In collaboration with National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NTML), the NSTC sponsored the publication of this book by Balestier Press, a London and Singapore-based publisher. Huang’s remarks on the interplay between the texts are reinforced in a second preface by Su Shuo-bin (蘇碩斌), a former NTML director. The opening section of Tsai’s essay details the initial refusal, frustration and then discriminatory disdain Liglav A-wu experienced in this process. RECLAIMING INDIGENITYAlong with other prominent Indigenous women writers, Liglav A-wu features in Yang’s essay. The essay on challenges to queer Indigenous is as illuminating as the two short stories that follow it are touching.

Now the party is an established fixture on the political scene, though still far smaller than the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Active support by the TPP could boost KMT candidates by a few percentage points, which could be crucial in close races. In theory, also deciding who the Yilan and Chiayi City candidates are by polling would make sense. However, the big parties have long talent pipelines, and run candidates that have been vetted, trained and are embedded in their parties. Donovan’s Deep Dives is a regular column by Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文) who writes in-depth analysis on everything about Taiwan’s political scene and geopolitics.

Young people — mainly men and boys — are being exposed to a volatile mix of nationalist grievances, misogyny and nihilistic violence. Young men are particularly vulnerable. These grievances are amplified online, spreading through digital forums, social media and even seeping into gaming communities. Expanding digital literacy education from primary school, strengthening early intervention programs and investing in youth mental health services are essential steps. Previously, she was the BBC’s lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.

Was there a mole in Putin’s inner circle, passing on the war plans to their CIA or MI6 handlers? “He was very focused on taking over Kyiv.”In Washington, the working assumption was that, at least in the initial phase of the war, Putin would be successful. “At every meeting, they told me it’s happening for sure,” a Ukrainian intelligence official stationed in Washington said, recounting numerous encounters with CIA counterparts. Call him [Putin] directly and tell him to stop the war,” Zelenskiy told Johnson, his voice hoarse. “Half of it is we overestimated Russian military performance and underestimated the Ukrainian military,” said Michael Kofman, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington.

He reminded Xi that Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇) annihilated the six warring states and successfully unified China, becoming its first emperor. Instead, it endured tyrannical Qin rule, later plunging into the turmoil of its collapse and the subsequent Chu-Han contention (楚漢之爭). We must not shrink from our historical mission or allow ourselves to be burdened with historical anxieties. Instead, we should feel proud and fortunate to be the generation that would determine Taiwan’s future, and face this grave responsibility head on. However, once this generation fully recognizes the dangers of authoritarianism and totalitarianism, it would surely step forward to shoulder the historical mission of defending freedom and democracy.

Strategic opportunity amid tariff uncertaintyBy Danny Chen 陳啟耕The US Supreme Court has ruled that tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act are unlawful, causing uncertainty in the global markets. A decade ago, the American Institute in Taiwan issued about 400 E-2 visas annually. Last year, the number of Taiwanese nationals receiving the E-2 visa exceeded 4,000. For many Taiwanese enterprises, the E-2 visa has become the primary pathway for establishing an operational foothold in the US. With careful planning, Taiwan’s businesses can turn tariff turbulence into strategic positioning — strengthening bilateral economic ties while securing global competitiveness.

“Don’t interrupt your opponent when he is making a mistake,” one Chinese official said of Trump’s disruptive trade agenda. The moves underline a goal identified in the policy papers: To embed China so deeply in global trade that partners cannot afford to decouple under US pressure. A senior European trade diplomat dismissed Beijing’s overtures as “pure Chinese propaganda,” saying Brussels had no plans for a trade deal. “We see no need for a free-trade agreement with China right now,” a Mexican trade official said. Trump has three years left in office, and the next US administration could revert to building coalitions to contain China.

Shanghai sending lower-level delegation to Taipei Lantern FestivalBy Kan Meng-lin / Staff reporterShanghai is to send a lower-level delegation to the Taipei Lantern Festival this year, after an application for the head of the city’s Taiwan Affairs Office to attend last year’s festival was rejected, the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) reported today. The Shanghai City Government is hosting a display at the Taipei Lantern Festival again this year, which opens this evening. People pose with the Shanghai City Government's display at the Taipei Lantern Festival yesterday. Photo: Tsai Kai-heng, Taipei TimesThis year, the Shanghai City Government lowered the level of its delegation, instead sending a group led by the director of the office’s liaison division, Xu Hao (徐皓), the Liberty Times reported. Xu also led Shanghai’s delegation to the 2024 Taipei Lantern Festival.

Prison sentence reduced over air-conditioner deathBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAThe owner of an air-conditioning company had his prison sentence reduced to six months, while a worker’s two-year sentence was upheld today in the second ruling on a negligent homicide case from July 2023. Lee had no prior experience installing that type of air-conditioner and did not review the installation manual beforehand, they said. Given that Liu had already paid a significant price and is unlikely to reoffend, his prison sentence was reduced to six months, which could be converted into a fine, the court said. Considering Lee’s negligent actions caused the victim’s death and he has yet to reach a settlement or compensate the victim’s family, there is no justification for a lenient sentence, the court said. The original two-year prison sentence would be upheld and the case may still be appealed, it said.

Two pig farmers indicted over African swine fever outbreakBy Chen Chien-chih and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office today indicted a farmer and his son on charges including document forgery and fraud in a case pertaining to last year’s African swine fever outbreak. The office said it completed its investigation today, finding that the two farmers falsified official documents, underreported pig deaths and profited from the sale of potentially infected pigs. A local official takes samples from a pig farm in an undated photograph. On Oct. 22, a case of African swine fever was detected at Chiao-hsing Livestock Farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲), prompting a 15-day nationwide ban on transporting and slaughtering pigs. The financial toll of the outbreak — including disruption to businesses and subsequent subsidies — is estimated at NT$2.1 billion (US$67.11 million).

Taiwanese Coupang users to get NT$1,000 voucher after data leakBy Hollie Younger / Staff writerSouth Korean e-commerce company Coupang Inc yesterday announced it would offer more than NT$200 million (US$6.39 million) in total compensation to Taiwanese customers after a data breach in November last year that could have impacted up to 200,000 customers in Taiwan. From March 8, customers could receive an NT$1,000 company gift voucher, it said. The major breach occurred after a former employee at Coupang obtained customers’ personal information from the company system. There was no initial evidence that the leak impacted Taiwanese customers, although an investigation is ongoing, Coupang said. Only one Taiwanese customer had their data stored, with the remaining data belonging to South Korean users, Coupang said.

‘Taiwan Travelogue’ longlisted for UK’s International Booker PrizeStaff writer, with CNAYang Shuang-zi's (楊双子) Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄) has been longlisted for the International Booker Prize for translated fiction, the award's organizers announced yesterday. Taiwan Travelogue author Yang Shuang-zi speaks at an event in Taichung on May 4 last year. Lin King (金翎), the English translator of Taiwan Travelogue, said she is honored that the English edition, published more than a year ago, continues to resonate with readers worldwide. She thanked the International Booker Prize and And Other Stories, Taiwan Travelogue's UK publisher, for helping more readers discover Taiwanese stories. The International Booker Prize is an annual UK award for translated fiction, with a £50,000 (US$67,598) prize split equally between the author and translator.

Indiana legislature passes pro-Taiwan resolutionBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAThe Indiana General Assembly on Monday passed a resolution supporting US-Taiwan trade and diplomacy, the Taiwan Relations Act and the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, and opposing any misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The resolution affirms Taiwan’s efforts to advance comprehensive, value-added and alliance diplomacy, supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and opposes any distortion of UN Resolution 2758, TECO Chicago said. The resolution encourages businesses to strengthen economic exchanges with Taiwan according to the Taiwan Relations Act and says that businesses should refer to Taiwan as Taiwan. Indiana House of Representatives Speaker Todd Huston yesterday reiterated support for deepening US-Taiwan relations when TECO Chicago Director-General Dennis Lei (類延峰) visited the chamber. TECO Chicago would continue to work with Indiana to advance cooperation in trade, technology, academia and culture, he added.

Taoyuan airport handles 1.7m passengers over LNYStaff writer, with CNAPassenger traffic at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on the Lunar New Year holiday from Feb. 13 to Sunday totaled about 1.706 million people, up about 5.8 percent from the same period last year, the airport's operator said today. During the 11-day period, daily passenger throughput averaged about 155,000 people, with passenger volumes exceeding 160,000 four times, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement. The departures board is pictured at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in an undated photograph. Looking ahead to the 228 Peace Memorial Day holiday from Friday to Sunday, the company forecast average daily passenger traffic of about 147,000. The company said Lunar New Year operations ran smoothly this year, citing the effective use of artificial intelligence-assisted passenger traffic forecasts.

KMT to propose own defense budget by deadline: spokesmanBy Kayleigh Madjar / Staff writer, with CNAThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would submit its own draft of the special defense budget by Friday next week, when the legislature is set to deliberate different versions of the bill, KMT spokesman Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) said today. Following cross-party negotiations yesterday, the legislature agreed to schedule a review of the government’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.94 billion) special defense budget alongside all other versions of the bill in the Foreign Affairs and National Defense and Finance committees. The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) has submitted its own version that would allocate NT$400 billion for certain weapons systems, to be reviewed annually. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesThe KMT has previously said it would also propose a draft budget, but has not yet submitted one. Speaking on a radio program this morning, Niu said that the KMT would “certainly respond” to US expectations by reviewing the budget for arms purchases.