Taiwan's National Security Crisis
The outcome of the presidential election in the United States is bound to reshape geo-political dynamics and U.S.-China relations. Under this context, Taiwan's future has become increasingly critical. In a lecture, senior Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani cautioned that the "Western-led order" is nearing its end, and Taiwan risks being sacrificed if it pursues independence. He notes that most countries are unlikely to recognize Taiwan as an independent state.
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TPP Chairman Ko Detained and Held Incommunicado
Chairman Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), implicated in the Living Mall case, is currently detained and barred from meeting visitors by the Taipei District Court. The party held an expanded meeting on September 6 to discuss the party's future and decided not to select an acting chairman at this time. Regardless of how the case develops, Ko's credibility has been severely impacted by such issues as political donations and the five major cases during his tenure as Taipei mayor. The TPP continues to avoid the issue of succession: Is it because the party trusts Ko or because it cannot do without him?
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Prosecution Searches and Requests Detention of TPP Chairman Ko on Corruption Charges
During his term as Taipei mayor, Chairman Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) was involved in the Living Mall project controversy. On August 31, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office filed a complaint with the court, requesting to detain Mr. Ko, on suspicion of Mr. Ko violating his duties by accepting bribes, intending to profit, and manipulating evidence. The detention of the chairman of the third largest political party has severely affected the current political structure of the DPP's opposition, which supposedly cooperates to check and balance the DPP. The TPP has framed this as a "political hunt," seeking to unify its supporters and prevent them from disintegrating.
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2025 Defense Budget $20.1 Billion Record High, 2.45% GDP
The Executive Yuan has approved a budget of NT$2.84 trillion (about $84.8 billion) for the construction of seven new submarines over the next 14 years. This plan, which will run from 2025 to 2038, includes the development of new submarines following the ongoing tests of the prototype, Hai Kun. However, only NT$2 billion (approximately $62 million) is allocated for initial work in the upcoming year.
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Taiwan's Government Admits Power Shortage for the First Time
The Executive Yuan led by Premier Cho Jung-tai has repeatedly assured that Taiwan will not face a power shortage by 2030.
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China Announces Mailbox to Report Taiwan Independence Activities
In late June, mainland China enacted new regulations targeting Taiwan independence advocates, heightening internal divisions in Taiwan.
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Cross-Strait Agreement Reached After Fishing Boat Capsizing Incident
According to Baidu Encyclopedia, "concept-substitution," a Chinese phrase, means a logical mistake by using a different concept, consciously or unconsciously, to replace an original one in the process of debate.
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Lai's Governing Direction
At the National Congress of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on July 21, President Lai Ching-te, who also serves as party chairman, delivered his entire speech in Taiwanese, emphasizing building a “Taiwan-centric” national identity.
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Trump Would Like Taiwan to Pay More for Protection
Bloomberg Businessweek published an exclusive interview with U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump on July 16, in which he clearly discussed his Taiwan policy after returning to the White House if he wins the election.
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DPP Heavyweight Sacked for Corruption
Both the Office of the President and Executive Yuan respect the decision of Cheng Wen-tsan to resign from his position as chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation for alleged corruption during his tenure as Taoyuan mayor between 2014 and 2022.
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