
By Nikki Dong and Alex Myslinski
Lai Embarks On South Pacific Tour
President Lai Ching-te on November 30 departed for his first overseas trip since taking office in May. His itinerary, lasting through December 6, includes stopovers in Hawaii and Guam en route to visiting the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, Taiwan’s three diplomatic allies in the Pacific. These visits aim to strengthen Taiwan’s international relationships and reinforce its sovereignty claims. Lai has described the trip as an opportunity to meet “old friends” and bolster diplomatic ties.
Ahead of Lai’s departure, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported heightened Chinese military activity around Taiwan. Over 40 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military assets, including 33 aircraft and 8 naval vessels, were detected in the region within a 24-hour period. The PLA also conducted a “joint combat readiness patrol,” and a balloon was spotted west of Taiwan’s main island. Military experts speculate that these maneuvers are a response to Lai’s planned U.S. stopovers and could escalate depending on his statements during the trip.
China has historically pressured countries to isolate Taiwan, with several Pacific nations shifting diplomatic recognition to Beijing in recent years. However, experts note that trips like Lai’s help Taiwan assert its sovereignty and maintain international visibility, even in a limited capacity. These actions are seen as critical for Taiwan’s diplomatic survival in an increasingly polarized geopolitical environment.
Interpol Members Show Support For Taiwan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed gratitude toward government delegations, parliament members, and international organizations for advocating Taiwan’s participation in the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), whose 92nd General Assembly took place in Glasgow November 4-7.
Although Taiwan is not a member of Interpol, the nation’s commitment to combating transnational crime has been widely recognized. Diplomatic allies, parliamentary bodies, and representatives from over 70 countries have called for Taiwan’s involvement in Interpol activities. MOFA emphasized that the global security framework is incomplete without Taiwan’s participation, highlighting the worldwide risks posed by transnational crimes. The ministry called on Interpol to uphold professionalism and neutrality by including Taiwan in the international security network.
Taiwan Remains On U.S. Currency Watchlist
In the latest semi-annual report on the “Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States,” submitted to Congress on November 7, the U.S. Department of Treasury concluded that no major trading partner is manipulating its exchange rate to gain an unfair competitive advantage in international trade. However, Taiwan remains on the watchlist for potential currency manipulation. While the previous report in June included Taiwan, Singapore, China, Germany, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Switzerland, the November report excluded Malaysia and added South Korea.
According to the report, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Germany have a notable bilateral trade surplus with the United States, while Singapore meets the criteria for persistent, one-sided foreign exchange intervention and a significant current account surplus. South Korea was added to the list due to its large global current account surplus and trade imbalance with the United States. China remains under close monitoring due to its colossal trade imbalance and lack of transparency regarding key aspects of its exchange rate mechanism, making it an outlier among major trading partners.
COP29 Sets Climate Finance Target
At the COP29 climate summit, held from November 11 to 24 in Azerbaijan, over 200 countries participated in discussions focused on climate finance and sustainable development. A key achievement of the summit was the unanimous adoption of the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), which aims to triple financial investments for developing countries from US$100 billion to US$300 billion annually by 2035. The summit also highlighted the importance of both public and private sectors in increasing financial support to meet climate goals, with global clean energy investment projected to exceed US$2 trillion in 2024. Taiwan, which was not officially invited to COP29, expressed gratitude for the support shown by its international allies at the summit. MOFA thanked Taiwan’s diplomatic allies for their continued backing of Taiwan’s participation in global climate discussions, emphasizing Taiwan’s commitment to contributing to climate change mitigation efforts and sustainable development despite being excluded from formal participation. This recognition underscores Taiwan’s role in advocating for environmental action on the global stage.
Taiwan Wins Global Baseball Championship
Taiwan claimed its first gold medal at the Premier12 baseball tournament, formerly the Baseball World Cup, after defeating Japan on November 24 at the Tokyo Dome, ending Japan’s 27-game winning streak. Taiwan’s team, the youngest in the tournament with an average age of 24.5 years, was led by captain Chen Chieh-hsien, who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his 625 batting average and two home runs. The Taiwan players will each receive an NT$7 million reward.
On November 13, demonstrators calling for the national team to be renamed from “Chinese Taipei” to “Taiwan,” staged a protest outside the Taipei Dome during a Premier12 game against South Korea. The protesters consider the current name to be a symbol of Taiwan’s diminished sovereignty under international agreements with China. Emphasizing the need for national dignity and identity, the demonstrators urged the government to support a formal name change in international competitions.

New MRT Connects Wanhua And Zhonghe
Following delivery of the first train for the new Wanda-Zhonghe-Shulin MRT line on November 12, the Taipei and New Taipei City governments are aiming to complete and open the new MRT line by 2027. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih jointly hosted a ceremony marking arrival of the train, which was assembled in Brazil and shipped across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Light Green Line, spanning approximately 22 kilometers, is set to connect the districts of Wanhua, Zhonghe, Tucheng, and Shulin. The first phase will link Wanhua and Zhonghe with terminal stations at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Juguang. Upon completion, the commute time between Zhonghe Senior High School and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is expected to decrease by 63%.
New Initiative Combats Text Scams
The National Communications Commission (NCC) announced that starting November 18, businesses must register on telecom “whitelists” before sending text messages containing web links or phone numbers. The measure is part of an effort to combat fraud, with NCC data revealing that over 40,000 fraudulent texts have been sent this year as of October. The Fraud Hazard Prevention Act, implemented in July, empowers telecoms to enhance anti-fraud mechanisms for commercial text messaging.
Under the new regulations, businesses must register in advance any links or phone numbers they wish to include in text messages and reapply for approval if changes are made. Telecoms will block any unregistered content. Additionally, individuals will be restricted to sending fewer than 50 text messages per day to reduce the risk of scams. The policy aims to strike a balance between privacy and public security.
Minister Resigns After Civil Servant Death
An information analyst at the Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) northern branch was found dead on November 4 in the Executive Yuan’s Xinzhuang Joint Office Tower in New Taipei. The incident led to heavy criticism of Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan, whose leadership and investigation into the case have been widely scrutinized, ultimately leading to her resignation on November 25. Her successor as Labor Minister, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator-at-large Hung Shen-han, condemned the work culture that had prevailed under the WDA’s northern branch in New Taipei.
The branch’s former director, Hsieh Yi-jung, was accused of workplace bullying and received two major demerits, though Ho’s report concluded that Hsieh was not directly responsible for the employee’s death. Nevertheless, Hsieh was dismissed from her position and issued a public video apology on November 20. The case has been referred to the judiciary, which has imposed a travel ban on Hsieh.
The Ministry of Labor is working to provide compensation to the employee’s family, while Premier Cho Jung-tai and President Lai Ching-te have both issued public apologies, vowing to ensure justice is served through the ongoing legal investigation. The government should build a friendly working environment, and both the public and private sector need to take such issues seriously, Lai told media.
