Category：Politics

CEC ramps up preparations for local elections on Nov. 28

Taiwan will pick its local government representatives in just 100 days. The Central Election Commision on Thursday put up the election notice, meaning election season has officially started. Among some of the concerns this year is the use of deep-fake videos that could be used to spread misinformation. The CEC has established a task force in collaboration with police, prosecutors and the Ministry of Digital Affairs to prevent election interference.

On Nov. 28, voters will head to the polls to pick 11,051 public officials in 8,906 electoral districts. A total of 18,244 polling stations will be set up for Election Day, to cater to Taiwan’s 19.65 million eligible voters. That includes more than 600,000 first-timers. About 250,000 people will be chosen to work at the polls around the country.

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#election #countdown #electoral #voting #democracy #taiwan #pollingstation

2026-08-20

Republican Senator says she’s ‘not that informed’ on Taiwan

A Republican Senate candidate in South Carolina is facing a political firestorm after giving a startling answer about Taiwan and the South China Sea in a recent televised debate. Darline Graham, who stepped into her late brother Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat, was asked whether the issues are tied to US national security. She admitted she simply wasn’t informed in the subject. Her opponent immediately pounced, while critics questioned whether the political newcomer has the experience to hold the seat.

Earlier this summer, US Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham died, leaving his seat to his younger sister, Darline Graham. But with an election coming up, she’s had to justify her appointment ahead of the Republican Party’s runoff vote. In a debate on Wednesday, she showed her ignorance of cross-strait issues.

Greta Van Susteren
Moderator
Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States? And if so, why or how?

Darline Graham
US Senator
I’m just going to be honest here. I’ve not on national security… I’m not that informed on national security

The unexpected answer gave her opponent the perfect opportunity to strike back.

Ralph Norman
Republic runoff candidate
Taiwan’s a definite ally. So what the president is doing right is he’s enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China.

Before his death, Graham visited Taiwan on three occasions and touted himself as an expert on diplomacy and national security. He even promoted pro-Taiwan bills and was seen as a close ally of Taiwan, making his sister’s reply especially shocking. One day later, she accepted a TV interview to try and stop the criticism.

Darline Graham
US Senator
I tripped up on one question last night, regarding Taiwan. Of course Taiwan is our friend.

Darline Graham is a newcomer to politics, but she was endorsed to her appointment in succeeding her brother by US President Donald Trump. Experts say her recent blunder may have severely damaged her support.

Katie Porter
Former US Representative (Dem)
This woman needs a lot of polish and she needs it really fast.

Elex Michaelson
CNN News Anchor
The concern about her is. Does she have the juice? Is she experienced enough? Can she do this job?

Darline Graham has admitted that she is not a politician, but defended herself arguing that voters are more concerned about their livelihoods than the South China Sea. Nevertheless, her Taiwan blunder has put extra scrutiny on her this electoral season.

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#darlinegraham #gop #republican #taiwan #southchinasea #debate #election #lindseygraham

2026-08-20

Fail test launch sends rocket crashing into mountainside

An explosion near the village of Macaran in Pingtung sent locals into a panic early Wednesday morning, as they believed China had launched an attack. But it turns out that the projectile had actually been launched from Taiwan. The Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology was test-launching a satellite at Jiupeng Base when the rocket lost control and went crashing into a mountain. The institute has released a statement saying that the self-destruct mode was activated after an anomaly was detected in the early stage of the launch. The rocket landed within the perimeter of the base. Let’s hear more.

Resident
Macaran Village
My first thought was that China was attacking us! I was so shocked.

Pan Hsun-ho
Macaran Head
It was lucky that it didn’t fall on our town. It seems to have fallen within the grounds of the base.

Wang Pin-ching
Pingtung County Government Spokesperson
Test launches should be suspended until the cause of the incident is determined. We urge the institute to review its procedures and make any necessary adjustments.

Chen Kuan-ting
Legislator (DPP)
Accidents happen, be it in tests by the NCSIST or other research organizations. The important thing is to not let these incidents halt training or drills. They should be used to learn and improve.

Chung Chia-pin
Legislator (DPP)
There are military exercises and artillery drills constantly being held at the base. It would be better to provide locals with some form of insurance coverage so that they can claim compensation if their property gets damaged.

No injuries have been reported, though the sight of the rocket hurtling straight into the mountainous area was quite alarming. As test launches become more routine, finding a balance between these activities and the safety of nearby residents will be an important issue that the military has to address.

#rocket #rocketlaunch #fail #jiupeng #taiwan #pingtung

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2026-08-19

President Lai announces new raises for all government workers

This year’s Father’s Day may’ve been on a Saturday, but for members of the military, Aug. 8 was just one more workday in a packed schedule for the Han Kuang military exercise, which lasted 10 days. The hard work of military personnel, along with civil servants and public school teachers, will not be in vain though, as President Lai and the Executive Yuan have announced new raises for all government employees, to take effect in January next year.

President Lai Ching-te made a personal appearance at Taichung to commend members of the military, as they recently finished this year’s Han Kuang Exercise, which lasted 10 days and 9 nights. In addition to giving bonuses to his brothers-in-arms, who were part of an all-out nationwide effort, the event also gave members of the military a chance to share some Father’s Day moments.

Tung Chuan-sheng
234 Combined Arms Brigade
As a soldier, I must commit everything I have to my duties. On Father’s Day, when I had just a little bit of free time, my wife and our two children called me to wish me a happy Father’s Day. For me, that was a very touching moment, so much so that I suddenly started crying; it made all the hard work of that day’s drill seem like nothing.

Chao Pei-yu
234 Combined Arms Brigade
Our unit also made a Father’s Day video. At that time there was a lot of noise, but when the video was played everybody quieted down right away. Once somebody would see their beloved family members, including their children, appear on the screen, some of us would laugh, others had their eyes turn red, and some even shed a few tears.

On top of the recent Han Kuang Exercise, since March the military has been busy preparing to protect the country, with joint operations planning, computerized exercises, and immediate combat readiness drills all on their agenda. The most important reason for President Lai appearing at a military base was to hand out bonuses to these hard-working troops.

President Lai announced that, beginning in July, raises would be given to those that would serve on the frontlines as well as special forces and other combat forces. Those in brigade units are to receive an additional NT$4,000 a month. Conscript soldiers will also be given raises comparable to what volunteer soldiers receive. Recently the Executive Yuan announced that raises of NT$2,000 a month would be given to military personnel, civil servants, and public school teachers as well as supervisors. Furthermore, starting next January a 4% raise will be given to all those working under the government.

Lai Ching-te
President
Ever since I assumed office, going back to the Tsai Ing-wen presidential administration, this is the 5th time we’ve raised the salaries of military personnel, civil servants, and public school teachers. A more reasonable system will reward our troops for the responsibilities and risks they bear as well as the skills they possess. This will also show that our country reveres our military, and this is also an important investment in strengthening our national defense, showing that the government is the biggest supporter of you all.

The troops, public servants, and teachers have received five raises during the 10 years the DPP has been in power, and these most recent raises reflect that the ruling party is committed to both continuing to improve the pay of the military and being the biggest supporter of the troops.

#supportourtroops #military #HanKuangExercise #raises #money #payforprofessionalism

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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2026-08-19

Many KMT and TPP legislators unhappy about NT$10,000 handout

President Lai Ching-te recently announced a nationwide NT$10,000 cash handout that’ll be part of next year’s budget. The intention of the handout is to allow the residents of Taiwan to enjoy “the fruits of Taiwan’s economic development.” Yet many opposition lawmakers, for one reason or another, are unhappy about the handout coming to fruition.

President Lai Ching-te recently announced next year’s nationwide NT$10,000 cash handouts, which are supposed to help residents in Taiwan tangibly enjoy the fruitful growth of last year’s economy. But some opposition party politicians have different opinions on this money matter.

Lai Shyh-bao
Legislator (KMT)
Back when we first talked about this financial concept, the other side said this is “impoverishing Taiwan,” that it’s “selling out the country.” But this time we’ve caught Lai Ching-te “impoverishing Taiwan, selling out the country.” The DPP can, but we can’t! Talk about double standards.

Lin Chun-hsien
Legislator (DPP)
The KMT is acting all flustered, lashing out at people, like only the KMT can propose an idea like these NT$10,000 cash handouts. Next year’s nationwide cash handout is already part of the annual budget, so if the opposition parties oppose it, being that the KMT and TPP has the majority, then the KMT can just remove it from the budget. I don’t know what the KMT is getting so mad about.

Last year KMT and TPP legislators passed a bill requiring the Executive Yuan to hand out cash payments. This time the Executive Yuan is directly putting the handouts into next year’s central government budget. This year’s budget didn’t pass its third reading until this August, thereby leading to a situation in which the NT$10,000 handout has become a bargaining chip whenever the budget is brought up.

Jacky Chen
TPP caucus convener
For the investigation of the budget, the Taiwan People’s Party has absolutely carried out a rigorous inspection; the TPP would never just take it easy, insisting that it must pass just because you want to do a NT$10,000 cash handout.

Chuang Jui-hsiung
DPP Legislative Caucus
With last year’s nationwide handout, that NT$10,000 in cash, why did the Democratic Progressive Party object to it at first? Because it was borrowing money. The government has increased its sources of revenue, and so the money that needs to be spent has already been allocated. And since there’s no need to borrow money, then of course the president has mulled over this issue.

Chen Pei-yu
Legislator (DPP)
Back when Chiang Wan-an and Wang Hung-wei called for a NT$20,000 handout, Chien Shu-pei said that Taipei City’s surplus is enough to let you raise the amount. And the same goes for Mayor Lu Shiow-yen; we’ve already run the numbers for you, so Taichung could give up to NT$50,000, which means you can increase the amount. We encourage you all to bring even more joy to the lives of city residents.

Once the budget is passed by the Executive Yuan Council on Aug. 20, then it’ll most likely be passed on to the Legislative Yuan the next day, meaning this NT$10,000 handout is about to become a hotly contested issue.

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#money #LegislativeYuan #KMT #TPP #DPP #cashhandout #budget #moremoneymoreproblems

2026-08-18

President Lai announces nationwide cash handout of NT$10,000 in 2027

Another NT$10,000 cash handout from the government is coming in 2027. That will make it the second nationwide payout under the Lai presidency. The money giveaway comes amid a roaring economy, fueled in great part by the AI boom. The latest government forecast expects Taiwan’s economy to grow by 11.05% this year, the highest figure in 39 years.

One key aspect of the handout is that it will be included in the central government budget, with no new borrowing. Economist predict that Taiwan’s annual tax revenue could soar past the NT$4 trillion mark this year, marking a new record. According to the Ministry of Finance, in 2025, Taiwan collected NT$3.78 trillion in tax revenue. And already from January through July this year, net tax collection is NT$574.6 billion higher than the same period last year.

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#cash #cashhandout #governemtn #money #freemoney #budget #budgeting

2026-08-17

New York Mayor Mamdani stuns netizens speaking polished Mandarin

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is going viral online for a surprising new talent: speaking Mandarin like a pro! The 34-year-old mayor stunned viewers by rattling off 40 seconds of remarkably polished Mandarin to promote Broadway promo, nailing the tones and even those notoriously tricky retroflex sounds. The clip has racked up millions of views, leaving fluent Mandarin speakers impressed.

Zohran Mamdani
New York Mayor
Hello. I am Mayor Zohran Mamdani. I don’t know Mandarin, but I want to give it a go.

A+ for enunciation, and extra points for the retroflex consonants. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants everyone to experience the magic of Broadway.

Zohran Mamdani
New York Mayor
New York City is going to give out more than 2,000 free tickets to Broadway shows.

Mamdani speaks impeccable Mandarin for 40 seconds in a promotional short that has been viewed more than 1 million times already. The feat even impressed former White House Deputy National Security Advisor Benjamin Rhodes, who shared the video saying: “This is some next level outreach by a generational talent.” Reporter Bethany Allen, who is fluent in Mandarin herself also posted about Mamdami’s language prowess saying, “How are his tones so good? Is he really a beginner?” Some couldn’t believe it wasn’t AI.

Zohran Mamdani
New York Mayor
We are so excited to welcome the world here.

Mamdani is 34 years old. He was born in Uganda to parents of Indian descent. The family moved to New York when he has 7, where Mamdani was raised.

As a fan of hip-hop, Mamdani was a composer, performer and producer of rap music. He later turned to politics, getting elected as a member of the New York State Assembly and later as Mayor of New York City, a position he assumed on Jan. 1 this year. He is New York’s youngest mayor ever, and is often active on social media.

Mamdani also took part in the Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown earlier this year. Over the past decade, New York City has seen a significant increase in its foreign-born immigrant population, the most notable group being ethnic Chinese, now numbering more than 390,000. So it’s no wonder the mayor’s language abilities have created so much buzz.

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#mamdani #newyork #broadway #chinese #mandarin #taiwanese #learning #languagelearning

2026-08-17

From above, Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao waves at parading deities below

The gates to the Underworld are open for the Ghost Month. In Hsinchu, one of the highlights is a street parade by local deities, which took place on Thursday. Hsinchu City Mayor Ann Kao watched the parade from the second floor balcony of City Hall, making sure to wave to the crowd below, which included revered temple deities. There was just one problem though: the city mayor, a mere mortal, committed a folk custom faux pas by looking down at the deities.

Ghost Month is here, and also underway is the annual Hsinchu Zhongyuan Festival. Taking place on Thurday afternoon was the removing of the cangue ceremony. The temple procession paraded around the city, but an unintentional blasphemous act took place when the participants and their deities passed by City Hall.

Standing on the 2nd floor balcony, waving to the crowd below, is Mayor Ann Kao, who has a bird’s eye view of the procession. And that’s the problem: Kao has likely committed a religious taboo.

Member of public
Feels Mayor Kao disrespected deities
I feel it’s incredibly inappropriate. If she wants to show respect to the City God, then she should be offering incense in the street below, which would be a more respectful way to treat the deities. Standing up there looking down like that, it’s basically like stepping on a deity’s palanquin; this is truly, incredibly impolite.

Voice of Lin Mao-hsien
Expert in folk customs
Normally, the way we do it is you’d come down, come down the stairs, and then you’d meet the deities with respect; at the very least you shouldn’t be standing higher than the deities, which is a basic form of respect.

Many went to Threads to criticize Kao, saying things like she was acting all high and mighty. Other comments said she was “super rude” and that everybody knows to not stand up on a pedestrian bridge when an important temple deity like Mazu passes by.

Yang Ling-yi
Hsinchu City councilor (DPP)
It’s clear as day, Mayor Kao sees herself as an emperor, like she came here to inspect the troops during a military parade. Doing what she did is rather inappropriate. Her aides, and she herself, should take some time to understand what praying during this ceremony means, and what’s the true message of this event.

Yang Chun-tzu
Hsinchu City Spokesperson
During a break between meetings, the city mayor just happened to hear the procession was passing by, so she went to the balcony to see how everything was going. Some everyday people saw the city mayor, so they waved towards her, and Mayor Kao responded in a friendly manner.

The Hsinchu City Government didn’t directly address whether Kao was actually standing at a higher vantage point than the deities and whether she had committed a taboo. Officials only expressed that Kao was just waving as a means of interacting with the general public.

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#Hsinchu #CityGod #GhostMonth #ZhongyuanFestival #taboo #don’tlookdown

2026-08-14

Taiwan puts wartime readiness to the test in urban resilience drill

Taiwan is putting its emergency preparedness to the test. The 2026 Urban Resilience Exercises got underway in Northern Taiwan Thursday, simulating everything from the distribution of essential supplies to wartime medical operations. President Lai Ching-te and New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih inspected the drills, which also drew representatives from the US, Israel and Canada. The exercises are aimed at ensuring that even in a crisis, essential government and public services can keep running.

She scans the ID card and checks the list, before putting the supplies in a bag. It’s quick and easy. Northern Taiwan held its urban resilience drill on Thursday, which included an inspection of a supermarket distribution station by President Lai Ching-te and New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih. This year’s exercises are being closely watched by the international community. At the scene was de facto US ambassador Raymond Greene, as well as diplomats from Israel and Canada.

Lai Ching-te
President
Virtue never stands alone. It is bound to have neighbors. We are not alone in facing regional geopolitical challenges. The international community is with us. But we cannot afford to be unprepared. We cannot afford to rely only on outsiders. Each exercise we hold is a boost to our resilience.

Hou Yu-ih
New Taipei Mayor
It’s best to be over-prepared for 100 years without calamity, than to be caught unprepared a single day. Being ready is extremely important.

Officials from the central and local governments learned about civilian supply distribution procedures and oversaw drills to scale back medical services and transfer medical operations underground.

The oncology department on the second basement of Shuang Ho Hospital was turned into a wartime command center, with dedicated areas for pharmacy, surgery and childbirth. Hospital beds were set up in the parking lot one floor below, in case the ground floor is unsafe or if curfew has been imposed.

A blood donation area and a hemodialysis area were set up near the drive aisle, to be used in emergencies. Staff played the role of patients to create a lifelike drill with real patients, objects, sites and scenarios.

Shih Chung-liang
Minister of Health and Welfare
Shuang Ho Hospital is the benchmark. We want to replicate the model here in every hospital in Taiwan.

Local preparedness drills help ensure essential government services can endure wartime and emergencies, making national defense more than just a slogan.

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#military #drills #civilians #supermarket #groceries #taiwan #invasion

2026-08-13

KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi has missed 5 straight budget meetings

The government’s general budget was supposed to be approved at the end of last year, but now, eight months later, this year’s budget has yet to be approved. This explains why many, including Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu, are pointing the finger of blame at KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi, who has missed five budget negotiation meetings in a row. During a recent verbal outburst, Speaker Han, who belongs to the KMT, called out Fu for his poor attendance record. Fu responded by calling on the KMT to remain united, yet this could become increasingly difficult with the election just a few months away.

KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi is being pursued by reporters, who want to know why he has missed 5 consecutive budget negotiations. Even Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu, also of the KMT, has had enough of Fu’s poor attendance record.

Han Kuo-yu (Aug. 11)
Legislative Speaker
What do your Legislative Yuan Speaker, and your party caucus, even mean to you? Just go ahead and resign as caucus whip; wouldn’t that make things a bit easier for you?

On top of regularly missing budget negotiation sessions, Fu also did not authorize Caucus Secretary-General Jonathan Lin to make decisions on his behalf.

Han Kuo-yu (Aug. 11)
Legislative Speaker
Mr. Jonathan Lin, you have the very important position of KMT Caucus Secretary-General. Yet when it comes to meetings, your party’s caucus whip misses meeting after meeting; meanwhile you’re being very responsible by delivering reports. But does your signature, your consent, have any validity?

Jonathan Lin (Aug. 11)
KMT Caucus Secretary-General
If our caucus whip doesn’t sign his name, then my signature still cannot represent the will of the party caucus.

Han Kuo-yu (Aug. 11)
Legislative Speaker
Is your caucus whip playing Mahjong as we speak? If Mr. Fu’s using his right hand to hold the tiles, then can he use his left to sign his name, yes or no? The state of the Legislative Yuan is getting worse. It’s awful! Doing everything remotely! To you, how important are your Legislative Yuan Speaker and party caucus? This is ridiculous! You’re playing around with us like monkeys at a circus, am I right or not? The Legislative Yuan is being controlled by dark forces.

The Legislative Speaker calling out his party’s biggest leader, the caucus whip, got the attention of leaders on both sides of the political aisle.

Tsai Chi-chang
DPP caucus whip
When the Legislative Yuan Speaker calls for a negotiation, the process might take a few hours. But, in the end, when a caucus party whip doesn’t come, it makes these 2 to 3 hours, or 3 to 4 hours, a waste of time, because he didn’t attend and he didn’t authorize someone to act on his behalf. Isn’t this communicating that those in attendance are a bunch of fools? This, actually, has already happened many times, so the Legislative Speaker has likely gotten to the point where he thinks it’d be more enjoyable to be the KMT’s caucus whip than being the Speaker.

Fu Kun-chi
KMT caucus whip
It’s said “if the family lives in harmony, all affairs will prosper” and “silence speaks louder than words.” Speaker Han thank you for all your hard work; the KMT must remain united.

Fu sent out a long statement pushing the blame onto the DPP. He accused the Executive Yuan’s persistent unwillingness to pass the third reading of the bill as being the reason for the budget being postponed.

Weng Hsiao-ling
Lawmaker (KMT)
Providing checks and balances to the branches of government is our most important duty. I anticipate that Speaker Han will defend the dignity of the Legislative Yuan by giving more formal and stern warnings to the Executive Yuan and President Lai Ching-te.

Fan Yun
DPP Caucus Secretary-General
The KMT is always putting the cart before the horse, which everyone around the nation has clearly seen. One of the Legislative Yuan’s most important powers is to investigate the budget, not helping the Executive Yuan to compile the budget.

The ruling party has called on the opposition party to not shirk their responsibility, and the Executive Yuan has thanked Han Kuo-yu for holding budget negotiations. Yet with this year’s budget being delayed for nearly a year by this point, and with next year’s budget to be sent to the Legislative Yuan next week, people and politicians are hoping this year’s budget won’t become next year’s budget.

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#KMT #caucuswhip #HanKuo-yu #infighting #budget #whiplash

2026-08-12