The president of Taiwan wrote to the pontiff in response to the latter’s call for a "disarmed and disarming peace” in his message of 1 January. A century ago, Chiang Wei-shui promoted nonviolence in Taiwan. The island, the world's largest semiconductor producer, shares the pontiff’s concern for growing use of artificial intelligence in armed conflicts.
The agreement, the result of lengthy negotiations with the Trump administration, has been announced. Taiwan will receive the same treatment as Japan, South Korea and the European Union, but its companies are committed to building plants in the United States: TSMC is expected to open at least five factories. Beijing: ‘Taipei is like a turtle in a jar to us.’
With 4.62 births per thousand people and a fertility rate set to fall below 0.8, Taiwan reported the worst demographic figures in the world in 2025. Births have dropped by half in 10 years, and today more than 20 per cent of the population is over 65. In response, the government has proposed reforms in healthcare, welfare, and social assistance.
China cites "international law” and “the UN Charter" to stand with Venezuela (while not respecting it in the South China Sea). Xi Jinping calls on South Korean President Lee to make the “right strategic choices”. A former Japanese defence minister is concerned about a possible domino effect involving Taiwan. India is cautious in order to keep a door open for Trump on tariffs.
At least three people were killed and five wounded at the city's main station in an attack whose motives are still unclear. The perpetrator, a 27-year-old Taiwanese man known to law enforcement, was killed in a scuffle with police. President Lai Ching-te said that security was tightened across the island.
A meeting in Beijing between senior officials from the two foreign ministries failed to solve the heated dispute. The number of tourist cancellations over the weekend reaches early COVID-19 levels. Beijing is also putting pressure on Chinese students, who, faced with visa difficulties in the United States, increasingly opted for Japanese universities.
