South Korea alarmed by US military shiftBy Karishma Vaswani / Bloomberg OpinionSouth Korea is getting a rude awakening about what happens when US priorities shift: Even long-standing alliances can start to look like relationships of convenience. The US and South Korea agreed to install it in 2016 to help Seoul combat North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threat. US President Donald Trump has also asked countries like Japan, South Korea and China, along with NATO and other allies, to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to help commercial vessels sail through it safely. This is worrying for Lee, who said that even if the US military moves air defense assets out of South Korea, it would not seriously affect Seoul’s ability to defend itself against its nuclear-armed neighbor. Previously, she was the BBC’s lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.

Beijing is observing the US and its Iran warBy Bonnie Yushih Liao 廖雨詩The US and Israeli strikes on Iran have drawn global attention, with most commentary focused on escalation risks and energy markets — but this misses the more consequential development. It is a real-time strategic experiment — a rare opportunity to observe how the US performs under simultaneous military, economic and political strain. As energy prices fluctuate and inflation concerns resurface, US policymakers face a familiar dilemma: how to sustain external military commitments while containing domestic economic costs. For Beijing, the key question is not whether the US can act, but whether it could remain strategically consistent when those costs begin to accumulate. China is observing not only battlefield effectiveness, but the rate of resource consumption and, crucially, what remains available for other theaters.

Alleged car-towing rip-off mastermind arrestedBy Liu Ching-ho and Jason Pan / Staff reportersA suspect alleged to be the mastermind of a criminal ring that operated “rip-off” car-towing businesses was released on NT$300,000 bail yesterday following questioning by prosecutors. Tsui Po-hsiang (崔博翔), 32, was arrested at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport when he returned from a trip to Thailand. Authorities took him into custody, then transfered him to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is pictured in an undated photograph. Tsai and Hsu were released on Thursday, each on NT$400,000 bail, and the other four suspects were released on NT$200,000 bail.

Smart City Summit and Expo opens in KaohsiungFOCUS ON HYDROGEN: The exhibition features a model of Taiwan’s first hydrogen fueling station, as well as age-friendly smart healthcare applicationsBy Ko Yu-hao and Esme Yeh / Staff reportersThe Kaohsiung Smart City Summit and Expo commenced yesterday, with focuses on city-level sovereign artificial intelligence (AI), net zero transition and hydrogen energy. The exhibition is being held at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center and would runs through tomorrow, with a record high of more than 200 domestic and international institutions taking part. Taiwan Smart City Solutions Alliance president Samson Hu (胡書賓) said there are more than 500 booths this year showcasing various solutions, such as 5G AI of things, smart governance, smart healthcare, green energy and sustainability, hydrogen energy applications and smart transportation. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, on stage front row, fifth right, attends the opening ceremony of the Kaohsiung Smart City Summit and Expo yesterday. Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Cynthia Kiang (江文若) said the Asia New Bay Area in Kaohsiung is evolving into an international smart industrial cluster, adding that Kaohsiung is shifting from a traditional heavy industry city to a smart city.

Australian woman’s Republic of China citizenship claim rejected by ministryStaff writer, with CNAAn Australian woman claiming to hold a Republic of China (ROC) passport and birth certificate who says she was sold as an infant has had her nationality application rejected by the Ministry of the Interior, a Taiwanese lawmaker said. Australian Vanessa Miles, left, wipes tears at a news conference hosted by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Hung-wei in Taipei yesterday. Miles said her biological grandfather also canceled her adoption by her Australian family, which the ministry accepted without thorough verification. “I am a victim, sold to another country as a small baby without any say in the matter. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) on Thursday promised to assist Miles “with empathy,” but said the government was still verifying Miles’ birth certificate and nationality documents to rule out the possibility they were fabricated.

MAC warns travelers of ‘ethnic unity’ law risksBy Jonathan Chin and Chung Li-Hua / Staff reporter with staff writerBeijing’s latest “ethnic unity” law could put Taiwanese visiting China in legal jeopardy, as room for maintaining the “status quo” risks being erased and anyone who does not voice support for unification could face fabricated charges at any moment, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) warned yesterday. China’s ethnic unity law is broadly construed and blurs the legal red line on what constitutes as being a “supporter of Taiwanese independence,” it cited the academics as saying. The law aimed to transform the constitutional framework of China, not just modify Beijing’s stance on Taiwan, they said. The law appears to be a part of Xi’s bid to bolster the Chinese Communist Party’s legitimacy amid economic and political turmoil by inventing a new ideology centered on Chinese ethnic identity, homogeneity and economic development, they said. China’s use of “united front” tactics in unofficial interactions would likely intensify in the wake of the ethnic unity law, the academics said.

Two YouTubers arrested on arrival at Taoyuan airportStaff writer, with CNATwo Taiwanese YouTubers were arrested upon their arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Thursday night after being deported from Cambodia, where they had served two-year prison terms for staging a fake abduction in Sihanoukville in 2024. Chen Neng-chuan (陳能釧) and Lu Tsu-hsien (魯祖顯) — known as “Goodnight Chicken” (晚安小雞) and “Anow” (阿鬧) respectively — were arrested at the arrival gate by Taiwanese authorities on outstanding warrants. They are wanted by prosecutors in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林), Kinmen and Miaoli counties on a series of charges, including property damage, obstruction of freedom and fraud. Abuses at the compounds, including kidnapping and human trafficking, have been widely documented, and the YouTubers used that setting as a backdrop for their staged videos. The two were arrested and later found guilty of “inciting and causing social disorder” by the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court, which handed down two-year prison sentences.

Taiwan has no plan to help secure Strait of Hormuz: MinisterStaff writer, with CNAMinister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday that Taiwan’s military has not considered sending troops to assist in the defense of the Strait of Hormuz, currently blocked by Iranian forces, amid calls for Taiwan to do so. In response, US President Donald Trump has asked the US’ allies to send ships to help secure the strait. Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei TimesAt a legislative session yesterday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) asked Koo how Taiwan would respond if Trump asked it to help defend the strait. Koo replied that the ministry “has not considered such an operation.”“The mission of the armed forces is to defend Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. The military will prioritize the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region and continue gathering intelligence on enemy movements, he said.

Office of Taipei councilor in corruption probe searchedBy Liu Yung-yun and Jason Pan / Staff reportersJudicial investigators yesterday searched the office of Taipei City Councilor Lee Fu Chung-wu (李傅中武) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), amid a probe into suspected fraudulent claims of assistant wages. Taipei City prosecutors and the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau worked together to search Lee Fu’s office and residence, as well as those of other people suspected of corruption. Investigation Bureau agents escort Taipei City Councilor Lee Fu Chung-wu, center, out of the Taipei City Council yesterday. Lee Fu has been in office for four consecutive terms since 2010. He was a Taipei City police officer before he entered politics, and was previously a member of the KMT’s Central Standing Committee and Disciplinary Committee.

NTNU teachers demand better rightsBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAChinese-language teachers from National Taiwan Normal University’s (NTNU) Mandarin Training Center (MTC) yesterday protested outside the school to demand better labor rights and protections. Of the center’s 90 language instructors, 73 have joined a labor union that is demanding a collective bargaining process with the university. The union has made four requests of NTNU — compliance with labor laws, stable employment contracts, better institutional transparency and reasonable employment benefits. The teachers are therefore also not guaranteed provisions granted under the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), including sick leave, bereavement leave, marital leave and parental leave, Du said. When teachers take sick days, they often have to pay the hourly teaching rate for substitute teachers out of their own pocket, he said.

Two submarines set to test system upgrades next yearEARLY DEPLOYMENT? The two submarines, bought from the Netherlands in the 1980s, have been undergoing combat system upgrades since 2018, which have cost NT$7.41 billion (US$231.78 million). President William Lai, center, boards the Hai Kun submarine for an inspection on Thursday. Both submarines are to participate in major military exercises next year to assess their upgraded combat capabilities, sources said. The navy’s other two submarines, the Hai Shih (海獅, Sea Lion) and the Hai Pao (海豹, Seal), would continue to be used for training purposes, he added.

Orchid show to generate exports worth NT$10bnBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterThe Taiwan International Orchid Show attracted more than 300,000 visitors this year and is projected to generate export orders worth more than NT$10 billion (US$312.8 million) over the next three to five years, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday following its closure on Monday. Up to 224 meetings between the 37 local orchid business operators and 32 buyers from 20 nations were held during the exhibition, it said. Those meetings secured orders worth a total of US$23.46 million, up by 3 percent from last year, and are expected to further generate export orders worth up to NT$10.18 billion, the ministry said. Ministry Secretary-General Lin Chia-jung (林家榮) said agriculture is not just an industry, but also part of people’s daily life. People can sign up for food and agriculture experience activities on the ministry’s Facebook page from Monday next week, it said.

A map shows the activity of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the 24 hours that ended at 6am yesterday. However, as Washington is shifting military resources toward the Middle East amid its war with Iran, Beijing has resumed pressure on Taiwan and the first island chain, seeking to capitalize on the changing regional dynamics, the official said. Beijing’s rhetoric sought to create the illusion that the Taiwan Strait issue was not urgent, they said. China had sought to shape conditions ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting by portraying itself as a stabilizing actor in the Taiwan Strait, the official said. However, with the meeting delayed and regional conditions shifting, Beijing has adjusted its approach and renewed pressure on Taiwan, they said.

Singapore Airlines adding four more flights to TaipeiINCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, FridayBy Shelley Shan

Preventing and treating chronic kidney disease requires the same level of commitment, said Sung Chun-ming (宋俊明), deputy director of National Cheng Kung University Hospital’s Department of Internal Medicine. Early-stage kidney disease often has no clear symptoms, but if it is not tracked and managed early, it might quietly progress toward end-stage kidney failure, a source said. The key to preventing and treating kidney disease is not only screenings, but integrating patients into primary care systems for tracking and management, the source said. Kidney disease prevention and treatment require a national level strategy, and a dedicated office to coordinate budget and resources, and set clear goals, he said. By managing kidney disease early to delay the need for dialysis, costs would steadily decrease and people could live more healthy years, Chiu said.