Transgender man officially changes gender
Transgender man officially changes genderStaff writer, with CNAA transgender man, identified as Nemo (尼莫), changed the gender designation on his identification card in Taipei on Friday, becoming the first transgender man in the nation to do so without undergoing gender-affirming surgery. Photo: CNA“Seeing this [updated gender marker on Nemo’s ID card] gave me goose bumps,” said Mimi, Nemo’s wife. They were accompanied to the household registration office in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) by Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR) secretary-general Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔). “With [Nemo’s] new ID card, every day is a gift, and every day is a new start,” Chien said. The court revoked the decision by the household registration office to deny Nemo’s application to change the gender on his ID card from female to male.
Source:Taipei Times
July 20, 2024 21:43 UTC
Tony Blair should stop fueling the artificial intelligence hype
Tony Blair should stop fueling the artificial intelligence hypeThe UK must not fall under the spell of the former British prime minister’s unhelpful and unreliable claims about what AI can actually doBy Parmy Olson / Bloomberg OpinionWith the world mired in confusion about how useful the artificial intelligence (AI) boom really is, an odd contribution has come from former British prime minister Tony Blair. The same paper recommends the British government invest in AI technology and “upgrade its data systems,” without naming any providers. A spokesman for the Tony Blair Institute said: “Mr. “The Larry Ellison Foundation donation is not the only large donation TBI [Tony Blair Institute] has,” the spokesman said. It would be a shame if the new British government fell under the spell of Blair and AI without due diligence.
Source:Taipei Times
July 20, 2024 16:15 UTC
Rethinking one’s way of teaching, studying
Rethinking one’s way of teaching, studyingBy Teng Hon-yuan 鄧鴻源This year’s Advanced Subjects Test, the second round of the joint college entrance examination, was held on Friday and Saturday last week. Their main problem with the test was that its scope was too broad and the test was too subjective. Instead of denouncing the test questions, it would be better to spend more time understanding the new trends and reformulating one’s approach to teaching, Yeh said. In other words, the test questions for Citizenship and Society are not too difficult. Secondary-school education in Europe, the US and Japan does not only focus on textbooks: Students often read extracurricular books they can discuss in the classroom.
Source:Taipei Times
July 20, 2024 16:15 UTC
Taiwan tops World Mathematics contest
Taiwan tops World Mathematics contestCALCULUS IN MALAYSIA: Liu Cheng-lin, a high-school student from Taichung, was No. The World Mathematics Invitational returned to Malaysia after eight years for its 12th edition this year, which began on Friday last week, Ou said. Children take a World Mathematics Invitational test in Guilin, China, in 2020. Photo: screen grab from the World Mathematics Invitational Web siteContestants ranged from kindergarten to senior-high-school level, he said. In addition to the diamond, gold, silver and bronze awards won by Taiwanese, the nation also garnered nine merit awards.
Source:Taipei Times
July 20, 2024 03:41 UTC
Enacting fraud law cannot wait
Enacting fraud law cannot waitBy Lo Cheng-chung 羅承宗The 11th Legislative Yuan on Wednesday ended its first session, passing new laws against fraud, including amendments to provisions of the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法). The new laws were passed quickly after three readings and without much debate. The Executive Yuan had passed the draft laws in May and sent them to the Legislative Yuan for review. However, this also highlights how dissatisfied Taiwanese are with widespread fraud activities. How can fraud activities be effectively managed and eliminated in this era of transnational social platforms?
Source:Taipei Times
July 19, 2024 21:41 UTC
EU member states must stand with Taiwan
EU member states must stand with TaiwanBy Matteo AngioliOn June 27 and 28 the heads of government of the EU held the first meeting of the European Council after the EU elections. The EU must stand with Taiwan by increasing trade and facilitating Taipei’s meaningful participation in international organizations to nurture a global community of peace built on the power of deterrence and democratic universal values. A resolution adopted by the European Parliament in December called on member states to “facilitate and encourage cultural and educational exchanges in order to promote scientific and academic collaborations in the context of the broader trade and investment relationship.”This is the path that EU member states should confirm for this new legislature. The European Council conclusions of June 30 last year read: “The European Union is concerned about growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait. The European Council opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.
Source:Taipei Times
July 19, 2024 16:19 UTC
Experts see negative outlook for Chinese economy in the wake of Third Plenum
Chiu made the comment at a conference in Taipei on China’s Third Plenum. The Chinese official meeting, typically held once every five years, is today scheduled to conclude, with Chinese officials expected to publish records of the proceedings in the following days. Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng speaks at a forum on the Chinese Communist Party’s Third Plenum in Taipei yesterday. Citing China’s official directive to deepen reforms and modernization, he said China’s important economic indicators are not likely to improve in the short term. China’s problems would likely prove intractable for at least two decades, as they were symptoms of political interference in the economy, Ming said, adding that Beijing is at risk of creating a caged economy.
Source:Taipei Times
July 19, 2024 03:35 UTC
TSMC projects more than 25% growth
TSMC projects more than 25% growthEXPECTATIONS: The firm, which is on track to outpace global foundry industry revenue growth, said it expects constrained advanced process capacity amid stronger AI demandBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday increased its projected revenue growth for this year to above 25 percent, as stronger-than-expected demand for premium smartphones and artificial intelligence (AI) devices are to drive greater utilization of cutting-edge 3-nanometer and 5-nanometer chips. In April TSMC estimated 21 to 24 percent annual growth. The firm’s revenue growth is on track to greatly outpace the global foundry industry, which is expected to rise about 10 percent this year. Advanced packing capacity would continue to be constrained through next year, even though TSMC plans to more than double its chip-on-wafer-on-substrate capacity next year, he said. For this quarter, TSMC expects revenue to reach an all-time high, expanding by 7.59 percent to 11.43 percent sequentially to between US$22.4 billion and US$23.2 billion compared with US$20.82 billion last quarter.
Source:Taipei Times
July 18, 2024 18:45 UTC
Committee unveils investment plans
Committee unveils investment plansDEVELOPMENT PATH: The committee approved a proposal to teach 200,000 people artificial intelligence skills and attract 120,000 foreign experts, the premier saidBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThe Economic Development Committee yesterday detailed its plans and drafted a proposal aiming to attract domestic and international investment into vital industries, which are valued at NT$3 trillion to NT$4 trillion (US$92 billion to US$123 billion). If approved, the proposal would require drafting new laws to ensure that the Grand Taiwan Investment policy is launched successfully, Cho said. Photo: CNAThe committee also passed a proposal to establish an Asian asset management center with Taiwanese characteristics, Cho said. The program would continue a 2020 program to improve children’s medical care, which would end this year. Personnel training on the handling of newborns, and children’s cancer, severe and genetic-related cases would be prioritized, the ministry said.
Source:Taipei Times
July 18, 2024 18:41 UTC
The Liberty Times Editorial: Punishing Taiwanese independence
However, Taiwanese “fellow travelers” of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who oppose Taiwanese independence and promote unification are keen to speak on the Chinese government’s behalf. The song and dance made by “fellow travelers” on both sides of the Taiwan Strait stems from their shared nationalistic tendencies. On June 21, China issued “22 guidelines” about punishing Taiwanese independence activists, with severe penalties, including the death sentence. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said that the Chinese authorities would track down “die-hard Taiwan independence separatists” wherever they might be. Times have changed, and Beijing has long since denied the existence of the median line of the Taiwan Strait or any tacit agreement that such a line exists.
Source:Taipei Times
July 17, 2024 21:48 UTC
China’s carbon emissions might have peaked
“We are at a moment where clean energy growth is larger than demand growth,” said Bernice Lee, research director at international affairs think tank Chatham House. If China’s rapid deployment of solar and wind continues, the country’s carbon emissions are “likely to continue falling, making 2023 the peak year,” Asia Society Policy Institute senior fellow Lauri Myllyvirta said in a report last week. Yet the trajectory for China’s emissions would depend on the government’s response to a slowing pace of growth, and whether it continues to pursue Xi’s long-term objective of prioritizing higher-tech industries. Authorities would also have to reconfigure China’s electricity system to address grid limitations that mean a small, but rising volume of wind and solar power is going to waste. About 3.3 percent of solar generation was curtailed this year through May, compared with 2 percent in the same period last year.
Source:Taipei Times
July 17, 2024 17:27 UTC
Trump’s pick for VP says China is US’ ‘biggest threat’
Trump’s pick for VP says China is US’ ‘biggest threat’BloombergFormer US president Donald Trump’s choice of US Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate makes his break with the foreign policy old guard of his party complete. Vance even went so far as to brand China the biggest threat to the US in one of his first interviews since being named Trump’s running mate, underscoring the likely hawkish stance of their administration toward Beijing if elected. Vance, right, greets attendees on the first day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday. Vance’s views would be a boon to Taiwan and other Asian nations, which have warned about growing Chinese encroachment.
Source:Taipei Times
July 17, 2024 03:36 UTC
An insight into China’s ‘six wars’
Conflicts would involve Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Japan, Mongolia and Russia. Given the chronological order of the six wars, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) must win the Taiwan conflict to achieve its full set of goals. Rather than a full-scale military engagement with India, China plans to launch a lightning-fast attack on Arunachal Pradesh. In the sixth and final war, China takes on Russia, the world’s No. If China loses the war for Taiwan, the other wars would be postponed, if for no other reason than because the war with Japan depends on China already holding Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
July 16, 2024 21:48 UTC
China’s border dispute with India
China’s border dispute with IndiaBy Khedroob ThondupThe Sino-Indian border dispute remains one of the most complex and enduring border issues in the world. This op-ed explores the historical and geopolitical nuances that contribute to this unresolved border dispute. The crux of the Sino-Indian border dispute lies in the differing interpretations of historical boundaries. The lack of a mutually recognized legal framework, such as the McMahon Line for India, and China’s insistence on historical claims complicate the dispute. The Sino-Indian border dispute over Arunachal Pradesh stands out as an unresolved issue in China’s border history due to its unique historical, cultural and geopolitical complexities.
Source:Taipei Times
July 16, 2024 21:48 UTC
Revisiting the ‘five principles’ of Xi
Revisiting the ‘five principles’ of XiBy Gerrit van der WeesOn Friday last week at an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence,” Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General-Secretary Xi Jinping (習近平) gave a speech highlighting the importance of the five principles for China’s relations with other countries. The five principles are: mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; mutual non-aggression; mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs; equality and cooperation for mutual benefit; and peaceful coexistence. However, there is a problem: Xi does not apply the principles, even in relations with the countries with which they were originally agreed to. It would be good if Xi not only talked about the five principles, but also implemented them faithfully. It would even be better if the rulers in Beijing applied the five principles to relations with Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
July 03, 2024 17:12 UTC