US lawmakers to meet Lai in Taiwan: reportsNETWORKING: The US delegation plans to meet with senior members of the KMT and TPP, which an analyst called ‘essential’ to build support for security policiesBy Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporterUS lawmakers are planning to visit Taiwan to show support for president-elect William Lai (賴清德), as well as potentially meet with members of opposition parties, the Nikkei Asia reported on Sunday. The Financial Times on Friday reported that US representatives Ami Bera, Andy Barr and Mario Diaz-Balart are to visit Taiwan in the coming weeks. “This could lead to a deadlock, as the DPP is unlikely to cooperate with the KMT,” it said. In the Jan. 13 legislative elections, the DPP secured 51 of the 113 seats in legislature, the KMT 52 and the TPP eight. To advance security policies such as increasing defense spending and weapons purchases, the support of both parties “is essential,” she said.

‘Distrust’ source of TPP youth support, experts sayStaff Writer, with CNAThe 3.69 million votes garnered by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in Jan. 13’s presidential election reflected the “distrust” felt by many young people toward the country’s two major parties, a Malaysian analyst said. Tan Seng Keat (陳承傑), research manager at the Malaysia-based Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, said a key takeaway from the outcome of the presidential election was how many young voters supported Ko. Photo: EPA-EFEOn the other hand, the loss of youth support should raise the alarm for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), added Tan, who visited Taiwan for the presidential and legislative elections. Ko received 3.69 million votes, 26.46 percent of the total, leaving him in third behind Vice President William Lai (賴清德) of the ruling DPP and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the KMT. Lai received 5.58 million votes in the presidential election, leaving him well short of the 8.17 million received by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) four years ago.

TPP says its membership has increased by 7,661By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on Saturday evening said the party gained 7,661 new members in the week after the presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13. If you want to go far, go together,” alongisde the announcement, saying that the the total number of party members has risen to 32,484 people. With the TPP attracting many young supporters, local media have reported that some parents are worried about their children attending TPP campaign events, complaining that their children are coming under the influence of the party. Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei TimesThe TPP has also released data on the age profile of its new members. Meanwhile, TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday held a meet-and-greet event in Taipei to show gratitude to his supporters.

EDITORIAL: Ko sowing election integrity doubtsTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was last in the three-way presidential election, but his name was everywhere in news media and on political talk shows in the past week. Following the elections, unverified short videos of election workers reciting and tallying votes were posted on social media, claiming that vote-rigging might have occurred. The videos went viral after a few influencers shared them, including a popular and outspoken Ko supporter on YouTube. The Central Election Commission said election procedures were transparent and allowed parties’ overseers and the public to monitor the vote counting. However, Ko said that “it is impossible to conduct large-scale election fraud in Taiwan,” but left room for speculation.

Lai has stated his intention to uphold Tsai’s cross-strait “status quo” and continue her broader foreign policy approach. It appears highly probable that his administration is to prioritize continuity, with an emphasis on bolstering ties with like-minded democracies. Beyond India’s Taiwan policy, it is imperative for the incoming Lai administration to continue fostering strong ties with India, a pivotal country within the New Southbound Policy framework and the Indo-Pacific vision. To advance relations, Lai could consider taking several strategic steps. The Lai administration should contemplate restarting negotiations to effectively address and overcome the damage caused by the disinformation surrounding the pact.

Quantum computer with 5-qubit chips launchedBy Wu Po-hsuan and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerAcademia Sinica yesterday unveiled a quantum computer based on 5-quantum-bit (qubit) chips, connecting the device to the Internet to enable its use in scientific research by the institution’s members and partners. Academia Sinica Institute of Physics distinguished research fellow Chen Chii-dong, left, poses with another researcher at the institute’s quantum computing laboratory in an undated photograph. The 5-qubit computer is now available for use as a test and development platform for quantum computing, ultra-low temperature complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and operational amplifier research programs, it said. The Taiwanese research team has consistently outperformed expectations despite being given less time and resources than the quantum computer research programs of foreign nations, Academia Sinica President James Liao (廖俊智) said. Academia Sinica’s work in quantum computing is intended to blaze a trail for the nation’s private sector and generate the momentum necessary to sustain the investment in talent and education, Liao said.

NCC should rethink the pre-election polling banBy Liu Ying 劉瑩In Taiwan, there is a law that bans poll results being made public within 10 days of a presidential election. So before the window closed, each party released their internal polling results and the media released more than a dozen polls. The gap between Lai and Hou or between Hou and Ko was about 7 percentage points, almost as if it were a mathematical sequence. In the US, polls can be released freely up to the last day before an election, while “exit polls” are available on election day. Newly established polling organizations should have to state clearly that “this organization has not conducted any previous [presidential] election polling, and this is the first time,” so the public could ground their judgement.

Hon Hai announces joint semiconductor OSAT venture with India’s HCL GroupStaff writer, with CNAHon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) internationally, on Wednesday announced a semiconductor packaging and testing service joint venture with India’s HCL Group. The iPhone assembler said in a statement that its subsidiary Foxconn Hon Hai Technology India Mega Development Private Ltd has teamed up with HCL to set up a semiconductor joint venture in India. By investing US$37.20 million, the subsidiary secured a 40 percent stake in the outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) joint venture, which has set its sights on India’s semiconductor market, it said. In July last year, Hon Hai announced it would be pulling out of a US$19.5 billion joint venture with Indian conglomerate Vedanta Group to make semiconductors in India. Indian media reports said that the breakup might have been caused by the slow pace at which the joint venture was proceeding.

‘Little Grass Card’ claim a smear tactic, TPP saysBy Lin Tse-yuan and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on Wednesday decried accusations of cultivating “cult-like religious zealots,” by allegedly enticing students to attend political events and paying for “youth membership” in the TPP, calling it a politically motivated attempt to smear the party. The accusation stems from a post on the Facebook group “Love Agro Girl” (農藝女孩看世界) on Wednesday by someone claiming to be the mother of a 16-year-old high-school student who purchased one of the “Little Grass” cards (小草識別證). “My kid proudly showed me a ‘Little Grass Card’ with his name and photo, and said that many of his friends also got one. Someone arranged for a bus trip to Taipei to attend a TPP campaign event, and they all paid NT$500 to get this card,” she wrote. Lee also said that the “Little Grass” card was different from the youth credentials issued by the party, and asked for more clarity about the claims.

Han Kuo-yu to run for speakerBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator-at-large-elect Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday announced that he is teaming up with KMT Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) to run for legislative speaker and deputy speaker respectively, although Chiang said he would make way for a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislator to become deputy speaker if the party is willing to work with the KMT. Former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu, right, embraces Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang, second right, at a campaign event in Taichung on Dec. 23 last year. Asked on Tuesday about being Han’s deputy, TPP legislator-at-large-elect Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that he has “absolutely no interest” in being deputy speaker. According to the Method for Mutual Election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker by Legislators (立法委員互選院長副院長辦法), one-third of the 113-member legislature must be present to form a quorum, and the speaker and deputy speaker must obtain more than half of the votes from the attendees. The speaker and deputy speaker could also be re-elected, but more than one-third of all legislators must propose such a motion and more than two-thirds of the attendees must approve the re-election.

Direction of voting rights reformBy Jiang Zung-shiang 江榮祥Saturday’s presidential and legislative elections have attracted the attention of the international community, and Taiwan’s voting procedure has generated much discussion and debate. While some have praised Taiwan’s voting system as transparent and prudent, some have called it obsolete for not incorporating electronic voting, postal voting and prepoll voting. Nevertheless, the linking between place of residence and voting rights have inconvenienced people and prevented those working or studying abroad, polling station staff and on-duty security officers from exercising their voting rights, while prisoners are also deprived of their rights. If the government wishes to introduce prepoll voting, postal voting or electronic voting, to ensure privacy and information security, it should wait until the technology matures and society reaches a consensus on the issue. To protect the voting rights of every citizen, conducting “nonresidence voting” by allowing people to vote near one’s place of study or work is a feasible direction for reform.

TPP rejects claims of large-scale voting fraudBy Kayleigh Madjar and Jake Chung / Staff writersTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday rejected claims of large-scale voter fraud in Saturday’s presidential election, saying it was unlikely in Taiwan’s mature democracy. Following Ko’s third-place finish in the presidential election, some of his supporters have suggested that voter fraud was to blame for the discrepancy between the party’s polling and the official results. Although some minor voting anomalies in the election were possible, large-scale fraud is unlikely in a mature democracy like Taiwan’s, he said. Despite the conclusion of the presidential election, people continue to spread false allegations on online against the commission and its staff, it said in a news release. Even if some individuals failed to observe regulations, they were isolated cases, and, despite claims, ballot-rigging is impossible, the commission said.

The Liberty Times Editorial: Taiwanese again choose democracyDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate William Lai (賴清德), who has been vice president during President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) second term in office, and his running mate, former representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), on Saturday emerged victorious with 5,586,019 votes, or 40.05 percent of the total. As for the DPP, would the incoming and somewhat weakened Lai administration surmount internal and external challenges to lead Taiwanese along the right path? The outcome of the presidential election shows that mainstream public opinion is focused on safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty and democracy and not leaning toward China. Electing a president who would firmly safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty shows that unification with China is not an option for Taiwanese. On the other hand, they should take more pragmatic actions to overcome hardness through softness, thus showing the world that Taiwan is gentle, yet determined.

Teenagers with more siblings have worse mental health: studyBy Ian Sample / The GuardianFrom Cain and Abel and the Brothers Karamazov to Cinderella, the warmth and support provided by siblings has hardly been taken for granted. In China, the teenagers with no siblings fared best for mental health. In the US, children who had no siblings or only one were found to have similar mental health. Overall, mental health was worse the more siblings the teenagers had, with greater impacts seen for teenagers with older siblings, and when brothers and sisters were closely spaced in age. Meanwhile, a 2016 study of more than 100,000 Norwegian children found better mental health across the ages in larger families.

EDITORIAL: Taiwan offers an aspirational idealThe highly anticipated election season drew to a close on Saturday, with Taiwanese giving their vote of confidence to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for a historic third term. International media watched the election with keen interest, flocking to Taiwan with more urgency than in previous votes. The DPP might have kept the presidency, but it was largely the fault of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) failing to agree on a united ballot. China’s biggest message so far came yesterday with Nauru’s termination of diplomatic relations, leaving Taiwan with only 12 formal diplomatic allies. As one of the first countries to hold an election this year, Taiwan offers an ideal to aspire to.