US$3b Infrastructure Spend Clears First Reading The budget for the Tsai administration’s US$3.29 billion first phase of a major infrastructure project passed an initial reading in Taiwan’s parliament this week. The passage of the legislation for the so-called “forward-looking infrastructure plan” was marred by physical clashes in the Legislative Yuan as opposition Kuomintang lawmakers tried…

As more Taiwanese travel internationally, competition is intensifying in the nation’s aviation market. In particular, carriers are vying for a greater share of long-haul flights to North America and Europe as well as Southeast Asia routes. Amidst these market conditions, China Airlines had added Airbus’s new A350-900 to its fleet. The A350-900 is praised for…

Despite declining visitor numbers, hotel companies are pushing on with expansion plans. Takehiro Masutomo and his family enjoyed their Taiwan sojourn. A Tokyo-based freelance writer, Masutomo has covered cross-Strait relations over the years and traveled to Taiwan previously for both business and leisure. He brought his parents to Taipei for a long weekend in March….

The island is a great place to view many different species of snakes. When the temperature rises and rain falls, the life forms that inhabit Taiwan’s forests become more active. Some expatriates might loathe Taiwan’s sultry summers, but for snake aficionados Bill Murphy, Hans Breuer, and Dane Harris, the season has definite advantages. All three…