Jimmy Lai’s sentence a wake-up call, civic groups say
Jimmy Lai’s sentence a wake-up call, civic groups sayBy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with agenciesHong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s (黎智英) trial is a wake-up call to Taiwan and the free world, civic groups said today, warning that Taiwan should be aware that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) authoritarian red line would only continue to expand. Lai’s sentence, the heaviest so far under China-imposed national security legislation, has drawn widespread criticism. Hong Kong would not be the last victim, he said, urging people to continue watching the territory and Lai’s case to safeguard democracy. The national security legislation was a "legal shield" that had "neutralized this major threat" and restored order, the white paper said. Hong Kong's practice of safeguarding national security had "consolidated the security foundation" of the territory’s "one country, two systems" governance model and "further enriched China's national security system,” it added.
Source:Taipei Times
February 10, 2026 11:57 UTC
TaiDoc union protests interference; firm blames ‘outsider’ involvement
TaiDoc union protests interference; firm blames ‘outsider’ involvementStaff writer, with CNAThe union at TaiDoc Technology Corp (泰博科技) yesterday protested outside the Ministry of Labor, accusing the medical device maker of undermining its operations, a claim the company rejected, blaming the dispute on the involvement of an "outsider." Taidoc Technology Labor Union chair Elizabeth Basas, front row, center, reads a statement during a protest outside the Ministry of Labor in Taipei yesterday, accompanied by union secretary-general Lennon Wang, front row, right. TaiDoc on Wednesday last week also held a meeting during work hours to "force" employees to join the union, Wang said, calling the move "problematic" and an attempt to control the union. Wang is not a company employee, but an "outsider" trying to influence others' actions, which is illegal under the Labor Union Act (工會法), Chen said. "An external secretary-general is actually blocking TaiDoc's rank-and-file employees from joining the union," Chen said, criticizing Wang for "disrupting Taiwan's industrial order."
Source:Taipei Times
February 10, 2026 06:08 UTC
China’s air maneuvers in Taiwan drills ‘risky and provocative’: report
China’s air maneuvers in Taiwan drills ‘risky and provocative’: reportBy Hollie Younger / Staff writerDefense experts have analyzed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) “Justice Mission 2025” military exercises around Taiwan last year and found that fighter jets engaged in “risky and provocative” acts, the Financial Times reported today. A Chinese J-16 fighter is pictured during the Chinese People's Liberation Army's “Justice Mission 2025” military exercises while being monitored by a Taiwanese F-16V jet in December last year. The military exercises followed a pattern of aggressive behavior that month toward Pacific neighbors, including Japan and the Philippines, the report said. The PLA’s military exercises are becoming “increasingly reckless,” Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund's Indo-Pacific program, was quoted as saying. “The next likely step in the escalation ladder is PLA aircraft operating inside Taiwan’s 12 nautical miles territorial airspace, which would further heighten the risk of an accident,” she said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 10, 2026 05:36 UTC
Taiwan wins silver in women’s 25m pistol team at Asian Shooting Championships
Taiwan wins silver in women’s 25m pistol team at Asian Shooting ChampionshipsStaff Writer, with CNATaiwan won silver in the women’s 25-meter pistol team event in the rifle/pistol section of the Asian Shooting Championships in New Delhi, India, after Chen Yu-ju (陳俞如), Tien Chia-chen (田家榛) and Wu Chia-ying (吳佳穎) achieved a total of 1,735 points. The gold medal in the women’s team event was won by India. Taiwan’s women’s pistol team Tien Chia-chen, from left, Chen Yu-ju and Wu Chia-ying pose with their silver medals at the Asian Shooting Championships in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: CNAThe Asian Rifle/Pistol Championships -- part of the Asian Shooting Championships -- began on Feb. 2, the women’s 25-meter pistol event opening with three rounds of slow fire held the previous day. Taiwan’s team silver medal total consisted of 580 points from Chen, 579 from Tien and 576 from Wu across the combined slow-fire and rapid-fire stages.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 20:14 UTC
Taipei book event wraps up 2026 exhibition
Taipei book event wraps up 2026 exhibitionStaff writer, with CNAThe Taipei International Book Exhibition concluded on Sunday, drawing about 580,000 visitors over six days, as Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) highlighted the event’s role in cultural exchange with other countries. Minister of Culture Li Yuan peaks at the closing of the Taipei International Book Exhibition in Taipei on Sunday. Journalists were curious about how the exhibition manages to combine a professional copyright-trading fair with a consumer-focused exhibition, How added. The foundation said that the Czech Republic would be the theme country, or guest of honor, for next year’s exhibition. As next year’s theme country, Steinke described Taiwan and the Czech Republic as sharing close ties and deep literary connections.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 20:14 UTC
‘Murder of the Century’ reeks of KMT propaganda
‘Murder of the Century’ reeks of KMT propagandaBy Hu Wen-huei 胡文輝The period film Murder of the Century (世紀血案), based on the Lin (林) family murders set for release next year, seems to make no secret of its intentions. It whitewashes the enormity of the crimes committed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime. In a cruel disregard for their grief, 84-year-old Lin and his family were not consulted before the film was made. Glossing over the dark history of Taiwan under the authoritarian regime of the KMT and in a show of “blue-red” collaboration, it paves the way for a new authoritarian regime — under the CCP. Once again, an authoritarian regime from China looms large in Taiwan.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:27 UTC
Takaichi needs more than her winning personality
They were given a simple question: whether or not to endorse Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with a mandate to rule. “As a country with a parliamentary system, there is no means by which the citizens can choose their prime minister directly,” she said last month. Even Shinzo Abe, her late mentor who became Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, did not realize that level of success. A two-thirds majority in the lower house makes her minority position in the upper house largely an irrelevance, as bills rejected by the upper house can be forced through. The reality is that as a whole, the country saves far more than it should and spends less than it needs.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:27 UTC
Extreme cold is a billion-dollar problem, too
Extreme cold is a billion-dollar problem, tooBy Mark Gongloff / Bloomberg OpinionIf you are a climate-change denier in the eastern US, including the president, then the past few weeks have been a dream. Unfortunately, extreme spells of winter weather can still happen in an atmosphere made more chaotic by rising heat. That a record-smashing summer heat wave is happening in Australia at the same time that a brutal winter cold is punishing the eastern US illustrates the point. Sometimes the events inflict terrible death tolls and financial costs, as did 1993’s Storm of the Century and 2021’s winter storm Uri. Deaths from cold weather might decrease as the planet warms, but not disappear, while deaths from hot weather increase.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:27 UTC
EDITORIAL: Lessons from China investment era
EDITORIAL: Lessons from China investment eraTaiwanese financial institutions in the past few years have slashed their exposure to China quickly and significantly, as they become more cautious about the growth prospects in the world’s second-largest economy, as well as the risks posed by rising local government debt and a persistent real-estate crisis. In contrast, financial holding companies’ aggregate exposure to the US rose to NT$10.48 trillion, or 35.27 percent of their combined overseas exposure at the end of last year. Banks’ exposure to the US also increased to NT$4.24 trillion and their share of total overseas exposure advanced to 28 percent in the year. At the same time, more Taiwanese firms are pursuing a “China Plus One” investment strategy to reorganize supply chains and avoid overconcentration on China. Regardless of overseas investments and industrial expansion, Taiwan must not experience short-term gains and long-term losses again.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:27 UTC
The KMT’s budget ‘scrutiny’ sham
He writes that the KMT’s opposition to the NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.61 billion) special defense budget is a principled stand for legislative oversight. Shen said that a defense plan must survive the “scrutiny of its own legislature,” but the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party have blocked that budget from even entering the agenda 10 times. Shen leans heavily on one statistic: The legislature last year passed a record-high defense budget of NT$471 billion. That number sounds impressive when divorced from the fact that China’s defense budget has risen every single year for decades and dwarfs Taiwan’s many times over. The new NT$1.25 trillion “T-Dome” budget is specifically designed for asymmetric warfare — with drones, loitering munitions and artificial intelligence-integrated systems.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:27 UTC
Honduras signals opening for Taipei
Honduras signals opening for TaipeiBy Juan Fernando Herrera RamosHonduran President Nasry Asfura appears increasingly willing to absorb diplomatic and economic friction with Beijing if doing so stabilizes Honduras’ most consequential relationship, the one with Washington, and talks about the possibility of restoring ties with Taiwan. By contrast, Honduran exports to Taiwan collapsed after the diplomatic rupture, totaling US$26.4 million through October last year, disproportionately affecting the shrimp industry. Asked whether Honduras would maintain relations with China or return to Taiwan, Asfura reframed the question around the US. Shortly afterward, Washington announced plans to open discussions on reducing tariffs imposed on Honduran exports. His work on Taiwan-China-Latin America relations has appeared in the Nikkei Asia, The Diplomat and the Taipei Times.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:27 UTC
Why do we feel empathy for robots?
Why do we feel empathy for robots? The exhibit is not just about a robot dog, it is about what is coming next. Todo’s exhibit begs the question of what turns a bundle of computer parts into something people feel obligated to spare. People ultimately rated the high-extroversion personality as the most enjoyable to interact with, and the findings suggested that sprinkling in a bit of neuroticism make a hunk of metal feel more relatable. As we reflexively feel for robots, researchers have found that they mimic empathy right back to us.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:27 UTC
Brutal ending to Vonn’s Olympic dream
Brutal ending to Vonn’s Olympic dreamAFP, MILAN, ItalyLindsey Vonn on Sunday needed surgery on her broken leg after she crashed out of the Winter Olympics downhill to brutally end the American skiing great’s improbable dream of a medal. In happier scenes, figure skating sensation Ilia Malinin produced a pulsating routine to see off Japan and retain the team title for the US. Malinin will now go for gold in the men’s individual competition later at the Milano Cortina Games. Lindsey Vonn of the US crashes during the women’s downhill at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Sunday. In Tesero, Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Klaebo racked up the sixth Olympic gold medal of his career by taking the skiathlon title.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:14 UTC
Leonard’s 41 points lead Clippers over Timberwolves, Knicks cruise to victory
Leonard’s 41 points lead Clippers over Timberwolves, Knicks cruise to victoryAFP, WASHINGTONKawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota. Josh Hart added 19 points for New York, while Jose Alvarado had 12 off the bench on his Knicks debut, while Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 11 points. Miami’s Bam Adebayo scored 22 points and Norman Powell added 21 to lead the Heat in a 132-101 triumph at Washington. Toronto’s Scottie Barnes scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while R.J. Barrett added 20 points to lead the Raptors (32-22) over visiting Indiana 122-104. Former Raptors star Pascal Siakam of Cameroon scored 18 points to lead Indiana (13-40), who suffered a fourth consecutive loss.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:14 UTC
Taiwan’s Zhang Bo-ya wins gold at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
Taiwan’s Zhang Bo-ya wins gold at Asian Indoor Athletics ChampionshipsStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s top hurdler Zhang Bo-ya (張博雅) won gold in the women’s 60-meter hurdles on Sunday at the 2026 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China, setting a new national record of 8.12 seconds and securing Taiwan’s first gold medal of the meet. Zhang, known as Taiwan’s “hurdles sweetheart,” broke her own national record twice during the competition. She clocked 8.18 seconds in the heats earlier in the day, surpassing the previous mark of 8.27 seconds she set at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in March last year, before lowering it again in the final. Taiwanese top hurdler Zhang Bo-ya celebrates her gold medal win on Sunday. Wang said Zhang did not make any special training adjustments for the championships.
Source:Taipei Times
February 09, 2026 17:14 UTC