This Week in Taiwan 0324-0330
March 24: Vice President-elect Bi-khim Hsiao concluded her visit to the United States and Europe and returned to Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Hsiao was invited to visit the European Parliament, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Lithuania to convey Taiwan's message of democratic solidarity with European nations. According to scholars, the "One China" policy practiced by European countries remains hard to change; Taiwan should not be overly optimistic.
March 25: The Ministry of National Defense issued new training orders, directing that the final assessments for the Armed Forces will be conducted at their respective stations to emphasize homeland defense and urban warfare. Previously, military units would undergo training at various bases and take their final assessments on-site. Going forward, they will return to their stationed areas and be tested on defense tasks related to anticipated enemy forces. All operational zones in Taiwan will serve as assessment areas for the military.
March 27: In response to potential war risks in the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) announced the provision of a proprietary satellite system using asynchronous satellites (medium and low Earth orbit satellites). This system is expected to be operational by June this year. MODA plans to establish 700 asynchronous satellite stations, with the initial phase completing a setup of 16 stations.
During interpellation at the Legislative Yuan, Minister Chu Tzer-ming of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, clarified that there are no funds specifically allocated for wartime preparation. According to the All-out Defense Mobilization Readiness Act, the budget conversion mechanism renders wartime budget at an amount less than NT$300 billion (about US$9.3 billion).
March 27: Legislator Lo Chih-chiang reported to the police earlier this month that he received bomb threats from an unidentified Internet user, which could harm both the legislator and Speaker Han Kuo-yu of the Legislative Yuan. The police traced the IP address of the suspect and confirmed his location in Singapore. With assistance from Singaporean authorities, the individual implicated was swiftly apprehended and will face charges related to spreading false information, which carries a potential sentence of up to seven (7) years in prison.
March 28: In light of the international trend of banning Bytedance’s TikTok, Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang recently labeled TikTok as a "harmful product." According to media reports, TikTok has recently lobbied the Legislative Yuan, emphasizing that it has nothing to do with China and that its data will never be used by China, hoping that TikTok may receive "fair treatment" in Taiwan.
March 29: According to Ting Yu-chou, former secretary-general of the National Security Council, the military advantage of the United States in the Taiwan Strait has rapidly declined over the past two decades. If military force is used in the Taiwan Strait, then it would pose the greatest war risk for the U.S. since its founding. Ting expressed four concerns: Taiwan's primary crisis lies in cross-strait tensions; there exists an over-estimation of Taiwan's military strength and the society lacks sufficient awareness of potential harms; Taiwan is severely divided, lacking space for rational discussion; and while Taiwan highly values its relationship with the United States, it cannot solely rely on the U.S. for national security. Ting recommended that President-elect William Lai address cross-strait tensions in his inaugural address. Ting also recently penned an article urging the government to devise guidance for ending a war.
March 29: Due to his son's involvement in a prostitution-related scandal, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng tendered his resignation to President Tsai Ing-wen. President Tsai, considering the complex regional security station and ongoing government transition, decided to retain Chiu in his position. Opposition lawmakers questioned the timing of this incident, suggesting it may be the product of an internal power struggle within the military.
March 30: A significant food poisoning incident occurred in Taipei. As of March 30, a total of 28 people have reported poisoning, including two fatalities and five severe cases. Multiple individuals tested positive for oryzoic acid, marking Taiwan's first case of death related to rice ferment acid.