Declaring that “information security is national security,” President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration has made considerable progress fulfilling promises to beef up Taiwan’s cybersecurity defenses as well as to spur development of the home-grown cybersecurity sector. A Department of Cybersecurity was established in 2016 as an official unit under the Executive Yuan, upgraded from its previous incarnation…
Golden Anniversary For Taiwan, Swazi Ties President Tsai Ing-wen marked Taiwan’s 50 years of diplomatic ties with one of its oldest allies, Swaziland, during her visit to the African nation. In a speech, Tsai declared that the two sides were “sworn brothers” and would always look out for each other. Tsai arrived in Swaziland April…
U.S. Steel Tariffs Hit Taiwan Taiwan sent a delegation to the United States on March 18 with the goal of negotiating an exemption to the steep tariff hike on imported steel and aluminum imposed by President Donald Trump. On March 8, Trump signed an order imposing a 25% tariff on imported steel and 10% on aluminum….
Speaking at AmCham Taipei’s 50th annual Hsieh Nien Fan banquet at the Grand Hyatt on March 21, Alex Wong, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, staunchly reaffirmed American government support for Taiwan. Stating that “the United States has been, is, and always will be Taiwan’s closest friend and partner,” Wong said “the…
Taiwan Welcomes the Year of the Dog Taiwan celebrated the Chinese New Year on February 15 with warm temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius in the north and as high as 30 degrees Celsius in the south. President Tsai Ing-wen addressed the nation at the start of the holiday, which ran through February 20, first offering…
Taiwan has set admirable goals for cleaning up soil and groundwater pollution. But are overly rigorous standards actually inhibiting site remediation? The CPC Corporation’s massive Kaohsiung refinery complex ceased operations in December 2015 as promised by the state-owned oil company in 1990 (when it was known as the Chinese Petroleum Corp.). Then Premier Hau Pei-tsun…
Taiwan’s government has ambitious goals for dramatically reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with global standards. Although Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and did not sign the Paris Accord, Taiwan has nevertheless developed its own plan to dramatically reduce its carbon footprint in…
The Taiwan government is implementing a number of plans aimed at further improving air quality. “When the weather gets cold, the issue of air pollution heats up,” says Tsai Hung-teh, director general of the Environmental Protection Administration’s Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control. During the winter months, he notes, the air quality in…
Taiwan Marks National Day Taiwan celebrated the National Day of the Republic of China on October 10 with a morning ceremonies and a parade in front of the Presidential Office Building. Also called “Double Ten Day,” the date commemorates the anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911, which sparked widespread rebellion and the…
China Enshrines Xi at 19th Party Congress China held its Nineteenth Party Congress October 18-24 in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The event gathered 2,280 delegates representing the party’s 89 million members and all of China’s provinces, including Taiwan, reflecting China’s longstanding claim to the island. The party congress, held every five years…
