Wed, Apr 09, 2025
China yesterday vowed to “fight to the end” against fresh tariffs of 50 percent threatened by US President Donald Trump, further aggravating a trade war that has already wiped trillions off global markets.Trump has upended the world economy with sweeping tariffs that have raised the specter of an in
Intelligence agents have recorded 510,000 instances of “controversial information” being spread online by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) so far this year, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report yesterday, as it warned of artificial intelligence (AI) being employed to generate destabi
VAULTING TO THE TOP: Cheng Cheng-yu is the son of national gymnastics coach Cheng Kun-chieh and it was an ideal birthday gift as he turns 15 on Saturday Taiwan’s Cheng Cheng-yu (鄭丞佑) yesterday clinched a gold medal in the boys’ gymnastics vault event at the ISF U15 Gymnasiade in Zlatibor, Serbia.Cheng scored 13.566 and 11.900 points for his two vaults, with an average score of 12.733.He also won silver in the floor event and a bronze as part of Taiw
US President Donald Trump on Monday made a surprise announcement that the US and Iran are poised to begin direct talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, but the Iranian minister of foreign affairs said the discussions in Oman would be indirect.In a further sign of the difficult path to any deal between t
HELPING HAND: The steering committee of the National Stabilization Fund is expected to hold a meeting to discuss how and when to utilize the fund to help buffer the sell-off The TAIEX plunged 2,065.87 points, or 9.7 percent, to close at 19,232.35 yesterday, the highest single-day percentage loss on record, as investors braced for US President Donald Trump’s tariffs after an extended holiday weekend.Amid the pessimistic atmosphere, 945 listed companies led by large-cap s
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday agreed to deliver a report to the legislature on the impact of US tariffs on the economy and the Executive Yuan’s countermeasures.In reaction to US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, the stock market posted its biggest intraday plu
The Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office today said that it has summoned 50 witnesses in the Taichung Shin Kong Mitsukoshi explosion case, but did not confirm a Liberty Times report that the gas valve on site had not been shut off.An exclusive report today from the Liberty Times (sister paper of th
Several lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) today called on the government to expedite talks with insurance companies to develop coverage plans for search-and-rescue, detection and other working dogs.At a news conference in Taipei, DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) said working dogs d
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said it is to lead a group of businesses to a US investment summit next month, as the government seeks to expand investments in the US in response to its 32 percent tariff imposed on Taiwanese goods. The legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense
Two members of the US Congress wrote a letter to US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins on Wednesday last week encouraging her to personally visit Taiwan on her upcoming trade visit to Asia.The letter, signed by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Andy Ogles, said the visit would promote Taiwan’s
The US Senate yesterday confirmed Elbridge Colby as US undersecretary of defense for policy, a defense strategist who last year said that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would "plausibly and gravely" threaten the US.Colby's nomination was approved in a 54-45 vote, with former Senate Republican leader M
Taiwan hopes that it can come to a quick agreement with the US to resolve the tariff issue, and last weekend already approached Washington to discuss the issue, National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said today.Taiwan has responded to US President Donald Trump's 32 percent tar
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) could face a penalty of US$1 billion or more to settle a US export control investigation over a chip it made that ended up inside a Huawei artificial intelligence (AI) processor, two people familiar with the matter said.The US Department of Commerce has b
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Yilan County at 9:53am today, with no immediate reports of damage.The quake had a depth of 72.4km and was centered 15.5km south-southeast of Yilan County Hall in Suao Township (蘇澳), the Central Weather Administration said.Intensities of 3 were felt in parts of New T
SEVENTH CASE: Health officials said that the man developed respiratory failure and was in an ICU after contracting a strain with a relatively high fatality rate A Taiwanese man who traveled in west and central Africa for a month was diagnosed with severe malaria shortly after returning, the seventh case this year, the most in the period in 19 years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.The man in his 60s departed on a group tour in late Febr
TARIFFS: The global ‘panic atmosphere remains strong,’ and foreign investors have continued to sell their holdings since the start of the year, the Ministry of Finance said The government yesterday authorized the activation of its NT$500 billion (US$15.15 billion) National Stabilization Fund (NSF) to prop up the local stock market after two days of sharp falls in reaction to US President Donald Trump’s new import tariffs. The Ministry of Finance said in a statement aft
EXPANSION OF FLEET: EVA Airways said it expects the delivery of the six A350-1000s to start in 2031 and the three A321neos in 2032 EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) has placed a firm order to purchase nine planes from Airbus SE, including six long-range A350-1000s and three single-aisle A321neo aircraft. The order would bring EVA Airways’ backlog of aircraft to be delivered to 24 A350-1000s and 18 A321neo aircraft, Airbus said in a state
The consumer price index (CPI) last month grew 2.29 percent from a year earlier, above the central bank’s 2 percent threshold and accelerating from the 1.58 percent increase the previous month, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) reported yesterday. On a monthly basi
Taiwan on Monday celebrated Freedom of Speech Day. The commemoration is not an international day, and was first established in Tainan by President William Lai (賴清德) in 2012, when he was mayor of that city. The day was elevated to a national holiday in 2016 by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). Lai c
Belgium is one of the most reliable allies when it comes to defending and safeguarding Taiwan’s territorial integrity amidst authoritarian threats. The Belgian coalition government’s agreement, signed in February, included language supportive of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait a
This year marks the 14th anniversary of the nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. On May 17, the No. 2 reactor unit at Pingtung County’s Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant is to be decommissioned as required by law, which would signal the formal farewell to nuclear power in
READY TO GO: After a series of injuries cut the Bucs’ depth in the infield, Cheng was called up to become just the 18th Taiwanese to make an appearance in the big leagues Taiwan’s Cheng Tsung-che on Monday was called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates for his first MLB appearance, becoming the first Taiwanese player to reach the majors this year.Cheng, who signed as an international free agent in 2019, was returning from the first series for Triple-A affiliate the Indianap
Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran said in an upcoming documentary series that two years before his All-Star season last year, the pressure of the sport led him to intense bouts of depression and an attempted suicide.“I remember when I was going through it and you start losing a couple of games and you
Taiwanese rising star Kevin Yu is tomorrow to make his Masters Tournament debut at Augustus National Golf Club in Georgia.The 26-year-old in October last year beat out Californian Beau Hossler at the Sanderson Farms Championship to win his first PGA Tour title and earn his spot among the 95 players
New Taipei Kings star Jeremy Lin and Daron Russell, a new addition to the New Taipei CTBC DEA, have been named the Taiwan Professional Basketball League’s (TPBL) Players of the Month for March, the league announced yesterday.The league awards two players every month, one for Taiwanese (called “non-i
US President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs on dozens of economies came into force today, including a 32 percent levy on Taiwanese goods and more than 100 percent against Chinese goods, sending markets into a tailspin again as the devastating global trade war intensified.Following the sweeping 10
SILENCING DISSENT: Amnesty said Iran ‘persisted’ in its use of death sentences to punish participants in protests in 2022, including a youngster with a mental disability The number of people known to have been executed last year was the highest in almost a decade, with Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia responsible for most executions, Amnesty International said yesterday.A total of 1,518 executions were recorded worldwide last year, the most since 2015 when 1,634 people w
Anger and outrage gripped the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday as it held funerals for some of the 20 people, including nine children, killed by a Russian missile that tore through apartment buildings and blasted a playground.More than 70 were wounded in the attack on Fr
Shunxian Temple (順賢宮) is luxurious. Massive, exquisitely ornamented, in pristine condition and yet varnished by the passing of time. General manager Huang Wen-jeng (黃文正) points to a ceiling in a little anteroom: a splendid painting of a tiger stares at us from above. Wherever you walk, his eyes seem
Mel May only realised she was different while reading a news article one day.“Wait, what? Some people hear a voice in their head?” she thought at the time. She was stunned to discover that this was not just a figure of speech — her friends were actually chatting to themselves in their minds.May, a 3
The 1990s were a turbulent time for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) patronage factions. For a look at how they formed, check out the March 2 “Deep Dives.”In the boom years of the 1980s and 1990s the factions amassed fortunes from corruption, access to the levers of local government and prime a
The Matsu pilgrimage is one of Taiwan’s most iconic annual religious events. This grand occasion is more than just a religious ceremony; it deeply reflects Taiwan’s history and culture. Originally, Matsu was the goddess of the sea, primarily responsible for protecting fishermen and ensuring their sa
US President Donald Trump is taking a blowtorch to the rules that have governed world trade for decades. The “reciprocal’’ tariffs that he announced Wednesday last week are likely to create chaos for global businesses and conflict with America’s allies and adversaries alike.Since the 1960s, tariffs
對話 Dialogue清清：華華，這是你的狗狗和貓貓嗎？好可愛喔！Qīngqing: Huáhua, zhè shì nǐde gǒugou hàn māomao ma? Hǎo kě’ài o!華華：對啊！狗狗叫汪汪，貓貓叫喵喵，也是我的家人。Huáhua: Duì a! Gǒugou jiào Wāngwāng, māomao jiào Miāomiāo, yě shì wǒde jiā rén.清清：現在把寵物當成家人的人越來越多了，而且不只是貓狗，還有很多不同種類的生物呢！Qīngqing: Xiànzài bǎ chǒngwù dāngchéng jiārén de rén yuèl
In 2020, a labor attache from the Philippines in Taipei sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding that a Filipina worker accused of “cyber-libel” against then-president Rodrigo Duterte be deported. A press release from the Philippines office from the attache accused the woman of “using several social media accounts” to “discredit and malign the President and destabilize the government.” The attache also claimed that the woman had broken Taiwan’s laws. The government responded that she had broken no laws, and that all foreign workers were treated the same as Taiwan citizens and that “their rights are protected, including freedom of speech.” Last week the government announced that the National Immigration Agency (NIA) would revoke the spouse-based residence permit of social media influencer Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), a national of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), who is married to a local. This became a major news story, even making the international media. The NIA investigated reports that Liu advocated annexing Taiwan to the PRC through military force in videos posted on social media, including Douyin (where she has 400,000 followers), YouTube and TikTok. On all three, her account name is Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣). The NIA press release said that Liu’s residence permit will be revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the Measures for the Permission of Family-based Residence, Long-term Residence and Settlement of People from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民在台灣地區依親居留長期居留或定居許可辦法). The NIA said that her calls for military force against the people of Taiwan violate the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例). Liu thus violated specific rules that govern PRC citizens. She will be barred from re-applying for residence within the next five years. The government is giving her time on humanitarian grounds to arrange her family
March 24 to March 30 When Yang Bing-yi (楊秉彝) needed a name for his new cooking oil shop in 1958, he first thought of honoring his previous employer, Heng Tai Fung (恆泰豐). The owner, Wang Yi-fu (王伊夫), had taken care of him over the previous 10 years, shortly after the native of Shanxi Province arrived in Taiwan in 1948 as a penniless 21 year old. His oil supplier was called Din Mei (鼎美), so he simply combined the names. Over the next decade, Yang and his wife Lai Pen-mei (賴盆妹) built up a booming business delivering oil to shops and restaurants all over Taipei and Taoyuan. The major Shanghai restaurants in Taipei all ordered from him, and the owners were quite fond of the honest, no-nonsense and hard-working Yang. In 1963, the couple bought their own shop front, a one-story red brick structure on Xinyi Road (信義路) by Yongkang Street (永康街). Unfortunately, the traditional oil industry took a major hit around 1972 due to a health scare and the advent of mass-produced “salad oil.” With sales faltering, Yang’s friends suggested that he switch to selling Shanxi specialties such as knife-sliced noodles. However, Tang Yung-chang (唐永昌), owner of Shanghai restaurant Fuxingyuan (復興園), recommended the more delicate, varied Shanghai-style dim sum instead, even setting him up with one of his former dim sum chefs Lu Chi-chung (魯紀忠). In 1972, Yang set up three tables in one-half of his oil shop, and Lu got to work. Business was lousy at first, but Yang persisted, thinking that he had nothing to lose — at that time, he never expected Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) to become a global empire. ESCAPING WAR Several books provide details on Yang’s early life, including Huang Hung-hu’s (黃鴻湖) Exemplary Din Tai Fung (典範鼎泰豐), Lin Ching-yi’s (林靜宜) Din Tai Fung: Warmth in Perfection (有溫度的完美)
| New Taipei City | 24-27 | 10% |  |
| Hsinchu County | 22-24 | 10% |  |
| Hsinchu City | 22-24 | 10% | |
| Taipei City | 24-28 | 10% | |
| Miaoli County | 22-25 | 10% | |
| Taoyuan City | 23-27 | 10% | |
| Keelung City | 22-25 | 20% | |
| Yunlin County | 24-27 | 10% | |
| Taichung City | 24-26 | 10% | |
| Nantou County | 24-27 | 10% | |
| Changhua County | 23-25 | 10% | |
| Chiayi County | 24-27 | 10% |  |
| Chiayi City | 25-28 | 10% | |
| Tainan City | 25-27 | 10% | |
| Kaohsiung City | 26-28 | 10% | |
| Pingtung County | 27-30 | 10% |  |
| Yilan County | 22-24 | 20% | |
| Hualien County | 23-25 | 30% |  |
| Taitung County | 24-26 | 20% | |
| Kinmen County | 21-25 | 10% | |
| Penghu County | 21-24 | 10% | |
| Lienchiang County | 18-21 | 10% | |
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