2023/08/13-2023/08/19

8/14
民眾黨籍新竹市長高虹安去年遭檢舉，涉嫌詐領擔任立委期間的國會辦公室費用。台北地檢署偵結，依涉犯貪汙治罪條例、刑法，起訴高虹安及助理共5人。高虹安遭起訴，恐影響民眾黨在竹市選舉布局，甚至對其前老闆、鴻海創辦人郭台銘意圖獨立參選造成影響。

August 14: 
Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an, who is affiliated with the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), was reported last year for allegedly fraudulently receiving office expenses while serving as legislator. The Taipei District Prosecutor's Office concluded its investigation and indicted Kao and five assistants in accordance with the Anti-Corruption Act and Criminal Code. Kao's indictment may affect the TPP's electoral performance in Hsinchu and even impact whether her former boss, Terry Gou, founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Company (Foxconn), runs independently for president.

8/15
彭博電視播出副總統賴清德專訪，面對「務實的台獨工作者」標籤，賴首度以「沒有獨立路徑」回應，台灣是名為中華民國的主權國家，他將延續蔡總統「中華民國（台灣）」用法，不另更改國名。
賴說，他所謂的務實，指的是台灣已是主權國家，名稱為中華民國，不是中華人民共和國的一部分，中華民國與中華人民共和國互不隸屬，沒有再宣布獨立的必要。他並表示，國際紅線是台灣紅線。
因應賴過境美國導致台海緊張情勢升高，美國航空母艦雷根號打擊群部署在台灣東部外海。

August 15: 
Responding to the label of "pragmatic Taiwan independence worker" in a televised interview with Bloomberg, Vice President William Lai responded for the first time that there is "no path to independence" because Taiwan is a sovereign state named the Republic of China. He will continue President Tsai Ing-wen's usage of the "Republic of China (Taiwan)" and not change the country name. According to Lai, his pragmatism means that Taiwan is already a sovereign state named the R.O.C. and not part of the People's Republic of China; the R.O.C. and P.R.C. are not subordinate to one another, so there is no need to declare independence again. He also stated that the international red line is Taiwan's red line.
In response to Lai's transit via the United States causing rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. aircraft carrier Reagan Strike Group was deployed off the eastern coast of Taiwan.

8/15
中國商務部公告，對台灣的「聚碳酸酯」(Polycarbonate)開徵16.9％至22.4％的「反傾銷保證金」。據財政部統計，聚碳酸酯2022年出口額約10.6億美元，其中8.3億出口到中國，此舉將使相關產品在中國失去競爭力。分析指出，聚碳酸酯為ECFA早收清單之一，此舉是否在不更動ECFA之下，收回早收清單中的特定政策優惠，注意後續發展。

August 15: 
Mainland China's Ministry of Commerce announced that it will impose an "anti-dumping duty" of 16.9 percent to 22.4 percent on Taiwan's polycarbonate. According to statistics from the Ministry of Finance, polycarbonate exports amounted to about US$1.06 billion in 2022, of which US$830 million were exported to the mainland. This move will make related products lose competitiveness in mainland China. Analysts point out that polycarbonate is an item on the early harvest list of the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). Observers will pay attention to whether the move is meant to withdraw certain trade preferences on the early harvest list without changing ECFA.

8/16
民進黨立委賴品妤近期批評國民黨總統參選人侯友宜的能源政策，使其父、前立委賴勁麟的雲豹能源董事長身分備受討論。國民黨、民眾黨抨擊賴勁麟身兼19家綠能公司負責人，提供民進黨高額政治獻金，民進黨用綠能政策大賺綠能利益。

August 16: 
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lai Pin-yu recently criticized Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih's energy policy, which brought her father Lai Chin-lin's position as chairman of the J&V Energy Technology Company into public discussion. The KMT and TPP criticized the senior Lai as head of 19 green energy companies, which provide political contributions to the DPP, for exploiting green energy policies to reap benefits.

8/17
美麗島電子報公布最新總統民調，民進黨賴清德拿下35.7％穩坐第一，國民黨侯友宜以21.9％，超車民眾黨柯文哲的21.7％，這是侯5月獲徵召參選以來首度於在野勢力領先。年齡層分析顯示，柯文哲在年輕族群開始失去絕對優勢。
台灣民意基金會民調則顯示，56.6%選民看好賴當選，反映這是趨近最低社會共識的選民政治判斷，一個團結的執政黨對抗分裂的在野陣營。

August 17: 
According to the latest presidential poll released by Formosa newsletter, DPP presidential candidate William Lai won 35.7 percent, securing first place. The Kuomintang's (KMT) Hou Yu-ih received 21.9 percent, surpassing the TPP's Ko Wen-je (21.7 percent). This is the first time since being recruited as the presidential candidate in May that Mr. Hou has assumed the leading position among opposition candidates. Based on an analysis by age, Mr. Ko is losing his absolute advantage among young voters.
According to a poll by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation, some 56.6 percent of voters are optimistic about Mr. Lai's election, reflecting the political judgment of voters as a societal consensus and a contest between a united ruling party against a divided opposition camp.

8/18
中國商務部四月啟動對台貿易壁壘調查，初步調查結果認定，台灣對中國存在貿易壁壘，將依有關規定研究中止或部分中止ECFA項下，給予台灣產品的關稅優惠；中國國台辦也表態支持。
經濟部回應，我方並未違反WTO規範，對岸此舉屬政治動機，相關貿易問題仍願與對岸在WTO架構下繼續討論。

August 18: 
In April, mainland China's Ministry of Commerce launched an investigation into Taiwan's trade barriers. The preliminary investigation results indicate that Taiwan has imposed trade barriers against the mainland, and it will study the suspension or partial suspension of tariff preferences for Taiwanese products under ECFA in accordance with relevant regulations. The Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) of the State Council expressed support.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs responded that Taiwan did not violate World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations, and that China's move is politically motivated. Taiwan is willing to discuss relevant trade issues under the WTO framework.

8/18
主計總處更新最新經濟預測，今年全年GDP成長率為1.61%，創八年來最低，「保二」確定無望。主因是全球終端需求疲軟，庫存去化拉長，使全年經濟成長從五月的2.04%大幅下修0.43個百分點。此外，首次估2024年經濟成長率預測為3.22%。

August 18: 
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), Executive Yuan, updated its latest economic forecast. Taiwan's economic growth rate for the whole year is now estimated at 1.61 percent, the lowest figure in eight years and well below the target threshold of 2 percent. The chief reasons are weak global terminal demand and prolonged digestion of inventory, which significantly reduced the annual economic growth rate estimate from 2.04 percent in May by 0.43 percentage point. The DGBAS released its initial estimate for economic growth in 2024 as 3.22 percent.

8/20
台灣被CNN評為行人地獄，民間團體發起「還路於民」大遊行，以行人路權為訴求，吸引數萬人響應。有意角逐總統的賴、侯、柯、郭都到場聲援。交通部長王國材承認做得不好，現場鞠躬致歉；承諾力拚民間團體要求，2030行人事故減半、2040年行人死亡歸零。

August 20: 
Taiwan has been dubbed a "pedestrian hell" by CNN, and civil rights groups launched a demonstration to "return the roads to the people" to appeal for pedestrian rights, attracting tens of thousands of participants. William Lai, Hou Yu-ih, Ko Wen-je, as well as Terry Gou, who are interested in running for president, all came to support the event. Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kuo-tsai admitted that he did not perform well in his role and bowed during the demonstration to apologize. He promised to fulfill the demands of the civic groups, including reducing pedestrian accidents by half by 2030 and attaining zero pedestrian deaths by 2040.