet collapse, which coincided with China’s rise and ushered in a new era of US-China rivalry. However, communist China is not a product of Europe, but of the Soviet Union — a state founded on Marxist-Leninist principles.

The US, as a child of Europe, and post-Soviet Russia have followed markedly different trajectories. Their experiences suggest that a democracy rooted in liberal capitalism fosters a more dynamic national evolution than a communist state built upon radical forms of state socialism. Looking back at Europe’s development, a democratic system that is capable of accommodating liberal capitalism and democratic socialism appears to be the more sustainable political model.

China’s historical path contrasts sharply with Europe’s. Unlike Europe, which never consolidated into a unified power even at the height of the Roman Empire, China achieved unification under the Qin Dynasty and remained a dominant power centered on Han culture through successive dynasties, including the Yuan and Qing. Europe’s tradition of political fragmentation and decentralization helped bring about democratization, while China’s enduring centralization has consistently impeded democratic transformation.

In the aftermath of World War II, several European nations established what would become the EU — a union of states that remain sovereign, but are capable of collective action — although the UK formally withdrew in 2020. The EU’s creation reflected a political maturity born of long histories of colonial expansion and the devastation of Europe’s wars, including the destruction wrought by Nazi Germany. Despite such turmoil, the trajectory of these nations ultimately followed relatively civilized paths.

China boasts of its long history, but its imperial worldview, encapsulated in the maxim “under the wide heaven, all is the king’s land,” coupled with what it views as humiliation in the modern era wrought by Western powers, led it to follow the Soviet example of adopting Marxism-Leninism. All seemingly democratic measures in China are merely a facade; authoritarianism is the reality. A state that disguises socialism under the cloak of nationalism cannot possibly be a good country.

Today, with China, Russia and North Korea aligning as an authoritarian axis, and the US, Europe and Japan consolidating into a democratic coalition, history appears at risk of repeating its cycles of confrontation and crisis.

Caught in the middle, Taiwan — a country that still lacks true sovereign status — is left unanchored, drifting through the turbulent tides and shifting light and shadows of a disorderly world.

Lee Min-yung is a poet.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen

Taiwan left unanchored in midst of global chaos


EDITORIAL CARTOON

The narrative surrounding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attendance at last week’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit — where he held hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin and chatted amiably with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — was widely framed as a signal of Modi distancing himself from the US and edging closer to regional autocrats.It was depicted as Modi reacting to the levying of high US tariffs, burying the hatchet over border disputes with China, and heralding less engagement with the Quadrilateral Security dialogue (Quad) composed of the US, India, Japan and Australia. With Modi in China for the


Gen-Z protesters  are challenging Asia’s old guard

Young people are challenging the status quo, but questions remain if their efforts would endure

From Nepal to Indonesia, Sri Lanka to Bangladesh, Asia’s youth are furious. Protests show a generation unwilling to accept inequality and injustice as their destiny, but for lasting political change to be achieved, this rage must be channeled into reform.

Raw anger is spilling out onto the streets. On Tuesday, Nepalese prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned after two days of demonstrations over a sweeping social media ban. At least 19 people were killed and hundreds more injured after scores of “Gen-Z” protesters clashed with police. The ban was swiftly scrapped, but the disenchantment has continued. The army has stepped in, urging people to back down.

Young Nepalis are fed up. Blocking the apps was the immediate catalyst for their frustrations, another reminder of living under a government that is out of touch with their concerns. These platforms are critical tools in a country where about one in four people live below the national poverty line.

They are a way to receive remittances and stay in touch with friends and loved ones.

Indonesia has witnessed similar scenes. Late last month, outrage erupted after lawmakers were awarded lavish housing allowances — nearly 10 times the monthly minimum wage — while ordinary citizens grappled with soaring living costs. The death of a motorcycle taxi driver, run over by a police vehicle, further inflamed tensions.

Demonstrators looted the homes of top lawmakers, torched cars and vandalized government buildings, in some of the worst violence in decades. Under mounting pressure, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto rolled back the perks, pledging greater accountability. On Monday last week, widely respected Indonesian minister of finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati was removed. It is speculated that she was sacrificed to calm public anger.

At first glance, these protests appear unconnected, but there are common grievances. These are both nations with young populations: About half of Indonesia’s total population is younger than 30, while in Nepal, it is around 56 percent. High unemployment rates are an issue, as is a widening income gap.

These demonstrations also highlight how collective youth action can force governments into retreat. Still, outrage alone is insufficient. Asia’s history of activism shows that demonstrations can topple leaders, but without meaningful political reforms, they rarely transform societies.

Bangladesh illustrates both promise and peril. A student-led uprising last year forced Sheikh Hasina — the longest-serving prime minister in Bangladesh’s history — to step down and flee the country. Hundreds died and many more were injured in the violence. The demonstrations led to a caretaker government helmed by Bangladeshi Interim Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus.

He has promised to restore order and rejuvenate democratic institutions, encouraging young people to get involved. Elections are expected early next year, but whether Bangladesh transforms into a functioning democracy would depend on how credible they are.

Sri Lanka’s experience is a cautionary tale. In 2022, a largely youth-led protest movement known as the Aragalaya, taking its name from the Sinhala word for struggle, forced the resignation of Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. His incompetent nearly three-year rule ended with the nation defaulting on its debt in an unprecedented economic meltdown. The government’s foreign reserve crisis meant it was unable to pay for fuel imports, leading to long petrol lines and daily 13-hour power cuts.

However, the movement lacked a coherent long-term plan, and the old guard quickly regrouped. Ranil Wickremesinghe, another member of the discredited political elite, was installed as president.

Only last year did voters finally find an alternative, electing wildly popular Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, eventually giving his National People’s Power coalition a parliamentary majority. His appeal lies partly in connecting with younger voters, offering a contrast to the cronyism and corruption of politicians from an earlier era.

Asia’s youth movements could draw lessons from farther afield. In New York, the meteoric rise of New York State Representative Zohran Mamdani from assemblyman to leading mayoral contender is notable. Using viral social media campaigns and policies that speak directly to young voters, Mamdani’s popularity stems from his authenticity, a sense that he empathizes with the people he says he wants to serve. This solutions-driven idealism has channeled what could have been rage into agency.

One name that has been mentioned as a potential leader in Nepal is Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah. The 35-year-old engineer-turned-rapper has impressed voters with his campaign to clean up the city’s waterways, while his songs have raised the issue of corruption and inequality in the Himalayan nation.

Protests have to evolve beyond the streets and into the places where power rests and policies are made. Demands should focus not simply on toppling corrupt politicians or torching government buildings, but on reforming courts, electoral commissions and creating independent watchdogs. Movements rooted solely among students or young people risk petering out after the anger fades. Building viable political parties or coalitions that can credibly contest elections is essential.

The Arab Spring offers sobering lessons. More than a decade ago, youthful revolts toppled governments from Tunisia to Egypt and Libya, but the movement collapsed and ended with worsening repression in parts of the region.

Protesting can be thrilling and a bit addictive — but it alone cannot be the endgame. Otherwise, this generation risks squandering its opportunity for change. Burned buildings and trashed department stores would only ensure the same power structures return, with a vengeance.

Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. Previously, she was the BBC’s lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades. This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.


MAJOR SURPRISE:  Julia Paternain of Uruguay said that she had no idea that she had finished third when she crossed the line, as she was ‘too scared to look’ back

Peres Jepchirchir yesterday edged Tigst Assefa in a thrilling sprint finish at Tokyo’s National Stadium to win the women’s marathon on a steamy second morning of the World Athletics Championships.

The 31-year-old Kenyan, who won Olympic gold on the streets of Sapporo in 2021, broke the tape at 2 hours, 24 minutes and 43 seconds, just two seconds ahead of Paris silver medalist Assefa of Ethiopia.

The Olympic marathon was moved to Sapporo three years ago because of the stifling heat of the Japanese capital, and Jepchirchir said she had been surprised to have the energy for the final kick that won her gold after such a grueling race.

Athletes compete in the women’s marathon final during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo yesterday. Photo: AFP

“The humidity was so high, and I did not know it would be so hot,” she told reporters. “It was not my ultimate plan to sprint in the final meters, but ... I found some hidden energy there. I was so exhausted coming to the stadium, stepping on the track. So exhausted, but I sprinted for it.”

While East African dominance of the top two steps of the podium was expected, Julia Paternain sprung a major surprise, for herself as much as anyone, when she finished third in 2:27.23 to give Uruguay its first world championship medal.

The 25-year-old, who was raised in England and qualifies to run for Uruguay through her parents, said she had no idea that she had finished third in only her second marathon when she crossed the line.

“I really could not believe it. I had no idea where I was. I knew I was top eightish. I was too scared to look behind me, because I didn’t want to get caught,” she said. “I love being able to run for Uruguay. My whole family is from there. It’s a small country, but there’s a lot of pride.”

In other action yesterday morning, the main title contenders in the women’s 100m hurdles and hammer throw progressed through heats and qualification, but former Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen failed to get through the first round of the 1,500m.

The Norwegian, beaten into silver in the last two world finals, finished eighth in his heat on the back of a preparation hampered by an Achilles injury.

“It’s a first-time experience that I haven’t got to the next round,” Ingebrigtsen said. “Of course, it’s very disappointing, but at the same time it is a reality check.”

Ingebrigtsen said he still hoped to challenge for a third successive world 5,000m title.

“I think I’m probably closer for the 5,000m right now,” he said. “I’ll recover and have a couple of good days until I go again and try again. Everything is a test.”

Jamaica’s defending champion Danielle Williams was the quickest in the women’s hurdles heats in 12.40 seconds while Olympic champion Masai Russell, her fellow American Grace Stark, world record holder Tobi Amusan and Dutchwoman Nadine Visser all got safely through to today’s semi-finals.

World and Olympic champion Camryn Rogers led the way in hammer qualifying with a throw of 77.62m.

“In the final, everyone is going to bring their A game. It will be a long-throw final,” Rogers said. “That’s what everyone is looking forward to. This is what we train for. I am excited to get in there and get my mark.”

Jepchirchir sprints to marathon gold


Taiwan’s men’s baseball team yesterday took home a bronze medal in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s U-18 Baseball World Cup, after clinching a nail-biting 3-2 victory over South Korea following an overturned call in the tournament held in Okinawa, Japan.

With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the seventh, Taiwanese catcher Jiang Ting-yi drove in the game-winning run with a two-out single, sending home third-baseman Zeng Sheng-en.

Zeng was originally ruled out. However, Taiwan asked for a review. The play was overturned and ruled an obstruction, as the umpire determined that the South Korean catcher had blocked Zeng’s path to the home plate without possession of the ball.

Taiwan’s Jiang Ting-yi hits a single during their U-18 Baseball World Cup third-place game against South Korea in Okinawa, Japan, yesterday. Photo: CNA

Reliever Su Lan-hong retired the final three South Korean batters in the bottom of the inning to hold on for the win.

The victory gave Taiwan their eighth bronze medal in the U-18 Baseball World Cup, which features players aged 16 to 18, since the tournament was first held in 1981.

Taiwan manager Liao Hung-yuan told reporters following the victory that the whole team were doing their best defensively and offensively. He gave high praise to all his players for showing strong determination to win.

Jiang, who delivered the game-winning RBI single, told reporters that he was not particularly nervous despite it being a clutch moment, as he had faced similar pressure before.

“With a runner in scoring position, I did not think the pitcher would throw me a fastball, so I focused instead on hitting a breaking ball,” he said.

Taiwan are three-time champions at the tournament and last won gold in 2019.

The bronze medal match yesterday morning was a back-and-forth game.

South Korea designated hitter Kim Geon-whi smacked a solo home run off Taiwan’s starter Liu Jen-yu in the bottom of the second inning, giving the South Korean team an early 1-0 lead.

Coming from behind, Taiwan managed to tie the score at 1-1 before taking a 2-1 lead with three hits in the top of the fifth. The resilient South Korean team later tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth on a walk, a stolen base and a timely hit by Kim.

Meanwhile, the US defeated hosts Japan 2-0 in the final.

The standings for this year’s U-18 from fifth to 12th place are: Puerto Rico, Panama, Cuba, Australia, Italy, Germany, China and South Africa.

Taiwan win bronze at U-18 Baseball World Cup in Japan