Lai says Taiwan must raise cost of war to deter ChinaStaff writer, with CNAPresident William Lai (賴清德) said Taiwan must continue to raise the cost of aggression and strengthen its indigenous defense capabilities to deter China, stressing that peace can only be secured through strength, in an interview with Sanlih E-Television that aired yesterday. President William Lai, left, is pictured in an interview with show host Cheng Hung-yi at the Ministry of National Defense Armaments Bureau’s 209th Arsenal in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Presidential OfficeLai said China’s ambition to annex Taiwan has been a long-standing national policy, citing past conflicts such as the 1949 Battle of Guningtou and 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis. Within this context, Lai said Taiwan must take responsibility for its own security by strengthening defense and investing in indigenous capabilities. “Taiwan’s industries are ready,” Lai said, urging opposition parties to support defense spending in the interest of national security.

Speaker Han denies he received China supportPUSHBACK: If the Chinese Communist Party had actually interfered in the elections, why is the ‘person in power’ the current leader and not someone else, Han askedBy Lin Hsin-han and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerLegislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday denied allegations that China had supported his campaigns for office, calling it a “cheap and clumsy” smear campaign and a diversion from the administration’s failings. Then-Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Han Kuo-yu speaks at a campaign rally in Kaohsiung in 2018. It is a convenient way to distract from [the Executive Yuan’s] poor governance,” Han wrote on Facebook in response to the report. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said yesterday that Taiwan could use artificial intelligence to counter disinformation and safeguard elections. Taiwan has many capable companies able to carry out the functions described, without resorting to theatrics or manipulation,” she said.

Party demands release of records on China visitsBy Lin Che-yuan and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe Ministry of the Interior should disclose records on elected officials’ and civil servants’ trips to China to allow transparency and accountability, Taiwan Statebuilding Party Chairman Wang Hsing-huan (王興煥) said yesterdayReleasing the records would enable citizens to scrutinize the activities of their representatives during visits to China, to deter collusion and “gray zone” tactics from eroding Taiwan’s democracy, Wang said. Taiwan Statebuilding Party Chairman Wang Hsing-huan speaks in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei TimesThe ministry should disclose trips to China by elected officials and civil servants, releasing itineraries and records at regular intervals, he said. The Taiwan Statebuilding Party endorses the Cabinet’s efforts to enhance transparency on these trips to protect national security, Wang said. Elected officials serve the public, and legislators especially have the power to review and approve the government’s budget, making strict public oversight essential, he said.

MOI faulted for failing to prevent starfish outbreakStaff writer, with CNAThe Control Yuan yesterday faulted the Ministry of the Interior for failing to act promptly after receiving early warnings of a crown-of-thorns starfish outbreak in Dongsha Atoll National Park, urging corrective measures and long-term follow-ups to protect the coral reefs. Academic teams detected an abnormal number of starfish in the park in 2019 and 2023, and reported their findings to the ministry, Control Yuan member Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said. Official estimates showed that the outbreak has affected about 60 hectares of reef and that there were about 74,000 starfish at its peak. Despite intensive removal efforts, there are still about 30,000 starfish remaining and they continue to threaten coral ecosystems, Tien said. The Control Yuan urged the Executive Yuan to coordinate across agencies to streamline access procedures, bolster frontline capacity and improve monitoring of high-risk areas.

Concerns regarding too-heavy children’s bags raisedBy Lai Hsiao-tung and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writerParents have raised concerns about the excessive weight of elementary-school students’ backpacks, saying children struggle to breathe under the strain. Backpacks should not be heavier than 15 percent of a child’s body weight, he said, adding that load tolerance varies per person. The increase in online learning resources powered by artificial intelligence has also helped in efforts to reduce backpack weight, he said. However, heavy bags are still common in schools, especially for shorter, young students, whose backpacks nearly match their body size, he added. He suggested that parents purchase lightweight backpacks, check their contents regularly and help their children organize their bags to foster responsibility, good habits and parent-child interaction.

Taiwan celebrates Christmas, kind of, once again after 25 yearsTaiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That

Nvidia reaches tech deal with GroqAI TALENT: No financial details were released about the deal, in which top Groq executives, including its CEO, would join Nvidia to help advance the technology Nvidia Corp has agreed to a licensing deal with artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Groq, furthering its investments in companies connected to the AI boom and gaining the right to add a new type of technology to its products. The world’s largest publicly traded company has paid for the right to use Groq’s technology and is to integrate its chip design into future products. Some of the start-up’s executives are leaving to join Nvidia to help with that effort, the companies said. Groq would continue as an independent company with a new chief executive, it said on Wednesday in a post on its Web

Gasoline and diesel prices set to rise slightlyBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterGasoline and diesel prices at domestic fuel stations are to rise NT$0.4 per liter this week, after international crude oil prices last week snapped a two-week losing streak, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) announced yesterday. Effective today, gasoline prices at CPC and Formosa stations are to rise to NT$26.8, NT$28.3 and NT$30.3 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, the companies said in separate statements. The price of premium diesel is to rise to NT$25.2 per liter at CPC stations and NT$25 at Formosa pumps, they said. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — last week gained 0.28 percent to settle at US$60.64 per barrel on the Intercontinental Exchange. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures — the US oil benchmark — increased 0.39 percent to US$56.74 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Why AI could make human jazz popular againAI might be able to create competent pop music, but it would not replace the joy and wonder of watching skilled musicians perform liveBy Jonathan Levin / Bloomberg OpinionAs a musician and music lover, the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution terrifies me in many ways. AI apps such as Suno have already shown extraordinary potential to generate catchy and professionally produced music in certain genres. That model might point to a path of survival for other human artists looking to carve out a niche in our AI future. Virtuosos would be celebrated, much as great athletes are, as living celebrations of what can be accomplished with hard work, even without machines. It has been nearly a century since jazz dominated popular music and six decades since the massive hit albums of Davis, Coltrane, Dave Brubeck and others.

Robotaxis draw criticismReuters, SAN FRANCISCOA widespread power outage in San Francisco that led to Waymo robotaxis blocking traffic earlier this month has raised concerns about the readiness of autonomous vehicle operators to handle major emergencies such as earthquakes and floods. A Waymo vehicle drives on Drumm Street during a break between rain storms in downtown San Francisco on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. Robotaxi operators across the globe use remote access by humans — known in the industry as “teleoperation” — in varying degrees to monitor and control vehicles. “The whole point of having remote operations is for humans to be there when the system is not responsive in the way it should be,” she said. “The federal government needs to regulate remote operations,” Cummings said.

Takaichi, Mario and the Year of the Fire HorseBy Gearoid Reidy / Bloomberg OpinionEvery year, Japanese vote for a single Chinese character to sum up the past 12 months. There was a much better option: the character 高, pronounced kou or taka — as in Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Takaichi has a generational opportunity to cash in on her popularity and secure her grip on power. Both men would aim to be part of Samurai Japan, the squad for March’s World Baseball Classic. Nonetheless, the Fire Horse is a timely reminder for a country on the front lines of demographic change.

US remains largest debtor to TaiwanGROWING OWINGS: While Luxembourg and China swapped the top three spots, the US continued to be the largest exposure for Taiwan for the 41st consecutive quarterBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterThe US remained the largest debtor nation to Taiwan’s banking sector for the 41st consecutive quarter at the end of September, after local banks’ exposure to the US market rose more than 2 percent from three months earlier, the central bank said. Exposure to the US increased to US$198.896 billion, up US$4.026 billion, or 2.07 percent, from US$194.87 billion in the previous quarter, data released by the central bank showed on Friday. Photo: BloombergLuxembourg, known as a leader in providing global cross-border fund registration services, rose a spot to become the second largest debtor nation, with Taiwanese banks’ exposure increasing US$2.706 billion to US$50.767 billion, a record high, the central bank said. China slipped one spot from a quarter earlier down to third-largest debtor nation, despite Taiwanese banks’ exposure growing US$1.065 billion to US$49.561 billion last quarter, central bank data showed. The mild increase in Taiwanese banks’ exposure to China primarily reflected the market’s cautious sentiment toward China’s economic prospects, it said.

Taiwan stock market outperforms Japan, South KoreaAI AUGMENTED: A national economic specialization on artificial intelligence and adjacent industries has pushed Taiwan further and faster than neighbors in recent yearsStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s stock market has outperformed markets in Japan and South Korea for the past four years because of the strong growth in artificial intelligence (AI) hardware, a particular strength of Taiwan’s economy, the central bank said. The central bank said the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s benchmark TAIEX index has risen about 120 percent from a low of 12,666 points in 2022 to 27,867 on Dec. 15. A woman walks past signage at the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp headquarters in Taipei on May 6. The central bank said AI applications for end-users still need more time to mature and downside risks are possible for the global supply chain, which could create uncertainty over the local economy. However, corrections should occur over time and the evolution of AI technology would evolve and pave the way for longer term economic growth, the central bank said.

DPP legislator Lai Hui-yuan (賴惠員) also warned that the budget impasse could disrupt the nationwide TPASS system for public transport. The proposed special budget for defense spending was blocked in committee again last week. For example, the indispensable Taiwan Defense News Tracker pointed out on X that the first 60 Paladin self-propelled artillery systems come out of the special budget, while the second batch of 60 are planned for the annual defense budget. The noise they make about spouses from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and their rights, the defense budget, and similar, are intended to distract from this real, distressing fact. The budget battle conceals that in these revolutionary times, this is a business-as-usual budget, funding large projects and handing out subsidies.

EDITORIAL: Cheng forgets what it is to debateChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) was on Monday last week invited to give a talk to students of Soochow University, but her responses to questions raised by students and lecturers became a controversial incident and sparked public discussion over the following days. Her answers revealed her prejudiced and condescending attitude, and her incapability (or intentional unwillingess) to explain, discuss and defend the KMT’s position and policies on important public issues. As an activist in student movements against the then-KMT’s authoritarian regime during her university years, Cheng should know that university campuses are traditionally hubs for open debate, critical thinking and the clash of diverse viewpoints. However, she chose to stigmatize students and had a disrespectful attitude, which only led people to think that her question dodging was because the KMT’s stance and policies cannot stand up to public scrutiny. Cheng on Saturday finally admitted that she anticipates a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in the first half of next year, but denied speculations that the KMT agreed to certain preconditions for the meeting to take place.