Taiwan deepens ties to deter a Chinese invasionPREPARATION IS KEY: Although it is uncertain whether Beijing will act, Taipei is getting ready with the help of ‘many friends, including the US,’ Alexander Yui saidBloombergTaiwan is deepening economic integration with other democracies and working with partners, including the US, to deter Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) from ordering an invasion of the nation, Taipei’s envoy to Washington said. We don’t know,” Representative to the US Alexander Yui (俞大?) Such a law could usher in more investment from smaller companies that work with large firms such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, he added. “It’s Beijing who is sending the ships, it’s Beijing who is sending fighters around Taiwan — it’s them who are creating all the tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” Yui said. “Negotiating in an election year, the nearer we come to November, the more difficult it will become,” he said.

Taiwanese tennis players confirm Olympics partnersStaff writer, with CNATwo of Taiwan’s tennis stars have chosen their partners for the women’s doubles at the Paris Olympics, the national tennis association (CTTA) said this week. 2 in the women’s doubles, picked 20-year-old Tsao Chia-yi, ranked No. 153, to partner with her at the Summer Olympics in Paris, CTTA secretary-general Jimmy Wang told reporters later that day. Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei reacts during the women’s doubles final at the French Open in Paris on June 11 last year. Olympic tennis regulations say that each nation may send up to two teams to the men’s and women’s doubles events.

KMT advances proposal to ease assets restrictionsLACKEY? The KMT proposed amending articles 4 and 34 of the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations (政黨及其附隨組織不當取得財產處理條例). DPP caucus deputy chief executive Michelle Lin (林楚茵) wrote on Facebook that the KMT’s first move after expanding the powers of the Legislative Yuan was to attempt to reclaim party assets. DPP Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) wrote on Threads that the KMT was the “greatest robber baron in the nation.”The KMT attempted to reclaim about 20,000 hectares of land and NT$1.63 billion (US$50.39 million) that the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee in 2016 ruled was illegally obtained. DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) posted photographs on Facebook showing TPP Legislator Wu Chun-cheng (吳春城) smoking during the vote, alleging that Wu had skipped it.

Lawmakers would then vote on Friday morning to decide whether the legislature should uphold the passage of the amendments. People protest against a set of legislative reform bills outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on May 28. Photo: Taipei TimesMeanwhile, political parties and civil society groups have launched campaigns to garner public support ahead of the vote. According to the Constitution, lawmakers must vote on whether to uphold the amendments’ passage no later than June 25. Civil society groups have also launched a similar campaign featuring talks and workshops in the lead-up to the vote.

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang clarifies ‘country’ remarkNvidia Corp cofounder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) yesterday said that he was not making a geopolitical comment after a Chinese state-backed online media firm criticized him for calling Taiwan a country. Since Huang arrived in Taiwan on May 26, the Tainan native has been surrounded by fans and media whenever he has been in public. Reuters reported that some Taiwanese have begun referring to his popularity as “Jensanity.” At a night market on May 29, Huang told reporters that “Taiwan is one of the most important countries in the world. It is at the center of the electronics industry.

EU elections a boon for TaiwanBy Nicola CasariniCitizens of the 27 member states of the EU have elected a new European Parliament amid economic and security concerns related to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and fears that China could be doing the same by invading Taiwan. The European Parliament has veto power regarding some key foreign policy decisions, including the adoption of a free-trade agreement or a bilateral investment treaty. This gives the EU legislature the power to influence the direction of European relations with the world. The main loser in the EU elections is Macron, whose party did not even win 15 percent of the votes. Among the various winners of the EU elections is definitively — albeit inadvertently — Taiwan.

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang clarifies ‘country’ remarkNvidia Corp cofounder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) yesterday said that he was not making a geopolitical comment after a Chinese state-backed online media firm criticized him for calling Taiwan a country. Since Huang arrived in Taiwan on May 26, the Tainan native has been surrounded by fans and media whenever he has been in public. Reuters reported that some Taiwanese have begun referring to his popularity as “Jensanity.” At a night market on May 29, Huang told reporters that “Taiwan is one of the most important countries in the world. It is at the center of the electronics industry.

Volvo shifts EV lines to EU from ChinaDISAGREEMENT: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out against the tariffs, as it would affect his country’s auto industry, which benefits from business in China Volvo Car AB has started to shift manufacturing of Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) to Belgium as the EU prepares to impose tariffs on China-made EVs, the Times reported. On top of transferring production of Volvo’s EX30 and EX90 models to Belgium, the automaker might also move assembly of some Volvo models bound for the UK, the report said, citing unidentified people. Volvo, which is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co (吉利控股集團), is seen as the most exposed among western automakers to the potential tariffs, the Times said. Trade frictions between the EU and China have led to a barrage of anti-dumping probes

Intel suspends expansion of factory plan in IsraelAFP, NEW YORKIntel Corp is halting the expansion of a major factory project in Israel, which was going to pump an extra US$15 billion into a chip plant. The chip giant in December last year said it was going to expand a US$10 billion plan at the Kiryat Gat site, in the south of the country, which is currently under construction. Intel on Monday gave no reason for the pause and made no link to Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. The semiconductor giant has had a presence in Israel for 50 years, since the opening of a research center in Haifa. Intel floated part of Mobileye’s capital on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2022, but retains control of the company.

Indian prime minister to unveil coalition governmentAFP, NEW DELHIIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday readied to unveil his coalition government after a surprise election setback lost his Hindu-nationalist party an overall majority. Modi’s decade as prime minister has seen him cultivate an image as an aggressive champion of the nation’s majority Hindu faith, worrying minorities, including the country’s 200-million-plus Muslim community. Indian Prime Minister India Narendra Modi, center, stands with the president, vice president and Cabinet ministers after Modi’s inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in New Delhi on Sunday. Two-thirds of India’s 1.4 billion people draw their livelihood from agriculture, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the nation’s GDP. Two posts were handed to each of the largest coalition members, the Telugu Desam Party, from Andhra Pradesh, and the Janata Dal (United) party of Bihar.

The Liberty Times Editorial: KMT, TPP test limits of democracyA bill forced through the Legislative Yuan on May 28 by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers to expand the legislature’s power is procedurally unjust. The chaos in the Legislative Yuan, instigated by the KMT and TPP, is challenging the public’s bottom line for democracy. The Control Yuan’s statement infuriated the KMT and TPP legislative caucus conveners, who responded by calling for the body to be abolished. Instead the opposition parties have joined hands to enrich themselves and unduly expand their power, which is harming democracy and Taiwan. The legislature, which should embody pluralistic democracy, has become an anti-democratic entity monopolized by the opposition parties.

DPP, KMT to discuss bills with publicDELIBERATION: While the DPP and the KMT planned events to engage with the public, a TPP legislator said he has been livestreaming all along to communicate with peopleBy Chen Cheng-yu and Lin Hsin-han / Staff reportersThe governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are slated to organize town hall meetings across Taiwan “to engage people directly” and explain their stance regarding the legislative reform bills that passed on May 28. Many Hualien County residents would also like to better understand the bills and related issues, he said. KMT lawmakers are to speak at the event to explain to the public why they think the amendments are necessary. KMT Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) said the DPP is trying to vilify the bills passage. The party has been engaging with the public on the matter, TPP caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said.

Indian politicians, academics back Taiwan, criticize China’s attitudeStaff writer, with CNAPoliticians and academics in India have expressed support for closer Taiwan-India ties on the social media platform X, after Beijing issued a strongly worded public statement on the servicec against exchanges between President William Lai (賴清德) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “My sincere congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi on his election victory,” Lai wrote. “India has made a serious political commitment toward the ‘one China Policy.’ [India] is supposed to resist Taiwan’s political ploys. While the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has yet to respond to Beijing’s statement, Indian academics and politicians expressed support over Taiwan and India’s relationship on X, while criticizing China. Taiwan is committed to building partnerships with India “underpinned by mutual benefit and shared values,” it said.

Group joins war games in IndiaTABLETOP EXERCISES: In the final discussion of the war games, participants were asked to mull the perspective, policy and interests of the state they were simulatingBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, CNATaiwanese and Indian think tanks last month held a tabletop exercise in India simulating the potential effect of tensions in the Taiwan Strait on the Sino-Indian border, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research said on Friday. The institute and the New Delhi-based United Service Institution of India, with the assistance of US academics, conducted a war game called the Taiwan, US and India Trilateral Joint Military Simulation Workshop, it said. Strings of the flags of Taiwan and India are pictured at a school in New Delhi in an undated photograph. The exercise differed from US-held war games, as it focused more on actors other than the major powers and the diplomatic reaction from third parties, Shen said yesterday. The joint war games have the potential to be a template for more exercises, he said.

The hospitality of the TaiwaneseBy Lise TournierLast year, I took the plunge and chose Taiwan as my study destination, much to the confusion of many who could not quite place it on the map, often mistaking it for Thailand. The majority of travelers would tell you that one of the most notable aspects of Taiwan is Taiwanese hospitality. Taiwanese are renowned for their warmth and hospitality, and this extends to interactions with foreigners. Just when I thought I could not sink any lower, a chorus of kindness emerged from the crowd. And let me tell you, navigating the bus system was like trying to crack the Da Vinci Code.