ICRT

Posted on 2025-12-06 16:07:13

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te today thanked the White House for listing the
Taiwan Strait situation as a strategic priority.

He said Taiwan will continue to be a trustworthy and stalwart partner while
strengthening its defensive capabilities so it can contribute to regional
security.

The National Security Strategy (NSS) report says that Taiwan isn't just
important because of its role in the global semiconductor supply chain.

It's also key for maintaining the integrity of the first island chain, the
report said, adding that the US shouldn't have to shoulder the entire burden
of keeping Taiwan safe ... and calling on other allies to step up and spend
to maintain a strong defensive posture and to deter aggression.

Meanwhile CNA cited Ryan Fedasiuk of the American Enterprise Institute as
saying the change of one word in the report is evidence of policy drift
regarding Taiwan.

The 2025 report says, "the United States does *not support* any unilateral
change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait."

The wording in previous reports was that the US *opposes* such a change.

CNA_zh_JvW

Posted on 2025-12-06 14:08:13

Taiwan's Supreme Court has upheld the prison terms of three former servicemen
convicted of leaking sensitive military information to China, finalizing all
sentences in a high-profile espionage case involving personnel assigned to
Presidential Office security.

A fourth defendant had already withdrawn his appeal earlier in the process.
The former military police officer is serving his five-year-and-10-month
sentence.

The three whose sentences were finalized were handed prison terms ranging
from six years and five months to seven years for violating the National
Security Act and Anti-Corruption Act.

According to the verdict, the four accepted payments ranging from NT$266,000
to NT$664,000 between 2022 and 2024 to photograph and relay sensitive
internal documents through a Taiwanese middleman, who's still at large.

CNA_JvW

Posted on 2025-12-06 14:08:13

Taiwan Centers for Disease Control said today that it won't follow the
example of US authorities on hepatitis B vaccinations.

Taiwan implemented a universal hep B vaccination program in 1986 in response
to data that showed around half of the disease's transmission was from
mothers to their children.

The CDC says that the hep B incidence rate among children aged six and
younger consequently plummeted from more than 10 percent to less than one
percent.

A spokesperson for Taiwan's CDC said the prevalence rate of hep B among the
unvaccinated population is much higher in Taiwan than in the United States.
Given this, and the heavy disease burden that hep B puts on Taiwan's
population, there is no proposal to stop vaccinating newborns here.

CNA_zh_JvW

Posted on 2025-12-06 13:12:13

Taiwan's pig farmers are protesting the planned phase-out of food waste as
pig feed.

The Ministry of Environment has said that starting in 2027, the practice of
using household and restaurant food waste as pig feed will be banned.

Farmers gathered in New Taipei City to complain about the policy. They say a
one-year grace period creates uncertainty, as it takes at least 13 months to
raise a typical hog from infancy, and it isn't economic to do it without the
food waste they've been using as feed.

The head of a pig farmers' association said it would be better for the
government to stop deliveries immediately and provide a subsidy on the order
of NT$3,600 per piglet to farmers as they use alternatives to food waste.

Other farmers are demanding an expedited schedule to treat food waste at
regional centers so that the feed program could continue.

Meantime, the protestors said they would stop accepting deliveries of food
waste.

The environment ministry announced its schedule for ending the food
waste-as-feed program after the emergence of a case of African Swine Fever
that was attributed to untreated food waste.

It said it needed a transition period so that it can increase processing of
food waste for other uses, including composting and biomass energy
production.

CNA_zh_JvW

Posted on 2025-12-06 12:12:14

President Lai Ching-te thanked the US Congress for showing bipartisan support
for Taiwan in the form of the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which US
President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this week.

Lai expressed gratitude while receiving a delegation led by Susan Elliott,
president of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.

The act aims to ease limits on bilateral engagement and support Taiwan's
participation in international organizations. The US government has NOT said
whether it would relax any of its self-imposed restrictions in its
interactions with Taiwan.

CNA_JvW

Posted on 2025-12-06 12:12:14

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reports that in the 24 hours to 6am
today, 29 Chinese aircraft and 6 PLA ships operated in the vicinity of Taiwan
with 19 of the aircraft having crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

In addition, the ministry says it monitored one PLA balloon in or near
Taiwan's airspace.

The air and oceangoing activity marks an increase from the usual PLA
operations around Taiwan.

Reuters reported on Thursday that China was deploying up to 100 naval and
coast guard vessels in East Asian waters, it's biggest show of force to date.

CNA_zh_JvW

Posted on 2025-12-06 11:09:13

Taiwan's consumer price index rose 1.23 percent from a year earlier in
November, marking the seventh consecutive month below a 2 percent alert level
set by the central bank.

It was the slowest inflation since March 2021.

The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said CPI fell by
0.14 percent on month in November, though it ticked up slightly after
seasonal adjustments.

In the first 11 months of this year, CPI rose 1.69 percent on year, with core
CPI at 1.64 percent.

Lower fruit and vegetable prices partly offset increased costs associated
with rent and dining out as well as prices of pork and eggs.

Overall food prices rose 1.48 percent in November ... egg prices rose by
nearly 13 percent, while pork rose by 5.25 percent.

Meanwhile, fruit prices fell by 1.67 percent and vegetable prices fell by
more than 13 percent.

CNA_JvW

Posted on 2025-12-06 11:09:13

The White House's National Security Strategy report included a section on
Taiwan ... it noted that its strategic importance goes beyond semiconductor
chips.

However, CNA notes a change of wording regarding the cross-strait status quo.

The 2025 report says, "the United States does not support any unilateral
change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait."

The wording in previous reports was that the US opposes any unilateral
change. CNA cited Ryan Fedasiuk of the American Enterprise Institute as
saying this is a clear downgrade and evidence of policy drift regarding
Taiwan.

The White House report recognized Taiwan's importance to the continuity of
the first island chain, adding that the US should not have to shoulder the
entire burden of keeping Taiwan safe ... calling on other allies to step up
and spend to maintain a strong defense posture and deter aggression.

CNA_zh_JvW

Posted on 2025-12-06 11:09:13

Taiwan-based manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry has reported its
highest-ever November sales, with shipments of artificial intelligence server
racks on the rise as the company intensified its efforts in AI application
development.

Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, said it posted US$27 billion in consolidated
sales in November, up 26 percent from a year earlier but down 5.7 percent
from October's sales.

Hon Hai said that sales in its smart consumer electronics segment were
largely unchanged, as growth was offset by a stronger Taiwan dollar, while
its computing division recorded a decline in revenue.

CNA_JvW

Posted on 2025-12-05 20:07:14

The Legislative Yuan today voted 59 to 50 to reject Premier Cho Jung-tai's
request to reconsider amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of
Government Revenues and Expenditures.

The decision leaves the opposition-backed amendments, passed on November
14th, unchanged.

KMT lawmaker Lai Shyh-bao accused the premier of abusing the reconsideration
mechanism, saying Cho has filed more such requests than any premier in
history—all unsuccessful.

TPP Legislator Chang Chi-kai said the opposition acted to prevent what it
viewed as improper cuts of over $200 billion NT to local government funding.

The Cabinet argues the amendments would force the central government to
shoulder an additional $264.6 billion NT in debt next year, exceeding the
annual borrowing cap.

This was the eighth reconsideration request in just over a year—and the
eighth to be voted down.

(CNA_IG)

Posted on 2025-12-05 20:07:14

National Chi Nan University today

Environment minister Peng Chi-ming announced Taiwan's latest carbon reduction
pathway at a meeting at the National Chi Nan University in Puli Township in
Nantou County today.

He said that Taiwan aims to achieve a medium-term target of around
thirty-eight per cent reduction in emissions compared to 2005 levels ... by
2035.

Peng also mentioned action plans across a variety of sectors, including
offshore wind, hydrogen energy, and commercial vehicle electrification, that
have already been approved by the Executive Yuan.

This will be accompanied by a Green Growth Strategy, including investments of
10 billion NT, and a target of training eighty thousand "green-collar"
professionals by 2030 to pave the way for a net-zero transformation.

The university president said that being a mountain town, Puli needs to be at
the forefront of sustainability efforts.

(JM)

Posted on 2025-12-05 18:59:13

The Action Alliance on Basic Education says youth suicides in Taiwan have
surged dramatically over the past decade.

Ten years ago, authorities reported around 4 thousand 400 cases.

But last year, the number more than tripled to over 14 thousand 500....

And the 15 to 24 year old age group accounted for almost a third of all
suicide reports nationwide.

The alliance says many young people struggling with mental health don't ask
for help directly.

Instead, warning signs often show up as disrupted sleep, changes in appetite,
irritability, or refusing to attend school.

Experts warn that by the time a child speaks up or when a crisis is obvious,
it may be too late.

They're urging for stronger early intervention ... saying mental and
behavioral checks should be included in routine health screenings ... and
counseling given before tragedies occur.

(IG)

Posted on 2025-12-05 18:59:13

China Airlines is easing its dress-code rules, now allowing cabin crew to
wear glasses while on duty.

The airline says the change is meant to improve comfort for staff who often
work long hours, and who may suffer eye strain from wearing contact lenses
for extended periods.

The new policy allows simple, single-color frames, including metal or rimless
designs, with clear lenses.

Crew members must also carry a spare pair to ensure safety during flights.

In addition, the airline is considering letting crew wear their own athletic
shoes to reduce foot strain on long shifts.

Tigerair Taiwan says it will follow suit soon, and has already begun a full
uniform redesign tied to the delivery of a new fleet.

EVA Air, meanwhile, continues to allow glasses only for crew with documented
eye conditions, but says it will keep reviewing staff needs.

(IG)

Posted on 2025-12-05 17:08:13

President Lai Ching-te has unveiled a new national strategy to expand
home-based kidney dialysis, aimed at easing the financial burden on the
national health service.

This comes as dialysis costs are expected to reach nearly fifty billion NT
this year.

President Lai introduced Taiwan's new Home Dialysis White Paper, which lays
out plans to increase access to home treatment.

The government has set a target of eighteen percent of patients receiving
dialysis at home by 2035.

Lai called kidney disease a major public health challenge, noting that more
than ninety thousand people currently rely on dialysis.

He said the government is focusing more on prevention through free health
checks and tighter controls on high blood pressure, blood sugar, and
cholesterol.

It has also expanded coverage for medications that help slow the progression
of kidney disease.

(IG)

Posted on 2025-12-05 17:08:13

The KMT Secretary General is confirming that the party will select a nominee
to run in the Penghu magisterial race.

Li Qian Long says that the candidate will be decided based on polling and
internal party mechanisms

Li called the Penghu race in particular "extremely important," with many in
the party interested in running...

while some in the TPP have also floated the wife of former chair Ke Wen Zhe,
Chen Pei Qi, as a possible name.

Whoever the KMT chooses, they will face former Magong Mayor Ye Zhu
Lin　葉竹林, who's running as an independent after leaving the KMT in 2022,
while the DPP has not yet chosen a candidate.

The winner will replace outgoing DPP Magistrate Chen Guangfu, who's being
term-limited out.

(AH)

Posted on 2025-12-05 17:08:13

Taoyuan authorities confirm that an explosion that killed a worker at a waste
facility in September was caused by a highly volatile explosive which had
formed naturally inside the tank.

The explosion occurred on September 10th at a waste liquid tank processing
company in Dayuan District.

A 64-year-old employee was cleaning crystallized residue from a tank when the
blast happened.

He was pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital.

Forensic analysis of the residue eventually confirmed the presence of
"Tri-acetone Tri-peroxide", a potent and unstable explosive also known as
"Mother of Satan".

Police stated that the TATP was not manually synthesized but formed naturally
from another substance stored for a prolonged period.

While cases of this natural formation have been reported abroad, officials
say this is the first time it has been documented in Taiwan.

The factory has been ordered to suspend operations, and the operator has been
referred for prosecution on charges of negligence causing death.

(NS)

Posted on 2025-12-05 16:07:13

Interior Minister Liu Shi Fang is doubling down on her ministry's decision to
block Chinese social media app Xiao Hong Shu for one year.

She says, the app has been linked to over 1700 cases of fraud in the past 2
years, and people in charge of the app have made no efforts to try to combat
fraud linked to the app as requested by Taiwan.

Liu also responded to criticism that the government is selectively going
after Xiaohongshu, saying that it's not because it comes from China.

Further, she pointed out that the app, also known as RedNote, lacks a legal
representative in Taiwan, while other social media platforms like Facebook
and LINE do and operate in accordance with the law in Taiwan.

(AH)

Posted on 2025-12-05 16:07:13

A new survey from 1111 Job Bank shows over 46 percent of employers believe
young people are less interested in retail work.

Businesses point to weekend shifts, irregular hours, and sales pressure as
the biggest turn-offs.

Many companies say with high turnover rates, the cost of training newcomers
has become a major burden, and the uncertainties regarding U.S. tariffs also
make them reluctant to hire more people.

And even with the busy year-end shopping season coming up, almost nine in ten
companies say they still won't hire extra staff.

Retailers are trying to adapt by using more older workers, cutting store
hours, or adding digital checkout systems.

Looking ahead to next year, just over 40 percent of employers expect staff
numbers to stay the same, while about one in five hope to hire more.

(IG)

Posted on 2025-12-05 14:06:13

Facing strong criticism, DPP legislative caucus leaders are defending the
Interior Ministry's decision to block Xiao-hong-shu for one year.

The Chinese social networking and e-commerce platform has over 3 million
users in Taiwan.

According to the Criminal Investigation Bureau, the app failed 15 items on
the national security indices, and it's also been involved in over 1-thousand
700 fraud cases since last year, causing financial losses totaling 247
million NT.

The Interior Ministry announced yesterday that it has ordered the online
platform to stop domain resolution and restrict access, meaning those in
Taiwan can no longer use it.

DPP lawmaker Wu Si-yao said today that this action is not because
Xiao-hong-shu is from China, rather it's because it has failed to follow
regulations and refuses to cooperate in anti-fraud efforts.

Her colleague Puma Shen also said the measure was imposed to protect
people’s property.

However, the Ministry of Digital Affairs' "fraudbuster" website shows that
nearly 11,000 suspected scams were reported over the past week, with Facebook
taking half of them, followed by Threads and Instagram, while Xiao-hong-shu
did not make the list.

(JL)

Posted on 2025-12-05 14:06:13

The Ministry of Environment says it is expanding food waste treatment
capacity in preparation for a ban on food waste in pig farming taking effect
in 2027.

The ban, implemented to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever, will be
preceded by a one-year transition period beginning January 1st.

During this transition, the ministry says local departments will need to find
a way to handle over 600 additional tons of waste daily.

Officials say they plan to process this waste through recycling methods,
including composting, black soldier fly larvae processing, and constructing
biomass energy facilities.

The ministry says by the end of 2026, it aims to reach total processing
capacity of over 1-thousand-700 tons per day.

And by the end of 2027, capacity is projected to reach over 2-thousand per
day, achieving balance with daily production, and eliminating the need to
send food waste to incinerators.

(NS)

Posted on 2025-12-05 14:06:13

Taiwan shares are up today, with the benchmark tai ex closing at 27980 after
gaining 185 points.

The turnover was 444.8 billion NT

Posted on 2025-12-05 13:07:13

The Taipei Prosecutors Office has questioned former KMT chair Eric Chu and
spokesperson Yang Zhi-yu2 as they allegedly violated the Assembly and Parade
Act.

Both were released after giving their statements.

According to police, when investigators on April 17th were questioning then
KMT Taipei office chair Huang Lyu Jin-run (黃呂錦茹) and others involved in
forgery allegations, Chu, Yang and KMT lawmaker Xie Long-jie rallied in the
restricted area outside the prosecutors office in support of the KMT workers.

Police said their repeated warnings for the 3 KMT officials and protestors to
dissolve were ignored and the crowd didn't leave until the next morning.

Police questioned the three on April 26th and decided to send them to the
prosecutors for further investigation.

Prosecutors say they will choose another date to question lawmaker Xie.

(JL)

Posted on 2025-12-05 13:07:13

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation has pledged to cover medical costs for
those injured when one of its bus drivers struck a car and several motorbikes
in Taipei last night.

Police said the accident occurred in the city's Da'an district around 10pm.

The bus rear-ended one car and motorbikes, causing injury to several,
including severe injury to one motorcyclist, who sustained several broken
bones and may require amputation of part of the leg.

Officials believe that the bus driver was not paying adequate attention and
did not brake in time.

MTC says, the driver joined the company in 2015, and they add that they're
cooperating with the investigation and plan to strengthen driver training.

(AH)

Posted on 2025-12-05 13:07:13

Taipei officials are investigating a woman who allegedly dumped garbage bags
containing the remains of a dozen cats.

Xin-yi District police say concerned citizens reported the woman throwing
suspicious trash bags into a garbage truck, and officers sent all the remains
discovered to the Animal Protection Office for examination.

Officials say the woman is facing fines up to $75-thousand NT for violating
the Animal Protection Act, and if she is a repeat offender, she could face a
criminal sentence of up to two years in prison.

The Animal Protection Office says the suspect is already under investigation
in a separate case of suspected animal neglect, where several animals were
found without food or water at her apartment in Xinyi District.

The animals were seized and sent for medical treatment.

(NS)

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:57:13

In news from and about Taiwan this morning,

U-S Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has told American business news
channel, C-N-B-C that Taiwan will help train American workers for advanced
semiconductor production.

The statement comes as bilateral tariff negotiations between Washington and
Taipei are reportedly moving into the final stage.

It also contradicts recent comments by Taiwan's top trade negotiator, Yang
Jen-ni.

She told a legislative committee earlier this week that Taiwan has not agreed
to train U-S technical personnel in exchange for a reduction of U-S tariffs
on Taiwan goods - and that such a commitment is not part of the trade
negotiations.

Speaking in an interview on C-N-B-C, Lutnick declined to discuss any details
of plans to for Taiwan to train American workers for advanced semiconductor
production - saying only that discussions are continuing.

He did point to a wave of investment commitments by American and Taiwanese
semiconductor firms - including a pledge by Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing for an additional 100-billion U-S dollars - bringing its total
investment in the U-S to 160.5-billion dollars.

He noted that Micron Technology and Texas Instruments have also expanded
their U-S plans, and combined, thsoe add up to roughly 300-billion dollars in
U-S semiconductor-related investment.

And Lutick went on to say he believes the total will increase if a deal is
reached with Taiwan.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:57:15

Japan-based chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron says it will take concrete
steps to strengthen compliance across all subsidiaries.

The statement comes after the High Prosecutors' Office earlier this week
indicted Tokyo Electron Taiwan over the alleged theft of Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing's 2-nanometer technologies.

Tokyo Electron Taiwan is a subsidiary of the Japan-based chip equipment
supplier Tokyo Electron.

According to Tokyo Electron, Tokyo Electron Taiwan is the sole entity facing
indictment and an internal review has found no organizational involvement or
external leakage.

Prosecutors have charged Tokyo Electron Taiwan with four violations of the
Trade Secrets Act and National Security Act.

The High Prosecutors' Office has said it's seeking a combined fine of
120-million N-T for all of the violations.

It's the first time a legal entity has been indicted under the National
Security Act over the alleged theft of National Core Key Technology.

Three T-S-M-C engineers have been indicted on charges of supplying
confidential 2-nanometer-related information to benefit Tokyo Electron
Taiwan.

All three have been detained since September.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:57:16

The Cabinet has approved a plan to phase out the use of food waste in pig
farming by December 31 of next year - paving the way for a full ban starting
in 2027.

The move is part of the government's efforts to prevent African swine fever
outbreaks.

The plan was presented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of
Environment.

Under the policy, food-waste feeding will be permitted only under strict
conditions during that period, after which it will be fully prohibited.
Farmers will be given a one-year grace period and financial incentives to
switch to commercial feed.

During the transition year, farms may use food waste only with local
government approval and after they meet several requirements - including
installing heat-treatment and video monitoring systems and by adding G-P-S
tracking to transport vehicles.

Only business-generated food waste, animal by-products and slaughterhouse
scraps will be allowed - and all household food waste will be banned from use
on pig farms.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:57:16

A Chinese app with more than 3-million users here in Taiwan has been ordered
blocked for one-year due to cybersecurity failures and widespread fraud
activity on the platform.

According to the Cabinet's Anti-Fraud Command Center, internet service
providers have been instructed to use technical measures to prevent the
public from accessing Xiao-hong-shu effective immediately.

The move follows a warning earlier this week by the Ministry of Digital
Affairs about security risks posed by five Chinese apps -- Xiao-hong-shu,
Dou-yin, Wei-bo, WeChat and Bai-du Wang-pan.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau says that Xiao-hong-shu has been linked to
950 fraud cases in Taiwan last year, causing financial losses of more than
132-million N-T.

The bureau also says trom January to November of this year, there have been
756 fraud cases, with total losses exceeding 114-million N-T.

The top five Xiaohongshu-related schemes were fake online shopping platforms,
fraudulent installment payment cancellations, fake investments, romance scams
and sexual solicitation scams.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:57:16

Health Minister Shih Chung-liang says some 900 people have been listed as
close contacts of a student at the National Taiwan University who was
diagnosed with tuberculosis.

According to Shih authorities have determined the case is an isolated
infection and not a cluster infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and the Taipei Department of Health drew up a
list of close contacts to monitor their health immediately after the foreign
student was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

The health minister says those who spent more than eight hours in the same
space as the patient on a single day, or had over 40 hours of cumulative
contact, are listed as close contacts.

They are required by law to undergo chest X-rays and blood tests to screen
for possible infection, including latent cases.

The C-D-C has not confirmed when the student arrived in Taiwan, but has said
the infectious period has lasted more than three months, contributing to the
high number of close contacts.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:57:16

And finally,

The Kaohsiung City Government says Traffic controls will be in-place in area
around the National Stadium this weekend - as it hosts South Korea's annual
Asia Artist Awards ceremony.

The Asia Artist Awards will take place tomorrow at the stadium, followed by a
special festival, ACON 2025 concert on Sunday at the same venue.

The city's Transportation Bureau says World Games Boulevard will be closed to
most vehicles, while several YouBike stations near the venue will also pause
services during the two-day event.

The city's M-R-T will be running services every 3 to 5-minutes after the
shows, while both the Taiwan Railways Corporation and the High Speed Rail are
adding extra services.

The city is offering free shuttles between Zuoying High Speed Rail Station
and the stadium.

Organizers say both the award ceremony and the ACON 2025 concert will be
taking place on a 360-degree stage that will offer a more immersive
experience with enhanced sound and staging.

The Asia Artist Awards ceremony is sold out and some 55,000 people are
expected to attend the event.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:03:14

President Lai Ching-te says Taiwan is "working side by side" with other
democracies to deter a Chinese invasion and "robust preparations are the best
way to avoid war and achieve peace."

In a prerecorded video interview presented at The New York Times DealBook
Summit, Lai said that "peace is priceless and war has no winners" ..

Lai told interviewer Andrew Ross Sorkin, that "peace must be secured through
strength" which is why his administration is increasing Taiwan's defense
budget and strengthening national defense capabilities... even as Taiwan cuts
its economic dependence on China.

Lai also talked about Taiwan-US ties - saying the "relationship truly is rock
solid" and U-S cooperation with Taiwan has expanded since Trump assumed
office.

Lai was one of more than a dozen interviewees at the Times' event, which also
featured conversations with U-S Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, BlackRock
CEO Larry Fink, General Motors CEO Mary Barra, and California Governor Gavin
Newsom.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:03:16

The U-S State Department has reaffirmed that Washington's longstanding
commitment to Taiwan remained unchanged.

This, after U-S leader Donald Trump signed the Taiwan Assurance
Implementation Act into law earlier this week.

The Act aims to ease limits on bilateral engagement and support Taiwan's
participation in international organizations.

A State Department spokesperson said the Trump "administration has been very
clear that the enduring U-S commitment to Taiwan continues, as it has for
over four decades."

The spokesperson says robust unofficial ties between the U-S and Taiwan are
strengthened by routine, regular travel and interaction by U-S and Taiwan
authorities ..

.... under the auspices of the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei
Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.

However, the spokesperson did not say whether any of the U-S' self-imposed
limits on its engagement with Taiwan would be lifted following the signing
this week of the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:03:16

The Cabinet has approved an initiative aimed at subsidizing the local
production of at least 50 drugs to boost Taiwan's "medical resilience."

Premier Zhu Rong-tai approved the initiative after a briefing by the Ministry
of Health.

The initiative will receive 24-billion N-T in funding over four years to
support the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, generic drugs,
biopharmaceuticals, and radiopharmaceuticals from 2026 to 2029.

The Cabinet says the funding will also go toward looking into the manufacture
of these pharmaceuticals domestically and to building a "smart" logistics
center to ensure the timely supply of medicine to local medical institutions.

The Cabinet provided few details on the specifics of the initiative,
including how funds will be disbursed and which drugs will be produced.

But it has singled which ministries will be involved in the initiative --
including which ministry will identify the drugs and the manufacturing
processes needed to make this happen.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:03:16

repatriation

The Mainland Affairs Council says it's "dissatisfied" with the way Beijing
repatriated 10 Taiwan nationals who had completed prison sentences in China
for fraud - arguing the case was not handled in line with a still-effective
cross-strait agreement.

Council spokesman Liang Wen-chieh said the recent move deviated from past
practice because of the short notice given by China.

The statement follows reports that the 10 Taiwan nationals, who involved in
fraud in Cambodia, were arrested and jailed in China, and after completing
their sentences, they were deported on Wednesday and entered Kinmen from
Xiamen via the "mini-three-links" ferry route.

Reports citing an anonymous source, say Chinese authorities did not give
Kinmen prior notice, and Taiwanese immigration officers and police were
deployed after the shipping company flagged a potential issue with some of
the passengers.

Most of the 10 arrivals did not have any identification documents when they
arrived in Kinmen.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:03:16

The Ministry of Economic Affairs says economic officials from Taiwan and
India are hoping to cooperate on building a resilient supply chain and
expand global business opportunities.

This comes after Taiwan's Deputy Economics Minister Cynthia Jiang and
Amardeep Singh Bhatia, the secretary of India's Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade had meetings in Taipei.

The economics ministry says the talks focused on global trade trends,
investment strategies and supply chain cooperation.

Jiang said both sides are in a position to strengthen cooperation in talent
development, investment environments and policy coordination ...

.. and will work together to build a resilient supply chain by combining
Taiwan's advanced technologies with India's rich software talent pool.

A memorandum of understanding on cooperation regarding healthcare product
regulations was also signed by the two sides during the meeting.

Data shows that trade between Taiwan and India reached a record 10.6-billion
U-S dollars in 2024, and totaled 10.1-billion U-S dollars in the first ten
months of this year.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:03:16

photos

The High Prosecutors' Office has indicted an army sergeant for sharing photos
of national security-related objects with multiple individuals.

Prosecutors say they are seeking a 12-year prison sentence.

The sergeant was charged after investigators concluded he had taken and
distributed the photos in November and December of 2022 while serving as a
transportation sergeant.

Prosecutors say he shared the images with three people in exchange for cash
and cryptocurrency worth tens of thousands of N-T dollars.

The prosecutors' office says the investigation was carried out with
assistance from the Ministry of National Defense's intelligence unit and
military police stationed in Matsu.

However, it has not discloses what the photos showed, and it remains unclear
how long the suspect has been held in detention.

Posted on 2025-12-05 07:03:16

And,

LINE Pay says its new e-payment service saw more than 560,000 activations in
just the first 23-hours after launch.

LINE Pay Money went live on Wednesday afternoon.

LINE Pay says user interest pushed traffic to three times the usual level.

The surge caused delays and temporary failures for some people trying to link
their bank accounts.

LINE pay has issued and apology for the problems that arose, but says it
quickly expanded its data center capacity and optimized its systems.

Operations has stabilized by the evening.

LINE Pay says the launch of its new e-payment service is a comprehensive
integration of daily payment needs and is aimed at expanding application
scenarios for electronic payments across Taiwan's retail and service sectors.

LINE Pay has over 13.1-million users across Taiwan.

Posted on 2025-12-04 18:12:13

The Executive Yuan is urging lawmakers to review the cabinet's own version of
amendments to the law on how tax revenues are shared between central and
local governments.

... And it says it will turn to constitutional remedies if needed.

Last month, the Legislative Yuan passed its own version.

Then, on November 27th, the cabinet filed a reconsideration request, saying
it needed more time and space for lawmakers to study its draft.

The Legislature must handle this request within fifteen days.

Government officials warn that the Legislature's version would weaken the
central government's ability to adjust funding for local governments ... and
could push borrowing up by an extra 264 billion NT ... violating debt rules.

Lawmakers will review the request in a full committee tomorrow, followed by a
roll-call vote in the chamber.

Given the political makeup of the Legislature, the reconsideration is
unlikely to pass.

(IG)

Posted on 2025-12-04 18:12:13

The Ministry of the Interior says it will move to temporarily block access to
the social media app Xiaohongshu (小紅書) for one year, citing a high risk of
fraud.

Police say the app has more than three million users in Taiwan, but a recent
national security review found it failed all 15 cybersecurity indicators.

Authorities also say the platform has been linked to more than 1 thousand 700
fraud cases since early 2024.

Under the Fraud Crime Hazard Prevention Act, the government can order
internet providers to stop domain resolution and restrict access.

The MOI says the one-year limit is provisional, and the final decision will
depend on whether the company cooperates with regulations and improves user
safety.

(IG)

Posted on 2025-12-04 18:12:13

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says a delegation from the U.S. National
Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is visiting Taiwan from December 1st
through the 6th.

The organization comprised of state legislators and legislative staff, is led
by NCSL President Marcus Evans, an Illinois state representative.

At a banquet yesterday, Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi called on U.S.
state governments to use diverse methods to strengthen ties with Taiwan and
jointly promote substantive bilateral cooperation.

He praised the fact that 25 U.S. states and Guam will soon have offices in
Taiwan and encouraged more U.S. governors to lead trade missions to the
island.

Evans emphasized that the N-C-S-L can serve as an important bridge between
Taiwan and state governments, and expressed hopes for closer future ties.

(NS)

Posted on 2025-12-04 18:12:13

Be prepared for possible communication disruptions today due to space weather.

Taiwan's Space Weather Operational Office has issued an alert that a
geomagnetic storm is hitting Earth's atmosphere right now ... and may briefly
reach moderate level-intensity.

The storm began strengthening at around 2 AM and is expected to continue for
about 15 hours, driven by a massive burst of energy from the sun.

As a result, satellite navigation, including GPS, and radio signals like ours
may experience brief, temporary interruptions.

(IG)

Posted on 2025-12-04 16:44:13

The Executive Yuan has approved a plan to end the use of kitchen waste as pig
feed by the end of 2026.

Officials say all hog farms must switch to commercial feed starting in 2027
to reduce the risk of African swine fever.

Farmers will have a one-year transition period, and those who switch
immediately will receive a $3-thousand-600 NT subsidy per pig.

Others who continue using cooked kitchen waste during the buffer period will
receive half that amount.

The Agriculture Ministry will also provide loans, equipment support and
technical guidance to help farms upgrade.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) says strict controls are needed during the
transition and that the nationwide shift must be completed by December 31
next year.

(PB)

Posted on 2025-12-04 16:44:13

Kaohsiung has finished major resurfacing work on Zhonghua 5th Road and
Chenggong 2nd Road.

The city's Public Works Bureau says the project improved almost 29-thousand
square meters of roadway.

Lane markings were also updated to add new dedicated left-turn lanes to ease
congestion.

Officials say the two roads are key routes linking the Asia New Bay Area with
the city center and serve major commercial and industrial zones.

They say growing traffic had worn down the pavement and outdated designs no
longer met demand.

The city hopes the upgrades will improve intersection flow and boost overall
driving safety.

(PB)

Posted on 2025-12-04 16:27:13

Central Bank Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) says using U.S. dollar
stablecoins for cross-border payments must follow Taiwan's foreign-exchange
reporting rules.

He says buying or selling stablecoins with NT dollars or foreign currency
counts as an FX transaction and must meet balance-of-payments requirements.

Yang notes that major stablecoins like USDT offer fast and low-cost transfers
but carry risks such as money laundering, fraud and weak consumer protection.

He says future regulation will require issuers to follow K-Y-C, anti-money
laundering and cybersecurity rules.

Yang adds that major economies are drafting stablecoin laws, and Taiwan's
proposed Virtual Asset Service Act would regulate issuance and trading.

He says an NT-dollar Central Bank Digital Currency would remain the anchor of
Taiwan's digital-money system, and stablecoin use in the real economy will
depend on market demand.

(PB)

Posted on 2025-12-04 16:27:13

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) says plans for a third Costco in the
city are not yet final.

She says the landowner for a proposed site in Xitun District has submitted a
land-use application that the city must review according to law.

Costco Taiwan says it is still evaluating suitable locations and will work
closely with government agencies as procedures move forward.

The company notes that expansion and global procurement help reduce costs for
members, and that land availability remains its biggest challenge.

Independent Councilor Chen Ting-hsiu (陳廷秀) criticizes the proposed Xitun
site, saying it ignores coastal districts and violates balanced development.

He warns that the area faces years of congestion from upcoming MRT Blue Line
construction and argues the location is too close to Taichung's two existing
stores.

Mayor Lu says the city's review is passive and the final decision will be
made by the Ministry of the Interior.

(PB)

Posted on 2025-12-04 16:27:13

Kaohsiung is preparing major traffic measures as the Asia Artist Awards take
place at the National Stadium on Saturday.

The city's Transportation Bureau says World Games Boulevard will be closed to
most vehicles, with only emergency, official and shuttle buses allowed.

Several YouBike stations near the venue will also pause service during the
two-day event.

MRT, Taiwan Railways and High Speed Rail will add extra trains, with MRT
service running every 3 to 5 minutes after the shows.

The city is offering free shuttles between Zuoying High Speed Rail Station
and the stadium for both entry and exit times.

Officials expect heavy traffic and are urging drivers to avoid the area and
use alternate routes or public transit.

(PB)

Posted on 2025-12-04 14:27:14

The Ministry of Economic Affairs says it hopes to build a more resilient
supply chain with India.

Deputy Minister Cynthia Chiang (江文若) and Indian official Amardeep Singh
Bhatia led the latest Taiwan–India economic dialogue in Taipei.

Both sides exchanged views on global trade, investment plans and supply chain
cooperation.

They also signed an MOU on medical product regulations and witnessed another
agreement involving financial regulators.

Chiang says Taiwan's advanced technologies and India’s strong software
talent can strengthen cooperation in talent, investment and policy.

Bhatia says India has attracted global companies through incentives and
infrastructure upgrades.

The ministry says trade between Taiwan and India is growing quickly and is on
track to reach a new record this year.

(PB)

Posted on 2025-12-04 14:27:14

The Army's Hualien Defense Command carried out a pre-dawn live-fire drill at
Taimali Beach in Taitung.

Upgraded M60A3 tanks and other ground weapons lit up the shoreline during the
exercise.

Residents braved the cold to watch, saying the display was powerful and
brought a sense of security.

Local officials also voiced support, saying combat readiness relies on strong
backing from the community.

The Army says realistic training is essential to strengthen deterrence and
protect national security.

(PB)

Posted on 2025-12-04 14:27:14

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office has indicted 17 people in a major
financial fraud and illicit fundraising scheme

Prosecutors say the the fraud ring posed as a legitimate company, setting up
a website and holding seminars, falsely claiming to invest in cryptocurrency
and clean energy technology.

They promised annual returns of up to 42 percent, and fraudulently raised
over $277-million NT from over 300 victims.

Officials say the ringleader directed portions of the funds to be converted
to U.S. dollars and transferred to another company he established in Hong
Kong to invest in cryptocurrencies.

He also diverted funds to repay personal mortgages and purchase real estate
in his wife’s name.

The 17 individuals were indicted on charges including fraud, illicit
fundraising and money laundering.

Ten defendants who were previously detained have been transferred to the
court for trial.

(NS)

Posted on 2025-12-04 13:07:13

The Center for Disease Control says preliminary information indicates there
is an individual tuberculosis case at National Taiwan University, but no
cluster infections have occurred, and contact tracing is underway.

Some NTU students said they received a notice from the school’s health
center teling them that the Taipei City Kunming Hospital had determined they
meet the criteria for TB close contacts.

The Hospital said that by law, they must undergo health education, an X-ray,
and a blood test.

CDC spokesperson Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said the situation appears to
involve an individual TB case and does not constitute a cluster infection.

Lin said local health authorities continue to strictly identify and trace
contacts.

As for the source of the infection, Lin said the patient’s activities were
not limited to the campus, so infection from outside the school cannot be
ruled out, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

He also noted that TB is primarily transmitted through droplets and airborne
particles, and symptoms include coughing for more than two weeks, weight
loss, and fever.

(JL)

Posted on 2025-12-04 13:07:13

Deputy Taipei Mayor Li Si-chuan (李四川) has for the first time expressed his
willingness to run for the New Taipei Mayor's office.

Speaking on an online program last night, Li said he would definitely
register for the party primary if the KMT holds it.

He added that if the people of New Taipei believe he should take on the
responsibility, he would “absolutely not reject it.”

As for the timeline of the KMT primary, Li said there's no hurry as sitting
New Taipei Mayor Ho Yo-yi didn't join the race until March.

But he stressed that he'll resign from his post once he's certain to take
part in the primary.

Li, aged 67, has been a veteran government worker and once served as deputy
Taipei County Magistrate and deputy Mayor in New Taipei and Kaohsiung before
becoming deputy Taipei Mayor

According to recent polls, Li's approval rating is the highest among all
prospective competitors, including DPP candidate Su Qiao-hui (蘇巧慧)。

(JL)

Posted on 2025-12-04 08:13:13

special budget unconstitutional

In news from and about Taiwan this morning,

Premier Cho Jung-tai says a demand by opposition lawmakers that President Lai
Ching-te face questions in the Legislative Yuan related to his 1.25-trillion
N-T special defense budget is "unconstitutional."

The statement comes after lawmakers from the K-M-T and the Taiwan People's
Party blocked a bill authorizing the special defense budget from being placed
on the agenda for tomorrow's Legislative plenary session.

K-M-T caucus whip Fu Kun-chi has said while the party's supports protecting
Taiwan, they believe Lai should report to the Legislature and explain the
necessity of the expenditure.

According to the premier, while it is permissible for the president to brief
the Legislature, "demanding the president to answer questions on the spot
would be unconstitutional."

The premier is also urging the opposition party caucuses to prioritize
national security and schedule a review of the bill.

Lai announced the special budget plan on November 26.

He has since said he's willing to brief the Legislature on the budget, but
will not take questions from lawmakers - as doing so would violate the
Constitution.

Posted on 2025-12-04 08:13:13

The Military Intelligence Bureau is denying online claims that its
intelligence officers held secret meetings with their Dutch counterparts
earlier this year.

According to the bureau, the allegation was spread by an overseas Chinese
group working with the Chinese Communist Party.

The denial comes after a post uploaded to a Hungarian-based website, and
later shared as a Facebook post said six Military Intelligence Bureau
officers secretly traveled to the Netherlands in May for a meeting with Dutch
Defense Intelligence and the Security Service.

The post included purported photos of the alleged meeting in the Netherlands,
a flight ticket for one of the officers said to have traveled there, and the
names of both Taiwanese and Dutch intelligence personnel.

The post also said that six officials from the Dutch agency and the General
Intelligence and Security Service visited Taiwan last month for a follow-up
meeting.

The bureau is insisting that the contents of the post were "distorted" and
"inconsistent with what actually happened."

National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen is refusing to either
confirm nor deny the alleged exchange - saying only that the bureau would
examine whether the post violated information security rules or was part of
China's cognitive warfare.

Posted on 2025-12-04 08:13:13

The Mainland Affairs Council says it believes China's latest package of 12
measures aimed at advancing cross-strait "integration" will have little
effect in attracting Taiwanese investment.

The statement comes after China's state-run media reported that the Fujian
provincial government has announced the new measures to further "advance"
Fujian as a "cross-strait integrated development demonstration zone."

The measures include offering preferential insurance premiums to
Taiwan-funded aquaculture firms as well as efforts to improve tax services
for Taiwanese individuals and businesses, including the establishment of a
dedicated tax consultation hotline.

The Mainland Affairs Council is predicting the measures will fail based on
similar efforts in recent years that the agency says have had "far from
ideal" results.

According to the council, Fujian has rolled out 74 measures targeting
investment by Taiwanese businesses and individuals since Beijing issued a
policy paper in September 2023 designating Fujian as a demonstration zone ...

... but investment there by Taiwanese businesses has declined sharply.

Posted on 2025-12-04 08:13:13

The Ministry of Digital Affairs says there is no evidence to suggest that
Coupang users here in Taiwan were affected by a large-scale personal data
leak recently reported by the South Korean e-commerce giant.

According to the ministry, it contacted Coupang in late November after
learning of the incident and was informed that the breach occurred mainly in
South Korea and, based on checks carried out so far, no leaks involving
Taiwanese accounts have been found.

The ministry says it will continue monitoring the case and maintain
communication with Coupang to ensure the protection of local users' personal
information.

South Korean media has reported that personal information of around
33.7-million users was exposed, with unauthorized access believed to have
begun in June of this year.

Coupang Taiwan says its systems have not shown any signs of compromise and it
has found no evidence that information belonging to local users had been
leaked.

Posted on 2025-12-04 08:13:13

And finally,

The Central Weather Administration says although the mercury dropped to into
the mid-teens early this morning, it will gradually rebound from tomorrow and
into the weekend.

According to the administration's forecast center, as the cold front eases,
daytime highs will rise by between 1 to 2-degrees tomorrow and continue to
gradually increase through the weekend ....

.. when clear to cloudy weather is forecast for most of the island.

Highs on Sunday are forecast to reach between 23 and 24-degrees in the north
and 27 to 28-degrees in the center and south.

While nighttime lows islandwide will drop to between 18 and 19-degrees.

The weather administration says a weak northeasterly wind system will bring
slightly cooler weather to the north next Monday and Tuesday - with a chance
of rain in the north and east - but warmer, drier weather will be seen from
Wednesday.

Posted on 2025-12-04 07:01:13

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it welcomes the signing of the Taiwan
Assurance Implementation Act by U-S President Donald Trump.

The new law was signed by Trump on Tuesday and is an amendment to the Taiwan
Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on U-S interactions
with Taiwan.

It requires the U-S State Department to regularly review and update
guidelines governing Washington's official interactions with Taiwan.

Previously, the State Department was required to conduct a one-time review of
its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the
agency must conduct such a review "not less than every five years."

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung thanked the Trump administration and Congress
for their bipartisan support, and is descrbing the act's signing as "a major
step forward in US-Taiwan relations.

The bipartisan bill was introduced in February and passed the House
unanimously in May and cleared the Senate in November.

Posted on 2025-12-04 07:01:16

National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen says China could hold
another large-scale military drill before the end of this year.

Tsai told lawmakers that Beijing has routinely held separate military
exercises in November and December each year to test the combat readiness ...

... and it's "not unlikely" that it could consider combining some of those
routine drills into one large-scale one and turn that exercise into one
targeting Taiwan.

Tsai said the government needs to be prepared for possible enemy advancement,
and his agency is closely monitoring all Chinese military deployments near
Taiwan at all times.

Tsai said there are currently four Chinese Naval fleets in the West Pacific.

He added the N-S-B is closely monitoring their movements in coordination with
Taiwan's military and other intelligence units, and Taiwan will also conduct
intelligence exchanges with other countries related to Chinese movements when
needed.

Posted on 2025-12-04 07:01:16

The Ministry of Environment has traced the pollution source in its
investigation into a recent oil spill in the Keelung River back to a repair
depot operated by a maintenance contractor for Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport.

The ministry says inspectors searching high-risk areas around the Badu
pumping station found the depot discharging wastewater without a permit,
operating without treatment facilities, and storing oil without required
spill-containment structures.

All are violations of the Water Pollution Control Act.

The environment ministry said it has also identified other potential
pollution sources and a task force and police now gathering evidence.

The Keelung Environmental Protection Bureau has cited the contractor and
ordered an immediate halt to operations at the repair depot.

The investigation comes after the oil spill contaminated water supplies to
over 100,000 households in five districts of Keekung City and an additional
47,000 households in New Taipei's Xizhi District.

The environment ministry has also directed Taiwan Water Corporation to
strengthen its early-warning measures

Posted on 2025-12-04 07:01:19

ring

The Supreme Court has upheld prison sentences of between 10 and 18 months
for three former Military Intelligence Bureau officials found guilty of
running a spy ring for China after they retired.

Retired colonels Chang Chao-ran and Chou Tien-zi as well as former Major
General Yueh Chih-chong were sentenced to prison by the Taipei District Court
ruled last year after being convicted of developing a spy ring for China
beginning in 2008.

Both prosecutors and the three individuals filed appeals against the lower
court ruling.

The High Court upheld the lower court's ruling, but said it could only
confirm that the three had provided basic personal information, such as their
names, but was unable to determine what specific intelligence they had
disclosed to Chinese officials.

That ruling was also appealed.

The Supreme Court's ruling states that "there are no grounds for further
appeal in the case," without providing additional details, including what
information the three had provided to Chinese officials, how sensitive was
the information, and how much money they received.

Posted on 2025-12-04 07:01:19

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is urged South Korea to correct the way
Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system - saying the
current designation downgrades the country's status.

The call comes after South Korea rolled out the online system on in February
to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by
2026.

Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering
the country.

The foreign ministry says it has received multiple complaints from Taiwan
travelers reporting that the system lists Taiwan as "China (Taiwan)" in
dropdown menus for both "place of departure" and "next destination."

The ministry also says it has repeatedly asked Seoul to fix the "wrongful"
listing since the system's launch, but has yet to receive a positive
response.

Posted on 2025-12-04 07:01:19

The National Health Insurance Administration's decision to cover an expensive
but effective gene therapy for A-A-D-C deficiency has sparked debate over
fairness and treatment access for patients with other rare conditions.

The one-time therapy costs about 100-million N-T per injection.

The health insurance administration says it will be covered on a temporary
basis, while its effectiveness will be reassessed three years after treatment
begins, and coverage terms may be adjusted as needed.

The treatment was developed by National Taiwan University Hospital in 2007
and clinical protocols established in 2010, before it was licensed to a U-S
company.

Health authorities estimate that 13 patients will receive the therapy in its
first year at a cost of about 1.3-billion N-T.

Medical experts have criticized the National Health Insurance
Administration's decision to cover the treatment - arguing that drugs for
other rare diseases treat dozens of patients for less than 100-million N-T,
yet they are not fully covered.

Posted on 2025-12-04 07:01:20

Cyber ambassador-at-large Audrey Tang has received Sweden's Right Livelihood
Award.

Tang dedicated the honor to everyone who supports digital freedom and works
for peace around the world.

The Right Livelihood Foundation said Tang was recognized for transforming
technology into a force for public good.

It cited Tang's helping to build platforms such as "vTaiwan," strengthening
government-civic tech collaboration through the "g0v" community, and creating
inclusive digital systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The foundation says Tang was selected for "advancing the social use of
digital technology to empower citizens, renew democracy and heal divides."

Tang is one of five recipients of the 2025 Right Livelihood Award, which is
presented annually to honor leading global change-makers.

She served as Taiwan's first digital minister from 2022 to 2024.

Posted on 2025-12-04 07:01:20

And,

The Taipei 101 has unveiled a preview of its New Year's Eve fireworks --
saying the celebrations will begin five days early with nightly Disney-themed
projection shows.

Taipei 101 Chairwoman Janet Chia said the biggest change this year is an
"extended countdown," with characters such as those from Toy Story projected
onto the tower each night from December 27 to 31.

Chia says the six-minute fireworks show will feature low-smoke pyrotechnics
imported from Italy and be set to original music composed by young Taiwanese
artists.

The duration and budget are the same as last year.

Posted on 2025-12-03 17:13:13

Taiwan could see its first regulated local cryptocurrency as early as the
second half of next year.

Financial Supervisory Commission Chair Peng Jin-long says that's provided
legislation for a new 'stablecoin' moves smoothly.

He told lawmakers the proposed Virtual Assets Service Act should be placed on
the agenda this session and passed in the next.

The Cabinet is set to review the draft this week after three meetings Peng
says produced a high level of consensus.

The bill draws on European Union crypto-asset rules and doesn't explicitly
require stablecoins to be issued by financial institutions.

But for risk-management reasons, regulators and the central bank agree that
only financial institutions will be allowed to issue them at first.

(IG)

Posted on 2025-12-03 17:13:15

KMT Lawmaker Hong Meng-kai says, he will support changing the law to legalize
caning as a state-sanctioned punishment.

That comes as Singapore has made amendments to their laws to allow caning as
punishment for fraud.

Hong says, the Taiwanese government should consider legalizing caning for
those who commit child abuse, rape, and fraud.

He also says that he's considering proposing a referendum vote on the
practice for next year, and even said he would propose an amendment to the
Criminal Code.

Hong also claims that 70% of the public supports caning as state-sanctioned
punishment.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Justice says, the legalization of such a practice
would require long-term consideration...

as it constitutes a form of torture.

(AH)

Posted on 2025-12-03 17:13:15

The Digital Affairs Ministry has reassured people that online retail company
Coupang's recent personal data leak does not appear to involve users in
Taiwan.

The Ministry said it has been monitoring reports of a major data leak from
South Korea’s e-commerce platform Coupang, after the company confirmed that
33.7 million accounts had been compromised.

Officials say they received intelligence on the incident in late November and
contacted Coupang immediately.

According to the ministry, Coupang responded that the breach occurred on the
Korean side and that there is currently no evidence of leak involving
Taiwanese users.

Coupang Taiwan also said it is continuing to investigate the case and is
working with leading independent cybersecurity experts to assess the impact.

(JL)

Posted on 2025-12-03 16:07:13

Taiwan Water Corporation has reassured Keelung’s Nuan-nuan District
residents that the Xi-shi (西勢) Reservoir can maintain water supply for
around 10 days instead of three as originally speculated.

The statement comes after oil pollution in the Keelung River has triggered
renewed concern over drinking-water safety.

Environmental protectioin officials say one major source of contamination was
traced to a Guo-guang Motor Transport maintenance plant, which had allegedly
been discharging untreated wastewater directly into the river.

The facility has been shut down, and investigators are continuing to search
for additional pollution sources.

The Corporation has halted all river intake and is relying instead on the
Xi-shi Reservoir, backed by additional supplies from the Xin-shan Water
Treatment Plant.

Cleanup work is underway, and mobile labs have been deployed to conduct
rapid chemical testing.

Water officials say they hope to resume drawing from the river once results
confirm the water is safe, but contingency plans, including rerouting intake
from upstream, are ready if pollution persists.

(JL)

Posted on 2025-12-03 16:07:13

Officials say that over 900 million NT has been paid out to victims of the
Matai'an barrier lake disaster.

That's after a donation account opened by the Ministry of Health and Welfare
collected nearly 1.4 billion NT.

Some of the funds have been used to alleviate funeral expenses for 18 killed
in the disaster, and to assist 2500 households in rebuilding and cleaning up
their homes.

Affected residents have received 50,000 NT each to aid in cleanup, while
families of the deceased receive 800,000.

Officials express their thanks to those who helped out with cleanup in
Guangfu following the disaster.

They pledge to continue to keep the public updated regarding distribution of
funds.

(AH)

Posted on 2025-12-03 16:07:13

LINE Pay's new e-payment service, LINE Pay Money, launches today.

Users can activate it by updating the LINE app, then completing identity and
banking verification.

The first one million users who finish the onboarding steps will get three
years of withdrawals at partner banks free of charge.

All previously linked credit cards will transfer automatically, so users
won't need to re-link them.

LINE Points will also continue working as before, offering discounts and
point rewards at more than 650 thousand LINE Pay locations.

(IG)

Posted on 2025-12-03 14:20:13

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan today proposed a companion Senate resolution that
documents the historical cooperation between the United States and the
Republic of China during World War II, following a similar proposal by
Representative Chris Smith.

The resolution also counters the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to
rewrite wartime history.

Smith and Sullivan, both republicans, are co-chairs of the
Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

Smith introduced the resolution after the C-C-P held a military parade on
September 3rd in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the “Victory in the
War of Resistance Against Japan and the World Anti-Fascist War."

It denounced the C-C-P's “stolen valor” and commemorating the ROC’s
contributions to the Allied victory.

Sullivan introduced the Senate version today, which echoes Chris's proposal.

According to the text of the resolution, the C-C-P and its forces conducted
very limited combat operations against Imperial Japan, leaving ROC soldiers
to shoulder the vast majority of the fighting and casualties.

(JL)

Posted on 2025-12-03 14:20:13

The restaurant group WowPrime is set to hold its year-end feast on December
18th, saying that nearly all of its 400-plus outlets will be closed that day.

The group said except for those working at its 13 branches inside department
stores, some 10-thousand employees are expected to attend the event at Taipei
Nan-gang Exhibition Center.

The group has arranged 179 tour buses to transport employees from across
Taiwan to the venue, and the banquet catering will be provided by the Regent
Taipei.

WowPrime also said it expects to open five more stores next year with the
focus on hot pot and barbecue brands, and hire1,200 people.

The group, established 32 years ago, has recorded stable growth this year,
posting consolidated revenue of $17 billion NT in the first three quarters
and nearly $1 billion in net profit.

Its earnings per share stood at $12 NT.

(JL)

Posted on 2025-12-03 14:20:13

Taiwan shares are up today, with the benchmark tai ex closing at 27793 after
gaining 228 points.

The turnover was 439.6 billion NT

Posted on 2025-12-03 13:07:13

The supplier of PX-Mart's problematic Taiwan tilapia fillets said its own
commissioned tests found no traces of the banned animal drug.

The Kaohsiung city government, on the other hand, said the samples that the
Yun-lin Kou-hu (口湖) Fisheries Cooperative sent for tests were different
from the original one.

Officials said the supplier can apply for a re-test in accordance with the
law.

The city's health officials announced Monday that Taiwan tilapia fillets sold
in Kaohsiung's PX-Marts contained residues of the animal drug and ordered the
chain store to remove the product, notify consumers and offer refunds.

Further investigations traced the source of the fish to Kou-hu Fisheries, who
said it sent retained samples of the same batch of fish to S-G-S for
re-testing, and the results found no traces of the drug.

It also sent samples of different batches of the same product to SGS, with
the same outcome.

PX Mart outlets in Kaohsiung received 4,488 packages of the product and had
sold nearly 90 percent before the contamination was announced.

(JL)

Posted on 2025-12-03 13:07:17

The New Taipei City government says those affected by a water outage in
Tamsui can apply for compensation.

Officials say that's in addition to having fees waived by Taiwan Water
Corporation.

Authorities add that the city government is coordinating the reimbursement
mechanism together with the construction contractor responsible.

Members of the public can apply online for compensation or head to a Tamsui
government office and provide proof of purchase for water or related
equipment through next Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the mayor also says that Tamsui's water infrastructure needs
updates, and has suggested that Taiwan Water consider adding backup water
supply pipelines.

(AH)

Posted on 2025-12-03 12:17:13

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is thanking U-S President Donald Trump for
signing the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act.

The U-S Senate passed Act on November 18 after which it was sent to the White
House for signing on Tuesday of this week.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung is expressing his sincere gratitude for the
U-S support, while the foreign ministry says it will to build on the good
relations between Taiwan and the U-S and uphold the principles of mutual
trust and mutual benefit.

The bill requires the U-S State Department to regularly review and update the
rules governing Washington's engagement with Taiwan and directs the State
Department to "identify opportunities and plans to lift self-imposed
restrictions on relations with Taiwan."

It also requires that the guidelines take into account that Taiwan is
"governed by a representative government peacefully constituted through free
and fair elections."

The bipartisan act passed the U-S House of Representatives in May.

Posted on 2025-12-03 12:17:15

Details of a secret intelligence exchange between Taiwan and the Netherlands
earlier this year have been made public and images of the Military
Intelligence Bureau personnel have been posted online.

The details released include flight information, the trip's itinerary,
meetings with Dutch intelligence personnel,and information concerning the
agendas of those meetings.

According to the leaked information, the Military Intelligence Bureau sent
personnel, including two colonels to the Netherlands in May of this year to
conduct intelligence exchanges with their Dutch counterparts.

A photograph released online shows the Taiwanese intelligence officials at a
restaurant and each of their names has been listed.

Details of a visit to Taiwan last month by Dutch intelligence agency
personnel has also been leaked online - and that also includes their
itinerary and the content of the meetings.

Posted on 2025-12-03 12:17:20

The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office has questioned 13 people as part on
an investigation into corruption related to the construction of C-P-C's
Guantang LNG terminal in Taoyuan.

It follows raids by prosecutors and officials from the Agency Against
Corruption on 11 locations including C-E-C-I's Taichung office, the office of
C-P-C' s procurement division and C-P-C's L-N-G engineering office.

Those questioned included the former chairman of C-E-C-I Engineering
Consultants and several employees of C-P-C's procurement office.

All 13 were released without bail either late last night or earlier this
morning.

According to the prospectors' office, 10 of those questioned have been listed
as witnesses in the case, while three others have been listed as defendants.

The investigation comes after Mirror Media reported that C-P-C pressured
external contractors to repeatedly increase the project's cost estimates.

According to reports, the estimated cost of the project was set 9.4-billion
N-T, but that allegedly rose to 25.3-billion N-T after repeated revisions.

Posted on 2025-12-03 12:17:23

The Keelung City Government says a new pollutant has been discovered in a
drainage ditch in the city's Nuannuan District.

City officials say the area had not been affected by the recent oil spill in
the Keelung River that contaminated water supplies to over 100,000
households.

According to officials, the city government will establish a forward command
center tomorrow to monitor the situation and trace the source of the
pollution.

They're also warning that if the water quality does not improve, some 35,000
households the Nuannuan and Renai districts will be affected and could face
water outages, as the Xishi Reservoir only has only about three days' worth
of water supply remaining.

The two districts are supplied with water from the reservoir.

The city's Environmental Protection Bureau has taken samples of the polluted
water for testing, while the Taiwan Water Corporation says it will take steps
to divert water resources to the effected areas.

Posted on 2025-12-03 12:17:25

following water outage

New Taipei City Councilor Chen Wei-chieh is proposing providing a minimum
subsidy of 50,000 N-T per household for those affected by the recent water
outage in Tamsui.

The outage was caused after a water pipe was ruptured last Thursday during
construction work on the Danbei Road project.

According to the Chen, it affected approximately 62,000 households and many
of them went days without water, as full services were not restored until 6AM
Tuesday morning.

Chen says it caused a major inconvenience to residents and significant losses
to resturants and catering businesses located across 16 neighborhoods of of
the Tamsui District.

The city councilor argues that the proposed subsidy differs from
compensation, as it is seen as "consolation payment" or funds for "livelihood
assistance" - which fall under the category of social welfare.

New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih has said the city will hold the contractor behind
the road project accountable.

Posted on 2025-12-03 12:17:30

Finally in sports news ...

The Taiwan Professional Basketball League resumes this evening after a
weeklong break for the opening 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification
games.

The second place Hsinchu Lioneers play the fifth place Taipei Mars at the
Hoping Gymnasium in Taipei.

And that game begins at 7 o'clock.

Posted on 2025-12-03 06:52:13

President Lai Ching-te has told army reservists that there is no room for
compromise when it comes to Taiwan's security.

He made the comments as he visited a base in Yilan to oversee a reservist
training exercise.

Lai said the values of freedom and democracy are not about ideological
disputes, but are the common position of all the people of Taiwan.

Lai said peace cannot be achieved merely by signing a peace treaty achieved
by yielding to the demands of an aggressor.

He also defended his proposed 1.25-trillion N-T special defense budget.

Lai said his administration has to spend more on defenses due to China's
coercion and harassment - and it's better prepare should the worst case
scenario occur.

Posted on 2025-12-03 06:52:13

Lawmakers have passed a 27-billion N-T special budget to fund reconstruction
in parts of Hualien battered by September's flooding from the Matai'an Creek
barrier lake overflow.

The budget cleared the Legislature with the initially proposed amount of
funding from 2025 to 2030 intact.

The bill also included a 3-billion N-T reserve fund permitted under the
30-billion N-T ceiling set by a special reconstruction act, which was
approved by lawmakers on October 31.

The special act was designed to fast-track long-term recovery and funding
will be available through 2030.

The bill calls for 19.2-billion N-T to be earmarked for economic development,
5.6-billion N-T for community development and environmental protection,
1.5-billion N-T for contingency funding, and 600-million N-T for general
administration.

Funds will be used to cover water resource and river management projects,
building fortified levees capable of withstanding debris flows, repairing
damaged bridges, rebuilding agricultural and public infrastructure,
supporting temporary housing, and reinforcing the power grid.

Funding for special budgets will be raised through government borrowing.

The passed bill also includes a clause requiring Premier Cho Jung-tai to
deliver a special report to the Legislature within two months on such issues
as barrier-dam safety, upstream sediment removal, river-basin treatment
plans, and fund use.

Posted on 2025-12-03 06:52:13

At the same time,

The Legislature has passed amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health
Act.

The revisions define workplace bullying and require employers to take steps
to prevent it.

Workplace bullying is defined as repeated harassment, threats, isolation,
insults or other inappropriate conduct carried out by someone using their
position or authority, causing physical or psychological harm to a worker.

In severe cases, it does not need to be repeated to constitute bullying.

Workplaces with more than 30 employees must establish and publish prevention
guidelines, while those with more than 10 employees must provide a publicly
accessible reporting channel.

Employers are also required to support workers who file complaints and report
cases and outcomes to a government-designated website. Larger workplaces must
form investigation committees in which external members make up at least half
of the panel.

Under the amendments, the person in charge of a company will be fined up to
1-million N-T if they engage in workplace bullying.

While failure to provide support or conduct an investigation will result in
fines of upto 75,000 N-T.

Posted on 2025-12-03 06:52:13

The government has congratulated St. Lucian Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre
and his ruling Labour Party on securing re-election in Monday's general
election.

Voters in the Caribbean nation elected all 17 members of the House of
Assembly on Monday.

The S-L-P won 14 seats, delivering a decisive victory that ensured the party
would retain control of the legislature and re-elect Pierre as prime
minister.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Ambassador to St. Lucia Nicole Su has
conveyed congratulations on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan to
Pierre and the newly elected lawmakers.

The ministry has praised St. Lucia for holding an "open, transparent and
peaceful" election - saying the result reflected the St. Lucian people's firm
commitment to democratic values ..

.. and says Taiwan looks forward to continuing to work closely with Pierre's
government to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.

Posted on 2025-12-03 06:52:13

national defense

Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin is calling for stronger cooperation between
Taiwan and Japan in artificial intelligence, green energy and national
defense.

Kung told participants at a Taiwan-Japan investment cooperation forum in
Taipei that the two economies have long maintained close economic ties, and
that the ongoing push to build a "non-China" supply chain highlights the need
for the two sides to expand cooperation.

As some Japanese enterprises are scaling back operations in China, Kung
called for Taiwan and Japan to seize the opportunity to strengthen
cooperation in A-I, renewable energy and national defense.

He told delegates that in terms of A-I, Japan's push for the Innovative
Optical and Wireless Network platform and all-optical communications aligns
closely with Taiwan's ambitions to boost A-I innovation.

And he stressed that Japanese firms have supported Taiwan's development of
solar and offshore wind power, while Taiwanese firms have also joined
Japanese partners in offshore wind projects in Japan - demonstrating the
deepening two-way relationship in green energy sources.

Kung added je believes there will be significant opportunities for Taiwan and
Japan to collaborate in the national defense sector after President Lai
Ching-te announced plans to strengthen Taiwan's defense industry.

Posted on 2025-12-03 06:52:13

The National Immigration Agency says a China-born spouse has had her
family-based residency revoked for advocating armed unification online.

Qian Li lost her national I-D and household registration in August after
authorities determined she operated a pro-People's Liberation Army social
media page promoting the use of force against Taiwan.

The woman was employed by Asus and married to a Taiwanese national.

The immigration agency says Qian's activities during her residency period
were deemed harmful to national security or social order, violating Article
14 of the regulations governing the residency and settlement of Chinese
spouses in Taiwan.

Her residency permit was revoked following consultations with the Mainland
Affairs Council and a notice of revocation was delivered on Monday.

The immigration agency says issues related to her employment and National
Health Insurance coverage will be handled by the relevant agencies ..

.. and should she commit further violations while still in Taiwan, law
enforcement will take action as required.

Posted on 2025-12-03 06:52:13

Taiwan's deputy representative in Indonesia says his office is stepping up
efforts to attract Muslim travelers... the Tourism Administration also plans
to open an office in Jakarta next year to tap into one of the world's
fastest-growing outbound travel markets.

Lin Hsin-ren said Taiwan can no longer afford to overlook Indonesia as a
market, as it's one of the region's fast growing economies.

Lin says more than 200,000 Indonesians currently visit Taiwan each year, and
he expects that number to rise as Taiwan increases its on-the-ground presence
and promotional efforts.

The deputy representative in Indonesia says he sees strong growth potential
in Indonesia's family travel, affluent tourists, corporate incentive trips,
and overseas Chinese-learning educational tours ..

... and he believes Taiwan's tourism products are well-suited to meet the
needs of these travelers.

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