Slop, resilience and scamsWhat 2025’s AI buzzwords reveal about Taiwan, China and the USBy Nigel P. Daly / Contributing reporterWords of the Year are not just interesting, they are telling. In the state-sanctioned 2025 Chinese Language Review, “resilience” (韌) was selected as the national character and DeepSeek the defining phrase. “Slop” was Merriam-Webster’s word of the year, defined as low-quality digital content produced in quantity by AI. Taiwan also came up with a localized adaptation of “AI slop” as “digital garbage” (電子垃圾) or “AI crap” (AI大便). The key terms highlight breakthroughs and resilience, turning AI into infrastructure of a glorious nation-building project.

Minimum wage to be raised again this year, Lai saysStaff writerPresident William Lai (賴清德) on Sunday announced that the government this year would again raise the minimum wage, with the goal of surpassing NT$30,000 (US$951) for monthly salaries. The last minimum wage adjustment was made on Sept. 26 last year, and was announced on Oct. 21. When attending an event hosted by the Junior Chamber International Taiwan in Hsinchu on Sunday, Lai said that this year the minimum wage would be raised again, with the monthly salary target set to exceed NT$30,000. Increasing the minimum wage is an important measure to ensure the livelihood of workers, he said. When evaluating the minimum wage, the government takes into account factors such as the consumer price index, the GDP growth rate and labor productivity, he added.

Taiwan sees Maduro arrest as deterrentNOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official saidBloombergTaiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. A person holds a newspaper with an image of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Doral, Florida, on Sunday. China considers Taiwan part of its own territory, so international laws do not factor into its calculations, the person said. “The level of sophistication of US equipment, compared with the weapons Venezuela obtained from Russia and China, was fully exposed in this operation,” Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan yesterday. That Venezuela’s military power was dismantled within hours by US forces would give Beijing plenty to think about, a separate senior national security official in Taiwan said.

Missile mass production to commence in Q2: officialTaiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and VBy Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin

‘Tuna King’ pays record US$3.2m for 243kg tunaAFP, TOKYOA Japanese sushi entrepreneur yesterday paid a record US$3.2 million for a giant bluefin tuna at an annual prestigious new year auction in Tokyo’s main fish market. Self-styled “Tuna King” Kiyoshi Kimura’s sushi restaurant chain paid the top price for the 243kg fish that was caught off Japan’s northern coast. Kiyoshi Kimura, center, president of Kiyomura Corp, operator of sushi restaurant chain Sushizanmai, displays a 243kg bluefin tuna at his restaurant in Tokyo yesterday, after the New Year’s auction at Toyosu fish market. The ￥510.3 million price at the new year’s auction was the highest since comparable data started being collected in 1999. Shortly after this year’s auction, the tuna was butchered and turned into sushi, selling for about ￥500 per roll.

Nvidia eyes chips from TSMCH200 CHIPS: A source said that Nvidia has asked the Taiwanese company to begin production of additional chips and work is expected to start in the second quarter Nvidia Corp is scrambling to meet demand for its H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips from Chinese technology companies and has approached contract manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to ramp up production, sources said. Chinese technology companies have placed orders for more than 2 million H200 chips for this year, while Nvidia holds just 700,000 units in stock, two of the people said. The exact additional volume Nvidia intends to order from TSMC remains unclear, they said. A third source said that Nvidia has asked TSMC to begin production of the additional chips and work is expected to start in the second

3 men, Tokyo Electron Taiwan indicted over new TSMC trade secret theftStaff writer, with CNAThe Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Intellectual Property Branch yesterday indicted three individuals and Tokyo Electron Taiwan Ltd for stealing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) 14-nanometer (14nm) technology secrets. The individuals included Chen Li-ming (陳力銘), a former TSMC engineer who worked at Tokyo Electron Taiwan, a TSMC employee surnamed Chen (陳), and a Tokyo Electron Taiwan employee surnamed Lu (盧), the prosecutors office said in a statement. Photo: Ann Wang, ReutersThe case came to light when prosecutors were investigating Tokyo Electron Taiwan for the alleged theft of TSMC trade secrets related to its 2nm process. Chen Li-ming, along with two others, were indicted in August last year for stealing TSMC’s 2nm technology. Tokyo Electron Taiwan was indicted last month on four violations of the Trade Secrets Act (營業秘密法) and National Security Act for failing to properly supervise Chen Li-ming, with prosecutors seeking a total penalty of NT$120 million.

KMT’s Kinmen bill is a security threat, DPP saysBy Lin Tse-yuan / Staff reporterChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yu-jen’s (陳玉珍) proposed amendments for outlying islands would turn Kinmen County into a “special trade zone” for China, posing a serious economic and military threat to Taiwan, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said yesterday. From left, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers Puma Shen, Fan Yun, Chung Chia-pin and Chen Pei-yu hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNAThe KMT has introduced numerous versions of the amendments over the years, which faced pushback and criticism from the public, DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said. “No matter what version the KMT proposed, the bills were not that different,” Shen said. Chen’s proposal would open a backdoor for Chinese influence, with the free-trade zones enabling Beijing to enhance its political and economic influence over Taiwan, DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said.

Missile mass production to commence in Q2: officialTaiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and VBy Lo Tien-pin and Jonathan Chin

Tourist bear warnings urgedBy Shelley Shan / Staff ReporterTravel agents arranging tours to Japan should warn tourists about potential bear attacks when doing outdoor activities, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The nation’s tourism authority issued the notice to the travel agencies nationwide, reminding them to inform their clients about bear danger before leaving for Japan if the itineraries include outdoor activities in the mountainous areas. Visitors take souvenir photos next to a bear warning sign at Shirakawa-go, Japan, in 2025. Even in winter, bear attacks were reported near popular tourist attractions in Japan. said that chances of bear attacks are lower in winter, as bears are in hibernation.

EDITORIAL: Monetary outlook for the yearBenefiting from Taiwan’s strong economic growth and stable inflation, the central bank at its quarterly board meeting on Dec. 18 last year kept its policy rates unchanged for the seventh consecutive quarter since its most recent rate hikes in March 2024. This year, the central bank’s monetary policy would remain a focus of the market. Based on messages delivered at last month’s board meeting, the central bank seems determined to follow its own path. In a nutshell, there is adequate leeway for the central bank to keep rates unchanged this year, while observing how the global economy evolves and what monetary policies its global peers implement. The main challenge for Taiwan is whether it could take advantage of the evolution of AI to pave the way for its long-term, sustainable economic growth.

Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien, center, speaks to reporters in Taipei yesterday. At the legislative committee meeting on this year’s defense budget, Hsu told lawmakers that Venezuela’s weapons, obtained from China and Russia, proved to be far inferior to US weapons. The issue was not only the origin of the weapons, but that they had been poorly maintained, Hsu said. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) said that the opposition’s continued blocking of a proposed NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget bill would impact national security. Each day that the defense budget is delayed consumes precious preparation time, it added.

Sunset serenade for Taiwan’s squatty pottiesBy Wu Po-hsuan / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Environment yesterday called for the public to abandon squat toilets and switch to seated toilet. Additionally, environmental and bacterial contamination in the bathroom from squat toilets is thousands of times greater than that of sitting toilets, he said. People look at a toilet-themed art installation at the main lobby of the Ministry of Environment in Taipei yesterday. Friends of Daan Forest Park Foundation managing director Tsai Chien-sheng (蔡建生) said that many countries generally use seated toilets, and some visitors from Europe or the US have never used squat toilets in their lives. “When they visit Taiwan and open the bathroom door, they may be shocked,” he said, adding Taiwan is the only country in Asia still adding squat toilets.

An additional NT$17 billion for the first and second reserve funds, and disaster preparedness would also be unavailable, she said. Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Minister Chen Shu-tzu speaks at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee in Taipei yesterday. The Finance Committee yesterday heard from the DGBAS, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Finance and the Ocean Affairs Council on the effects of the stalled budget. Another NT$72.5 billion for reserve force readiness, military exercises, force development and personnel training would also be affected, she said. “Failure to pass the general budget would undermine national defense and security, and hinder public infrastructure and social welfare projects,” Chen said.

A Taiwanese in Venezuela shares perspective on Maduro arrestStaff writer, with CNAWhile some Venezuelans celebrated the arrest of their president in a US raid over the weekend, others were conflicted about the violation of the nation’s sovereignty and the future of their country, a Taiwanese resident of the South American nation said on Sunday. A government supporter holds an action figure of Super Bigote, based on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, during a protest demanding his release from US custody, in Caracas on Sunday. You, 39, came to Venezuela in 1998, when his father was sent by a Taiwan-based company to work in the South American nation. Among poorer Venezuelans, many fear having their benefits cut if they speak out against the government, he said. He expressed hope that the country could someday return to the “golden era” he found when he arrived in the late 1990s.