KMT and TPP lawmakers vote against DPP proposalAMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal statedBy Lin Hsin-han, Lee Wen-hsin and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer and CNAThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition to the bill and 49 for, sending the proposal back to the Procedural Committee. Legislators hold placards during voting at the legislature in Taipei yesterday on a Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) proposal to suspend electricity rate hikes. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei TimesShen said that he had expected this from the KMT, but had not anticipated the TPP aiding the KMT. In other developments, opposition lawmakers yesterday used their majority in the legislature to send a proposed amendment giving lawmakers the final say in electricity prices directly to a second reading.

The ICC is the world’s only supranational tribunal that can try individuals for war crimes and other atrocities. The ICJ is also causing headaches for the US and Israel: In one case, judges are deliberating whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Humanitarian law enshrines norms in war, no matter whether the war in question is just. If humanitarian law goes, so would international law in general. That would mean refining the laws of war to fit new circumstances, and then sticking to the rules like everybody else.

Qualcomm gives solid outlook in sign of smartphone recoveryBloombergQualcomm Inc, the world’s biggest seller of smartphone processors, gave an upbeat forecast for sales and profit in the current period, suggesting demand for handsets is increasing after a two-year slump. The outlook signals that the smartphone market has begun to bounce back, tracking with Qualcomm’s forecast that demand would gradually recover this year. A smartphone displaying a Qualcomm Inc logo lies on a computer motherboard in an illustration photo taken on March 6 last year. Photo: ReutersIn the March quarter, profit was US$2.44 a share, excluding some items. They’re not losing smartphone market share to a resurgent Huawei Technologies Co (華為) in China, he added.

Ko Wen-je listed as suspect in corruption probeBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterProsecutors have listed former Taipei mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) as a suspect in a corruption probe relating to the Core Pacific City (京華城) shopping mall redevelopment and the Beitou Shilin Science Park (北投士林科技園區) project. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je speaks to reporters on the sidelines of a forum in Taipei on Saturday. “This is the key evidence showing that Ko abused his authority to allow a large corporation to illegally benefit,” Hsu said. Chien said after construction work began at the science park, the city government posted public tenders for plots T16, T17 and T18 in 2019. Taipei prosecutors said they are coordinating with Ministry of Justice Agency Against Corruption to investigate.

Fu Kun-chi undermining national security: DPP, TSPBy Lin Chen-yuan and Jason Pan / Staff reportersMembers of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP) yesterday accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) of trying to nullify security laws and undermine national sovereignty in the legislature after returning from China. Democratic Progressive Party caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu, second left, and other DPP legislators hold a news conference at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. TSP Kaohsiung City Councilor Chang Po-yang (張博洋) said that China has been bullying Taiwan for decades, now with constant military intimidation. Separately yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) responded to Fu on Wednesday pressuring other lawmakers to change the word “China” to “mainland” and “nation” to “Taiwan” in legislation. “I think this action is not necessary, and Taiwanese would find it quite unbelievable,” he told a hearing at the legislature.

The decommissioning of unit 1 of the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Shihmen District (石門) started in 2018. This shows that nuclear power could also take a hit from climate extremes, and earthquakes have of course also led to grave nuclear disasters. That and the protracted use of aging nuclear power plants are two separate issues. Just because some elected officials favor keeping nuclear power does not give them license to conflate separate issues and mislead the public. Mayors and county commissioners who support the continued use of aging nuclear power plants should accept spent nuclear fuel rods with open arms.

Markets are embracing India’s Modi for what he would not doBy Andy Mukherjee / Bloomberg OpinionIn late 2013, when Goldman Sachs Group turned optimistic on India after a sharp slowdown in growth, the bank titled its report “Modi-fying Our View.” The reference was to Narendra Modi, by then the market’s favorite to become prime minister. Gone are the days when Modi pledged to change everything from inefficient markets in labor and farm produce to entire sectors like banking. Still, this is the start of a new compact between markets and Modi, one in which investors are betting on what he would not do, rather than what he would. Yet, Modi is not inclined to take the opposition parties’ bait on expanding the welfare state beyond free food. Then the prime minister attempted to rewire the agricultural markets.

Will today’s tech wave drown developing countries? Faced with these trends, policymakers in developing countries would need to focus on four priorities. To have a chance, developing countries must consider all of these variables when designing and developing their industrial bases and the capabilities that continued competitiveness requires. Mobile Internet is more appropriate for the developing countries that lack Internet cables and face economic, technical and geographic constraints in deploying such infrastructure. These are the ingredients needed to ensure that developing countries can build up needed competences and compete in the current industrial revolution.

Don’t fear AI in war, fear autonomous weaponsThe amount of autonomy granted to machines during war would be a vital factor in determining how reliable or risky AI would beBy Andreas Kluth / Bloomberg OpinionThere is no question that artificial intelligence (AI) would transform warfare, along with pretty much everything else. As a military technology, though, AI looks less like breech-loading rifles and more like the telegraph, internet or even electricity. In that way, AI could save lives as well as cost, and free up humans to concentrate on the larger context of the mission. Long before AI, during the Cold War, Moscow built “dead-hand” systems, including one called Perimeter. However, they are still vertiginously high with all other “lethal autonomous weapons systems” (LAWS), as killer robots are officially called.

Hanoi eyes a high-tech futureThe Gen-Z students at the heart of Vietnam’s chip plansAFP, HanoiNguyen Phuong Linh is among a crop of young electronics students crucial to Vietnam’s ambitions to become a chips hub. A student at Hanoi University of Science and Technology on March 1 looks at a printed circuit board in the school’s lab in Hanoi. During a visit to the capital last year, US President Joe Biden announced deals to support Vietnam’s chips industry, and shortly after, Nvidia — an American giant in the sector — said it wanted to set up a base in the country. Intel said their focus in Vietnam would remain on assembly and testing, the lowest-value part of the semiconductor supply chain. Several universities launched additional programs this academic year that focus on semiconductor and chip design.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has stayed within the framework for most of her eight years in office, Tso said, citing sources that described Tsai’s inauguration speech in 2016 as her version of the “one China” policy. Lai has repeatedly made clear his opposition to “one China,” Tso said, adding that how he is to put the words into policy is “a core question” for Taiwan-US-China ties. Beijing is intensifying its “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan to force it to negotiate and compel Lai to adopt a cross-strait policy that is “acceptable or tolerable” for China, Tso said. China and the US restored high-level communications when Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met with US President Joe Biden in November last year, and Beijing is hoping to use the US to restrain Lai, Tso said. If Biden is re-elected, the US’ China policy is likely to be consistent; if Trump wins, the policy would be more unpredictable, Li said.

However, I have rarely been told that Taiwan could be defended to defeat the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). So here are some of my thoughts:The responsibility to defend Taiwan is that of the Taiwanese. The number of high-value targets — tactical and strategic — that China has along its coast opposite Taiwan are too many and simply indefensible. Taiwanese forces could literally have a duck shoot. At the risk of repetition, if Taiwan and its armed forces do not want the PLA to succeed — then they cannot.

The UK’s upcoming election and what to do nextBy Chris PattenDozens of developed and developing countries, representing half of the world’s population, are set to hold or have already held elections this year. For the world’s liberal democracies, the most consequential of these races is undoubtedly November’s US presidential election. Another critical election, at least for Europe, would be the UK’s upcoming general election, which is expected to take place sometime in the second half of the year. While the UK’s Conservative Party government maintains that it should not be blamed for global developments beyond its control, it should be held accountable for facilitating the UK’s disastrous exit from the EU. Over the past few years, the UK has showcased its lack of intelligent and effective governance, leading the international community to approach its upcoming election with indifference.

TSMC receives NT$47.5bn from China and JapanSKY-HIGH DEMAND: Many countries are looking forward to attract TSMC investment, as the firm plans to open new fabs in the US, Japan, China and Germany Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, received NT$47.55 billion (US$1.51 billion) in subsidies from China and Japan last year for investing in those countries, company data showed. The subsidies were sharply higher than in 2022, when they totaled about NT$7.5 billion, reflecting that many countries covet TSMC’s technology and are eager to attract the firm. The subsidies last year were handed out to support the expansion or building of new facilities in Nanjing, China, and Kumamoto, Japan. They were also used to finance land and equipment purchases, and to fund day-to-day operations. TSMC opened a plant in Kumamoto

‘Katespiracy’ explodes after UK princess’ photo blooperBy Anuj Chopra / AFP, WASHINGTONThe picture was meant to douse speculation about the whereabouts and health of the UK’s Catherine, Princess of Wales, but instead her manipulated image unleashed a torrent of Internet-breaking rumors and conspiracy theories. Social media exploded with memes exploring what the palace was hiding. “Every family hides a secret,” read the text inscribed in one photo swirling on social media, designed as a promo for a fictitious Netflix show titled: “Royal Conspiracy. The disappearance of Kate Middleton.”Kensington Palace declined to release an unedited copy of the photograph, prompting social media detectives to go down new rabbit holes. The climate of online distrust has spurred new calls for transparency, even among British royal family members with a long tradition of secrecy.