Old trees need new growth, tooBy Chen Chien-hsien 陳劍賢Taiwan launched its first 10-year long-term care program in 2007, followed by long-term care 2.0 in 2017. Its latest reincarnation, long-term care 3.0, was brought forward to be launched ahead of schedule this year. Dedicated care services are needed, but the associated costs are beyond the scope of the government’s general long-term care budget as it stands. At present, legislators from across party lines have proposed a draft act for long-term care insurance. Under the proposal, long-term care insurance would coexist with the National Health Insurance (NHI) system under a dual-track model.

Space cooperation bill with Taiwan advanced by USStaff writer, with CNAA bill aimed at deepening space cooperation between Taiwan and the US cleared the committee stage in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday. The Taiwan and American Space Assistance Act (TASA Act) was included as an amendment to the NASA Reauthorization Act, which the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology passed with a 37-0 vote. The TASA Act was first introduced in September last year by US representatives French Hill and Gabe Amo. The TASA Act would not only give NASA and NOAA additional authority, but would also instruct them to “work with Taiwan in areas of mutual benefit, including satellite programs, space exploration programs, and atmospheric and weather programs,” the representatives said. The bill would provide an avenue for “voluntary exchange of personnel from NASA and the NOAA to the Taiwan Space Agency to further advance Taiwan’s space capabilities,” the statement said.

Xi held ‘rare’ back-to-back calls with Putin and TrumpAFP, BEIJINGChinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) held back-to-back calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump this week, which analysts said was rare and significant as Beijing positions itself as a stable global power. Xi and Putin spoke for 1.5 hours, the Kremlin’s foreign policy aide said, while Trump said they had a “long and thorough” conversation. Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a virtual meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Xi and Putin hailed the deepening of Chinese-Russian ties as they try to present a united front against the West. Analysts said that while Zhang’s investigation would likely not have been discussed with Putin and Trump, the timing of the calls could be a way for Xi to project confidence domestically.

Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul likely to keep top job after Sunday’s electionPOLITICAL CLIMATE: The Shinawatras’ grip on power is faltering, while a wave of nationalism from a border conflict has bolstered support for BhumjaithaiAFP, BANGKOKThai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is widely expected to remain the country’s head after this weekend’s general election, regardless of the result. “So it is clearly democratic.”Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul greets people while campaigning in Bangkok on Jan. 20 ahead of the general election. Its most likely partner is probable third-placed Pheu Thai, the party of the Shinawatra clan, which has dominated politics for two decades, although founder and former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is now in prison. His father was acting prime minister during a 2008 political crisis and went on to spend three years as interior minister. Anutin joined Thaksin’s party, then named Thai Rak Thai, in his early 30s and was banned from political activity for five years when it was dissolved in 2007.

EDITORIAL: Taiwan forced to pick US or ChinaWhile the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) senior personnel were meeting with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials in China on Tuesday for “economic interactions,” President William Lai (賴清德) in Taipei asserted that Taiwan should cooperate with like-minded democracies instead to advance Taiwan’s economic prosperity. “Taiwan is on the right economic path and is striding confidently onto the world stage. “Do we want to continue collaborating with the US, Japan, Europe and other allied nations to expand economics onto the global stage, or tie ourselves to China?” Lai asked. In the first year of Lai’s presidency, Taiwan’s economic growth rate grew to 8.6 percent, the highest in 15 years and much superior to China’s officially stated 5 percent. The KMT should look back at the history of the Chinese Civil War to remember how it was cheated by the CCP.

Zhang’s removal has many futuresBy Julien Oeuillet 曾樂昂I imagine that Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Zhang Youxia (張又俠) had no idea just how powerful he truly was. That is if you believe the fauna of China analysts and columnists who had a field day following his removal. Every media outlet, every author, felt it was their sacred duty to give their two cents on Zhang’s removal. This is why this market exists: Each theorist of what Zhang’s removal means has a customer base for their particular brand of “mights” and “coulds.” The others are “doing propaganda” simply because they do not cater to your bias. Yet, it would be healthier to accept that it is impossible to know what a piece of news like Zhang’s removal really means.

TSMC 3nm chip plan in Japan, a win for TakaichiBloombergTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to make advanced 3-nanometer chips in Japan, stepping up its semiconductor manufacturing roadmap in the country in a triumph for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s technology ambitions. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, second right, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co chairman C.C. Wei, second left, pose before a meeting at the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo yesterday. “This could lead to discussions about producing even more advanced nodes in Japan in the future,” he said. TSMC’s move to 3-nanometer chips is “fully aligned with the Takaichi administration’s strategy to advance the social implementation of AI in Japan,” he said.

“Today, delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia agreed to exchange 314 prisoners — the first such exchange in five months,” US special envoy Steve Witkoff said. Delegates from Russia, Ukraine and the US meet during the first day of the second round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Photo: Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AFPThe Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the two sides changed 157 prisoners each. Ahead of the two-day talks, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine’s power infrastructure, leaving many people without power and shivering through temperatures as low as minus-20°C. Ukraine has warned that ceding ground would embolden Moscow, and that it would not sign a deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again.

‘Hai Kun’ sub sets sail for another round of testingStaff writer, with CNA, KAOHSIUNGTaiwan’s indigenous defense submarine, Hai Kun (海鯤), sailed from its shipyard in Kaohsiung yesterday morning for its latest round of submerged tests, one week after a previous round was deemed successful. The submarine was spotted heading out to sea from CSBC Corp, Taiwan, at about 8:30am for its third round of submerged testing. The indigenously developed submarine Hai Kun undergoes a submerged test yesterday. Chi said yesterday’s tests again focused on shallow-water submerged trials at depths of shallower than 100m, similar to tests conducted last month. In a press release on Friday last week, CSBC said it would continue testing the Hai Kun to ensure it meets the navy’s operational and seaworthiness requirements.

Doctors remind public that AI is not a doctorBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNATaiwanese doctors warned against using artificial intelligence (AI) for health advice, after a German study showed that Google AI cited YouTube videos in answers about medicine read by billions of people each month. In comparison, reputable sources from medical doctors, health officials and academia comprised only 1 percent of the sources cited by the overview, the study said. Taiwan Municipal An-Nan Hospital head psychiatrist Chang Chun-hung (張俊鴻) said young patients are increasingly making use of generative AI for medical advice. This causes unnecessary emotional distress for patients, reduces public trust in doctors and wastes time and medical resources, he said. Checking multiple sources and comparing different answers are crucial for reading about medicine and medical conditions, Tsai added.

Missions in strait about international law: ParisBy Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEINaval missions by foreign countries in the Taiwan Strait are about asserting international law, rather than offering provocation, French Office in Taipei Director Franck Paris said yesterday. Beijing views the narrow, highly strategic strait as Chinese territorial waters and has responded aggressively on occasion to foreign navies sailing there. “We are careful to send these naval assets into international waters without any provocation,” Paris told reporters. Photo: Huang Ching-hsuan, Taipei TimesThey aimed to send a clear message that international law prevails in the waters and should remain so, added Paris, whose country is chairing G7 for the coming year. US warships traverse the Taiwan Strait every few months, and some US allies, such as France, Australia, the UK and Canada, have also made occasional transits.

Beijing travel decision a political move, MAC saysMANIPULATION: China set unreasonable restrictions on cross-strait tourism, and only now allows Shanghai residents, who are less likely to visit, the MAC saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterBeijing’s decision to allow Shanghai residents to travel to Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties is nothing more than political manipulation disguised as a gesture of goodwill, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. “Beijing first set an unreasonable restriction on cross-strait tourism and later decided to allow Shanghai residents to visit. “To visit Kinmen, they would have to travel from Shanghai to Xiamen first and then take a ferry from Xiamen to Kinmen. “Communication before resuming cross-strait tourism following the pandemic was necessary, as both sides can use the opportunity to address issues with cross-strait tourism in the past, such as low-priced shopping tours,” he said. Cross-strait tourism should not be restricted to visitors from specific provinces, either, he said.

Japanese cycle team to circle TaiwanGOODWILL TOUR The circumnavigation next month is a gesture of thanks for Taiwan’s rock-steady support of Japan following the catastrophic 2011 earthquakeBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, with CNAA group of Japanese cyclists is to cycle around the nation next month to thank Taiwan for its support for Japan in the aftermath of Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Photo: Lee Wen-hsin, Taipei TimesAs this year would be the 15th anniversary of the catastrophe, Japanese writer Tae Hitoto organized a group of 30 Japanese visitors to cycle around Taiwan from March 7 to March 15. Tourism Administration Director-General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said she hoped that more Japanese visitors would know and appreciate Taiwanese people and culture through the team’s cycling adventure. Taiwan welcomed about 1.45 million Japanese visitors last year. We hope that the number of Japanese tourists visiting Taiwan this year would reach 1.7 million,” Chen said.

Climate change threatens highland frogsBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writerA new study showed that climate change could be more dangerous to species inhabiting hills and highlands than creatures on mountains, in a potential reversal of scientific wisdom. Moltrecht’s tree frogs, or Zhangixalus moltrechti, are a bellwether species for the impact of global warming, as their habitats range from mountains to lowlands, it said. Moltrecht’s tree frogs would likely require “heat sanctuaries” and “vertical corridors” to survive climate change, yet both have been compromised by urbanization that fragments habitats, he said. Chen I-hsiu (陳怡秀), associate professor of climate change and sustainability at the National Taiwan University, said that species inhabiting highlands can adapt to warming by migrating to even higher altitudes. This means large swathes of a species could die off with climate change, with little chance of adapting to shifting conditions, he said.

Final batch of M1A2T tanks to be delivered soon, source saysThe manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion