Taipei Times
Taiwan aims to train 500,000 AI pros by 2040
President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration plans to allocate more than NT$40 billion (US$1.26 billion) next year to develop 10 major artificial intelligence (AI) projects, with a goal of training at least 500,000 AI professionals by 2040. Lai...
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US testing Harpoon missiles Taiwan purchased
The US Navy and Boeing Co have conducted a series of tests for land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile system being supplied to Taiwan and released footage showing the system striking a target vessel at sea. The weapons system and support equipment...
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US supports Taiwan’s presence at Pacific forum
The US backed Taiwan’s continued participation in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as Taiwan and associated countries sent senior delegations to the summit this week. The 55th PIF Leaders Meeting is being held from today to Friday in Koror, Palau, with...
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CEC approves nuclear referendum, rejects other two
The Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday announced it has approved holding a referendum on nuclear power, but rejected proposals on caning and traffic fines. The Legislative Yuan on Aug. 14 approved three referendums: introducing caning as a...
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Lawmakers pass alternative drone bill
The legislature yesterday rejected the Executive Yuan’s NT$210 billion (US$6.62 billion) special budget proposal to buy military drones and instead passed its own plan, which earmarks NT$40 billion per year over six consecutive years. The Executive...
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Taiwan confirms two local mpox clade Ib cases
Two domestic cases of mpox clade Ib have been confirmed this month, marking the first locally acquired infections of the virus strain, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The patients, both men in their 30s, are in stable condition...
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Biennale restores ‘Taiwan’ name: report
The Gwangju Biennale Foundation has agreed to allow Taiwan’s exhibitors to use the name “Taiwan” in the exhibition venue and in official documents and promotional materials, South Korea’s Munhwa Broadcasting Corp reported yesterday. The foundation...
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Heavy rains cause floods, landslides, mass evacuations
Heavy rain brought by a lowpressure system and strong southwesterly winds triggered widespread flooding, landslides and damage across central, southern and eastern Taiwan yesterday, disrupting travel and prompting mass evacuations. As of 6pm...
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Taiwan must uphold spirit of 823: Lai
Even in peacetime, forgetting war is dangerous, but Taiwan will uphold the spirit of those who were on the front lines of the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis and not cede an inch of territory, President William Lai (賴清德) said in Kinmen County yesterday...
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Legislature loses ‘friendship’ travel funds
The legislature has suspended funding for overseas visits by lawmakers’ friendship groups after travel budget cuts, prompting mixed responses from the three major parties. The central government’s budget for this fiscal year was delayed for 351 days...
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UP, UP AND AWAY
Drones fly over hot air balloons during the conclusion of the Taiwan International Balloon Festival in Taitung County on Thursday evening. The 41-day event attracted about 1 million visitors.
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LITTLE FESTIVAL-GOERS
Amis children participate in the Fata’an harvest festival in Hualien County’s Guangfu Township yesterday. The tribe scaled down this year’s event after the festival grounds were damaged by flooding from a barrier lake on the Mataian River in September...
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China completes first stage at disputed reef
China has completed the first phase of construction on Antelope Reef (Lingyang Reef, 羚羊礁) in the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙 building an artificial island in the disputed South China Sea that analysts say will form part of its largest military...
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‘GRAY ZONE’ ACTIVITY
A Coast Guard Administration (CGA) officer monitors a China Coast Guard ship near Pratas Island (Dongsha Islands) in the South China Sea yesterday. The CGA said it detected two Chinese coast guard vessels approaching and entering the waters around...
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Lai announces NT$10,000 cash handout
The government would allocate NT$235.7 billion (US$7.4 billion) in next year’s budget to fund a NT$10,000 cash payment for every citizen next year as the economy continues to grow, President William Lai (賴清德) announced yesterday. Lai made the...
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China wants to block drone bill: source
The Legislative Yuan is slated to hold cross-caucus negotiations on 14 versions of a draft uncrewed vehicle act on Thursday, amid rumors that Beijing is pressuring some Taiwanese politicians to block passage of a special bill proposed by the Ministry...
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SINGERS AND BALL
The Wei Chuan Dragons’ Liu Ji-hong, right, poses alongside members of South Korean girl group NMIXX and a Dragons mascot ahead of their CPBL game against the Rakuten Monkeys at the Taipei Dome yesterday. An NMIXX member threw the ceremonial first pitch...
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TAIWAN HITS
Taoyuan Mayor Simon Chang, center, holds a placard along with event guests at the opening of the Taoyuan Film Festival yesterday.
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Taiwan targeted in AI-driven hacking
Overseas hackers used artificial intelligence (AI) agents to target government agencies in a cyberattack last month, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) said yesterday, following a Financial Times report on the incident. The Administration for...
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School health amendments advance
The Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee yesterday gave initial approval to amendments to the School Health Act (學校衛生法) requiring the government to assist schools in stocking menstrual products and teaching students about menstruation and...
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Vincentian PM pledges support, urges investment
Visiting Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Godwin Friday yesterday pledged that his new administration is ready to usher in a “next chapter” in the two countries’ 45-year diplomatic relationship, while calling for increased Taiwanese...
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Taiwan slows mobile Internet for drills
The government yesterday slowed mobile Internet coverage for a large swathe of the central part of Taiwan proper for the first time during annual war games, simulating communication disruption in the event of a Chinese attack or natural...
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Taipei protests ‘snub’ at Japan memorial
Taipei yesterday protested the seating arrangement at the Nagasaki atomic bombing memorial ceremony, saying that the Nagasaki City Government’s decision to place its representative outside the diplomatic delegation area slighted Taiwan’s national...
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Defense spending to top NT$1.1 trillion
The Cabinet is to approve next year’s budget on Aug. 20, with defense spending topping NT$1.1 trillion (US$34.07 billion) and NT$240 billion earmarked for a special budget, sources said yesterday. Next year’s central government revenue is expected to...
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VP oversees urban resilience exercises
Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭 yesterday emphasized the importance of conducting rigorous defense exercises during an inspection of Kaohsiung’s urban resilience drills, which were for the first time merged with the annual Han Kuang military...
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President involved in military drills
President William Lai (賴清德) made a late-night dash in the back of an armored personnel carrier to a command center as part of the Han Kuang Exercises, which entered their second day yesterday. Taiwan began the 10 days of drills on Wednesday, which are...
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Han Kuang military exercises begin
Military units yesterday began preparing for possible deployment at the orders of the Ministry of National Defense’s General Staff Headquarters, while 20,000 reservists were called up to take part in the 10-day live-fire portion of the 42nd Han Kuang...
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Military aid should pass: US lawmaker
US President Donald Trump is expected to submit a US$14 billion arms package for Taiwan to the US Congress soon, US Representative Michael McCaul said in Taipei yesterday, adding that US arms sales to Taiwan would not be affected by Washington’s ties...
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MAC to train ‘united front’ awareness
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it would work with schools to reinforce awareness about China and the risks of traveling there after a government watchdog warned about increasingly one-sided cross-strait educational...
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China patrols ‘deeply destabilizing’: US
The US government has described China dispatching coast guard vessels to waters east of Taiwan as “deeply destabilizing,” and called on Beijing to end its pressure campaign against Taipei. The China Coast Guard on Friday said a formation led by its...
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THSRC set for largest timetable change in 20 years
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) yesterday said it would implement its largest timetable overhaul in 20 years, including the introduction of “super express” trains linking northern and southern Taiwan without intermediate stops. The new timetable...
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US lawmaker urges drone bill passage
Visiting US Representative Young Kim yesterday urged the Legislative Yuan to swiftly pass a bill funding the procurement of domestically produced drones needed to help defend the country against security threats posed by China. The Cabinet has...
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Executive Yuan officially recognizes Siraya
The Executive Yuan yesterday officially recognized the Siraya as an indigenous group, making them the 17th officially recognized indigenous peoples and the first recognized under the Pingpu Indigenous People’s Status Act (平埔原住民族群身分法). The decision...
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Watchdog flags China exchange gaps
Poorly regulated cross-strait academic exchanges have resulted in a lopsided flow of young Taiwanese going to China and numerous schools failing to register exchange activities, the Control Yuan said yesterday. An investigation found that the Ministry...
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AIT hails joint coast guard operations
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday for the first time shared a photograph of Taiwanese and US coast guard vessels operating side-by-side, saying that the two sides conducted joint operations ranging from search-and-rescue to maritime law...
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EXPLORING HISTORY
People visit the “Curiosities Market” on the platform of the Takao Railway Museum in Kaohsiung on Sunday. To promote cultural heritage conservation efforts and revitalize historical sites, the Kaohsiung Bureau of Cultural Affairs launched a series of...
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More than 3m registered for civil defense program
Taiwan has registered more than 3.26 million civil defense personnel and stockpiled more than 560,000 tonnes of rice to bolster societal resilience, although a National Audit Office report warned of overlapping personnel rosters and urged the...
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SPRINT TO FINISH
Competitors run out of the water toward the finish line during the Kinmen Open Water Swim in Lieyu Township yesterday.
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New warship commissioned
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday presided over the commissioning ceremony for the navy’s Tuo Chiang-class corvette Dan Chiang (丹江) at the Zuoying (左營) naval base in Kaohsiung. The corvette’s sister ships — the Tuo Chiang (沱江) and the Ta Chiang...
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POP CULTURE GALORE
People photograph cosplayers at the Comic Exhibition at Exhibition Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center yesterday. The five-day exhibition, which opened yesterday, is being held alongside Taiwan Gamers-Con International and the Taipei Movie and Toys...
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MND unveils plans to make explosives
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday unveiled plans to manufacture RDX explosives domestically after Beijing-directed interference allegedly prevented the compound’s procurement abroad. RDX, or hexogen, is a main ingredient of TNT,...
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TIER 1 RESEARCH
President William Lai, front center, attends the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research’s (TIER) 50th Anniversary event in Taipei yesterday.
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NEW REGIME
Spain’s forward Lamine Yamal lifts the trophy after Spain won the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament final by defeating Argentina at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.
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Foreign minister reveals Germany trip
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in a Facebook post yesterday revealed that he had visited Germany last month and toured the Berlin Wall and the Berlin-Hohenschonhausen Memorial, among other sites. This year marks the 39th anniversary...
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UNITED BY SPORTS
World Cup tweets are a demonstration of how technology has changed, with AI allowing people from different countries to enjoy, in their own language, the wit of multiple cultures and showing humans that they all have much in common
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TAIEX tumbles 2,953.71 points amid tech selloff
Taiwanese stocks suffered a historic rout yesterday as investors locked in gains from the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, triggering a broad-based selloff in technology shares that marked the largest point decline in the TAIEX’s history. The...
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China-born candidates face new rules
People born in China who wish to run for public office must have submitted proof that they their household registration in China had been canceled at least 10 years before registering as candidates, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said yesterday,...
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EMPTY SKYSCRAPERS
Considered the world’s tallest unoccupied building, Tianjin’s Goldin Finance 117 exemplifies China’s ongoing property crisis
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Euthanasia, nuclear vote bills advance
The opposition alliance yesterday advanced proposed referendums on legalizing euthanasia and reactivating nuclear power plants directly to a second reading, moving the motions into the legislature’s formal review process. Should the Legislative Yuan...
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Marines join Taipei defense exercise
The military yesterday began a joint defense exercise featuring Marine Corps units mobilizing to reinforce the Taipei metropolitan area. The five-day exercise simulates scenarios including the detection of hostile vessels entering Taiwan’s territorial...
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Taipei reiterates position on South China Sea issue
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reiterated the Republic of China’s (ROC) “Four Principles” regarding South China Sea issues, urged all parties to strictly abide by international laws, and opposed unilateral expansionism and actions that...
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Bavi injures 113, leaves hundreds of homes in dark
Typhoon Bavi lashed Taiwan yesterday, injuring 113 people, prompting the evacuation of 14,605 residents and knocking out power in 234,481 households, the government said. Most of the injuries were due to people falling off motorcycles or bicycles due...
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Warning, cancelations issued for storm
The outer rain bands of Typhoon Bavi would begin affecting Taiwan today, with its storm circle reaching land this evening and its level-10 wind radius covering all of northern Taiwan by noon tomorrow, an official said yesterday. The Central Weather...
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Chinese tactics risk new ‘status quo,’ official says
China’s gradually increasing pressure tactics risk creating an entirely new “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, which the international community might not realize until it is too late, Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Biling (管碧玲) told the...
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President touts democratic cooperation
Taiwan will continue to strengthen cooperation with democratic partners to address the challenges posed by authoritarianism, as China’s continued military and “gray zone” activities have raised widespread international concern, President William Lai...
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Typhoon rocks Saipan; might pass Taiwan by
Typhoon Bavi’s center is looking more likely to pass north of Taiwan than to make landfall in the northern part of the country, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm is still too far away to forecast its exact...
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Opposition to unification keeps growing, poll shows
Despite Beijing intensifying its legal warfare against Taiwan, public opposition to unification with China has grown significantly over the past two decades, with the proportion of Taiwanese who reject unification rising to 61.7 percent this year from...
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President Lai congratulates US on 250th anniversary
Freedom and democracy can help further strengthen Taiwan-US ties, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday as he congratulated the US on its Independence Day, expressing hope for continued deepening of relations based on the Taiwan Relations Act and...
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CREATIVE AND FUN
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che, left, and a junior-high school student, a recipient of this year’s Mayor’s Award, pose during an award ceremony in Tainan yesterday. More than 500 award recipients yesterday took turns striking poses with Huang, with some...
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KMT-TPP drone bills an overstep: Lai
Plans by opposition parties in the legislature to fund defense drone development through the annual budget would violate the division of powers stipulated by the Constitution and disrupt fiscal planning, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. The...
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SCHOOL’S OUT
Newly graduated cadets fling their caps in celebration during the Taiwan Military Academy graduation ceremony in Taipei yesterday.
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ECFA exports to China fall to new low
Taiwan’s exports to China under the Early Harvest Program of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) fell to a record low last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday on the agreement’s 16th anniversary. Exports covered by...
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Defense net may be finished this year
Taiwan’s integrated air defense intelligence system is on track to be completed by the end of the year, and, if additional funding is approved, the military aims to deploy it next year, a military source said. The system combines the Huanzhan Project...
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Tsai attends leaders’ summit in Italy
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡 attended a diplomatic outreach in Italy earlier this week, sharing the stage with current and former female leaders around the world, including former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Ministry of...
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US lawmakers vow support for Taiwan
Members of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday pledged firm support for Taiwan as they welcomed Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to Washington, at a time when the administration of US President Donald Trump is reviewing a US$14 billion...
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Experts raise concern over China’s ‘ethnic unity’ law
Taiwanese academics and civic groups have raised concerns that extraterritorial provisions in China’s new “ethnic unity” law, set to take effect on Wednesday next week, could expose Taiwanese to legal and political risks. A senior Chinese official...
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Lai touts efforts to protect democracy
The government has launched interministerial mechanisms focused on prevention, protection and response to combat Beijing-directed transnational repression, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks at a seminar on building a...
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Combat readiness exercises launched
Taiwan yesterday launched five days of military drills aimed at boosting its combat readiness in case of a Chinese military attack. The “immediate combat readiness drills” are meant to test how rapidly military units can deploy, especially in the face...
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Expert flags China online poll scheme
A cybersecurity expert has warned of a coordinated social media disinformation campaign, suspected to be a Chinese psychological warfare exercise designed to build networks for manipulating information and influencing this year’s local...
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Lai urges PRC to abandon expansionism
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged China to abandon its military expansion in the South and East China seas, and the Taiwan Strait, as well as any use of force against Taiwan. Taiwan remains willing, on the basis of equality and dignity, to...
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MARUKO IN TAIPEI
Visitors take photos at a promotional event before the opening of the “Chibi Maruko-chan” original series’ 40th anniversary special exhibition at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei yesterday. The exhibition opens today and runs through Sept....
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Lai unveils plans for a drone squadron
The army is next month to establish a drone squadron that would be funded by a new special defense budget or supplementary budgets, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai spoke about the drone squadron in an address to military service...
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First F-16V for Taiwan spotted in Texas
The first of Taiwan’s order of F-16V Block 70 aircraft has been sighted in Texas ahead of delivery, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said. Taiwan’s first F-16V Block 70 two-seat aircraft, tail number 6831, was seen...
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Lai vows to work with partners to bolster resilience
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said Taiwan would deepen cooperation with democratic partners to bolster supply chain and economic resilience, while helping maintain regional peace and stability. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Rotary...
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MAC slams CCP’s ‘deceptive’ approach
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday criticized Beijing’s two-pronged “fake integration, real pressure” approach toward Taiwan as deceptive, and said it laid bare its intention to annex the nation. The council issued the remarks after Chinese...
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Taiwan defense bill advances in the US
The US Senate Committee on Armed Services on Thursday approved a defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2027 (FY27), which included a provision that would authorize the US Department of Defense to establish a war reserve stockpile program for...
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