郵局+員警聯手成功攔阻假交友投資詐騙

成功 潮州 屏東縣 內埔 來義

【記者何勁陞／內埔報導】 潮州警分局光華派出所日前接獲潮州鎮光春郵局通報，疑似有民眾遭遇詐騙，急需警方協助。光華派出所警員薛翰嶸及施予翔立即趕赴現場，發現民眾正依照「假交友投資」詐騙指示準備匯款，兩員機警勸阻，成功攔阻民眾匯出約新台幣十萬元，避免財產損失。

經警方了解，61歲盧姓男子日前於網路上結識一名網友，對方以投資虛擬貨幣為由，誘騙盧男匯款購買所謂的「投資標的」。盧男不疑有他，遂前往光春郵局準備匯款。郵局行員察覺異常後，機警通報警方到場協助。

員警薛翰嶸及施予翔到場後，耐心向盧男說明此為典型之「假交友投資詐騙」手法，詐騙集團常以網路交友博取信任，再以高報酬投資為由要求受害人匯款購買虛擬貨幣，一旦匯款完成即失去聯繫，款項隨即遭車手提領。經警方詳細說明及舉例勸導後，盧男恍然大悟，立即打消匯款念頭，成功守住辛苦積蓄，並對郵局行員與警方的即時協助表達由衷感謝。

潮州分局長林俊雄表示，詐騙手法層出不窮，民眾務必提高警覺，切勿輕信網友或陌生人以「投資」、「穩賺不賠」等名義要求匯款。警方提醒，若接獲可疑投資訊息或遇有不確定情況，可撥打165反詐騙專線或向就近警察機關諮詢，共同防堵詐騙，守護財產安全。

潮警分局長警廣連線宣導 「防制詐欺犯罪檢舉人最高獎金一千萬」

▼檢舉的詐欺案件經法院判決三年以上有期徒刑之罪者，將先依基準表所定金額核發三分之一獎金，於有罪判決確定後，再行發給其餘獎金，合計最高可領取新臺幣1,000萬元檢舉獎金。（圖／屏東縣政府警察局潮州分局）

為了鼓勵全民防詐，強化公私協力，共同打擊詐欺犯罪，內政部已公布《防制詐欺犯罪有功人員及檢舉人獎勵辦法》，明訂檢舉詐欺犯罪的獎勵制度。符合條件的檢舉人若能成功檢舉重大詐欺案件，經法院判決有罪者，最高可領取新台幣 1,000 萬元獎金。潮警分局長林俊雄與警察廣播電台連線，分享「防制詐欺犯罪」的獎金規定，呼籲民眾共同參與打擊詐欺犯罪。

「防制詐欺犯罪有功人員及檢舉人獎勵辦法」，明確規範檢舉詐欺犯罪的獎勵制度，藉此鼓勵全民投入防詐工作，強化社會共同打擊詐欺的力量。凡檢舉人符合辦法所定要件，其所檢舉的詐欺案件經法院判決三年以上有期徒刑之罪者，將先依基準表所定金額核發三分之一獎金，於有罪判決確定後，再行發給其餘獎金，合計最高可領取新臺幣1,000萬元檢舉獎金。

另依規定，檢舉人須於犯罪未被發覺前，親自向具有偵查權之檢察機關或司法警察機關提出檢舉，並製作檢舉筆錄，其所檢舉之犯罪必須經法院判決三年以上有期徒刑之罪，方可獲得獎勵。至於被害人就自身被害事實檢舉、匿名或拒絕製作筆錄者，以及涉及共同犯罪、教唆或幫助他人犯罪者，均不在獎勵範圍內。

另外普發現金一萬元，政府不會以簡訊、電子郵件通知領錢或登錄，也不會致電要求到ATM或網銀操作轉帳，請民眾務必提高警覺。普發現金一萬元請認定官網：「http：//10000.gov.tw」，民眾切勿在不明網站上填寫個人資料，以免遭盜用個資、盜刷信用卡。另外，ATM領現於11/17開放領取，郵局領現也於11/24開放現場領取，若民眾不會上網登記或擔心網址不明會遇到詐騙，亦能等待11/17以後再去現場去領取比較安心。

議員貼紅榜祝賀 潮州警鄭竣鴻榮獲績優交通警察

▼鄭竣鴻從警11年，自107年起長期投入交通事故處理工作，面對各類交通事故均能冷靜應對、迅速研判，並秉持同理心協助當事人。（圖／屏東縣政府警察局潮州分局）

潮州警分局交通小隊警員鄭竣鴻榮獲警政署評鑑為114年績優交通警察人員，來義鄉議員越秋女及潮州鎮議員陳宗廷特別蒞臨屏東縣政府警察局潮州分局，貼上賀榜並恭賀鄭員榮獲殊榮，肯定其多年來在交通執法與事故處理上的卓越表現。

鄭竣鴻從警11年，自107年起長期投入交通事故處理工作，面對各類交通事故均能冷靜應對、迅速研判，並秉持同理心協助當事人，深獲民眾肯定與同仁讚譽。此次榮獲警政署評鑑肯定，不僅是個人榮耀，也是潮州警分局的榮譽。

潮州分局長林俊雄表示，鄭員的表現展現了基層員警的專業與敬業精神，感謝各界的鼓勵與支持，未來將持續精進交通安全與秩序維護工作，打造更安全的用路環境。


▼從近期發生的案例分析，詐騙集團轉向目標鎖定在臺求學的外籍學生，利用渠等不諳我國法令及需要金錢的弱點，吸引學生協助擔任詐欺車手，成為詐欺案的共犯。（圖／屏東縣政府警察局屏東分局）

【記者何勁陞／屏東報導】 目前詐欺案件防制為當前警察機關執法重點，其中「詐欺車手」及「帳戶匯款」等案類則占詐欺案類的大宗，另外由外籍人士擔任涉入詐欺案件的數量在近年來也有顯著成長，根據內政部警政署統計在去(2024)年總計查獲700餘名外籍車手，在今(2025)年1至9月份間遭查獲的外籍車手已達1,000餘名。

屏東分局深入分析認為，所查獲的外籍車手多遭詐騙集團以「高薪」、「賺快錢」、「提供免費食宿」等假廣告吸引來臺擔任車手，而在臺的外籍移工則遭詐騙集團鎖定，販售渠等之金融帳戶供詐團使用，造成警方追查斷點。從近期發生的案例分析，詐騙集團轉向目標鎖定在臺求學的外籍學生，利用渠等不諳我國法令及需要金錢的弱點，吸引學生協助擔任詐欺車手，成為詐欺案的共犯。

有鑑於此屏東分局除將持續加強查緝外籍車手外，亦與轄內最高學府屏東大學合作，於(11)月13日由屏東分局防治組組長王翔正率外事員警，利用屏東大學外籍學生集會期間，以全英語方式實施反詐騙宣導，運用實際案例宣導擔任車手及提供人頭帳戶將會面臨的後果，以及說明新增的檢舉詐欺案件獎勵辦法，並輔以有獎徵答的互動方式提升學生們的印象，期能防制渠等因一時不察而淪為有心人士利用的受害者。

電動車沒電受困路上 屏東警暖送老婦返家

▼巡邏車載送阿嬤安全回家，而後再返回現場合力將阿嬤的電動代步車一步一步推回去，確保人車平安無虞。（圖／屏東縣政府警察局屏東分局）

屏東警察分局民和派出所警員林枻翰、鍾雅容於日前接獲報案，有一名劉姓阿嬤（約83歲）獨自在路上徘徊，神情焦急不安，需要警方協助。

二員抵達現場時，見劉嬤呆坐在電動代步車上，阿嬤看見員警到達後臉上露出開心的笑容，原來阿嬤騎著電動代步車正在回家的路上，卻突然沒電而受困路中，但距離回家的路程還有800多公尺，且天色昏暗、來往車輛頻繁，情況頗為危險，心裡正不知該如何是好。

首先員警確認劉嬤身體狀況尚可，自己的基本資料也能對答如流，同時確認劉嬤獨居後，一邊將電動代步車推移至安全處，一邊安撫阿嬤情緒，並主動提供協助以巡邏車載送阿嬤安全回家，而後再返回現場合力將阿嬤的電動代步車一步一步推回去，確保人車平安無虞，讓劉姓阿嬤非常感動，頻頻向熱心幫忙的員警深深道謝。

分局長林明波表示，警方除了維護治安與交通安全，也時時關懷社區民眾。員警主動協助長者將沒電的電動代步車，展現警察為民服務的熱忱與溫暖。未來警方將持續以行動守護鄉親，讓民眾感受到警察就在身邊、安心又貼心。

屏東警分局赴屏東大學外語反詐宣導　實際案例加深外籍學生印象


屏縣府警察局、縣政府政風處暨屏東地檢署辦理「廉政盃壘球比賽」結合反貪、反詐騙宣導儀式隆重登場

屏東 屏東縣 枋寮 潮州

▼檢察長皆同警察局局長甘炎民、政風處處長施仁傑，帶領所有參與活動人員進行反詐騙及廉政教育宣導儀式。（圖／屏東縣政府警察局）

【記者何勁陞／屏東報導】 屏東縣政府警察局、屏東縣政府政風處及台灣屏東地方檢察署共同舉辦的「廉政盃壘球賽暨反貪反詐宣導活動」，（15）日在屏東糖場棒壘球場盛大舉行。本次活動開球儀式於下午13時隆重登場，由屏東縣政府警察局局長甘炎民、屏東縣政府政風處處長施仁傑及地檢署代表擔任開球嘉賓，象徵本次活動正式啟動。

於活動中由屏東地檢署檢察長陳盈錦及屏東縣政府參議王榮愷，進行賽事優勝隊伍之頒獎典禮，隨後，檢察長皆同警察局局長甘炎民、政風處處長施仁傑，帶領所有參與活動人員進行反詐騙及廉政教育宣導儀式，提醒民眾提高警覺，認識常見詐騙手法，並呼籲跨機關協力打擊詐騙犯罪，守護縣民財產安全，並強調廉潔政府的重要性，以及公私協力打造廉潔透明的社會環境。透過寓教於樂的活動方式，期望讓更多民眾了解反貪與反詐的重要性。

儀式結束後，參與單位與貴賓共同合影留念，象徵跨機關合作、齊心守護廉能政府與治安環境的決心。本次活動在熱鬧與正向的氣氛中順利落幕。

屏東勇警縣運展頭角 局長頒贈警察熊予肯定

▼局長甘炎民為肯定同仁之努力與優異表現，特利用警察局11月13日局務會報中，頒贈象徵榮耀之「警察熊」娃娃予獲得佳績之同仁。（圖／屏東縣政府警察局）

屏東縣政府警察局參加本縣114年第74屆屏東縣運暨公教人員運動會，屏東縣政府警察局代表隊於本月7至9日全力投入田徑及球類等多項競賽爭取佳績，也展現平日訓練成果與團隊默契，成績斐然。局長甘炎民為肯定同仁之努力與優異表現，特利用警察局11月13日局務會報中，頒贈象徵榮耀之「警察熊」娃娃予獲得佳績之同仁，以表彰其優異表現。

在田徑競賽部分，警察局代表隊以穩定表現勇奪多項冠軍，包辦機關男子甲、乙組及女子甲、乙組各第1名，並於機關男女混合組大隊接力項目再下一城，榮獲第1名佳績，充分展現出強大的團隊默契與扎實體能訓練成果。球類賽事同樣成績斐然，警察局代表隊在激烈競爭中脫穎而出，分別榮獲排球第1名、慢速壘球第2名、桌球第3名、羽球第3名及網球第4名，展現出警察同仁在競技場上的堅毅意志與絕佳協作能力。此外，在個人賽項目中，選手們亦有亮眼表現：男子甲組1500公尺由潮州分局警員陳冠翰勇奪第1名；男子乙組100公尺及1500公尺分別由刑警大隊分隊長蔡順福、潮州分局分隊長邱一峯奪冠；女子乙組800公尺由刑警大隊書記江雅智拔得頭籌；女子甲組800公尺及大隊接力第1名為屏東分局警員李千鈴所獲；女子甲組100公尺、跳遠及大隊接力則由枋寮分局偵查佐吳于瑄包辦三面金牌；女子乙組100公尺、跳遠及大隊接力由少年警察隊警務員蔡文雅勇奪冠軍，成績表現十分亮眼。

局長甘炎民表示，本局同仁於勤務繁重之餘，仍能展現高度自律精神及優異競賽能力，實屬難能可貴；期勉全體員警持續保持良好運動習慣與健康體能，以最佳狀態投入治安維護及為民服務工作，展現「屏安、護民」之目標。


群山之聲・世界之音——口簧琴沙龍音樂會開啟原民聲音新共鳴 首場 11/15 熱力登場，文化振動延伸至 11/22 原鄉壓軸場

2025-11-16   生活中心/綜合報導

財團法人桃園市原住民族發展基金會辦理「口簧琴體驗工作坊 x 沙龍音樂會」於KIRI國際原住民族文創園區熱鬧登場。這場以「群山之聲，世界之音」為主題的沙龍音樂會，不僅匯聚多位重量級原民音樂家與青年創作者，更以現場口簧琴互動體驗、即興演奏與觀眾共鳴，為桃園注入屬於山與海的震動頻率。

▲太魯閣族傳統樂器演奏家-謝皓程。(圖/財團法人桃園市原住民族發展基金會提供)

活動由泰雅族達少・瓦旦 Tasaw．Watan 老師帶領「口簧琴體驗工作坊」揭開序幕。參與者從口簧琴的構造開始認識文化底蘊——

不同於當前國際間大量使用鐵製口簧琴，台灣原住民族仍保留「竹子與銅片」製作的傳統工藝，保持聲音的自然震動與語彙性。竹製口簧琴的聲音輕盈、細膩，具備泰雅族與賽德克族獨特的語言節奏，是族群文化中傳遞情感、講述故事的重要媒介。

▲泰美混血音樂創作-拉外Laway。(圖/財團法人桃園市原住民族發展基金會提供)

在工作坊中，民眾跟著樂師的節奏，聽見竹片間的呼吸、銅片震動的頻率，體會「聲音即語言、震動即記憶」的文化奧義。

賽德克族的DJ許陳音樂 In Love Chen Xu就以電子節奏融合口簧琴聲，打造跨越山林與未來的頻率；太魯閣族的謝皓成，則以木琴及口簧琴等傳統樂器結合大提琴現代配器，再次展現臺灣原音的當代能量；阿美泰雅混血的拉外Laway與阿美太魯閣混血的基姜Kincyang 則以族語與流行樂交織，唱出山與海的故事，在現場激起陣陣掌聲。觀眾在音樂的共鳴中起舞、合唱，整場活動不只是演出，更是一場文化的交流與療癒，呼應本次活動主軸「讓口簧琴再次震動，不只是樂音的回歸，更是文化被重新聽見」。

▲音樂會現場。(圖/財團法人桃園市原住民族發展基金會提供)

文化共振持續延伸至11/22原鄉壓軸場

原基會表示，透過此次活動，桃園不僅展示原住民族文化的當代表現，也將成為國際間認識口簧琴文化的重要窗口，從山林到城市，從聲音到文化，我們正在讓世界再次聽見桃園的頻率。

除了 11/15 城市共鳴的沙龍音樂會，第二場將展望原鄉延續於 11/22(六) 9:00-20:00 桃園市復興區爺亨部落接力登場。系列活動將移師至「爺亨梯田農莊」，帶來原鄉壓軸篇章。屆時將結合工作坊與山林現場音樂，除了謝皓成持續演出外，亦分別邀請 玩皮獵人 Awi・Tunun以賽德克口簧琴與工藝共演；在地詞曲創作與族群文化的音樂人芣度武道 Botu Utaw與拉外 Laway，讓整個復興區山谷與歌聲再度共鳴。 上午亦安排由林虹穎與巴度・瓦旦領銜的口簧琴體驗工作坊，限額10人，持續開放報名中。

報名連結｜https://reurl.cc/vKeMGa

口簧琴工作坊

活動時間｜114年11月22日（六）0900-1200

活動地點｜爺亨梯田農莊（桃園市復興區三光里8鄰爺亨9號）

週末沙龍音樂節

活動時間｜114年11月22日（六）1700-1900

活動地點｜爺亨梯田農莊（桃園市復興區三光里8鄰爺亨9號）


US ‘deeply concerned’ over Shen probe

CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said

The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.”

“China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said.

The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China.

A sign outside the US Department of State in Washington is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Reuters

The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen under China’s “draconian judicial guidelines” aimed at prosecuting so-called “Taiwanese independence die-hards.”

“We urge China to engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan to resolve differences,” they said. “Continued threats and legal pressure will only undermine the peaceful resolution of issues that Beijing claims to seek.”

On Sunday last week, a Chinese legal expert on state-run China Central Television said Shen should be pursued through Interpol and other mutual judicial assistance agreements with foreign countries.

The statement raised concern that Shen might be arrested and extradited to China if he traveled abroad.

At a hearing of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid in Berlin on Wednesday, Shen said that “as a brave Taiwanese, I will never draw back in fear.”

The Mainland Affairs Council said that China has no judicial authority over the country, and that it would coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international partners on possible countermeasures.

Soochow University Department of Political Science assistant professor Chen Fang-yu (陳方隅) said China aims to create a common enemy and rally groups friendly to it.

Beijing’s intimidation aims to disrupt solidarity among democracies, and its transnational repression shares the same purpose as its “gray zone” harassment — to “test other countries’ reactions and red lines,” Chen said.

Democratic countries take longer to formulate and implement policies, making it impossible for them to respond with aggressive measures, he said, adding that China can be expected to “continue to test.”

However, as China continues to push democratic nations, it is clear that they are becoming more united against it, he said, citing the US Department of State’s remarks and a pledge by the Interparliamentary Alliance on China that it would support bills and measures to counter transnational repression backed by Beijing.

Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao


Taipei slams Beijing for Yellow Sea live-fire drill

By Su Yung-yao and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

The Presidential Office yesterday accused Beijing of saber-rattling at Japan for political gain, hours after Chinese maritime authorities said it would conduct live-fire missile drills in the Yellow Sea.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army tomorrow through Thursday would conduct missile tests with live weapons in the center zone of the Yellow Sea, the Chinese Maritime Safety Administration said in a navigational hazard notice yesterday.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a travel advisory on Friday, citing a rising number of criminal cases involving Chinese nationals and safety risks following Japan’s “provocative” statements regarding Taiwan.

Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo speaks at the Presidential Office in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

Those “statements” refer to comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan.

Her comments drew a response from Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian (薛劍), who wrote on social media: “If you go sticking that filthy neck where it doesn’t belong, it’s gonna get sliced right off. You ready for that?”

The post was later deleted.

Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said Beijing’s politically motivated bid to generate hybrid threats targeting Japan posed a grave risk to security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Taiwan urges China to desist from being the troublemaker or engaging in inappropriate unilateral activities, she said, adding that as a great power, Beijing should behave responsibly.

National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) in a social media post yesterday criticized Beijing, saying China “continues to engage in humiliating rhetoric and military intimidation toward Japan” instead of reflecting on the “insulting” remarks made by Xue.

As a long-time target of China’s threats and coercion, Taiwan condemns the Chinese government’s uncivilized behavior that threatens to destabilize the region, he said.

An official familiar with foreign affairs yesterday said Beijing has adopted verbal violence, economic pressure and the threat of force as part of its routine strategy for dealing with other nations.

Japan is not the only victim of China’s hybrid threat, they said.

The change in Tokyo’s national security strategy did not begin with Takaichi, it has evolved gradually in response to changes in the regional situation, the official said.

Takaichi’s comments do not go against Japan’s strategic position, nor do they contradict the international community’s understanding of Tokyo’s security policy, they said.

China has reacted excessively and irrationally, the official said, adding that Beijing’s response not only failed help the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, but could also lead to regional misjudgments and increase unnecessary tensions.


About 40,000 eggs contaminated with pesticide residue have entered the market from a farm in Changhua County despite the farm being subject to “movement control” by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said, adding that it has demanded clarification from local agricultural authorities.

FDA Deputy Director-General Tsai Shu-chen (蔡淑貞) yesterday said that when inspectors on Monday visited an egg store, they found eggs from movement-controlled Wenya Livestock Farm.

Tests on the eggs detected 0.05 parts per million (ppm) of fipronil and its metabolites, far in excess of the 0.01ppm limit.

Warning tape is wrapped around crates of eggs from Wenya Livestock Farm in Changhua County on Nov. 5. Photo courtesy of the Changhua County Government

Health authorities on Nov. 5 had sealed Wenya Livestock Farm’s eggs after Changhua’s Public Health Bureau found 0.03ppm of fipronil-sulfone in a batch of its eggs, and the issue was reported the issue to the Animal Disease Control Center so movement controls could be implemented, Tsai said.

However, investigations found the egg store had purchased 200 baskets, or about 40,000 eggs, from the farm on Sunday, she said.

About 7,600 eggs have been recalled, and the rest are being traced, Tsai said, adding that other eggs might have already been distributed to breakfast shops or bought by customers.

“Since a ‘movement control’ was already in place, how did the eggs still get distributed?” she asked.

Local agricultural authorities should provide a clear explanation and be held accountable, she added.

The Taichung City Food and Drug Safety Department said it asked the Changhua County Government to investigate whether Wenya Livestock Farm was involved in illegal sales.

When the issue broke out, an emergency recall of eggs from Wenya Livestock Farm had been issued in Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Chiayi City, and Hsinchu, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou and Chiayi counties, the FDA said, adding that 626 cartons of eggs were immediately traced and recalled, while 543 cartons had already been sold to consumers.

Additional reporting by CNA

Contaminated eggs hit market despite controls


Tokyo raises objections against China advising citizens to avoid Japan travel

Japan raised objections yesterday after China advised its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, as a feud over new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan showed no signs of dying down.

The government in Tokyo lodged a protest and its top spokesperson, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, urged China to take “appropriate measures,” Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported.

China on Friday advised its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi raises her hand during a session of the Japanese House of Councilors Budget Committee at the National Diet in Tokyo on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

It cited earlier attacks against Chinese in Japan and what it called Takaichi ‘s “erroneous remarks” on Taiwan, which it said undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan exchange.

Kihara told reporters that it is precisely because of the differences between the two governments that multilayered communication is essential, a Kyodo report said.

China has repeatedly recommended its nationals take security precautions when they are in Japan over the past year, but the latest announcement appeared to be stronger in advising against travel, notices posted on the Web site of its embassy in Tokyo showed.

Japan is an immensely popular destination for Chinese tourists, providing a much-needed economic boost, but also sparking an anti-China and anti-foreigner backlash from some.

It is unclear what impact the advisory will have on the willingness of Chinese to visit Japan, but several Chinese airlines offered no-penalty refunds on sold tickets to Japan following the government’s announcement.

The dispute suggested that Japan’s already fragile relations with China could turn rocky under Takaichi, who supports building up the military to counter potential threats from Beijing and its claims to contested territory in nearby waters in the western Pacific.

Takaichi, who became prime minister last month, in parliament said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “an existential threat” to Japan, requiring the use of force by its military.

The remark prompted strong objections from China, including a social media post from its consul general in Osaka last weekend saying: “We have no choice but to cut off that dirty neck that has been lunged at us.”

His comment, which was later taken down, sparked a Japanese diplomatic protest that was followed by a back-and-forth that continued all week.

China claims Taiwan, a self-governing nation, as its territory and has staged threatening military drills in the surrounding waters over the past few years.

Neither the US nor Japan has official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the Washington is the main supplier of defense equipment to Taipei’s military and opposes resolution of the Taiwan-China situation by force.

Japan is a military ally of the US and hosts its troops at several bases on its territory, including a major US Navy base south of Tokyo.


UN Security Council to vote on US’ Gaza plan endorsement

UNANSWERED ISSUES:  There were questions about the plan, such as the role of the Palestinian Authority and details regarding the ISF’s mandate, sources said

The UN Security Council is to vote today on a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, diplomats said.

The US last week officially launched negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a text that would follow up on a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump’s plan.

A draft of the resolution said it “welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace,” a transitional governing body for Gaza — that Trump would theoretically chair — with a mandate running until the end of 2027.

It would authorize member states to form a “temporary International Stabilization Force [ISF]” that would work with Israel, Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.

Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state.

The US and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Friday called for the UN Security Council to quickly adopt the resolution.

“The United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkey express our joint support for the Security Council Resolution currently under consideration,” the countries said in a joint statement, adding that they were seeking the measure’s “swift adoption.”

The joint statement comes as Russia circulated a competing draft resolution to Council members that does not authorize the creation of a board of peace or the immediate deployment of an international force in Gaza, according to text seen by Agence France-Presse.

The Russian version welcomes “the initiative that led to the ceasefire,” but does not name Trump.

It also only calls on the UN secretary-general to submit a report that addresses the possibilities of deploying an international stabilization force in war-ravaged Gaza.

The US has called the ceasefire “fragile,” and warned of the risks of not adopting its draft.

“Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict,” US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz wrote in The Washington Post. “Every departure from this path, be it by those who wish to play political games or to relitigate the past, will come with a real human cost.”

While it seemed until now that Security Council members supported principles of the peace plan, diplomatic sources said there were questions about the US text, particularly regarding the absence of a monitoring mechanism by the Council, the role of the Palestinian Authority and details of the ISF’s mandate.

The Russian UN mission in a statement said its alternative proposal differed by recognizing the principle of a “two-State solution for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement.”


ALL-NATURAL RESOURCES:  Charging entry fees, a common practice, could help pay for maintenance and conservation, a National Parks report found

Entry fees could be charged at the nation’s three alpine national parks to help fund ecological conservation and hiking trail maintenance, National Park Service Director Wang Cheng-chi (王成機) said yesterday.

Of the nine national parks in Taiwan, Yushan National Park, Shei-Pa National Park and Taroko National Park are home to 76 of the “100 Peaks of Taiwan” and more than 10 long-distance trekking routes, attracting more than 160,000 visitors to mountain trails last year.

Prior to entering these national parks to hike one of the “100 Peaks of Taiwan,” hikers must apply online for an entry permit — currently free of charge — from the park’s headquarters.

A person looks at mountain peaks enveloped by clouds in Yushan National Park in Nantou County in an undated photograph. Photo: Yushan National Park Headquarters

Visitors to tourist centers or non-ecological conservation areas at national parks are not required to apply for the entry permit.

Of the cabins located across the “100 Peaks of Taiwan,” only Yushan National Park’s Paiyun Lodge (排雲山莊) charges a fee, and its newly built Guangao Lodge (觀高山屋) would charge a fee beginning next month.

Other cabins within Yushan National Park are free of charge, as they are designed as shelters.

Other national parks impose charges on certain tourist sites or facilities, such as Oluanpi Park (鵝鑾鼻公園), Yangming Shuwu (陽明書屋) and Zhuilu Old Road (錐麓古道).

Wang said the idea of entry fees was put forward by the National Park Service following suggestions made in a report on the management of national parks published by the Control Yuan’s Committee on Interior and Ethnic Affairs.

The report suggested that national parks impose “ecological compensation fees” and pool such income into a fund dedicated to ecological conservation and facility renovation, he said.

Such income would be unstable due to fluctuating numbers of entry permit applicants, while the maintenance costs of cabins and hiking trails at the three alpine national parks would be high, Wang said.

Pooling entry fees into a standalone fund might be insufficient, he said, adding that an alternative choice is to integrate the income into the national treasury and then allocate general budgets for national parks.

No consensus has been reached, as disagreements remain regarding the costs, the use of the fees and whether it should be charged based on entry times or entry days, Wang said.

Popular cabins would definitely have their fees increased, he said.

For example, Paiyun Lodge charges NT$480 per person per night, but the amount could be raised to higher than Guangao Lodge’s NT$1,200 after renovations are completed in the first quarter of next year, Wang said.

Tourism Administration Director-General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said that Taiwan’s mountain tours are internationally famous and lauded especially among tourists from Northern Europe.

Localization is the key to globalization, she said, adding that Yushan (玉山) would be promoted as “a must-go among Taiwanese” — similar to how Japan’s Mount Fuji is on the bucket list for many Japanese — to attract more foreign visitors to the mountain.

Tuomasih Tour Co chief executive officer Huang Jih-hung (黃日虹) said Taiwan has magnificent mountains that are as impressive as those in other countries.

Although Taiwan’s mountains have rougher terrain and more dangerous trails than some foreign mountains, they are more challenging and therefore more attractive, she said, adding that she agrees with charging entry fees to aid conservation and maintenance.

Well-maintained national parks can provide safe trails to sustain its popularity among hikers, thereby achieving sustainable operations, Huang said.

Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu has an entry fee of about NT$500 and its cabin rooms charge up to NT$20,000 per night, she said, adding that hiking enthusiasts continue to visit Mount Kinabalu regardless of the cost.

For foreign tourists, Taiwan’s complicated permit application procedures for mountain access are the most troublesome, while most other countries do not have such procedures, she said, adding that limited transportation options to trailheads in Taiwan is also a problem.

A hiker, surnamed Ni (倪), said he would support the user-pays principle as long as fees charged by national parks are spent reasonably.

However, increasing accommodation fees of cabins is questionable, given that the accommodation quality would not be improved accordingly, he said, adding that food quality has long been a problem both at Paiyun Lodge and Jiaming Lake Cabin.

Such fees would need a good reason to be raised if they are to maintain credibility among hikers, Ni said.

Additional reporting by Tsai Yun-jung

Fees proposed to fund upkeep of alpine parks


INTERNATIONAL STANDARD:  The bill would ensure hydrogen comes from low-carbon sources, pushing a standardized, global and renewable-friendly supply chain

The Ministry of Economic Affairs has completed a draft bill on guidelines for domestic low-carbon hydrogen source certification, which is expected to complement the Taiwan Renewable Energy Certificate (T-REC) system and would prevent repeated disclosures.

In 2023, 37 countries at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) pledged to develop their national low-carbon hydrogen certification mechanisms based on mutual recognition.

The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection in May completed the draft guidelines and has signed a memorandum of understanding with a technical support team from the EU’s Association of Issuing Bodies to jointly examine the draft guidelines and ensure their conformity with EU voluntary certification schemes, the ministry said.

The preliminary structure of the guidelines mainly covers key technical aspects such as certificate issuance format, information disclosure items, cancelation procedures and carbon emissions inventory boundaries, the ministry said.

It is expected that the detailed regulations for domestic low-carbon hydrogen source certification would be established some time next year, it said.

Taiwan Institute of Economic Research assistant researcher Hsu Chia-wen (徐嘉?) wrote in an article that low-carbon hydrogen can help decarbonize energy-intensive industries and its certification mechanisms can provide such clean hydrogen with an identifier in line with international standards.

That would encourage companies to adopt low-carbon hydrogen and accelerate energy transition, he said.

An expert from the institute said on condition of anonymity that market demand for low-carbon hydrogen or green hydrogen — hydrogen produced by using electricity generated from renewable energy sources — is driven by economic incentives or compliance requirements.

Well-developed certification mechanisms would bolster international clean hydrogen markets, allowing the environmental value of low-carbon hydrogen to be verified, traded and incorporated into government policies, they said.

Once the guidelines developed by the ministry are implemented, hydrogen would no longer be just an industrial raw material for its manufacturers, as its market value would depend on whether it has verifiable environmental attributes, the expert said.

That means companies would have to provide full data on greenhouse gas emissions involved in its production for verification by a third party, including electricity sources, energy consumption during production processes, and raw material and transport emissions, they said.

Taiwan uses the T-REC system, so the low-carbon hydrogen certification system is designed to be complementary to T-REC, the expert said.

While T-REC focuses on electricity sources and renewable energy use, low-carbon hydrogen certification would evaluate carbon intensity and life-cycle emissions of hydrogen or hydrogen-based fuels, they said.

The two systems would be integrated to ensure that the environmental benefit of each entry of renewable electricity would be disclosed only once, the expert said.

For hydrogen-using companies, such source certification mechanisms would be indispensable tools to their international sustainability initiatives and supply chain disclosure, they said.

Sustainability frameworks such as the RE100 percent initiative, the Carbon Disclosure Project, the Science Based Targets initiative, the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards require companies to disclose their energy sources and decarbonization contributions, the expert said.

Companies without credible certification of hydrogen energy sources might be less competitive in winning international orders and might face higher tariffs on their exports to the EU due to its carbon border adjustment mechanism, they said.

Taiwan would take a progressive approach to promote its low-carbon hydrogen certification mechanism, with a focus on domestic use of power and fuels, emissions during production processes and pre-delivery operations at the preliminary stage, the expert said.

Imported raw materials and overseas transport emissions would be incorporated later to reduce pressure on domestic industries, they said.

Ministry drafts low-carbon hydrogen bill


The High Court’s Tainan branch this month upheld a lower court’s ruling denying a man’s claim of self-defense after he pepper-sprayed his neighbor. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed.

On Aug. 10 last year, the defendant, surnamed Chuang (莊), was standing in the courtyard of his residence, arguing with his neighbor, court documents said.

The neighbor approached the gate and at one point extended his left hand over the top of the gate, pointing his finger at Chuang, the documents said.

A Tainan man’s self-defense appeal in a pepper spraying case was denied. Photo: CNA

Chuang took out pepper spray and sprayed the neighbor in his face, they said.

The neighbor experienced a burning sensation and sought medical attention before pressing charges against Chuang.

The judge in the initial trial in May concluded that while the neighbor had provoked Chuang and extended his hand over the gate, he did not actually open the gate and enter, nor did he physically assault Chuang.

If Chuang had genuinely been concerned for his personal safety, he could have kept his distance or called the police, the court concluded, adding that Chuang chose to confront the neighbor and pepper spray them.

This was not self-defense, but constituted assault, the court ruled.

In an appeal, Chuang said he had been repeatedly harassed by the neighbor for an extended period, and had often called the police and filed complaints.

During the incident last year, the neighbor yelled in front of his door, approached and grabbed the iron gate, Chuang said, adding that his elderly and infirm grandmother was standing near the gate, and he was concerned the neighbor might break in and harm her.

He used the pepper spray after repeatedly shouting “leave” and warning the neighbor that it was pepper spray, he said, adding that he believed he was protecting himself and his family.

After reviewing the surveillance footage, the High Court said the footage did not show the neighbor opening the gate or attacking.

Chuang did not experience any physical confrontation, nor was there any unlawful invasion, it said.

Chuang used the pepper spray, believing he was about to be attacked, but this did not meet the requirements for legitimate self-defense, it said, adding that the situation did not justify assault.

High Court upholds assault ruling after pepper spray attack


The Tainan District Court has found a teenager guilty of posting a sexually explicit video of his girlfriend on social media without consent.

The court ruled his parents were legally responsible for the boy’s actions, and ordered NT$500,000 (US$16,051) to be paid in compensation to the victim.

The incident took place in December last year, when the boy and his girlfriend, both under 18 and legally minors at the time of the incident, were in a relationship.

The entrance gate of Taiwan Tainan District Court is pictured in an undated photo. Photo: Wang Chun-chung, Liberty Times

The boy asked her to send him explicit videos, according to a court filing.

A month later, he posted the video on social media, with its visibility limited to his friends, which she learned of several months later, the court filing said.

“She filed a civil lawsuit against her boyfriend and his parents requesting NT$1 million in compensation, saying she had suffered mental and physical trauma from the incident,” the court filing said.

At the trial, the boy said that because she had sent the video voluntarily, there was no element of intimidation or coercion.

The teenager said that her face was not visible in the video and that he warned his friends not to circulate the video, making it a relatively minor violation of her privacy.

He also said the compensation of NT$1 million was too high.

The court ruled the teenager had broken the law by posting the video on social media.

“It was a clear violation of the girl’s rights to privacy, resulting in her suffering mental and physical trauma, which were quite serious,” the ruling said.

“The teenager’s parents are his legal guardians; they failed to supervise him, and did not effectively teach him not to infringe on the privacy rights of another person. Therefore, the parents are also responsible in this case and liable for compensation to the victim,” it said.

When a minor unlawfully violates the rights of another person, the court assesses the minor’s capability for judgement, and determines who is liable for financial compensation, attorney Chiang Hsin-hsien (江信賢) said.

In some cases in which a child has left home and not contacted their parents for an extended period or other atypical parenting situations, the parents might not be held liable for the child’s actions, Chiang said.

Teen guilty of posting sex video without consent


Better military command key: experts

INTEGRATION:  Taiwan’s, the US’ and Japan’s joint command efforts fail to achieve the level of information sharing needed in complicated operations, an expert said

Taiwan should bolster the military’s command and control capabilities to enhance its integration with US and Japanese forces, former defense officials from the US and Japan said.

They made the remarks to the Central News Agency after a series of tabletop wargames in Taipei hosted by the Prospect Foundation, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security.

Taiwan must improve its command and control capabilities to defend itself alongside US and Japanese forces against Chinese aggression, said Institute for Indo-Pacific Security chairman Randall Shriver, a former US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs.

Sasakawa Peace Foundation executive director Nobukatsu Kanehara, right, speaks at an event in Taipei yesterday as Institute for Indo-Pacific Security chairman Randall Shriver looks on. Photo: CNA

The three nations’ joint command and control efforts have failed to achieve the level of information sharing needed in complicated operations such as establishing air corridors, Shriver said.

The armed forces need better battlefield awareness, optimized operational monitoring, and coherent links with US and Japanese forces, he said.

Such capabilities are a prerequisite for the military’s ability to wage joint warfare, make operational decisions quickly and autonomously, and fight efficiently as part of a coalition, he said.

Although Taiwan and Japan have made progress in integrating their command and control systems, the wargame exposed flaws in communication that could cause the defenders to suffer heavy losses, Shriver said.

Taiwan is a close US partner, but not an official ally, which results in insufficient integration in the two nations’ communications and war planning, he added.

Shriver also said that Taiwan’s resilience and military preparedness would have a major impact on the US leadership’s willingness to assist with its defense.

In case of a conflict, Taiwan must be able to resist long enough so that US forces could intervene, he said.

Strengthening the nation’s energy grid and telecommunications infrastructure would benefit it more than procurement of arms, he said.

President William Lai’s (賴清德) decision to head the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee sent the world a powerful message, he said.

Self-sufficiency is key in Taiwan’s chances of survival against blockades and other forms of aggression that fall short of a full-scale invasion, he added.

The US Congress’ bid to include Taiwan in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) is of limited usefulness, as the joint drills have been “dumbed down” to accommodate international participants, he said.

RIMPAC’s focus on international conflicts lies outside of Taiwan’s security needs, he said, adding that the integration of Taiwanese armed forces in joint operations requires their participation in more sophisticated and rigorous exercises.

Sasakawa Peace Foundation senior fellow Tomohisa Takei, a former Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief of staff, said that improved communications in joint operations are key to avoiding friendly fire incidents.

Integrating Taiwan into the US-Japan bilateral security framework poses a significant challenge, Takei said.

Tokyo is not prepared to deal with a military threat from China, whose economy is four times the size of Japan’s, Sasakawa Peace Foundation executive director Nobukatsu Kanehara said.

Tokyo must enhance trilateral security cooperation arrangements with Taiwan and the US to achieve effective deterrence, he said.

The lack of formal diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Japan has hampered government-to-government collaborations, he added.

Taiwan’s inadequate oil reserves — sufficient for sustaining the nation for only two weeks — is a serious concern, Kanehara said.

There is not much Taipei could do to bolster energy self-sufficiency other than making use of nuclear energy, he said.


Arms sale shows the US’ commitment, expert says

DEFENSE SUPPORT:  The timing of the latest arms sale announcement was likely not a coincidence, as it came after a meeting between Trump and Xi, John Dotson said

The announcement of a potential US$330 million US arms sale to Taiwan shows Washington’s commitment to helping the country’s military maintain high hardware operational readiness, Rupert Hammond-Chambers, the head of the US-Taiwan Business Council, said in a statement on Friday.

Hammond-Chambers welcomed what would be the first arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year.

“Bolstering the sustainment of legacy equipment shows our ongoing commitment to helping the Taiwan military achieve high operational rates,” Hammond-Chambers said.

F-16 jets taxi on a runway at Hualien Air Force Base on Aug. 20, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Military News Agency via AP

The proposed package, announced on Thursday, includes nonstandard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support for F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft.

The US Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it has delivered certification notifying the US Congress of the sale, after the proposal was approved by the US Department of State.

Hammond-Chambers said that sustainment packages have long been a part of US security assistance to Taiwan, with 27 such congressional notifications issued since 2001.

“It will be important for Taiwan to receive a mix of US support that includes the maintenance of legacy equipment, coupled with expanded magazines of legacy munitions, as well as missiles and mobile platforms for ground-to-air, ground-to-sea, air-to-air and sea combat,” he said.

Several US experts on Friday said that the parts and equipment are critical to Taiwan’s military readiness amid China’s “gray zone” tactics, adding that as a result frequent Chinese military activity near the nation, Taiwan’s fighter jets require more maintenance.

In an e-mail to the Central News Agency, retired US Navy rear admiral Mark Montgomery described the arms package as important to Taiwan and “vital to military readiness.”

Michael Hunzeker, an associate professor at George Mason University in Virginia, said that the proposed package seems reasonable.

“The Taiwanese air force is bearing the brunt of intercepting and monitoring China’s gray zone provocations,” Hunzeker said. “Its aircraft are therefore wearing out faster than usual and need more maintenance than usual.”

Beijing would likely overreact to the arms sale announcement, potentially leading to a rise in “gray zone” activity after a relatively long period of calm, he said.

John Dotson, director of the Washington-based Global Taiwan Institute, said that the sale looks to be one of a fairly straightforward nature.

“During the first year of Trump 2, the arms sales process for Taiwan appeared to be on hold, likely due to political considerations in the US-China relationship,” Dotson said, adding that the timing of the latest announcement was likely not a coincidence, as it came after the important meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea last month, during which the two leaders agreed to ease mutual trade restrictions and bilateral tensions.

“Arms sales to Taiwan were likely on unofficial hold until after the Trump-Xi meeting at APEC in October, but with that milestone passed, it appears that this sale was cleared to go forward,” he added.


By Shih Hsiao-kuang, Chen Cheng-yu and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments regarding Taiwan were “reckless” and cross-strait issues should not be subject to outside intervention, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday.

Takaichi last week said that if China used force against Taiwan, it might constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, allowing it to mobilize its armed forces.

Ma wrote on Facebook yesterday that he was greatly concerned about the comment and that it might lead to a revival of right-wing militarism in Japan.

Ma urged Japanese leaders to be cautious regarding their words and actions about the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

Ma said while he supports friendly Taiwan-Japan ties, outsiders should not intervene in cross-strait affairs, which should be left to the two sides of the Strait.

Takaichi’s comments were a departure from the caution past Japanese prime ministers showed on the Taiwan issue, Ma said.

Even the hint that Japan might consider armed intervention is drawing criticism, even at home, he added.

Takaichi might not be aware that Tokyo must seek Washington’s approval in a situation justifying military action by Japan, Ma said, adding that the US was evidently not informed ahead of her remarks.

He said he was confident that wisdom would prevail on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and that a peaceful solution would be reached.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Taiwan Strait must remain stable so that a “survival-threatening situation” does not arise, he said.

Separately, former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said that Takaichi was “overreaching” with her comment.

She put Taiwan in a dangerous position, and it must be made clear that “Taiwan is no longer a Japanese colony,” Hung said.

The Taiwan issue is an “internal matter stemming from the Chinese Civil War” and foreign politicians are not in a position to comment on cross-strait affairs, she said.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) said that Ma’s comments were from Beijing’s perspective and ignored that China has not renounced the use of force as a means to resolve the Taiwan issue.

Ma aligns with the Chinese narrative in many instances, even using “strong reactions from the Chinese side” as a standard for judgement, Chen said.

Taiwan’s security and interests cannot be centered around China’s emotional reactions, and Beijing should not be allowed to determine how Taiwan interacts with the international community, he said.

“The reason the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become tense in the past few years has always been very clear: Chinese military aircraft and warships continue to harass Taiwan, and crossing the median line [of the Taiwan Strait] has become the new normal,” Chen said, adding that China’s “gray zone” actions and escalating threats are real and present security challenges.

“However, Ma focuses on Japan and avoids discussing the increasing military pressure from China,” he said. “This not only misses the point, but also could lead to international misunderstandings.”

Japan’s concerns about regional security are based on its own national security realities and assessments of the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, not on what Ma claims is “stirring up the Taiwan Strait,” Chen said.

Taiwan and Japan in the past few years have formed solid connections in areas such as democracy, humanitarian efforts, economics and security, he said.

This normal cooperation is not a “return to militarism,” but a necessary collaboration between democratic nations in the face of authoritarian expansion, he said.

While Taiwan seeks peace, it does not want peace at the price of bending the knee, he said, adding that the nation’s future should not and cannot be dictated by China.

Takaichi’s comments ‘reckless,’ Ma says


Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday called for Taiwanese to put aside partisan differences, and unite and work together to build a better Taiwan.

Tsai made the comment on her Facebook page after returning from a week-long trip to Germany, where she attended the Berlin Freedom Conference, an event commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and promoting freedom and democracy worldwide.

Tsai thanked Taiwan’s frontline diplomats, members of the media, and others for helping raise Taiwan’s visibility on the global stage and strengthening its ties with Europe.

Former president Tsai Ing-wen, center, walks through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday after a trip to Germany. Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times

“Taiwan, like other democracies around the world, is facing unprecedented challenges,” she said, adding that only by staying united can Taiwan safeguard its democratic development and economic prosperity.

Tsai said she would always be there for Taiwan if needed, and urged everyone to come together, and work toward its betterment and contribute to the world.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that during her trip to Germany, Tsai also attended a screening of Zero Day Attack (零日攻擊) during the Berlin conference’s Berlin Freedom Week.

Zero Day Attack is a Taiwanese speculative television series released this year and set against the fictional scenario of a Chinese People’s Liberation Army invasion of Taiwan.

Tsai also met with representatives from several local think tanks and visited the Berlin office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the ministry said in the statement.

She held in-depth discussions with the team behind the Germany-funded “Taiwan as a Pioneer” research project, aimed at promoting structural strengthening and networking of Taiwan research in Sinology, it added.

Tsai Ing-wen urges the nation to show unity


Cabinet plans to take budget issue to court: premier

卓榮泰 黃珊珊 陳培瑜 韓國瑜

By Chung Li-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Executive Yuan would file for a constitutional interpretation regarding the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditure (財政收支劃分法) the Legislative Yuan passed on Friday, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said.

The amendments would undermine the government’s stability and be detrimental to its fiscal discipline, he wrote on Facebook on Friday evening.

In response to this year’s central government budget being cut, and being required to adjust and reduce NT$63.6 billion (US$2.04 billion), the Executive Yuan decided to cut general subsidies to local governments by 25 percent.

Premier Cho Jung-tai speaks at the Executive Yuan in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

The move incurred the ire of the opposition parties, who pushed the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) version of proposed amendments to the act 59 votes to 50.

The amendments stipulate that general subsidies from the central government to local governments should not be less than those of the previous fiscal year.

The amendments also stipulate that central government subsidies to local governments for projects should not be less than the average amount given to projects in administrative regions in the same income bracket over the past decade.

KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) said the amendments were intended to correct mistakes and ensure that local governments receive their dues.

Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said the cut to the budget should have been deducted from ministries, but the Cabinet instead deducted the sum from local government subsidies.

The Executive Yuan said it intended to propose a counter-amendment, but it has not yet been introduced, she added.

An Executive Yuan official yesterday on condition of anonymity said that the centrally funded tax revenues distributed to local governments for fiscal 2026 have already reached NT$416.5 billion, raising a debt of NT$299.2 billion.

If the government observes amendments passed on Friday and maintains the same level of subsidies, which stood at NT$545.5 billion this year, the government would have to raise NT$264.6 billion in debt, placing total government debt in fiscal 2026 at NT$563.8 billion, or 17.1 percent of annual government expenditure, they said.

Such an amount exceeds the legally mandated ceiling per the Public Debt Act (公共債務法) and undermines the government’s fiscal discipline, they added.

The Executive Yuan would introduce its own proposed version of amendments to the budget act as soon as Thursday, they said.

Democratic Progressive Party caucus secretary-general Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) yesterday said the Executive Yuan should first come up with its own amendments to see if the opposition parties were open to discussion.

Were such attempts to fall through, “it is possible the president not to promulgate the amendments [passed on Friday], or the premier not to cosign the amendment,” she said.

Chen also urged member of the public to contact Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and demand him not proceed the amendments.

Additional reporting by Lee Wen-hsin


Central bank rejects ‘Big Mac’ claim in ‘The Economist’

The central bank on Friday rejected an allegation by The Economist that it has kept the New Taiwan dollar undervalued to bolster exports and created “hidden risks” for the economy, saying the currency’s value is determined by market supply and demand.

In a statement, the central bank said that an article in The Economist — “The hidden risks in Taiwan’s boom” — mistakenly used the Big Mac Index to assess the NT dollar and that the conclusion was distorted.

According to The Economist, the NT dollar is undervalued by 55 percent against the US dollar based on the Big Mac Index, which the magazine used as a measure to show how far a currency has departed from its underlying value.

New Taiwan dollar, left, and US dollar banknotes are pictured in front of the central bank’s logo in Taipei on May 6. Photo: CNA

The magazine said while an undervalued NT dollar boosted Taiwanese exporters’ global competitiveness, ordinary Taiwanese consumers have been deprived of the fruits of growth, with financial risks building up.

The weakness of the NT dollar is hurting many Taiwanese people’s purchasing power and inflating local home prices, The Economist said.

The central bank said the Big Mac Index was flawed, a fact The Economist recognized as early as 2003. In addition, The Economist had said in 2006 that the Big Mac Index has been misused to assess a currency’s value, the central bank said.

Therefore, the Big Mac Index was an inappropriate measurement to gauge whether a currency is overvalued or undervalued, it said.

Citing the iPhone Index, developed by Nomura Securities in 2016 to assess a currency’s value based on iPhone prices in the currency’s market, the central bank said the NT dollar was 17.1 percent overvalued against the US dollar, a significantly different conclusion than that of the Big Mac Index.

The central bank said a currency’s value would be influenced by many factors, and the NT dollar’s value has been decided by a supply-and-demand market mechanism, adding that in a free financial market, cross-border capital flows have become one of the most important factors to decide a currency’s value.

Supply and demand in the currency market is correlated with transactions of financial products, it said.

The combined value in fund flows of foreign and local capital last year was 19.3 times the value of commodity transactions, the central bank said.

It is not appropriate to use Purchasing Power Parity to gauge consumer spending power to value a currency, because it is calculated by using only a basket of commodities and services, it said.

Despite a widening trade surplus with the US so far this year, the central bank said it has consulted with the US Department of the Treasury on the foreign exchange rate and macroeconomics matters, and Washington has never requested the central bank to boost the NT dollar against the US dollar.

The central bank said it exercises market intervention from time to time to smooth volatility in the market.

It said it would continue to communicate with the US Treasury to keep its market intervention transparent.


Contestants flex at the first edition of the Nantou Commissioner Cup National Bodybuilding Championship in the county yesterday. A total of 162 participants competed in the contest, the county government said.

Fight of the fittest


Salty celebration

Event guests pose along with performers from the YiTzy Folk Dance Theater during the opening of the this year’s Kunshen Wangye’s Salt for Peace Festival at Nankunshen Daitian Temple in Tainan yesterday.


Global greetings

Taoyuan Mayor Simon Chang, second row, center, poses for a photograph with participants at the Taoyuan International Students’ Day in Jhongli District yesterday. The event is aimed to help the city’s more than 12,000 international students learn more about Taiwan, and give local students the opportunity to interact and engage with them, Chang said.


Aficionados fret as Trump moves to make pasta great again

While Italians are themselves avid pasta eaters, most of the country’s production is exported, with about 15 percent heading to the US

Steel: 50 percent. Copper: 50 percent. Cars: up to 25 percent. Now an even bigger Trump-era levy looms: 107 percent on Italian pasta.

Mamma mia.

It started with the US Department of Commerce launching what it says was a routine antidumping review, based on allegations Italian pasta makers sold product into the US at below-market prices and undercut local competitors. That has led to a threat of 92 percent duties, which would come on top of the 15 percent tariff US President Donald Trump’s administration imposed on European exports generally.

The news sent shockwaves through Italy, where 13 producers would be subject to the whopping one-two punch. They say sales in their second biggest export market would shrivel if prices to US consumers more than double.

While the measure would hardly prompt pasta shortages, it still has perplexed importers like Sal Auriemma, whose shop in Philadelphia’s Italian market, Claudio Specialty Food, has been operating for more than 60 years.

“Pasta is a pretty small sector to pick on. I mean, there’s a lot bigger things to pick on,” said Auriemma, pointing to luxury items as an alternative.

“It’s basic food,” he said. “Something’s got to be sacred.”

Italy is a nation of avid pasta eaters. Less known is that most of the tortellini, spaghetti and rigatoni its factories churn out gets sent abroad. The US accounts for about 15 percent of its 4 billion euros (US$4.65 billion) in exports, making it Italy’s largest market after Germany, data from farmers’ association Coldiretti show.

The punitive pasta premium has become a cause celebre for Italy’s politicians, executives and economists. Italian Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida last month told lawmakers that the government was working with the European Commission and engaging in diplomatic efforts, while supporting the companies’ legal actions to oppose US sanctions.

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic addressed reporters in Rome last month, stressing the lack of evidence backing the US decision and calling the combined 107 percent levy “unacceptable.”

Margherita Mastromauro, president of the pasta makers sector of Unione Italiana Food, told The Associated Press that prices for Italian pasta in the US remain high, and certainly higher than US-made rivals — undermining any dumping claim.

The measures could deal a fatal blow to small and medium-sized producers, she said.

Lucio Miranda, president of consultancy group Export USA, agreed.

“A duty rate of 107 percent would definitely kill this flow of export,” Miranda, who is Italian, said by phone from New York. “It’s not going to be something that you can just dump on the consumer and move on, life continues. It will definitely be a deal killer.”

The Commerce Department’s investigation started last year after complaints from Missouri-based 8th Avenue Food & Provisions, which owns pasta brand Ronzoni, and Illinois-based Winland Foods.

The office’s review focused on La Molisana and Garofalo, chosen as primary respondents because they are Italy’s two largest exporters, the department said in an e-mailed statement.

Any sale price below either producers’ costs or the price they charge in the Italian market would be considered dumping, in line with numerous other reviews of Italian pasta since 1996, it said.

The two companies presented information incorrectly or withheld it, significantly impeding analysis, according to the department.

In the face of these alleged deficiencies, the office presented its 92 percent duty estimate, which it extended to 11 other companies based on an assumption the two companies’ behavior was representative.

“After they screwed up their initial responses, the Commerce Department explained to them what the problems were and asked them to fix those problems; they didn’t,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai wrote in an e-mail. “And then Commerce communicated the requirements again, and they didn’t answer for a third time.”

La Molisana declined to comment when contacted by the AP. Garofalo did not respond to a request for comment.

The sanctions would be applied not just to imports going forward, but also the 12 months through June last year, the department said, adding that only 16 percent of total Italian pasta imports would be affected.

Its final decision is scheduled for Jan. 2, which could be extended by 60 days.

A little over an hour’s drive northeast from Naples is Benevento, a sleepy hilltop town of 55,000 people famed for its ancient Roman theater and Aglianico red wine. It is also home to Pasta Rummo, founded in 1846, which prides itself on its seven-phase, “slow work” production method.

CEO Cosimo Rummo is outraged by the threat to his company’s annual 20 million euros in exports to the US.

“These tariffs are completely senseless,” Rummo said in a phone interview. “These are fast-moving consumer goods … Who would ever buy a pack of pasta that costs 10 dollars, the same price as a bottle of wine?”

He added that he has no intention to start producing pasta in the US, as some companies have done and so would be spared the prospective levy. That includes Barilla, which for decades has been the main Italian pasta brand in the US and now has large-scale production facilities there.

When the transatlantic imbroglio started simmering, Robert Tramonte of Arlington, Virginia sought assurances. The owner of The Italian Store called his supplier, who told him there is enough pasta inventory stocked in the warehouse to keep prices steady until Easter.

Tramonte’s clients count on him for top-shelf product and he was relieved that, at least for the time being, they would not have to shell out for the real deal. Or worse — purchase made-in-the-US pasta.

“They’ve tried to make Italian products and use the same ingredients, but the source wasn’t Italy,” he said. “And they just didn’t taste the same.”


Ransoms become a top earner for Mali’s militants

At least US$50 million for the freedom of an Emirati sheikh: That is the king’s ransom paid two weeks ago to militants linked to al-Qaeda who are pushing to topple the Malian government and impose Islamic law.

Alongside a crippling fuel blockade, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has made kidnapping wealthy foreigners for a ransom a pillar of its strategy of “economic jihad.”

Its goal: Oust the junta, which has struggled to contain Mali’s decade-long insurgency since taking power following back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, by scaring away investors and paralyzing the west African country’s economy. In June, the JNIM threatened to strike any foreign businesses and industries installed in Mali, as well as any enterprise doing business with the Malian government without its “authorization.”

A refugee in Mauritania, previously a mayor in Mali, gestures toward the site of an attack located a few kilometers beyond the border while sitting in a shelter in Fassale on Nov. 5. Photo: AFP

Since then the group — which hopes to cement its status as one of the most powerful of the militant factions to plague the region by expanding towards the Atlantic coast — has made good on its promise.

It has attacked and burnt tankers carrying vital fuel to landlocked Mali from the coasts of Senegal or Ivory Coast, launched assaults on factories and mines alike — and kidnapped more foreigners than ever before.

“Between May and October 2025, at least 22 foreign nationals have been abducted — roughly double the previous record of 13 in 2022,” said Heni Nsaibia, senior West Africa analyst for the ACLED conflict monitor.

Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Emiratis and Iranians are all among the victims, together with a Serbian, a Croat and a Bosniak, Nsaibia added.

The JNIM demanded the US$50 million ransom after kidnapping a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family involved in the gold trade near the capital Bamako on Sept. 26, according to a source close to the negotiations and another Malian security source.

Two of his business partners, an Iranian and a Pakistani, were also abducted. A first sum of 400 million West African CFA Francs (US$702,400) was then sent to the militants in exchange for proof that the hostages were alive, the source close to the negotiations said.

The JNIM then freed the trio at the end of last month after a ransom of “US$50 million at least,” the source added.

That sum “represents the highest known ransom in the region and constitutes a major financial boost for [the JNIM],” Nsaibia said.

Who actually paid the ransom is unknown.

A Malian security source, who confirmed the exorbitant total, said JNIM also obtained “the release of around 30 of its prisoners” held by the Malian intelligence services.

“Malian soldiers were also released during the same exchange. It is an astounding deal in terms of its scale and the elements involved, especially in the current context,” the security source added.

For Rida Lyammouri, a researcher at the Policy Center for the New South, the ransom would allow the JNIM to “maintain its current level of military engagement, including the economic blockade on Bamako, for a prolonged period.”

“Such a haul will only serve to boost the JNIM’s ambitions to expand and establish a lasting presence in the Sahel and the coastal states of Africa,” Lyammouri added.

Liam Karr, an analyst at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI), said that those “funds will help the group procure more weapons, such as commercial drones, explosives, and small arms, as well as pay salaries to fighters.”

The withdrawal of French troops in the wake of the coup has left a security vacuum exploited by the militants, which the junta’s new security partners — including Russia — have failed to fill, Lyammouri said.

The JNIM still holds several other hostages who, once ransomed, would swell its war chest even further. Most are abducted in the west of the country, where about 80 percent of Mali’s gold production is mined, according to the Soufan Centre consultancy.

At least 11 Chinese citizens have been abducted in western Mali in attacks on seven industrial sites, of which six were run by Chinese companies, according to the AEI think tank.

Just last week, five Indians working for an electricity company and an Egyptian were kidnapped in the same region.

“Targeting foreign nationals drives away foreign investment, undermining a key revenue stream for the Malian junta,” notably in the mining sector, Karr said.

With the JNIM’s grip tightening, the US and the UK announced two weeks ago that it was pulling out all non-essential personnel from Mali, while many embassies have urged their citizens to leave the country.


Zanzibar women turn to sponge farming as oceans heat up

At about 10 o’clock every morning, women in hijabs and loose long dresses wade through Zanzibar’s turquoise shallow tides to tend their sponge farms — a new lifeline after climate change upended their former work.

Rising ocean temperatures, overfishing and pollution have steadily degraded marine ecosystems around the island, undermining a key source of income for locals in Jambiani village who long depended on farming seaweed. Instead, they have turned to sponge cultivation under a project set up by Swiss nongovernmental organization (NGO) Marine Cultures.

Hot temperatures have killed seaweed and declining fish stocks have driven many fishermen to quit, project manager Ali Mahmudi said.

A sponge farmer from Zanzibar’s Sponge Farmers’ Cooperative tends to her crops at a farm off the coast of Jambiani, Tanzania, on Oct. 25. Photo: AFP

But sponges — which provide shelter and food for sea creatures — tend to thrive in warmer waters.

They are also lucrative as an organic personal care product, used for skin exfoliation. Depending on size, they can fetch up to US$30 each and a single farm can have as many as 1,500 sponges. From the shore, black sticks can be seen jutting out of the water, holding lines of sponges.

“I was shocked to learn that sponges exist in the ocean,” said Nasiri Hassan Haji, 53, recalling when she first learned about the practice more than a decade ago.

The mother-of-four once farmed seaweed, describing the work as labor-intensive with meagre returns.

In 2009, Marine Cultures launched a pilot farm with widowed women in Jambiani to test their potential in the archipelago, where more than one-quarter of the 1.9 million people live below the poverty line.

With demand for eco-friendly products on the rise, the market has grown steadily, with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimating the value of the natural sponge market at US$20 million in 2020.

“It has changed my life, I have been able to build my own house,” 53-year-old Shemsa Abbasi Suleiman said, smiling with pride.

Many other women have now joined a cooperative to expand the project, but it was not always smooth sailing.

“At first I was afraid of getting into it because I did not know how to swim. Many discouraged me saying the water is too much and I will die,” Haji said.

Thanks to an NGO program, she learned to swim at the age of 39.

As well as making money for locals, sponges are beneficial to the marine environment.

Studies show that a sponge’s skeletal structure aids carbon recycling within coral reef ecosystems, while its porous body naturally filters and purifies seawater.

An estimated 60 percent of the world’s marine ecosystems have been degraded or are being used unsustainably, according to the UN, which warns that the “ocean is in deep crisis.”

Sponges are also known to help restore coral reefs, which support 25 percent of marine life and are currently under threat.

“What attracted me to this is the fact that we are not destroying the environment,” Haji said.


Chinese agents often target Taiwanese officials who are motivated by financial gain rather than ideology, while people who are found guilty of spying face lenient punishments in Taiwan, a researcher said on Tuesday.

While the law says that foreign agents can be sentenced to death, people who are convicted of spying for Beijing often serve less than nine months in prison because Taiwan does not formally recognize China as a foreign nation, Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said.

Many officials and military personnel sell information to China believing it to be of little value, unaware that Chinese agents can later use the act of betrayal to coerce them into deeper cooperation, Su said.

The government should conduct information campaigns warning service members of the risks and make clear that helping to catch spies would be far more lucrative than aiding China — with rewards ranging from NT$5 million to NT$10 million (US$161,514 to US$321,027), he said. Su made the remarks after a reserve captain surnamed You (尤) was charged in Kaohsiung with selling military secrets to China for NT$150,000.

His warning is timely. Espionage is a growing problem within the government and military. Last year, 64 people were prosecuted on espionage charges, while more than 5,000 suspected agents are believed to be operating in the nation, an Asia Times op-ed published on Aug. 18 said.

In You’s case, prosecutors said he was approached online by a Chinese agent after expressing interest in securing a loan. Su said that Chinese operatives often embed themselves in illegal moneylending networks to identify and recruit financially vulnerable people.

Su’s recommendation that Taiwanese authorities invest more resources in investigating unregistered lending services is a good starting point. Yet prevention would be even more effective. The military could offer interest-free loans to service members in need and impose strict penalties on those who resort to illegal lenders. It could also provide well-paid overtime work opportunities for troops facing financial hardship, while improving morale and retention through expanded on-base recreation options.

To truly curb espionage, Taiwan needs a multifaceted approach, one that rewards the reporting of suspicious activity and meets the needs of soldiers so China has little to exploit, as well as punishing treason with the seriousness it deserves.

That last goal requires legal reform. Taiwan’s lawbooks refer to China as the “mainland area,” meaning espionage on Beijing’s behalf is not treated as spying for a foreign power. The law could be amended to impose the same penalties for espionage conducted for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as for any other foreign government, without altering Taiwan’s stance on sovereignty.

However, patriotism cannot be sustained through legal reform alone. During the era of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), troops were driven by a clear, if unrealistic, goal — to “retake the mainland.” Today, amid differing visions of what Taiwan’s sovereignty means, a new source of motivation is needed. Soldiers must see tangible reasons — financial, moral and institutional — to stand firm in defense of their country.

Service members facing low morale and financial stress are less likely to risk their lives for a government that appears lenient toward traitors. Seeing convicted spies receive light sentences undermines not only morale, but also public trust in the justice system.

Taiwan must address both sides of the equation: improving conditions for those who serve honorably while imposing harsh penalties on those who betray their nation. Anything less would erode Taiwan’s will and capacity to resist China in the event of conflict.

EDITORIAL: Getting tough on espionage


Before 1945, the most widely spoken language in Taiwan was Tai-gi (also known as Taiwanese, Taiwanese Hokkien or Hoklo).

However, due to almost a century of language repression policies, many Taiwanese believe that Tai-gi is at risk of disappearing. To understand this crisis, I interviewed academics and activists about Taiwan’s history of language repression, the major challenges of revitalizing Tai-gi and their policy recommendations.

Although Taiwanese were pressured to speak Japanese when Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, most managed to keep their heritage languages alive in their homes.

However, starting in 1949, when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) enacted martial law in Taiwan, language repression became severe. To uphold the legitimacy of the Republic of China on Taiwan, the KMT required that only Mandarin Chinese be used in public, including in classrooms, government announcements and on TV. To protect their children from being bullied or punished, parents stopped speaking Tai-gi to their children, leading Mandarin to replace Tai-gi in public and private life.

Lim Cheng-iu (林貞佑), an academic at National Cheng Kung University, observed that during martial law, Tai-gi preservation efforts were most visible in the US, where overseas Taiwanese were not subject to the KMT’s language ban.

Taiwanese-Americans attempted several times to start monthly Tai-gi publications, with the latest one — the Tai-bun Thong-sin Bong Po (台文通訊Bong報) — still in publication today. They also congregated to hear Tai-gi sermons at churches on Sundays.

Through everyday conversation, they preserved vocabulary that was forgotten in Taiwan itself. After martial law was lifted in 1987, Taiwanese-language television shows, news, and songs experienced a renaissance. Since then, candidates from all of Taiwan’s political parties have used Tai-gi in their campaign speeches and since 2001, all Taiwanese elementary school students are required to take a local language course. In this way, it was individuals in Taiwan and overseas who worked together to preserve Tai-gi.

In the 1980s, the foremost concern among Tai-gi activists was how Tai-gi should be written. The Presbyterian Church of Taiwan used the Peh-oe-ji system to Romanize the language, while other academics used Chinese characters with tonal markings. Even though standardization remains an issue, with elementary schools still teaching regional variations of Tai-gi, many academics who I interviewed viewed other challenges as more pressing.

Tiun Hak-khiam (張學謙), a professor at National Taitung University, believes that one of the biggest challenges for preserving Tai-gi is the divisive ethnopolitics of Tai-gi activism: pro-independence politics and inter-ethnic conflict (“Holo chauvinism”). Both problems are illustrated in the name “Tai-gi” itself.

Most native Tai-gi speakers reject alternate names such as “minnan” (閩南) or “Hokkien” because those names originated from the KMT, which wanted to emphasize Tai-gi’s origins in southern China (Fujian). Those who view Taiwan as a separate political and cultural entity from China have no desire to perpetuate rhetoric that Taiwanese culture comes from China.

Shih Mu-min (石牧民), a professor at National Taiwan Normal University, told me that, being pro-independence, he would not call it minnan and prefers Tai-gi.

However, he acknowledged that emphasizing the movement’s pro-independence politics alienates people with other political convictions. Many see the partisan aspect of the Tai-gi movement as a major detriment to its development.

Additionally, some ethnic minority activists, such as Hakka or indigenous activists, have their own qualms about the term Tai-gi, which translates to “language of Taiwan.”

Tiun recalled that when Taiwan first democratized, some Tai-gi activists misguidedly attempted to force Tai-gi onto ethnic minorities, telling them: “If you are Taiwanese, speak Taiwanese.”

Tiun emphasized the need to express solidarity with other ethnic communities to overcome this mistrust: “You not only have to save your own language, but you also have to learn other people’s languages.”

Beyond these ethnopolitical conflicts, the Tai-gi movement suffers from a lack of resources. Even though local language classes are required at elementary school, the classes are only one or two hours per week and use Mandarin as the medium of instruction.

Moreover, Catherine Chou (周怡齡), a professor at National Chengchi University, pointed out that the majority of Tai-gi content (eg, textbooks, social media and history Web sites) are created by unpaid volunteers, which is unsustainable in the long term. Instead, the government must do its part to create resources and programs.

In 2019, Taiwan passed the Development of National Languages Act (國家語言發展法), but it has so far proved to be mostly symbolic rather than bringing about tangible change.

The academics I spoke with offered a wide range of more effective recommendations on how to accelerate preservation of the Tai-gi language.

Tai-gi language efforts can be radically improved within the classroom, including by correcting societal prejudices. Teachers must dissociate heritage languages from connotations of gang culture or poverty, and correct misconceptions that bilingualism impedes children’s ability to learn Mandarin properly. They must also convince parents that heritage languages can indeed communicate “modern” ideas such as science and technology.

Last year, Academia Sinica hosted a series of sociology lectures in Tai-gi to prove that point.

Once parents, teachers and students accept that bilingualism is an asset, Tiun encourages teachers to prioritize a “mother-tongue first” bilingual approach. Teachers must use the target heritage language as the medium of instruction. Written signs and verbal announcements should be in both languages.

Chou applauded Taiwan’s very first Tai-gi immersion school in Kaohsiung as a prime example of effective language instruction.

Tiun acknowledged that this type of intensive bilingual education would require many more teachers to become fluent in a heritage language and thus would require the government to incorporate heritage language training into teachers’ colleges. In fact, requiring heritage language fluency for teaching, as well as other government jobs, would be highly beneficial to the revitalization movement, as it would offer a direct pay-off for learning the language.

Nevertheless, many of the academics told me that the classroom alone had limits. What about when students go home?

Tiun suggested that the government open free adult learning centers for parents who wish to improve their own heritage language fluency, as well as subsidize bilingual children’s storybooks, television shows and social media content.

Taiwanese Hokkien pop singer Michael Shih (施文彬) has expressed the hope that one day, a high-quality piece of Tai-gi entertainment will go viral, bringing global attention to Taiwan’s heritage languages.

Many academics found other countries deeply inspirational.

Tiun told me: “Switzerland is ... a model, underscoring that different language communities should enjoy equal status within the state.”

In that vein, many interviewees recommended international collaboration as another strategy.

Tai-gi activists must strategically identify countries that would be sympathetic to heritage language revitalization.

Liu Chan-Yueh (劉展岳), the Taiwan Studies Chair at the INALCO Asian languages institute in Paris, pointed out that French society has always believed speaking French is necessary to understand French culture, even if it is no longer a global lingua franca.

He found that French people interested in Taiwan were easily convinced of the importance of Taiwan’s heritage languages.

Huang Yu-ru (?郁如), a former culture director at the Houston Taiwanese School of Languages and Culture in Texas, shared similar positive experiences visiting Barcelona, Spain, where Catalonians sympathized with Taiwan’s geopolitical situation, including regional language preservation.

As the largest overseas Taiwanese community is in the US, many academics believed that Taiwan-US Tai-gi programs would be most popular.

Chou suggested that Taiwan should collaborate with organizations such as the Keng-lam Su-in (Mosei Academy), a Tai-gi-language school in San Jose, California.

Ultimately, the academics encourage overseas Taiwanese to use their cross-cultural network and skills to introduce Taiwanese languages and culture to friendly communities.

When thinking about Taiwan’s most pressing issues, heritage language preservation seldom comes up. Yet for the academics I interviewed, preserving Tai-gi is a lifelong commitment.

Although language preservation might not single-handedly change Taiwan’s geopolitical situation, Taiwanese and the government should invest in it as a form of historical reparation, to keep the language from going extinct and to honor Taiwan’s elderly generation, the only demographic that still commonly speaks Tai-gi.

Tiun emphasized that multilingualism would set Taiwan apart from “the suppression of minority languages in the People’s Republic of China” and demonstrate its commitment to “democratic principles and popular sovereignty.”

As Taiwan fights to be recognized as a unique political and cultural entity, Lim reminds us: “Before we expect other people to respect our culture, it is important to show that we respect our own culture first.”

The author would like to thank Tiun Hak-Khiam from National Taitung University; Shih Mu-min from National Taiwan Normal University; Liu Chan-Yueh, the Taiwan Studies Chair at INALCO in Paris; Catherine Chou from National Chengchi University; Huang Yu-ru, former culture director for the Houston Taiwanese School of Languages and Culture; and Lim Cheng-iu from National Cheng Kung University. Carissa Cheng is the 2025 Ya-Hui Chiu Summer Fellow for the Global Taiwan Institute, a Washington-based think tank dedicated to insightful research on Taiwan-US relations. She recently graduated from Stanford University.

Taiwan’s largest heritage language


With Taiwan becoming a “super-aged” society, the demand for long-term care has surged. In August, the government launched a new policy allowing people aged 80 or older to hire live-in foreign caregivers without undergoing health evaluations based on the Barthel index — a clinical scale used to assess a person’s ability to perform daily activities.

Anyone can apply, as long as they meet the age requirement. Some applauded the policy, saying it would reduce the unnecessary hassle associated with hiring foreign domestic caregivers, while others asked whether the new rules would be abused.

However, three months later, applications for foreign domestic caregivers have fallen short of expectations. There have been just over 8,000 applications — far below the Ministry of Labor’s estimate of 100,000. This shows that most families are actually quite rational and apply only when they have real need.

The new policy allows families to rid themselves of a long-standing source of frustration. In the past, they had to go through great trouble to qualify on the Barthel index, but the change means that those who truly need help can make one less trip and have one more option.

More importantly, age is only the key that opens the door — it is not the final criterion for allocating resources. If someone is healthy and capable of caring for themselves, there is simply no need to hire a domestic caregiver. The relatively low number of applications demonstrates that most people are not merely seeking convenience out of greed, but rather carefully assessing their actual needs.

The Barthel index is a one-time evaluation that cannot accurately reflect the day-to-day conditions that elderly people face. Some elderly people with dementia might be lucid during the day, but grow agitated at night. Moreover, a difference of just one point could determine whether someone qualifies to apply for a caregiver. If care service specialists could conduct in-home evaluations that integrate the Long-term Care 2.0 program’s Care Management Assessment Scale (照顧管理評估量表), the dual-track system could be consolidated, making it more fair and in tune with real-life needs.

The other key players — foreign domestic caregivers — must not be overlooked. Migrant workers, who leave their home countries and are often supporting their own families at home, have become the unsung pillars of Taiwan’s long-term care system. In facing dementia, nighttime care and emotional challenges, they accompany those they care for because they understand that illness only changes the symptoms, not the people themselves.

Some families share the workload with caregivers, and respect their religious beliefs and dietary customs, transforming the relationship from employer-employee to one of kinship.

Care itself is a journey of exchanging lives — elderly people, families and migrant workers are all connected. No one should be excluded.

A super-aged society’s greatest fear should not be too much access, but insufficient support. If long-term care resources and the foreign caregiver system could be better integrated, then the system would avoid being trapped in a vicious cycle.

Evaluation exemptions are only a starting point. The real key lies in building a long-term care network that is compassionate and flexible. Long-term care policy should be more than just spreadsheets and age thresholds — it should provide every family with more room to breathe.

Moreover, migrant workers should be thanked. Only when they are regarded as an integral part of Taiwan’s long-term care system would the nation’s long-term care journey continue steadily and sustainably.

Chen Ching-yun is a former director of the Legislative Yuan’s Bureau of Legal Affairs.

Translated by Kyra Gustavsen

Improving the long-term care situation


EDITORIAL CARTOON

Victory in conflict requires mastery of two “balances”: First, the balance of power, and second, the balance of error, or making sure that you do not make the most mistakes, thus helping your enemy’s victory.The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made a decisive and potentially fatal error by making an enemy of the Jewish Nation, centered today in the State of Israel but historically one of the great civilizations extending back at least 3,000 years.Mind you, no Israeli leader has ever publicly declared that “China is our enemy,” but on October 28, 2025, self-described Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP) propaganda


Threats of nuclear testing ignore its terrifying history

Computer modeling has effectively made nuclear testing obsolete

Should the US and Russia resume nuclear testing?

The answer to that question must be a resounding “No.” Yet US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, eager to project strength, have raised fears that they might be moving to revive the dangerous practice. While the significance of testing nuclear weapons dwindled more than 60 years ago, the terrifying circumstances that brought that era to a close should remain top of mind, reminding leaders why using nuclear testing to gain a strategic advantage is a terrible idea.

Thanks to Hollywood, many audiences know something about the dawn of the nuclear age. Led by physicist Robert Oppenheimer, a crack team of eccentric geniuses housed at Los Alamos, New Mexico, built and tested the first atomic bomb in 1945. It led Oppenheimer to recall a line from the Hindu sacred text, the Bhagavad Gita: “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”

Although the atomic scientists who followed Oppenheimer lacked his literary sensibilities, they took world-destroying quite seriously. Teams in the US and the Soviet Union competed to build and test ever-larger bombs in a blatantly obvious effort at intimidating the other side.

The US went first, forcing the indigenous people of Bikini Atoll to relocate so that it could detonate bombs in the Marshall Islands in 1946. Radioactive debris rained down on the sailors sent to watch the tests. They absorbed dangerous doses of radiation, as did many of the native islanders living in the area, inaugurating a multigenerational legacy of cancers and birth defects.

NUCLEAR RACE

Nevada, where the US military began above-ground tests in 1951, was no better. There, too, the federal government confiscated land owned by indigenous peoples and placed soldiers far too close to the detonation sites. In subsequent decades, their bodies would be plagued by cancers and other maladies born of their fateful exposure.

Back in the Marshall Islands, the US began testing a new generation of nuclear weapons that used conventional fission bombs to detonate a much larger, “fusion,” or hydrogen bomb. These experiments went terribly awry during the infamous Castle Bravo test of 1954.

The bomb in question was supposed to generate the equivalent of 5 to 6 megatonnes of TNT. However, hanks to some serious miscalculations, the explosion clocked in at 15 megatonnes, or 1,000 times the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion sucked up 10 million tonnes of sand and pulverized coral, creating a massive fallout cloud that fell on islanders, US military personnel and even Japanese fishing vessels 129km east of the test site.

This was what historian Alex Wellerstein has described as “the greatest single radiological disaster in American history.” It also holds the record of being the biggest nuclear test ever conducted by the US. It might have remained the biggest test ever had it not been for the Soviet Union.

After World War II, the communist nation worked desperately to build and test its own bomb, terrified of what might happen if it failed. Indeed, a Russian nuclear scientist who attended the Bikini test in 1946 claimed that the purpose of the demonstration had been “to frighten the Soviets.”

Thanks to atomic spy Klaus Fuchs, the Soviets managed to detonate their first atomic weapon in 1949. Still, they spent much of the next decade playing catch-up, countering progressively larger tests with their own demonstrations. Former Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, eager to pull ahead, approved a top-secret project to build the biggest nuclear weapon in human history. It was known as “Kuzma’s mother,” an allusion to a Russian idiom that basically means: “We’ll show you.”

When completed in 1961, “Kuzma’s mother” — also known as the Tsar Bomba or the “King of Bombs” — was the size of a school bus and weighed 25 tonnes. It was too big to fit into any of the Soviet bomber aircraft, so the military removed the bomb bay doors on a Tupolev TU-95 and strapped it to the bottom of the plane.

MASSIVE BLAST

On Oct. 31, 1961, the TU-95 left a Russian airfield bound for Novaya Zemlya, a collection of islands above the Arctic Circle; a separate plane containing a film crew accompanied it. They departed not knowing if they would return home: Authorities had given the planes a 50/50 chance of surviving the shock wave.

When they reached the target location, the bomber dropped its lethal package. The bomb, fitted with a parachute to slow its descent and give the planes time to escape, floated downward until it reached 4,000m before exploding.

The blast, which could be seen more than 1,000km away, registered at 57 megatonnes, 10 times more powerful than all the bombs and ordnance used in World War II. Had any human been within 100km of the epicenter (there were not any), they would have been immediately vaporized or have sustained third-degree burns. The shock wave shattered windows 901km away.

The test inflamed Cold War tensions, and a year later, the world came dangerously close to complete annihilation during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In its wake, saner heads began to prevail, and the US and Soviet Union signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963, which moved nuclear testing underground, where it became less of a provocation. A complete test ban followed 30 years later, aided by that computer modeling has effectively made nuclear testing obsolete.

Trump and Putin now seem inclined to take us back to the bad old days of nuclear testing out of some misguided belief that it is an effective way to assert dominance over adversaries. History already shows how that story ends.

Stephen Mihm, a professor of history at the University of Georgia, is coauthor of Crisis Economics: A Crash Course in the Future of Finance. 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.


Australia’s green energy push and Pacific ties face setback from COP31 impasse with TurkeyBy Peter Hobson and Valerie Volcovici / Reuters, CANBERRA and BELEM, Brazil

Australia risks undermining efforts to establish itself as a leader in the green energy transition and letting down its vulnerable Pacific island neighbours if its bid to host next year’s biggest climate summit fails, diplomats and analysts say.

Australia was long considered the front-runner to hold the COP31 conference, aiming to bolster its ambitions to become “a renewable energy superpower” and highlight issues faced by Pacific island nations which it plans to cohost the conference with.

However, Turkey doubled down on a rival bid, saying it wants a summit that more directly tackles financing for developing countries’ climate efforts while showcasing its own progress toward a 2053 net zero emissions target. That has led to an attention-sapping impasse that must be overcome at this year’s COP30 meeting underway in Belem, Brazil.

The annual COP — or Conference of the Parties — is the world’s main forum for driving climate action.

INVESTMENT PLATFORM

The host matters, because it sets the agenda and leads the diplomacy needed to reach global agreements, while drumming up investment for new green initiatives.

Australia is pivoting away from coal and gas power to renewables, and is seeking investment in critical minerals, green steel and transition technologies such as batteries.

“Hosting COP is absolutely crucial for Australia’s economic future,” said Wesley Morgan, a climate academic at the University of New South Wales. “We are a major commodities and fossil fuel exporter. If we stick our heads in the sand and pretend there is no transition, we will lose out. Without COP we would lose out on investment, jobs and economic growth.”

COPs have grown over the years from diplomatic gatherings into vast trade shows where host countries can promote economic prospects.

“There is a clear and compelling case for investment attractiveness for hosting COP in Australia,” said Emma Herd, a partner at EY’s Net Zero Centre.

“We have the opportunities and need the capital. COP provides the platform to showcase those opportunities,” Herd said.

For Australia, there is also the diplomatic goal of improving relations with island nations that are strategically located in the Pacific and are also being courted by China.

“This is a remarkable geopolitical opportunity for our country,” Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen told reporters last week. “The climate is the No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 issue for Pacific Islands.”

Advocacy by Pacific nations was central to the world agreeing in 2015 at COP21 in Paris to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and many supporters of Australia’s bid think a Pacific COP would drive more ambitious action.

“The big opportunity of the COP is this is the most profound opportunity we’ve ever had to demonstrate that we are the partner of choice for the Pacific,” said a former climate diplomat in Australia, who declined to be identified.

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, a special envoy for Oceania at COP30, said Pacific leaders are still working hard to host the conference.

“The slogan from the Pacific is: ‘1.5 to stay alive.’ It’s literally that proximate for the Pacific,” she told Reuters in Belem. “The Pacific were critical in achieving the aspiration and the target and the goal of 1.5, but now they’re critical to its maintenance.”

Protracted struggles over hosting are uncommon, with a venue usually settled 18 or 24 months in advance. Indeed, Ethiopia was confirmed this week as venue for COP32 in 2027.

UN rules require unanimity among the 28-strong group of countries whose turn it is to host COP31. If neither Australia nor Turkey compromises, hosting duties would default to Bonn, Germany, which houses the UN’s climate headquarters.

“We would have to [host],” said Jochen Flasbarth, state secretary at the German Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

“But we do not want to,” he added.

DEADLOCK

In Belem, Australia’s and Turkey’s pavilions are in prime position and side-by-side. However, the two nations have struggled to connect.

Australia assumed Turkey was not a serious bidder for COP31 given strong support for Australia’s bid and could be coaxed into withdrawing, said David Dutton, who until September was Australia’s assistant secretary of climate diplomacy.

Some observers thought Turkey would drop its bid if Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government won re-election against a climate change-skeptic opposition earlier this year, but Turkey instead upped its efforts.

Turkey dropped a previous bid to host COP26 and has said it does not want to withdraw again. The country’s expectation about hosting was entrenched after it signed onto the Paris climate accord and thinks its odds have improved, a Turkish diplomatic source said in Belem.

Albanese wrote to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a few weeks ago seeking to break the impasse, and said on Thursday that Erdogan had written back and was “maintaining his position.”

Turkish officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the negotiations.

Turkey has said it would prioritize financing of poorer countries’ efforts to meet climate goals and says its Mediterranean location would reduce emissions from flights bringing delegates to the conference.

One potential compromise is for Australia and Turkey to split hosting duties, with Turkey reportedly keen to host the global leaders’ summit, said Dutton, now director of research at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank.

The uncertainty has prevented Australian officials from switching attention to organizing next year’s conference, Dutton said.

“All the effort has been around the bid and not so much about what you’re actually going to do to sustain climate momentum,” he added.