Taipei Times
No power rationing required: minister
Taiwan would not have to ration power due to a shortage of natural gas, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday, after reports that the Strait of Hormuz was closed amid the conflict in the Middle East. The government has...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cabinet responds to Mideast conflict
In response to airstrikes by the US and Israel on Iran at the weekend, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮 yesterday convened a meeting of the Cabinet and instructed the Ministry of Economic Affairs to activate an energy response task force, while tasking Vice...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei killed
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lai touts protections of democracy
Only under a democratic system, in which the public is sovereign, can a nation prevent the state apparatus from harming its citizens, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday at an event to mark the 79th anniversary of the 228 Incident at the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MAC blasts PRC for oppressing minister
The government would take every measure to defend the rights of Taiwanese against Chinese oppression, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, after a Hong Kong-based publication reported that a relative of Minister of the Interior Liu...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lai honors baseball home run legend Sadaharu Oh
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday conferred the Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon on baseball legend Sadaharu Oh (王貞治), honoring his lifelong contributions to the sport in Taiwan and Japan. During the ceremony at the Presidential...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Tech, reforms to bolster military: Lai
The armed forces must lean into technology, institutional reforms and resilience to maintain their deterrence capabilities amid complex threats and a rapidly shifting geostrategic landscape, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. The military...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
West Taiwan records least rainfall this winter: CWA
The public is urged to conserve water as rainfall during the spring, which is typically a drier season, is unlikely to alleviate drought conditions, an official said Western Taiwan saw the least rainfall this winter since 1951, with five weather...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lai ‘glad’ to deliver address before Legislative Yuan
President William Lai (賴清德) has “gladly accepted” and is willing to deliver a state of the nation report at the legislature, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said yesterday following a Lunar New Year tea reception hosted by the Presidential Office,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
US tariffs closely monitored, Lai says
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said the government is closely monitoring the followup measures of the White House amid tariff shifts, adding that Taipei is in close contact with the US to ensure Taiwan’s mostfavorable treatment would not be...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump signs 10% global tariff order
US President Donald Trump on Friday imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on imports after the US Supreme Court struck down many of his sweeping and often arbitrary duties, delivering a stinging rebuke on his signature economic policy. Trump signed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Japan warns of Chinese ‘coercion,’ vows overhaul
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday warned of growing Chinese “coercion” in her first post-election speech to the Japanese parliament, pledging to overhaul defense strategy, ease curbs on military exports and bolster critical supply...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New US arms sales in limbo, WSJ says
A major US arms sales package for Taiwan is in limbo following pressure from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and concerns among some US officials that greenlighting the deal would derail US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Bejing, the Wall...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump-Xi weapons talk raises concern
US President Donald Trump’s admission that he is discussing arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is “alarming and a blatant violation of US policy and the six assurances,” US Representative Ro Khanna said on Tuesday. Trump on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Prayers and robots usher in the Year of the Horse
Traditional prayers, fireworks and fairs yesterday marked the Lunar New Year — alongside 21st-century humanoid robots. The activities ushered in the Year of the Horse, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, succeeding the Year of the Snake. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Special defense budget top priority: Han
A proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.66 billion) special defense budget would be a top priority for the Legislative Yuan when it reconvenes after the Lunar New Year holiday, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said yesterday after a group of 37 US...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lai pledges progress in LNY address
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday delivered his Lunar New Year address, pledging to strengthen national defense and steadily advance economic development to ensure Taiwan maintains its leading edge in global technology and industrial...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
HOLIDAY HORSES
People walk past horse decorations displayed for Lunar New Year celebrations in Taipei yesterday.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Taiwan and US sign trade agreement
Taiwan and the US on Thursday signed a trade agreement that caps US tariffs on Taiwanese goods at 15 percent and provides preferential market access for US industrial and agricultural exports, including cars, and beef and pork products. The Taiwan-US...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lai warns that China could target others
Countries in the region would be China’s next targets should Beijing seize Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview published yesterday, as he insisted that Taiwan must dramatically shore up its defenses. Lai said he was confident the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
TPP open to special defense budget
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) does not oppose prioritizing the Executive Yuan’s proposed special defense budget alongside its own version for review after the Lunar New Year holiday, TPP caucus convener Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) said yesterday. He added...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
China’s ultimate goal is Taiwan’s annihilation: MAC
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday dismissed Beijing’s call for “reunification,” describing it as a rehash of its longstanding stance with the ultimate goal of Taiwan’s annihilation. Addressing the meeting of Beijing’s annual “Taiwan Work...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Jimmy Lai’s sentence sparks international concern
The sentencing yesterday of former Hong Kong media magnate Jimmy Lai (黎智英) raised concerns from international governments, while Chinese and Hong Kong authorities defended it, saying it reflected the spirit of the rule of law. Lai, a 78-year-old...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Three parties vying for power in Thailand elections
Vote counting was under way last night in Thailand’s early general election, seen as a three-way race among competing visions of progressive, populist and old-fashioned patronage politics. The battle for support from 53 million registered voters came...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump to favor big defense spenders
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order for the customer list of US weapons that would prioritize countries with higher defense spending and strategic importance, the White House said on Friday. The order establishing the “America...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MND seeks US arms delivery extension
Taiwan is to seek an extension to the date by which an agreement must be signed with the US for a batch of weapons deliveries, given the ongoing standoff in the legislature about defense spending, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Taiwan-US relations ‘rock solid’: Lai
Relations between Taiwan and the US are “rock solid,” and cooperation programs would not change, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, after Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in a phone call urged US President Donald Trump to handle arms sales...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CHANGHUA IN BLOOM
Changhua County Commissioner Wang Hui-mei, center, poses with event guests at a news conference in Changhua County promoting this year’s Changhua Flower Festival. This year’s event, with the theme “Floral City Journey” and which blends lifestyle...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SETTING OFF
Riders taking part in the Cancer Hope Foundation’s Taipei-Kaohsiung dual-city cycling challenge titled “Healthy Taiwan, Rolling Hope Across the Island” pose for a photograph at the plaza in front of Taipei City Hall before their departure yesterday....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
China incursions surge 15-fold: report
Chinese military aircraft incursions around Taiwan have surged nearly 15-fold over the past five years, according to a report released yesterday by the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Department of China Affairs. Sorties in the Taiwan Strait were...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
TAKING THE REINS
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, front row, fourth left, attends a ceremony alongside other officials to launch Kaohsiung’s events to mark the Lunar New Year. The first event was the Horse Leap Spring Festival Market at Sanfeng Central Street yesterday.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MANE EVENT
Three horse-themed sky lanterns to be released during this year’s New Taipei City Pingsi Sky Lantern Festival are unveiled at New Taipei City Civic Square yesterday. The display was accompanied by the New Taipei City Mounted Police Unit and their...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Hai Kun’ starts submerged sea trial
Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, yesterday departed from Kaohsiung to start its first submerged sea trial, where it was expected to dive to at least 50m. CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際 on Wednesday announced the trial,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
KMT-CCP forum harms national dignity: DPP
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) cross-strait exchange forum would severely harm national dignity and security, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday. The KMT has said that party Chairwoman...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
HIMARS joins first exercises this year
Taiwan yesterday conducted this year’s first military exercises at Longsiang Base in Taichung, demonstrating the newly acquired High Mobility Artillery Rocket System’s (HIMARS) ability to provide fire support and deep-strike capabilities. The scenario...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘SHOVEL HEROES’
Premier Cho Jung-tai, back center, poses for a photograph with awardees at an appreciation ceremony in Taipei yesterday. The ceremony was held to honor “shovel superheroes” from 30 universities and private foundations who dedicated themselves to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
US climber Alex Honnold free soloes Taipei 101
US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MOE to reform study program to attract top talent
The Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday said that it would pilot a major reform of the governmentfunded overseas study program for the “five key trusted industries” by loosening regulations and boosting scholarships by about NT$1 million (US$31,668)...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
JOY RIDE
A motorcyclist with a dog tucked inside their jacket waits at a red light in Taipei yesterday. Sunny skies and warmer daytime temperatures are expected in Taiwan from today through Monday as a cold air mass gradually weakens, independent meteorologist...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
AIT head says freedom ‘not free’
The US is committed to deterrence in the first island chain, but it should not bear the burden alone, as “freedom is not free,” American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said in a speech at the Institute for National Defense and Security...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Group warns over use of Chinese-made AI
Chinese-linked artificial intelligence (AI) programs are allegedly sending Beijing information, so democratic countries should ban them and establish mutually agreed-upon rules for AI, the Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology Research Institute...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NEW YEAR’S GIFT
Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo, front left, presents a military officer with a red envelope as a gesture of appreciation to the Taitung Regional Command Combat Readiness Unit during an inspection at the military unit yesterday.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Weapons systems in budget unveiled
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday released information on seven categories of weapons systems to be procured under a stalled NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.57 billion) special defense budget, including precision artillery, long-range missiles, air...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Military police add air-defense group
Military police have strengthened garrison defense capabilities in Taipei as part of a force-structure adjustment to address enemy threats, the 202nd Military Police Command said yesterday. The command said it has added a new air-defense company under...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Chinese drone enters Pratas airspace
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday condemned an intrusion by a Chinese drone into the airspace of the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) as a serious disruption of regional peace. The ministry said it detected the Chinese surveillance and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
US tariffs lowered to 15% with no stacking: Cabinet
The US has agreed to lower tariffs on Taiwanese goods from 20 percent to 15 percent, without stacking them on existing mostfavored-nation (MFN) rates, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, adding that Taiwan has also become the first country to secure the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trade team heads to US for tariff talks
Taiwan’s trade negotiation team, led by Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭 and chief trade negotiator Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), has departed for the US for a new round of in-person trade talks that officials say are in the final...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Taiwan, US reach consensus on tariffs
Taiwan and the US have reached a broad consensus on a trade deal, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations said yesterday, after a report said that Washington is set to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent. The New York Times on Monday...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
GOOD WISHES
Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions slugger Lin An-ko, center, gestures at a gathering with fans at the Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium yesterday. The team sponsored the event for Lin ahead of his departure to Japan to play for the Saitama Seibu Lions in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Budget delay might force borrowing
Six local governments might be forced to borrow due to a funding shortfall of NT$299.2 billion (US$9.48 billion) due to opposition lawmakers blocking this year’s budget, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮said yesterday. This year marks the first time in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EQUINE INSTALLATION
A New Taipei City Government official sets up an inflatable horse as one of several themed installations marking the Year of the Horse at Fort Santo Domingo in Tamsui District yesterday.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Military have plan to protect Lai: Hsu
The armed forces have response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
US to ‘run’ Venezuela after Maduro seizure
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was in a New York jail on Saturday, hours after US special forces seized him and flew him out of his country — which US President Donald Trump said would come under effective US control. Trump’s announcement...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
China accused of ‘doxxing’ Puma Shen
The government yesterday accused China of transnational repression after Chinese state media and social media accounts widely circulated personal information about Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), including satellite...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MARINE WONDER
People visit the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Pingtung County in an undated photograph. The museum received the “Animal Welfare Certi��cation” at the Southeast Asian Zoos and Aquariums Association’s annual conference in Singapore....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lai urges unity on national defense
President William Lai (賴清德), in his New Year’s Day address yesterday, urged the opposition parties to put national security before partisan politics and swiftly pass a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.76 billion) special defense budget amid China’s “rising...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lai urges unity on day two of PLA drills
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged unity as China’s latest large-scale military drills around Taiwan entered their second day, accusing Beijing of escalating regional tensions. “The Chinese Communist Party has continued to escalate military...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Taiwan slams China’s ‘provocation’
The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China’s launch of another military drill around Taiwan, saying such actions are a “unilateral provocation” that destabilizes regional peace and stability. China should immediately stop the irresponsible and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DPP legislators propose security bills
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers have proposed amendments to the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) to address financial flows of “gray zone actors” and counter Beijing’s efforts to infiltrate Taiwan by funding local social media influencers for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Israeli move opens room for cooperation: MOFA
Israel recognizes that Somaliland provides an opportunity for trilateral cooperation between Taiwan, Israel and Somaliland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, adding that Taipei would continue to seek more cooperative opportunities...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
AI MATCHMAKING
Pet owners and their pets pose for a photograph at a news conference hosted by the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office in the city yesterday. The office announced it has collaborated with the Ministry of Digital Affairs to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Asfura named the winner in Honduras
Taiwan has “direct contact” with Honduras’ new president-elect, and with the assistance of the US, the restoration of formal diplomatic relations is “something to look forward to,” a senior foreign affairs official said yesterday. The National Party...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lai urges solidarity after knife attack
The Taipei metro knife attack last week was a reminder of solidarity and vigilance, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, in a call to improve Taiwan’s emergency response capabilities. He made the remarks in his opening speech for a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lai, LDP lawmaker vow to boost ties
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hope that Taiwan and Japan can deepen cooperation in various fields and work together to maintain a free and open IndoPacific region. Lai made the remarks while welcoming a delegation led by Japanese...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Events get extra security after Taipei knife attacks
Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Police to be deployed to crowded areas
The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴 said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Suspect and two more dead after attacks in MRTs
A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and six injured, including one in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Taiwan to soon apply for hep C certification: Lai
Taiwan is to apply for WHO certification by the end of this year for meeting the global body’s hepatitis C elimination goal five years ahead of schedule, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Taiwan was the first country to launch a universal...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ann Kao not guilty of corruption: court
The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cho not endorsing allocation changes
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
JAPANESE DANCE
Crowds watch a Japanese Awa Odori troupe’s performance in Taoyuan yesterday. The performance was part of an event organized by the Taoyuan Jingfu Temple that included a market and other performances, attracting more than 30,000 people.
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Revenue allocation change blocked
The Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan have decided on “no countersignature and no promulgation” of an amendment to a government revenue allocation law passed by the Legislative Yuan, sources said yesterday, which would be a first in the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Taiwan touts cloud computing center
Taiwan yesterday launched its first national cloud computing center, demonstrating the government’s determination to join the global race to build sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and marking its first step to push for “10 Major AI...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Military announces loans program
New military hardship loans would start next month to counter Chinese espionage efforts targeting economically vulnerable military service members, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The announcement comes on the heels of multiple legal...
Read Full Story (Page 1)