Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung speaks at an event at the ministry in Taipei on Jan. 21. Photo: CNA“The Taiwan problem is a part of China’s internal affairs and at the very core of its interests. Exercises conducted by the Chinese military in the Taiwan Strait in the past few years have severely affected regional peace and stability, not Taiwan, he said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) called on the international community to condemn China’s unilateral attempts to change the “status quo” through coercion, military threats and the arbitrary intimidation of other countries. “We believe that maintaining the status quo is in the best interests of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait,” it said.

China prioritizes stabilizing US ties ahead of meetingBloombergChina’s top diplomat yesterday signaled that Beijing is prioritizing a stabilization of ties with Washington, even as he issued a pointed critique of US military actions in the Middle East. Photo: EPAHis comments come weeks ahead of a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing. Trump has also threatened military action against Colombia and Mexico and said that Cuba’s communist regime “looks like it’s ready to fall” on its own, raising questions for Latin American countries over how their China ties might protect them if put to the test. China’s foreign policy has not faced this much scrutiny since the Cold War, University of Tennessee, Knoxville historian Yasser Nasser said. Wang added he was pleased to see “European friends stepping out of the small attic of protectionism” and moving toward Chinese markets.

Michael Mazza On Taiwan: A decent peace for whom? In many ways, this is consistent with longstanding US defense strategy. “It is not an argument for American hegemony,” but instead “it respects the due claims of other states.” China insists those due claims include ownership of Taiwan. If a decent peace is truly on offer, Taiwan will have to be on offer, too. Michael Mazza is senior director for research at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security (formerly the Project 2049 Institute) and a senior non-resident fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute.

Iran’s impact on Trump-Xi meetingBy Liao Ming-hui 廖明輝US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) are expected to meet this month in Paris to prepare for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). However, recent US military action against Iran has added uncertainty to the Trump-Xi summit. Beijing has strongly condemned the US, but it has not taken any substantial military action against it. The potential impact of the US-Iran war on the Trump-Xi meeting can be considered at four levels. Finally, insufficient coordination between the two sides’ teams have hindered preparations for the upcoming Trump-Xi summit, causing considerable concern in China.

A person last month walks past the logo of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, outside its office building in Hsinchu. Photo: EPABy contrast, this year alone in Taiwan TSMC plans start construction on or build 10 fabs distributed across the island, according to media reports. A visitor in January wears a virtual reality headset inside the Museum of Innovation at TSMC or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co in Hsinchu. However, it is central government policy to shift the semiconductor industry southward. Moreover, playing political games with Taipower’s funding simply makes it more difficult for it to build up Taiwan’s power infrastructure.

Turkey invests in foreign legion for LA GamesAFP, ISTANBUL, TurkeyTurkey is offering long-term financial support to recruit Jamaican and Kenyan track and field stars with the aim of winning a host of gold medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. It is not the first time Turkey has taken in athletes from other countries — and nor is it the only country to do so. He has certainly succeeded in attracting the cream of Jamaican men’s field event talent. The foreign recruitment drive has not been met with universal joy inside Turkey, especially among athletes and coaches. Ozbilen, who says all the athletes have been provided with accommodation in Turkey, is relaxed about when the decision is finally taken.

Trump threatens to escalate bombing of Iran as its president vows no surrenderAFP, TEHRANUS President Donald Trump yesterday threatened to escalate the bombing of Iran as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed that he would never surrender, despite a fresh blitz of US and Israeli airstrikes that set a Tehran airport ablaze. Smoke rises following an explosion in Tehran yesterday. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters“Today Iran will be hit very hard!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Jordan also accused Iran of “targeting vital installations” inside the country with 119 missiles and drones over the past week. Trump has also promised to help rebuild Iran’s economy if Tehran installs someone “acceptable” to him to replace its late supreme leader.

Taiwan in Time: A land that produced no horsesImported by foreign regimes, the animals were rare and prized throughout Taiwan’s history, serving in hunting, transportation, racing and warBy Han Cheung / Staff reporterMarch 9 to March 15“This land produced no horses,” Qing Dynasty envoy Yu Yung-ho (郁永河) observed when he visited Taiwan in 1697. Photo courtesy of Taiwan HistoricaStarting from the Dutch in the 1600s, each foreign regime brought horses to Taiwan. With the Year of the Fire Horse now underway, this week’s “Taiwan in Time” takes a brief look at the history of horses in Taiwan. War horses brought by the Japanese military to Taiwan in 1895. Ming loyalist Koxinga’s army brought horses to Taiwan and kept them near what is today’s Tainan Judicial Museum.

For the first study, researchers mined decades of Medicare data from roughly 2,000 people who had been recruited in the late 1990s to participate in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) trial. The study had tested whether certain types of brain games might boost brain health. Researchers suspect the difference is related to the type of exercise the speed game required of the brain. Ideally, future research would explain the underlying biology of how such a game reduces dementia risk. New research could also potentially lead to even more effective brain games.

Droughts sparked by heat waves rising, study findsAP, WASHINGTONHeat waves that lead to sudden and damaging drought are spreading across the globe at an accelerating rate, highlighting how climate change-fueled extremes could build dangerously off each other, a new study found. However, what is rising especially fast is the more damaging type where the heat comes first and then triggers the drought. That is because when heat strikes first, the droughts are stronger than when the droughts come first or do not come with high heat, coauthor and Hanyang University climate scientist Yeh Sang-wook said. “The study illustrates a key point about climate change: The most damaging impacts often come from compound extremes. Others include the 2022 heat and drought around China’s Yangtze River, and the record heat and drought in the Amazon from 2023 to 2024, Kim said.

EDITORIAL: A lack of legal clarityLast month, amid doubts about her eligibility to serve as a public servant, Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀) was sworn into office as a legislator-at-large for the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). In Li’s case, her status was initially not clearly defined, but scrutiny showed it fell short of legal requirements. If the TPP were responsible, it would not appeal on the grounds of a lack of former legal clarity, but should allow the case to be used to improve clarity. This is an absurd excuse, but goes back to the former lack of legal clarity and failure of interdepartmental communication. On Friday, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said that the legal loopholes plaguing Li’s case would be closed in anticipation of the nine-in-one elections in November.

Women experience continuous hormonal changes throughout their lives, particularly after entering menopause, which can cause symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats and insomnia. Many women choose to endure the symptoms rather than seek treatment, as studies have indicated that MHT might increase the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. Taiwanese Menopause Society president Lai Tsung-hsuan is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei TimesThe US Food and Drug Administration announced the removal last year of “black box” safety warnings regarding risks of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and dementia from most MHT products. It is commonly used to treat genitourinary symptoms of menopause, including vaginal dryness, recurring vaginitis and urinary tract infections, he added.

Baseball mania returns to TaiwanBy Chen Yun-chang 陳永昌With this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) already under way, and enthusiasm soaring since Taiwan’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 in 2024, hoodies emblazoned with the name “Taiwan” have become a ubiquitous presence across the country. Wearing a “Taiwan” hoodie, one of the team’s key players Pan Chieh-kai (潘傑楷) openly introduced himself as “a player from Taiwan.” The hoodie became an overnight sensation, instantly selling out. In January, when the team began their first phase of training, players and coaches often appeared together in their “Team Taiwan” hoodies. Regardless, we are sure to see many Taiwanese baseball fans wearing the hoodies all over Tokyo this week. “Taiwan,” it appears, is good for business, and it is baseball mania that we have to thank for revitalizing our local apparel industry.

Panama Ports Co seeking US$2bn in compensationAP, HONG KONGA subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company that has lost control of two critical ports on the Panama Canal said it is seeking US$2 billion of compensation in damages from Panama over its “illegal” takeover of the ports. Panama Ports Co, a unit of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings (長江和記實業), on Friday said in a statement that it is demanding the sum under international arbitration proceedings that it had already started. The Panamanian government last week seized control of the Balboa and Cristobal ports on each end of the Panama Canal, after the country’s Supreme Court declared earlier that a concession allowing Panama Ports to run the pair of ports was unconstitutional. Photo: AFPPanama Ports operated the two ports since 1997 and had only renewed its concession in 2021 for another 25 years. Panamanian Minister of Economy and Finance Felipe Chapman had earlier said the company was seeking US$1.5 billion in compensation.

TSMC to hire 8,000 workers in 2026Staff writer, with CNATaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) said yesterday the company aims to hire 8,000 more employees this year to meet its expansion needs, and plans to pay an average annual salary of NT$2.2 million (US$69,449) to new engineers holding a master’s degree. The world’s largest contract chipmaker said it has launched a recruitment campaign in Taiwan, including a job fair held at National Taiwan University (NTU) yesterday. People attend the annual job fair on National Taiwan University’s campus yesterday. Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei TimesThe chipmaker said it needs professionals in a wide range of areas, such as electrical engineering, electronics, optoelectronics, physics, materials, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, environmental engineering, industrial engineering, engineering management, business management, human resources, and accounting. After the job fair at NTU, TSMC will hold similar events in other universities across Taiwan and five additional online recruitment events.