US president signs NDAA bill with authorizing US$1B funding for Taiwan

US president signs NDAA bill with authorizing US$1B funding for Taiwan

2025-12-19

US President Donald Trump has signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act into Law. The bill authorizes the US government to allocate up to US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. It also calls for enhanced training from the US so that Taiwan can better counter Chinese interference. It also includes supporting Taiwan’s inclusion in the International Monetary Fund. Let’s hear more.

Su Tzu-yun
Institute for National Defense and Security Research
It requires the Secretary of Defense to initiate joint research, development and production with Taiwan, on drones and counter-drone equipment, by March 2026, and to ensure that both Taiwan and the US military can use them interchangeably. This represents a high level of interoperability, essentially, joint operations. The US will also send personnel to Taiwan to strengthen our reserve forces, including mobilization, training, and the storage of supplies, among other measures.

Wang Ting-yu
Lawmaker (DPP)
The Trump administration’s 2026 NDAA lays out a defensive blueprint, and Taiwan is invited to be part of it. It also builds a defense industry framework, including security and new technology screening mechanisms to exclude competitors, and Taiwan is invited to participate as a major cooperative partner. For Taiwan, this is very positive and welcome news.

The bill also requires the Office of the Secretary of Defense to submit a "Taiwan Security Assistance Roadmap" to meet the defensive needs of Taiwan’s military. It goes to show that the US and Taiwan continue to strengthen their military exchanges and cooperation in response to tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Taiwan #defense #military #defense

川普簽署2026國防授權法關切美台建立無人系統計畫

2025-12-19

美國總統川普，今天簽署2026年國防授權法案，內容除了授權戰爭部撥款最高10億美元，用於推進台灣安全合作倡議，也授權美軍訓練台灣抵抗中方侵擾，川普關切美台建立無人系統與台灣加入國際貨幣基金。

[[國防院戰略所所長蘇紫雲]]
“要求戰爭部長，在2026年3月之前，要啟動跟台灣的無人機和反無人機裝備的共同研發還有生產，而且要讓台灣和美軍都可以相互使用，這是一個高度相互操作性，等於是聯合作戰的意思，美方也會派員來台灣，強化我們的後備部隊，相關的召集還有訓練以及物資的儲存等等作為”

[[立委(民) 王定宇]]
“2026年川普政府的NDAA，建構了一個防衛的藍圖，這個藍圖台灣被邀請放在裡面，也建構了一個國防產業，有關安全跟新科技篩選器，把競爭者排除在外，而台灣被邀請在裡面，成為一個主要的共同協助的合作對象，所以對台灣來說是一個非常正向的好訊息”

法案中也要求戰爭部長辦公室提交"台灣安全援助路線圖"，滿足台灣軍隊防禦需求。台美持續強化軍事交流合作，應對台海局勢變化。

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The parking space in the furthest corner of this underground parking garage is crowded with a cot, sleeping bag, table, electric fan, and other belongings of this man, who has been living there for a while. But this isn’t his parking space.

You don’t live here. You can’t occupy this space. Are you even paying for the electricity you’re using?

He’s turned the parking space into his home, and is using the building’s water and electricity. The building management reported him to police.

Voice of building manager
Wants squatter out
He’s been living there about a year. He used to be the building manager, but absconded with the funds. He pocketed all our management fees. His unit was foreclosed on. We want to get him out of here.

This is in an apartment building in Kaohsiung’s Sinsing District. The man surnamed Kuo used to live on the fifth floor. His apartment was foreclosed three years ago, but he refused to leave. Later when the new owner decided to sell the place, he didn’t have anywhere to go, so a year ago, he moved into the basement parking garage. No one has been able to get him to leave since.

Voice of homeowner
Wants squatter out
Since I’ve been living in Japan for a while, a squatter’s been living in my parking space. We need to collect evidence to press criminal charges.

Chang Ko-lun
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The man used to also be a resident of the building. Since he still has his original key fob, he can get into the basement from the vehicle entrance.

The owner is suing him for trespassing. Police came and forcibly removed him from the premises.

Tan Lung-hsiang
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When officers arrived, the suspect was arrested on the spot for trespassing into a residence. After questioning, the case was transferred to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office for investigation.

The police have helped clear the man’s belongings from the parking spot. As for his alleged theft of water and electricity for over a year, he’s facing another lawsuit from the homeowners’ association.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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President Lai supports noodle shop run by Chinese spouse

President Lai Ching-te recently visited a noodle shop in Taipei that now offers an exclusive presidential set meal. The owner of the shop is originally from China, but she married a Taiwanese man and raised a family of four in Taipei, supporting them with her business. Lai said he couldn’t get enough of her signature noodles, and since then, people have been flocking to the shop to see how tasty they really are.

President Lai Ching-te couldn’t get enough of these noodles, eventually drinking the broth directly from the bowl to finish it off.

Lai Ching-te
President
Bao Gong relied on these noodles to stay healthy. The ingredients seem very simple, but the taste is not simple at all.

This was the favorite dish of Bao Gong, a Chinese politician from the 11th century. The shop is run by Guo Minghua, a native of Henan, China, who brought her hometown specialty to Taiwan.

Guo Minghua
Noodle shop owner
When they called to say President Lai was coming to have some noodles, I didn’t quite believe it. The president came here, to this small shop, just for these noodles!

The noodles are springy, the soup is light and refreshing, and includes vegetables, egg, and even tofu skin. It takes precision and skill to prepare such a delicious dish with these simple ingredients.

Customer
President Lai messaged me and said he had been here, which made me curious, so I came to have a look. It’s nice, really nice. Chinese people who marry Taiwanese people, we are all one family.

Customer
A good friend messaged me, but I didn’t see it until this morning. I came here specifically for the noodles.

After the president posted about his visit, lots of people came here to try the same set meal. When the owner moved to Taiwan from Henan, she relied on this small shop to provide for herself and her family.

Lai Ching-te
President
Because you embrace Taiwan and work hard here, this country belongs to you.

Guo Minghua
Noodle shop owner
The way I see it, mainland China is where my parents gave birth to me and raised me. I got married and moved to Taiwan, gave birth to my children here, became a grandmother here, and all my descendants will be here. This place feels even more like home.

No matter where you’re from, if your food is tasty, you can get a presidential thumbs-up.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Hualien returnee transforms abandoned house into serenecafe

Another building in ruins has been given new life as a retro café. The second-generation owner of the house tucked behind a busy street in Hualien’s Yuli Township originally moved north. Without someone to look after it, the home fell into disrepair. But after the owner returned to Hualien to start a business, she was charmed by the vintage feel of the place. She spent over four months renovating it, transforming the house into a cafe that feels like it’s straight out of the Japanese colonial era.

With its green metal roof and concrete outer walls lined with plants, this short building beside a busy road in Hualien’s Yuli Township seems like nothing special. Without looking closely, it’s easy to miss the whole other world hidden inside.

Built with wood siding, from the exterior to the interior furnishings, everything was renovated expertly by the owner herself. It’s hard to imagine it was abandoned not too long ago.

When I took notice of this building, it was in ruins. The windows, doors, everything was broken. Even the roof had holes. I measured out every tatami myself. It took a long time. I figured I could lay tatami and put in tables like a teahouse, and it would make a pretty nice cafe.

Wu Kai-li spent over four months renovating the house to its original state. By not overdoing the furnishings, she preserved the antique feel of the place. A native of Yuli, Wu was one of the many who moved north before getting the opportunity to come back to Hualien to start a business. Apart from the enticingly unique architecture, she also offers a vegan experience.

Wu Kai-li
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I want to give people a place where they can relax and slow down. I don’t add milk to my coffee, and the cake doesn’t have egg or any dairy in it. There also isn’t AC, so that it feels more connected to the outside.

Customer
I came for a drink and was taken by the feel of the place.

As soon as you walk in, it feels like a place where you can let go. The coffee has a slight aroma of rice. It’s different from coffee I’ve had before.

Wu also seeks to use local ingredients, including coffee grown on small farms along the east coast. In this classic Japanese-style home, visitors can slow down and find peace while savoring delicious coffee and sweets.

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Shops prepare for winter solstice boom

Winter solstice is this Sunday! On this day, many people would gather with family and enjoy tangyuan, or glutinous rice balls. They often have a sweet filling and are served in a sugary soup. There’s also the savory tangyuan, which are stuffed with minced pork and served in broth. But regardless, either one makes a hearty treat on the longest night of the year.

Winter solstice is only two days from now. Shoppers for tangyuan can expect a long line on the very day, so they’re stocking up now.

Member of public
Buying tangyuan
There’s just so many people on the very day. Children want the sweet ones and adults want the savory ones, so I’m getting all kinds.

Member of public
Buying tangyuan
I’m buying both kinds. I bought three boxes yesterday. It wasn’t enough, so I’m back. I bought the sweet ones and savory ones yesterday. Anyway, we’re a big family, so I’m getting more.

A popular tangyuan vendor in Taipei has deployed twice the manpower as usual to meet the surge in demand.

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The stall will run from today until the day of winter solstice. I’ve just returned from Tainan myself. It seems like there are around a dozen, or even more. Usually there are only seven or eight on the job.

The owner’s friends and family have all come to help out at the shop on the busiest time of the year. Tangyuan may be the default for winter solstice, but others may also opt for pork trotter vermicelli.

A dollop of vermicelli is added to the boiling pot. Paired with the chewy skin and tender flesh of the pork trotters, you get a hearty bowl that’s not only satisfying but also believed to bring blessings.

Owner
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In the past year or two, some are saying that having pork trotter vermicelli on winter solstice can banish bad luck. It’s a great choice for birthdays and other special occasions. It’s also rich in collagen. So it’s really beneficial. Rather eat well than taking medication.

The lengthy shape of vermicelli symbolizes longevity and the dish itself is believed to banish misfortune. And so having it on winter solstice—when daylight hours begin to get longer—is believed to welcome good luck. But regardless, a hot piping bowl always satisfies on a cold winter day.

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Wang Hsin-chun
Oklao Specialty Coffee chair
Apart of expressing our most sincere apologies, we’ve also audited relevant procedures and strengthened the standard of procedure for our operations and checks.

Oklao Coffee Roasters has come out to apologize after a coffee expert in Panama accused the company of fraudulently offering products from his award-winning estate, Finca Sophia, despite having never purchased from them.

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Before the Coffee Show in November, the employee in question was under a lot of pressure, so when he saw that the beans were from an estate also run by Willem Boot, he mistook the beans to be that of Mr. Willem’s most well-known Finca Sophia, and labeled them as such without confirming with us first.

According to the company, they first conducted business with Willem Boot in 2023, and that the geisha coffee beans the employee allegedly mislabeled were from Finca La Cabra, another Boot estate. Even though the two different beans were both produced by Boot, the prices differ by at least two-fold. The company also says that they’ve apologized to Boot and in the process of reaching a settlement.

Wang Hsin-chun
Oklao Specialty Coffee chair
We’re communicating with him through a local legal team. He said he understood our position and misunderstanding, and that he wouldn’t press the matter further by law, but we haven’t receive a response in print yet.

The Taichung Food and Drug Safety Office has ordered the recalling and confiscating of “mislabeled” products. The case is now being investigated by prosecutors.

Voice of Lee Yu-pei
Taichung District Prosecutors Office
The company is suspected of violating laws including the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, and we were notified to proceed with investigating the matter. The case was opened on Dec. 9 and is now under investigation.

Even though the company has come out to apologize and explained themselves, they may only win back consumers’ trust after the case is finalized in court.

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