The government has yet to comment on a phone call between U-S President
Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping on Monday - during which Xi said Taiwan's
"return to China" is a key part of the post-war international order.

The comment by Xi was reported by China's state news agency Xinhua.

Xinhua quoted Xi as claiming "China and the United States once fought side by
side against fascism and militarism, and should now work together to
safeguard the outcomes of World War Two."

A White House official has confirmed that Trump and Xi had spoken by phone,
but has given no details of the conversation.

However, Trump said after the phone call that he has accepted an invitation
from Xi to visit Beijing in April and that he reciprocated by inviting Xi for
a state visit to the U-S later next year.

We'll have more on this a bit later on in the program.

D-P-P lawmakers on the legislative Foreign Affairs and National Defense
Committee have passed a motion condemning China's "long-arm jurisdiction"
over Taiwan citizens alleged to be military intelligence workers.

The motion was proposed by D-P-P lawmaker Wang Ding-yu and endorsed by three
other D-P-P lawmakers.

It stated that recent actions by Chinese provincial governments, which
offered cash bounties for information leading to the arrest of alleged
psychological operations officers, amounted to provocation and was a serious
violation of Taiwan's sovereignty.

The motion was passed unanimously by the six committee members who attended
the session.

However, the other seven members from the K-M-T and Taiwan People's Party
were not present at the meeting.

Lawmakers present also unanimously passed another motion condemning China's
distortion of United Nations Resolution 2758 - which Beijing has used as the
basis for its sovereignty claim over Taiwan.

National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen last month described
the notices issued by local authorities in China as being "mixture of
publicly available information and falsehoods" and of being part of Beijing's
"cognitive warfare."

The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office has indicted two employees and an
outside contractor of Radio Taiwan International for allegedly launching a
cyberattack against the broadcaster's official website in September.

The suspects include engineer Wu Cheng-hsun, his manager Yue Chao-chu and
Huang Fu-lin, who worked at the systems maintenance contractor for R-T-I.

Prosecutors say the three men planned cyberattacks against R-T-I in June.

Wu reportedly gave Huang an account with the highest level of access to
R-T-I's website so he could provide technical support and delete records of
illegal activities on the site.

Prosecutors also say although Yue was informed by Wu about his actions, he
failed to intervene or report the matter to his superiors.

The homepage of R-T-I's Japanese website was changed on August 20 to show
simplified Chinese and the website's signal was interrupted.

While R-T-I's main website was attacked four times in September - when the a
Chinese flag and U-S flag were put on the banner.

Prosecutors say the disruptions of R-T-I's systems affected the nation,
public interest and public morale.

A attorney for former television host Mickey Huang says his client has
reached settlements with all of the victims in a child sex videos case.

The statement comes as a ruling in Huang's appeal against his being sentenced
by the Taipei District Court to eight months in prison is set to be
announced.

He was sentenced to prison by the court in December of last year for
possession of a large collection of sexually explicit images involving minors
and promoting a market for those images.

In a statement from the Taipei District Court at the time, Huang reportedly
joined an online forum in Feburary of 2014, and used the forum to purchase
sexually explicit videos and images.

An investigation eventually found that Huang was in possession of 2,259
sexual image files that involved at least 35 minors.

Huang appealed the sentence to the Taiwan High Court and that ruling is set
to be announced later today.

The High Court has not commented publicly on the case and it's unclear if the
settlements will affect its findings.

However, legal expers say the settlement announcement is likely aimed at
having his sentence reduced or suspended.

The Legislative Yuan's Legal Bureau is proposing relaxing restrictions on
marriages between collateral blood relatives from the current six degrees to
four degrees.

The move comes after the Kaohsiung Juvenile and Family Court annulled a
marriage between sixth-degree relatives.

The court declared that marriage completely void because the couple's
grandmothers were sisters - stating that it violated current laws.

The legislature's Legal Bureau says its proposal seek to reflect major
societal shifts in modern family structures ...

... as younger generations often have significantly less contact with
extended relatives, which substantially increases the risk of unknowingly
breaching complex consanguinity laws.

The bureau says it could revised the legal consequences from a permanent
"void marriage" to "voidable" and is citing successful legislative precedents
in Germany and Japan based on their same-sex marriage laws.

Supporters of the move are expressing optimism about the proposed changes -
arguing that accuracies of modern genetic testing fully justify thoroughly
reevaluating the current restrictions.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai is claiming that weekend performances by K-pop
group TWICE generated more than 500-million N-T in tourism revenue.

Chen says the Saturday and Sunday concerts drew a total of 180,000 fans to
the Kaohsiung National Stadium, while city's shopping districts, night
markets, and hotels were packed with visitors ....

... with some night market vendors staying open until 3 or 4AM on both days.

Chen says concert-driven tourism has given a boost to the city's visibility -
noting that the South Korean entertainment awards show, Asia Artist Awards,
will also be held in Kaohsiung next month.

The mayor also says Kaohsiung National Stadium is "already fully booked" for
2026 and ther groups wishing to perform there may have to wait until 2027.

And,

Highway Bureau Director General Lin Fu-shan says the Danjiang Bridge in New
Taipei will host a road running event and a cycling sportive in April ahead
of its official opening in May.

The road run for up to 7,000 participants will take place on April 18 and
feature 21, 10 and 5-kilometer categories, allowing runners to view the
sunset along the route.

Registration for the run opens on Thursday and fees ranged from 600 and 1,000
N-T.

While the the cycling event has been scheduled for April 19 and will include
a 49-kilometer challenge ride with 556 meters of climbing, and a 20-kilometer
leisure ride.

Registration for both of those events opens on Friday, with entry fees
between 1,080 and 1,380 N-T.

The currently under construction 920-meter-long Danjiang Bridge links New
Taipei's Bali and Tamsui districts.

A formal opening ceremony will be held on May 9 and the bridge will be open
to traffic on May 12.

The Danjiang Bridge connecting New Taipei City's Tamsui and Bali districts
will host two major public events, a sunset run and a bicycle tour, before
its official opening next year.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications says the bridge is slated
for an official opening ceremony on May 9th, 2026, with vehicles allowed to
cross starting May 12th.

Officials say a run will take place on the bridge on the afternoon of April
18th, 2026, allowing participants to enjoy the Tamsui sunset.

And a bicycle tour will follow on April 19th, with the routes designed to
connect Dan-shui and Bali landmarks.

Registration opens November 27th and 28th respectively.

The ministry says it's also planning additional activities leading up to the
opening, including photography and painting competitions, to introduce the
public to the new bridge.

(NS)

Entertainer Mickey Huang (黃子佼) says he has now settled with all victims in
his child-sex-image case.

The announcement comes one day before the High Court issues its second-trial
verdict.

Huang was sentenced to eight months in the first trial for downloading over
2-thousand sexual videos and images involving at least 35 children aged 10 to
17.

Court records show only some victims had settled by late October, but more
agreements were reached afterward.

Huang says he now understands the harm caused by such material and offered a
formal apology.

He also says all settlements were arranged through the court because victims'
identities were protected.

Huang adds that the case has cost him his marriage, his family and his
career, and he vows to improve himself.

(PB)

An elderly woman fell onto the tracks at the High Speed Rail?s Banqiao
Station this afternoon.

Staff say she appeared to lose her balance on the southbound platform around
2 p.m.

Workers quickly hit the emergency stop button and moved her to a safe area
before helping her back onto the platform.

She was conscious and had no obvious external injuries and was taken to
hospital for treatment.

High Speed Rail officials say the incident did not delay any trains.

They also say Banqiao and Hsinchu stations are scheduled to get platform
screen doors by December 2026.

(PB)

Labor Minister Hung Shen-han (洪申翰) says proposed new regulations for food
delivery workers will not lead to a rise in fees for consumers.

The Ministry of Labor recently proposed a draft special act that would set a
minimum hourly wage for delivery workers at 1.25 times the current minimum
wage.

Hung said today that consumers need not worry about price hikes, as the
minimum hourly rate in the draft act is lower than what workers are currently
being paid.

The minister added that the minimum floor is necessary because riders often
complain that platforms arbitrarily lower their pay.

He stressed that the new legislation is intended to help regulate the
relationship between platforms, riders, vendors, and consumers.

(NS)

Taiwan shares edged up today amid mixed performances of other Asian stock
markets after an upbeat end to last week on Wall Street.

The Taiex rose 69 points to end the session at...26,504.

And the turnover expanded to 713 billion NT.

Labor Minister Hong Shen-han said today that his Ministry is collecting
opinions about the proposal of a 4-day work week.

The proposal, submitted on the Public Policy Online Participation Platform,
quickly received 5-thousand 700 supporting signatures.

Answering the media's questions, Hong said there are a wide range of
businesses and employment types in Taiwan, therefore his ministry has many
factors to consider.

He also stressed that workers’ views on having three rest days a week vary a
lot, as many people worry that fewer working hours would mean lower pay.

Recent polls indicated that 88-percent workers prefer the current 5-day work
week system, while only 10-percent favored the 4-day one.

The Ministry of Labor is required to make an official response to the
proposal before December 7th.

(JL)

DPP lawmaker Su Qiao-hui is set to become the party's candidate for the 2026
New Taipei mayoral race.

The party's election strategy committee has already recommended her to the
Central Executive Committee, which is expected to officially nominate her on
Wednesday.

Her potential opponents include the sitting Deputy Taipei Mayor Li Si-chuan,
Deputy New Taipei Mayor Liu Ho-ran (劉和然) and TPP chair Huang Guo-chang.

Local media reported that she has already assembled her campaign team, which
is made up mostly of younger staff workers in their 30s.

With four million registered residents, New Taipei is the most populous
administrative district in Taiwan, and it has been governed by a KMT Mayor or
Magistrate for 21 years.

(JL)

The Taiwan Water Corporation has announced that water supply in Tainan city
will be suspeced on December 2nd and 3rd.

The TWC said due to repair work of water main, water service will be put on
hold from 9 AM December 2nd until midnight the next day.

A total of 320-thousand households will be affected, but about one-fourth of
them will experience only reduced water pressure rather than a full shutdown.

The Corporation is urging residents to save some water in advance, saing
that they should cut the power to water pumps as well during that 39 hours.

(JL)

The Tai-Ex rebounded from last Friday's slump in early trading this morning.

The main board added 329-points to hit a high of 26,764-points as it bounced
back above the quarterly moving average of 26,510 points and moved towards a
return to the 27,000-point mark.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company led the upswing - adding 1.4-per
cent from Friday's closed as it hit 1,405 N-T.

Hon Hai, Delta Electronics, and MediaTek saw slight gains.

A-I server concept stocks Quanta and Wistron also gained ground,

The number of high-priced stocks exceeding 1,000 N-T increased to over 24 and
analysts say they've been on the rise due to market momentum in recent
months.

The Ministry of National Defense says it detected eight Chinese Air Force
sorties operating in the Taiwan Strait from between 6AM Sunday and 6AM today.

Of those sorties, six aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait
and entered Taiwan's southwestern and southeastern air defense identification
zones.

Five Chinese Navy ships and one maritime patrol vessel were also detected
operating in the general vicinity of the Taiwan Strait over the same 24-hour
period.

And,

The Central Weather Administration says temperatures will drop in the north
from this evening, as northeasterly winds strengthen once again.

According to the administration's forecast center, residents of the north,
northeast and center will likely see lows of between 14 and 16 degrees from
late tomorrow into early Wednesday.

While the mercury in the south and east will between 16 and 18 degrees.

The lowest temperature in low-lying areas earlier this morning was recorded
in Hsinchu County's Guanxi Township - where the mercury fell to 12.5-degrees.

The cooler overnight and early morning weather is expected to last through
Friday.

A cross-party legislative delegation has visited a newly opened Taiwan trade
office in the U-S state of Texas.

The office is in Dallas and the visit is part of the 14-member group's
ongoing trip to the United States and Paraguay.

The delegation is being led by Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang.

It consists of lawmakers from the D-P-P, the K-M-T and Taiwan People's Party.

The delegation arrived in Dallas early Saturday, after concluding a three-day
trip to Paraguay.

The lawmakers were said to have been accompanied by Taiwan's representative
in Houston responsible for Dallas affairs, Yvonne Hsiao and they also met
with city officials.

The Dallas office was inaugurated on August 14.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs says the office will work to deepen
bilateral trade and economic ties and expand supply chain cooperation between
Taiwan and the city.

The legislative delegation left Taiwan on November 16 first traveling to
Detroit before arriving in Paraguay on November 18.

Members of Tamkang University's Department of Aerospace Engineering Space
Technology Lab have successfully launched the "Tamkang-2" from the Hsu-Hai
Rocket Research Launch Site in Pingtung.

The Taiwan Space Agency says the rocket hit an altitude of more than
7-kilometers - that's an estimate based on its last transmitted data - before
it flew beyond transmission range.

The "Tamkang-2" is the fourth rocket to have been developed by the university
and had a thrust of 2,765 newtons and an impulse of 26,000 newton-seconds,
and burned for 13 seconds, reaching its highest point at the 38-second mark.

Project leader Wang Yi-ren says the successful launch verified the lab's
avionics system performance, and he's proud that the team had developed an
avionics system that was able to transmit data stably and in real time at
high speeds and under strong vibrations.

Wang says the lab will next work on attitude control systems.

The space agency's Hsu-Hai Rocket Research Launch Site has now completed 12
scientific sounding rocket launches since it was inaugurated earlier this
year.

The National Archives officially opened this past weekend - drawing nearly
10,000 visitors on its first day.

National Development Council Deputy Minister Peng Li-pei says the archives
will follow the principle of "maximum openness, minimum restrictions" in
promoting public access to records.

Peng called the archives an important public infrastructure project that
reflects the government's long-term efforts to preserve and make the nation's
intellectual assets accessible.

He noted that the National Archives preserves records across all media
formats and provides easy access and curated displays, enabling stories from
different eras to be passed across generations ..

.. and he invited the public to explore what he described as "everyone's
archives" and witness Taiwan's historical development together.

The archives began trial operations on September 2.

President Lai Ching-te presided over an opening ceremony on November 17.

The N-D-C deputy minister says over 200,000 people have already visited the
National Archives, which is located in New Taipei's Linkou District.

Health Minister Shih Chung-liang says the world's first fatal human infection
of the H-5-N-5 avian flu strain is not currently viewed as posing a
human-to-human transmission risk.

The statement comes after the case was reported in the United States last
week.

Health officials in the U-S state of Washington confirmed last Friday that an
elderly resident had died after contracting the H-5-N-5 virus.

The flu strain had previously only detected only in animals.

The health minister says the virus appears to be a newly recombined strain
and the U-S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found no evidence
of human-to-human transmission.

However, he's stressing that the Centers for Disease Control here in Taiwan
will continue to monitor related developments and is urging travelers to
avoid contact with poultry or wild birds to reduce potential exposure - as
winter marks peak migratory bird season.

Washington state has been under Taiwan's Level 1 "Watch" advisory for novel
influenza A viruses since April.

Health officials here say it has recorded four sporadic human cases of novel
influenza A since 2014, none involving secondary infections.

The Ministry of the Interior says a record 6-per cent of babies born in the
first nine months of this year took their mother's surname.

Data shows that more than 4,800 of the 81,381 babies born between January and
the end of September took their mother's surname.

That's up from 5.2-per cent during the same period in 2020.

The ministry says data also shows that 93.9-per cent of babies took the
father's surname, while less than 0.1-per cent were given a traditional
Indigenous name.

Taitung and Hualien had the most areas with children given their mother's
surnames, followed by Pingtung, Nantou and Keelung.

Academia Sinica's Institute of Sociology says the high totals in Taitung and
Hualien are due to their large Indigenous populations, which tend to be more
matriarchal in nature.

K-pop group TWICE drew massive crowds in Kaohsiung this past weekend for its
concerts at the Kaohsiung National Stadium.

The concerts saw Taiwanese member Chou Tzu-yu returning home to perform for
the first time.

The 26-year-old greeted her fans in mandarin - saying she was thrilled to
finally bring her TWICE bandmates to Kaohsiung.

The band performed an extensive set of songs at the concerts on Saturday and
Sunday - ranging from their latest track "THIS IS FOR" and the
10th-anniversary single "ME YOU" to fan-favorite hits like "Strategy" and
"What Is Love?"

The concerts pushed ridership up on the Kaohsiung M-R-T to 350,000 on
Saturday - the highest single-day figure this year and the ninth-highest in
the system's history.

Light rail usage also reached 54,000 trips.

The metro operator says the surge was driven not only by TWICE's concerts but
also by other major weekend events, including performances by Wu Bai and Sun
Shu-may, as well as city-organized festivals.

And,

Migrant workers and new immigrants have been celebrated at an event at the
Taipei Main Station for their contributions to Taiwan's literary landscape.

Many awardees used the event to express both their gratitude for Taiwan and
their frustrations over the limits they continue to face.

Filipino Marvin Joaquin Alamag was won one of the three "Choice Awards" at
the ceremony for the 10th Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants for his story
"The Return."

The book follows the spirit of a Filipino worker who took his own life, as he
navigates the memories of discrimination and exploitation he endured in
Taiwan and Alamag says he drew inspiration from his 12 years working in an
electronics-testing factory.

The first prize went to a 23-year-old student from Vietnam for her work "The
Rooftop Barber Shop" - a story that judges praised for its intimate portrayal
of everyday migrant life in Taiwan.

DPP Legislator Puma Shen says China's threats to extradite him for the
alleged crime of secession won't work.

Shen told CNA in The Hague, where he's attending a democracy summit, that
he'll continue to visit countries that have extradition treaties with China,
in part to show that China doesn't have teeth with regard to his movements.

In late October, the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau listed Shen
as "wanted" and is investigating him for alleged "criminal activities of
secession." A Chinese legal expert recently suggested that Shen could be
pursued through Interpol.

Shen said his "actions are meant to show the people of Taiwan that China is a
paper tiger." He said, "What {China} is doing is largely symbolic propaganda
for domestic audiences, and Taiwan shouldn't be afraid."

CNA_JvW

Taiwan has detected banned Sudan red dyes in cosmetics, prompting 14 local
and foreign companies to recall affected products and suspend their sales.

The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration says it learned in late October that
some Chinese-made cosmetics might contain the dyes, which dermatologists have
warned are potentially carcinogenic.

The source of the Sudan dyes has been traced to raw materials supplied by
Singapore-based Campo Research Pte Ltd.

Lip products containing the dyes pose the highest risk, though they're banned
for all external-use cosmetics.

Under Taiwan's Cosmetic Hygiene and Safety Act, using banned dyes can result
in fines ranging from 20,000 to 5 million NT. Products found non-compliant
must be recalled and destroyed.

CNA_JvW

Tainan Mayor Huang Weizhe says a fire at a city waste-disposal site has been
controlled.

The fire in Tainan's Houbi District started around 8pm last night, and
firefighters battled the blaze for 14 hours.

The mayor told reporters today that an initial assessment forecast it would
take several days to put the fire out. He thanked firefighters and the
Environmental Protection Bureau for controlling it quickly.

While the flames, which reached a height of up to four stories, have been
controlled, the site is still smoldering, and efforts are under way to remove
methane from the garbage heap, which consisted of 80 percent wood.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

CNA_zh_JvW

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has thanked French President Emmanuel
Macron for his comments earlier this week on Taiwan's fight against
disinformation.

Macron made the comments at a symposium in northern France, noting that
democratic Taiwan faces a monumental disinformation campaign aimed at it by
its giant non-democratic neighbor. He said France could learn from Taiwan's
experience in fighting China's disinformation efforts.

MOFA said it's happy to share its experience in maintaining resilience in the
face of China's information warfare with like-minded democratic partners such
as France.

CNA_zh_JvW

The Ministry of Economic Affairs says it hasn't finalized a tariff deal with
the United States.

This comes after the Financial Times reported that Taiwan would commit to
investing US$400 billion in the U.S. in exchange for a lower rate.

Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin said that when a deal is reached, Taiwan's
chief negotiator will announce it.

The Financial Times cited an unnamed US official as saying that a draft
agreement with Taiwan indicated Taipei would pledge an investment of between
the US$350 billion promised by South Korea and the US$550 billion agreed upon
by Japan.

The commitments from contract chipmaker TSMC would be part of Taiwan's total
investment, according to the FT's sources.

TSMC is investing US$65 billion to build three advanced fabs in Arizona. It
has pledged to invest an additional US$100 billion in Arizona over the next
few years to build three more fabs, two IC assembly plants and one R&D
center.

CNA_JvW

Taichung Mayor Lu Xiuyan is commending signs of cooperation between the
leaders of the KMT and TPP as having the potential to bring new opportunities
to Taiwan.

KMT chair Zheng Liwen met with TPP leader Huang Guochang on Wednesday,
jointly announcing afterward a commitment to QUOTE "take action to protect
Taiwan."

Mayor Lu declined to take on the reins as KMT chair earlier this year, citing
the need to address economic challenges in her home city. She's widely seen
as the presumptive KMT presidential candidate in 2028.

CNA_JvW

Science Park

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said today that he'll expedite procedures for
Nvidia's acquisition of land in the Beitou-Shilin Science Park so that
construction can start by the middle of next year.

This follows the signing of a termination agreement yesterday for the plots
of land that Nvidia will take over from Shin Kong Life.

Chiang said the land rights agreement with Nvidia should be completed by the
Chinese New Year, which is in mid-February next year.

The mayor thanked Shin Kong Life for its cooperation in making the land
available to Nvidia, as the maker of chips that are powering the AI boom
expands its operations in Taiwan.

CNA_zh_JvW

KMT Lawmaker Huang Jian-hao says the NT$600 maximum penalty for lighting or
smoking cigarettes while operating a vehicle is too light.

Huang is planning to introduce an amendment to the Road Traffic Management
and Penalty Act to increase the maximum penalty to NT$2,000.

Huang said the dangers of smoking while driving a car or riding a motorcycle
go beyond the obvious distraction from the road, citing the danger of causing
a fire and knock-on effects for trailing vehicles.

CNA_zh_JvW

Greenpeace is urging Taiwan's government to better protect children from
extreme heat, citing a study showing that newer city parks in the country
lack shaded structures.

Greenpeace unveiled a study that monitored daytime conditions at 16 Taiwan
city parks ranging from Taipei to Kaohsiung from June to August.

It found that heat levels in nine of the parks consistently hit ranges
associated with increased heat-injury risks, and most of the parks'
playground equipment was directly exposed to the sun.

An assistant professor at Tainan University of Technology, which hosted the
study, recommended installing more shade and real-time weather monitoring.

The Ministry of Environment said that the government will "listen to the
needs of the youth and other vulnerable groups" and include heat prevention
in its future policies, but it didn't outline specific measures.

CNA_JvW

Hon Hai has unveiled its new electric vehicle at the opening of Hon Hai Tech
Day, with Japan set as its initial target market.

Hon Hai Chairman Young Liu said the Model A -- jointly designed by Taiwanese
and Japanese teams -- is also being pitched to potential clients in Southeast
Asia ... as the company explores opportunities for broader regional adoption.

Jun Seki, Hon Hai's chief strategy officer for EVs, presented three
configurations of the Model A tailored to different industries and usage
scenarios.

He said the vehicle features a slim battery pack capable of being fully
charged in 20 minutes, supported by an AI-driven battery management system.

CNA_JvW

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expressing dissatisfaction that the
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or
CPTPP, didn't address the country's application during its latest meeting.

MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process
Taiwan's application," attributing the inaction to "political pressure,"
without elaborating.

Both Taiwan and China submitted applications in 2021, and neither has yet
acceded to the trade bloc.

China has publicly opposed Taiwan's membership.

In a joint statement after the latest session in Melbourne closed, the CPTPP
members said they "have identified four aspirants" that will begin accession
over the next two years: Uruguay, the UAE, the Philippines and Indonesia.

MOFA said it will continue efforts to show CPTPP members that Taiwan meets
the standards required by the bloc, which currently has 12 members.

CNA_JvW