German high-speed rail in VietnamBy Wang Hung-jen 王宏仁A recent piece of international news has drawn surprisingly little attention, yet it deserves far closer scrutiny. The agreement positions Siemens to participate in the construction of a high-speed rail link between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. Particularly telling is the comprehensive cooperation agreement between VinSpeed and Siemens that includes technology transfer, even though Vingroup — VinSpeed’s parent company — later announced its withdrawal from the massive US$67 billion North-South high-speed rail investment. In this context, high-speed rail cooperation functions as a diplomatic confidence-building measure, not merely an economic calculation. Vietnam’s North-South high-speed rail project would inevitably draw on substantial foreign capital and diverse technologies, creating a tangible opening for Taiwan to consider.

Israel slams Syrian attacks on KurdsALEPPO FIGHTING: Deadly clashes began this week between Syrian forces and Kurdish fighters as a deal to merge administrations and militaries struggles to formAFP, JERUSALEMIsrael yesterday criticized the Syrian government over what it described as attacks against the Kurdish community in Aleppo, just days after the two sides agreed to establish a joint mechanism aimed at lowering bilateral tensions. “Attacks by the Syrian regime’s forces against the Kurdish minority in the city of Aleppo are grave and dangerous... Earlier this week, Israel and Syria, under US pressure, agreed to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism, an unprecedented step as the two countries edge toward a security agreement after decades of hostilities. Following discussions in Paris, Israel and Syria agreed to establish “a dedicated communication cell” under US supervision that would seek to lower bilateral tensions. US President Donald Trump, who met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Washington in November last year, has been pushing for a security deal between Syria and Israel, but Israel remains distrustful of the former jihadist.

China, the biggest contributor to oil demand growth in recent decades and the key customer for Venezuelan crude, is needing smaller doses as consumption shrinks. They have been the most important consumers of Venezuelan crude for years. Much now depends on whether China would even be allowed to buy Venezuela’s crude. Even without that, a removal of sanctions would certainly raise the price of Venezuelan crude, which might undermine the teapots’ threadbare margins. The biggest state-owned refiner, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, or Sinopec, expects the country’s crude demand to peak before next year.

Minneapolis on edge after ICE shootingWOMAN DIES: ‘I would love for ICE to leave our city and for more community members to come to see it happens,’ said a person who attended a vigil in the cityAP, MINNEAPOLIS, MinnesotaMinneapolis was on edge yesterday following the fatal shooting of a woman by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, with the governor calling for people to remain calm, and schools canceling classes and activities as a safety precaution. State and local officials demanded that ICE leave the state after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot in the head. People visit a memorial for Renee Nicole Macklin Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota, yesterday. “We can’t give it to them.”There were calls on social media to prosecute the officer who shot Macklin Good. Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said that state authorities would investigate the shooting with federal authorities.

China has been boosting its diplomacy and investment in Latin America for years, challenging US influence in Washington’s backyard. So, Beijing would also be concerned about what the crisis in Venezuela means for China’s interests in the oil-rich country and for its influence in the region. For years, Beijing has extended credit to Venezuela in loan-for-oil deals, which has made China the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude. Last month, a tanker bound for China and thought to be carrying Venezuelan oil was seized by US forces as part of Trump’s campaign against Maduro’s regime. Venezuelan oil only accounts for about 4 percent of China’s total imports.

Amid debates on whether the US’ strike on Venezuela violated international norms, Washington has defended the operation as “a surgical law enforcement operation facilitated by the US military against two fugitives of American justice,” not targeting the land or people of Venezuela. The Venezuela strike has also shown the US’ capabilities for cross-regional projection and military joint operations, as well as the Trump administration’s efficient decisionmaking and determination to defend national interests. Although China is unlikely to change its Taiwan policy in response to the Venezuela strike, Taiwan needs to learn from the US operation and upgrade its defense system and asymmetric weapons for advanced, precise and efficient national defense. One thing that should not be overlooked is the intelligence and espionage network in Venezuela that contributed largely to the success of the US operation. Faced with China’s escalating “gray zone” tactics and cognitive warfare, Taiwan should remain alert and contain the pro-China forces and espionage networks within the nation that seek to undermine national security.

Photo: Billy WuForty years after its premiere, the film has become the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute’s (TFAI) 100th restoration. Indeed, according to Chu Taiwan’s film industry in the 1970s and 1980s was mostly controlled by organized crime. Professor Robert Chen (陳儒修) of National Chengchi University’s Department of Radio and Television says that there was no awareness at the time of the importance of film preservation. But Taiwan’s lack of major studios and the absence of a legal mandate for film preservation meant that original negatives were scattered and difficult to trace. Aside from Tainan National University of the Arts’ lone graduate program, there is no comprehensive training in film preservation.

The outlook follows a standout last year, when Taiwan delivered one of Asia’s strongest economic performances, with GDP growth estimated at 7.2 percent, while the nation’s per capita GDP is projected to reach US$38,000, surpassing Japan and South Korea for the first time, DBS said. DBS economist Ma Tieying (馬鐵英) said AI-driven momentum is expected to persist this year, although growth is likely to moderate amid more realistic profitability expectations, elevated equity valuations and rising corporate leverage. Photo: AFPIn its base-case scenario, DBS projects GDP growth of 4 to 5 percent, assuming AI demand remains solid, but cools, US semiconductor tariffs stay moderate and the US’ tariffs on Taiwan are slightly reduced through trade negotiations. By contrast, Taiwan’s non-technology manufacturing is expected to remain weak, with exports continuing to contract amid the lingering possibility of tariffs, DBS said. Overall, Taiwan remains well positioned to capitalize on the global AI wave while evolving into higher-value manufacturing and knowledge-based services, DBS said.

China: All words and no actionBy Aadil BrarChina often describes itself as the natural leader of the global south: a power that respects sovereignty, rejects coercion and offers developing countries an alternative to Western pressure. It cannot claim leadership of the global south while consistently declining the burdens that leadership entails. Beijing’s campaign to marginalize Taipei depends on persuading developing countries that China is not only economically indispensable, but strategically reliable. In an increasingly multipolar global south, where states hedge rather than align wholesale, credibility might matter as much as capital. Venezuela is forcing China to choose between being a powerful, but cautious transactional partner and becoming the leader it claims to be.

All F-16s to get ground collision avoidance systemsSTILL SEARCHING: An air force officer said that fitting F-16 jets with Auto-GCAS is a time-consuming process involving the integration of complex systems and trainingBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNAThe air force would install automatic ground collision avoidance systems (Auto-GCAS) on all of its F-16V jets by next year, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday, two days after a fighter pilot went missing in an apparent mishap. Air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅) was flying a Lockheed Martin F-16V on a routine training flight on Tuesday night when the jet vanished from radar over waters off Hualien County. However, the air force operates 139 F-16Vs that lack the safety system, he said. For the same reasons, the US Air Force has yet to fully outfit its F-16s with Auto-GCAS technology, he said, adding that test flights are still being conducted. The air force continually searches for ways to improve pilot survivability, he said.

Draft Animal Protection Act changes unveiledStaff writer, with CNAThe Cabinet yesterday unveiled draft revisions to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) that would tighten regulations on when owners can place their pets in shelters, while increasing the maximum fine for abandoning animals. Photo: CNAIn addition, the draft amendments say that if an animal shelter asks an owner to reclaim an animal, the owner must do so within seven days or be deemed to have abandoned it. The maximum fine for abandonment would be increased to NT$100,000 to NT$1 million (US$3,168 to US$31,676) — up from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000. Pet owners who lose a microchipped animal have five days to report the incident to local authorities, after which they are also deemed to have abandoned the animal, they say. Meanwhile, the sterilization system for cats and dogs still has blind spots that the draft changes aim to fix, he said.

Net profit in the fourth quarter of last year decreased to NT$6.73 billion (US$213.18 million) from NT$8.97 billion a year earlier, the company said. The figure fell 5 percent from NT$7.08 billion in the third quarter, it added. The logo of Largan Precision Co. Ltd, the world`s largest smartphone lens manufacturer, hangs outside the company`s headquarters in Taichung City in 2020. The company would disclose whether it plans to add new production lines for CPO once production proves viable, he said. Largan plans to begin shipping its first batch of variable-aperture products in the third quarter of this year, Lin said.

Premier Cho Jung-tai, center, speaks at a news conference in Taipei after a Cabinet meeting yesterday. It has been more than four months since the Executive Yuan submitted this year’s general budget to the legislature, but it has yet to be reviewed, Cho said. The Ministry of National Defense would face the greatest funding shortfall of NT$75.2 billion, Cho said. The general budget is the foundation of democratic governance and essential to meeting public needs, Cho said, calling on the legislature to expedite the review. The stalled budget would negatively affect economic growth, Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Minister Chen Shu-tzu (陳淑姿) said.

Ferry operators to conduct regular battery fire drillsBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterFerry operators are required to conduct a drill at least once every three months to test preparedness in handling fires caused by portable chargers, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The announcement came after multiple reports of fires caused by portable chargers on the nation’s major railways. Photo courtesy of the Railway Police BureauBureau Director-General Yeh Hsieh-lung (葉協隆) said that portable chargers are powered by lithium batteries. Failure to conduct the drill would be deemed an operational deficiency, which operators would be required to rectify, the bureau said. Operators would be banned from providing services if such negligence would lead to safety concerns, it added.

Absentee voting would severely strain agency: officialDOUBTS REMAIN: The ‘secrecy’ of off-island voting in indigenous peoples’ areas has been compromised in the past, and absentee voting might have the same problemBy Lee Wen-hsin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerAbsentee voting would severely increase the workload of the electoral affairs agency, Deputy Minister of the Interior Wu Tang-an (吳堂安) said yesterday, instead voicing support for a proposal to make voting day and the preceeding day a national holiday. The Taiwan People’s Party’s proposal of absentee voting, proposed on Dec. 12 last year, could undergo a third reading as soon as next week. The Democratic Progressive Party on Nov. 28 last year introduced a bill that would set voting day and the day before as national holidays to encourage voting. The absentee voting system might compromise secrecy, he said, adding that external forces might influence people to apply for absentee voting in a specific area and undermine the fairness of elections. Making the pre-voting day a mandatory holiday would be preferable to introducing absentee voting, as it would not change the system, Chen said.