Lai pushes democratic partnership at Yushan forumCLOSE COOPERATION The ninth Yushan Forum saw some old faces and some new ones as Lai spoke about building closer cooperation and trade in the Indo-PacificStaff writer, with CNAPresident William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for closer cooperation among democratic partners to strengthen supply chains and economic resilience, saying that Taiwan wanted to work with like-minded countries to form “international teams.”Speaking at the opening of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, Lai said Taiwan intends to leverage the many advantages of these partners to deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. “We strongly hope that by leveraging the combined advantages of our democracies, economies and technologies, Taiwan and our democratic partners can work together to build more resilient supply chains and economies,” he said. President William Lai, fifth right, former Polish president Lech Walesa, fourth right, former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry, third right, give the thumbs up sign along with other officials and event guests at the opening of the Yushan Forum in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesOne way Taiwan would encourage that, Lai said, was through the establishment of “teams” at different levels. Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya, who has attended all eight iterations of the forum, was present at the opening ceremony.

Interest rates likely to stay same: analystsWAIT AND SEE: The central bank needs more time to observe the situation in the Middle East and how energy prices could rise before changing rates, analysts saidStaff writer, with CNA and BloombergThe central bank is expected to leave its key interest rates unchanged for the ninth consecutive quarter due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, economists said, ahead of the bank’s upcoming policymaking meeting slated for Thursday. A person walks inside the central bank in Taipei on May 29 last year. Any sustained increase in energy prices would push up shipping costs, which in turn would result in higher product prices, he said. The central bank closely monitors the NT dollar’s nominal effective exchange rate (NEER) to ensure it does not deviate significantly from its 36-month moving average. At Thursday’s meeting, the central bank is likely to raise GDP and inflation forecasts, BNP Paribas SA economist Jeeho Yoon and strategist Franco Hsu wrote in a note.

Swedish court orders detention of Russian sailorAP, STOCKHOLMA Swedish court on Sunday ordered the detention of the Russian captain of a ship that was suspected to be sailing under a false flag in the Baltic Sea and was boarded by authorities last week. The commander of the Sea Owl 1, whose name has not been released, was arrested on Friday last week — the day after the Swedish Coast Guard boarded the vessel off Trelleborg, on Sweden’s southern coast. They said on Sunday that the district court in Ystad ordered him held in custody in line with their request, Swedish news agency TT reported. The tanker is also on the EU sanctions list and had been traveling from Brazil to Russia, the coast guard said. It was the second vessel sailing in Swedish territorial waters to come under coast guard investigation in a week under suspicion of using a false flag.

Of course, the situation across the Taiwan Strait today is different than it was 30 years ago. In light of this, the General Association of Chinese Culture is today changing its official English name to the National Cultural Association of Taiwan. The move is part of an emerging international consensus: Taiwan is, clearly and concretely, its own political and social entity. For younger Taiwanese, military service as an obligation is about contributing to national development. The 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis proved that intimidation alone cannot rock Taiwan’s democracy.

Legislator Li Zhenxiu, right, speaks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei TimesLi was reported to have falsely claimed having only Taiwanese citizenship when she was sworn into office last month. The cross-strait laws back then required Chinese nationals to cancel Chinese household registration after obtaining Taiwanese citizenship, which Li did in 1999. Li was unlikely to have canceled her Chinese household registration before securing Taiwanese citizenship in 1999, the council said. Following an amendment to Article 9 of the cross-strait act in 2004, Chinese nationals were given six months to submit proof of canceling their Chinese household registration after the amendment was implemented.

Sinner, Sabalenka win first Indian Wells titlesAP, INDIAN WELLS, CaliforniaJannik Sinner on Sunday beat Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4), winning seven straight points to rally from a 4-0 deficit in the second-set tiebreak and claim the title without dropping a single set. Aryna Sabalenka poses for photos with the trophy after defeating Elena Rybakina to win the women’s singles title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Sunday. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday beat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the women’s final for her first Indian Wells title. Sabalenka, a runner-up in 2023 and last year, finished off the win with a big serve that Rybakina hit long. Jannik Sinner holds the trophy after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Sunday.

Trump suggests he might delay his visit to ChinaAP, WASHINGTONUS President Donald Trump might delay his China trip due to the Iran war, but US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent yesterday said that it is not to pressure Beijing on the Strait of Hormuz. Bessent said any delay to Trump’s trip to Beijing would not be because of disagreements over the Iran war or efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The uncertainty underscores just how much the US-Israeli strikes on Iran have reshaped global politics in the past two weeks. In Beijing, a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said only that China and the US have maintained communication on Trump’s visit. The US and China have declared a truce that has prevented both sides from levying dueling tariffs, but the stakes remain high.

Low-cost air defense options eyedStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s main weapons research-and-development unit is working to develop low-cost munitions to counter China’s potential use of similar weapons in a conflict that could deplete Taiwan’s stock of air defense missiles. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu, left, and Deputy Minister of National Defense for Armaments Chung Shu-ming attend a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee at the legislature in Taipei yesterday. Lien said the Ministry of National Defense hopes to acquire munitions through multiple channels, including for Taiwan’s “T-Dome,” which aims to provide low, medium and high-altitude air defense coverage. Li and Lien’s comments came after the ministry presented a report reviewing Taiwan’s air and missile defense capabilities, including low-cost interception methods and counterdrone measures, in light of the ongoing war in the Middle East. The report said the development of affordable air defense munitions capable of intercepting long-range rockets was being considered to prevent adversaries from depleting Taiwan’s reserves of air defense missiles and ensure operational resilience.

Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry delivers a speech at the Yushan Forum in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times“Taiwan has proved to the whole world that it has great solutions when it comes to the economy and politics,” he said. Chaudhry said that although Taiwan is only about twice the size of Fiji, it has overcome significant challenges to become one of the Indo-Pacific region’s most respected, advanced and successful democracies. Chaudhry particularly thanked Taiwan for its strong expertise and long-standing contributions in healthcare, education, renewable energy and agriculture, and said these areas are key to helping Fiji address its food security challenges.

Two brothers arrested in France over jihadist plotAFP, PARISA 22-year-old engineering student and his 20-year-old brother have been arrested in France over a deadly and anti-Semitic plot, anti-terror prosecutors said on Sunday. The two brothers, who are of Italian and Moroccan nationality, were arrested on Tuesday last week in northern France, the national anti-terror prosecutor’s office said. An undated handout photo from a court exhibit on Dec. 22 last year shows a homemade Islamic State group flag. Photo AFP / NSW CourtsInside their vehicle, police officers discovered a semi-automatic weapon, a bottle of hydrochloric acid, aluminum foil and a flag of the Islamic State group stretched across the headrest of the driver’s seat. While in police custody, the brothers admitted that “they had been planning a terror attack in France for which they aspired to martyrdom,” the office said.

The previous forecast assumed an average international crude price of US$58.6 per barrel, but prices have surged to top US$100 per barrel as geopolitical tensions intensified, Chen said. Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Minister Chen Shu-tzu, left, speaks as National Audit Office Auditor-General Chen Jui-min looks on at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei TimesEvery 10 percent increase in oil prices would raise inflation by 0.24 percentage points and reduce economic growth by 0.12 percentage points, she said. If crude oil climbs beyond US$100 per barrel, representing a 70 to 80 percent jump, the CPI could rise by about 1.7 percentage points, pushing inflation beyond 2 percent, while GDP growth could slow by 0.8 to 0.9 percentage points, she added. The impact would remain limited if the Middle East conflict ends quickly, Chen said, adding that the government has already adopted price-stabilization measures to curb inflation.

Cathay revises upward its GDP forecast to 5.8 percentBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterCathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) yesterday adjusted upward its forecast for the nation’s GDP growth this year from 3 percent to 5.8 percent, citing robust growth momentum seen so far this year, driven by artificial intelligence (AI)-related exports and investment demand. Hsu heads a research team commissioned by Cathay Financial. The team’s previous forecast was an 80 percent probability that the economy would expand between 1.5 percent and 4.5 percent in the year. Photo: CNAThe Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics last month raised its GDP growth forecast to 7.71 percent for this year, from its November estimate of 3.54 percent. That forecast was made before the Middle East war started with US and Israeli attacks on Iran about two weeks ago.

Pegatron eyes 10-fold AI server growthHEADWINDS: The company said it expects its computer business, as well as consumer electronics and communications segments to see revenue declines due to seasonality Pegatron Corp (和碩) yesterday said it aims to grow its artificial intelligence (AI) server revenue more than 10-fold this year from last year, driven by orders from neocloud solutions clients and large cloud service providers. The electronics manufacturing service provider said AI server revenue growth would be driven primarily by the Nvidia Corp GB300 server platform. Server shipments are expected to increase each quarter this year, with the second half likely to outperform the first half, it said. The AI server market is expected to broaden this year as more inference applications emerge, which would drive demand for system-on-chip, application-specific integrated circuitsBy Meryl Kao

Taiwan gymnast wins gold at Turkey tournamentStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung (唐嘉鴻) yesterday won gold in the men’s horizontal bar event at the FIG Apparatus World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, finishing with a score of 15.200. Tang earned a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.700. Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung, center, poses yesterday with his gold medal for the horizontal bar event on the podium alongside the silver and bronze medalists in Antalya, Turkey. Photo courtesy of Huang Bo-ruiThe victory was Tang’s second gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, after he won the horizontal bar title in Baku, Azerbaijan, earlier this month. Following his performances at the two World Cup events, the gymnast is to return home for a short rest.

Political infighting continues over Chinese-born TPP legislatorBy Chen Yu-fu and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerA dispute between government branches continued today over a Chinese-born lawmaker who allegedly failed to renounce her Chinese citizenship before being sworn in as a legislator for the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The committee respects Li’s right to speak, but also the Cabinet’s position that officials do not need to respond, he said. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Li Zhenxiu, right, speaks today during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee in Taipei. “I am a legislator of the Republic of China,” Li said, and repeatedly asked Liu to step up to the podium. The Ministry of the Interior “does not care about people’s livelihoods and only wants to continue political infighting,” she said.