Taiwan rises to 36th in UN tourism rankingSHIFT: Taiwan is evolving from a transit stop into a tourist destination, with more international travelers willing to spend on tours, dining and cultural activitiesBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterTaiwan rose three places in the World Tourism Barometer to 36th globally in 2024, with international tourism revenue of US$10.028 billion, the Tourism Administration said on Monday. “The data showed that growth in Taiwan’s international tourism revenue outpaced the number of international tourists, indicating that inbound tourists’ spending patterns are also changing,” it said. Meanwhile, Taiwanese outbound travel surged to a record-high last year, figures released on Wednesday last week by the Tourism Administration showed. Japan was Taiwan’s largest source for international travel, followed by Hong Kong and Macau, while South Korea ranked third. Despite the tourism deficit, outbound travel by Taiwanese continues to benefit domestic carriers, as well as the travel, insurance and retail sectors.

New Indian envoy backs interactionsStaff writer, with CNAIndia would continue to deepen people-to-people exchanges and industrial cooperation with Taiwan, especially in the high-tech and value-added sectors, Ninad Deshpande, the country’s new representative to Taiwan, said at an Indian Republic Day event on Monday. Indian Representative to Taiwan Ninad Deshpande gestures at an Indian Republic Day event in Taipei on Monday. To that end, Taiwan and India have signed more than 20 memorandums of understanding, while bilateral trade has risen to about US$10 billion a year, the envoy said, adding that he expected the momentum to continue. His other overseas posts include Beijing, Shanghai, Bangladesh and Singapore, the ITA said. Deshpande filled the vacancy at the ITA left with the departure of former director-general Manharsinh Yadav.

Photo: CNACiting the TPP’s budget for buying HIMARS as an example, Huang said that the bill fails to fund vehicle depots, and maintenance and repair facilities, as well as combat positions necessary to keep the artillery operational. The ministry’s budget proposal was written after careful assessment of operational realities, he said, adding that enacting the TPP’s bill would lead to problems. The armed forces would not be able to field the systems if the TPP’s bill were passed, Hsieh said. “The DPP is using national defense and Taiwan-US ties as a pretext to pass a NT$1.25 trillion special budget to benefit foreign arms manufacturers,” it said. The DPP caucus urged opposition lawmakers to allow the government’s budget to be deliberated concurrently with the TPP bill.

Chinese purge might slow PLA, experts sayGENERALS GONE: Although losing top generals is not likely to harm the PLA’s ability to conduct routine military affairs, the loss of experience will hurt, a researcher saidBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writer, with CNAChinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) removal of senior military leaders might disrupt the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) capability to wage war against Taiwan in the immediate future, Taiwanese defense experts said yesterday. With the removal of Zhang and Liu, five of the seven members of the 20th Central Military Commission formed in 2022 have now been removed, leaving only its chairman, Xi, and its vice chairman, Zhang Shengmin (張升民). Then-Chinese Central Military Commission vice chairman Zhang Youxia speaks at the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense in Hanoi on Oct. 24, 2024. There would be a significant downside for the PLA capabilities if Xi’s purges spread to lower-ranking generals, he added. As Xi hollows out the commission, fear of contradicting the Chinese leader could stifle the honest exchange of opinions necessary for Beijing to manage contingencies, Chieh said.

Opposition blocks review for the 10th timeBy Chen Yun, Su Yung-yao and Sam Garcia / Staff reporters, with staff writerOpposition lawmakers yesterday blocked review of the special defense budget for the 10th time, while the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) reported that doing so might be a precondition for a summit between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Beijing. Legislators hold signs at a meeting of the Procedure Committee at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNASources said that the forum would pave the way for a meeting between KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). The CCP is open to the KMT’s proposed think tank exchange on issues such as tourism, technology, green energy and low birthrates, despite its view that it is a stalling tactic, Taiwanese businesspeople based in Beijing said. Using lawful oversight of the defense budget as a political bargaining chip not only defies basic common sense, but also seriously misleads the public, it said.

Owl takes up residence in Matsu’s crown at Miaoli templeStaff writer, with CNAA mountain scops owl recently flew into a temple in rural Miaoli County, delighting and then worrying staff as it remained perched on a Matsu statue's head for two nights and three days, before departing late yesterday. A temple custodian noticed the owl perched on top of Matsu's crown at about 2pm on Saturday, said the Quan Hua Temple, which is located on Lion's Head Mountain (獅頭山) in Miaoli's Nanjhuang Township (南庄). Temple staff did not disturb the owl, a protected species in Taiwan, as they thought it would fly away within a few hours, the temple said. A mountain scops owl perches on a Matsu statue's head at the Quan Hua Temple in Miaoli County in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Quan Hua TempleHowever, as of yesterday afternoon, the owl remained in the temple, having only come down from Matsu's crown to the area in front of the idol once, temple chairman Huang Chin-yuan (黃錦源) said.

Sentences upheld for sisters in child death caseBy Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAThe High Court today rejected the appeal of two sisters who were found guilty of torturing a one-year-old boy to death, upholding a life sentence for the older sister and an 18-year sentence for the younger sister. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23, 2023, the two licensed at-home caregivers allegedly abused the boy nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was rushed to hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not survive. Members of the Child Protection Action Group cry outside the Taiwan High Court in Taipei today. The older sister, Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱), “derived pleasure from abuse,” while the younger sister, Liu Juo-lin (劉若琳), was deemed a coperpetrator, the court said. The older sister only admitted to unlawful detention of one child and denied the other charges, while the younger sister denied all wrongdoing.

KMT-CCP exchange likely, source says as defense budget blockedBy Chen Yun, Su Yung-yao, Lin Hsin-han and Sam Garcia / Staff reporters, with staff writerAn exchange between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would be held in Beijing next week if the KMT blocked the special defense budget today, people familiar with the matter said. The KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) later blocked the Executive Yuan’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.68 billion) special defense budget from proceeding through the legislative process for the 10th time. The CCP had set conditions for the forum’s resumption, including that the KMT block the special defense budget, take a clear stance on “post-reunification” institutional arrangements and not support Taiwan-US supply chain cooperation, the sources said. No form of cross-strait exchange, think tank dialogue or inter-party interaction has ever involved any quid pro quo, nor could arms purchases, defense policy or legislative decisions be used as preconditions, the KMT said. Deliberately distorting the lawful oversight of the defense budget into a political transaction not only defies basic common sense but also seriously misleads the public, it said.

Fisherman finds 43kg bag of marijuana on shorelineStaff writer, with CNAAn angler in New Taipei City's Yehliu (野柳) village today came back with a fisherman's tale after discovering a 43kg bag of marijuana washed up on shore. The man, who was not identified, discovered a burlap bag at 8:35am while fishing near Camel's Hump Rock, off Dong'ao Road, the New Taipei City Police Department's Jinshan Precinct said. He said he had seen the bag floating off the shoreline several days earlier, and upon opening the bag, he knew it was something suspicious and reported it to police, the department said. Camel's Hump Rock off Dong'ao Road in New Taipei City’s Wanli District is pictured in an undated photograph. The marijuana was wrapped in 32 separate bags and had an estimated street value of about NT$20 million (US$635,526), it said.

Taiwan monitoring ‘abnormal’ China military leadership changesBy Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEITaiwan is monitoring “abnormal” changes to China's military leadership after its most senior general was put under investigation, and would not lower its guard as the threat level remains high, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday. "We will continue to closely monitor abnormal changes among the top levels of China's party, government and military leadership. The military's position is based on the fact that China has never abandoned the use of force against Taiwan," Koo told reporters at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo speaks at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in Taipei yesterday. Taiwan would exchange intelligence with its partners on what changes might be taking place in China's military command structure, Koo said.

Central bank to hold public vote on banknote redesignBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNAThe central bank today announced that it would hold a public vote on 12 proposed themes for the redesign of Taiwan’s banknotes, with the new bills expected two and a half years afterward. The redesign of Taiwan’s banknotes was launched on Oct. 23 last year, with the new designs centered around the beauty of Taiwan, Department of Issuance Director-General Teng Yen-ta (鄧延達) told a news conference today. A person holds NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 banknotes in Taipei on Nov. 16, 2012. The 12 themes would be ranked based on voting results, incorporating public opinion into the new banknote designs, the central bank said. People should make sure to vote only on the central bank’s official Web site (cbc.gov.tw/tw/sp-onsu-verify-1-1a7b1-1.html) and avoid providing personal information or clicking on suspicious links, it said.

Cases of Taiwanese missing in China rise: MACBy Chen Yu-fu and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writerReports last year of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China were four times higher than the previous year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said today. Last year, 221 Taiwanese nationals who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Previously, when Taiwanese traveled to China and encountered any travel contingencies, they could contact the two associations for assistance, the MAC said. With communication suspended between the two associations, Taiwanese travelers to China no longer have the same safety protections and face heightened risk when visiting the country, it said. The two associations should first hold discussions before resuming cross-strait tourism, as the safety and interests of Taiwanese are the main priority for the MAC, it said.

Eleven KMT members indicted for recall petition forgeryStaff writer, with CNAThe Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted 11 members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for forging more than 1,900 signatures in a petition to recall Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Mei-hui (王美惠). Two volunteers were given deferred prosecution for one year and required to pay a NT$50,000 fine, while the initiator of the recall petition, surnamed Chen (陳), was not indicted, it said. On Jan. 24 last year, Chang convened a meeting with party branch officials, during which party member data and recall petition forms were distributed, prosecutors said, adding that the attendees then allegedly forged the signatures of party members. Chen, unaware of the forgery, subsequently submitted 2,505 recall petitions to the Central Election Commission, exceeding the required threshold of 2,159 signatures, prosecutors said. An investigation found that the handwriting on approximately 1,900 petition forms matched that of the indicted individuals, prosecutors said.

Northeasterly winds bring rain, lows of 15°CStaff writer, with CNAWet, cooler weather is today set to return across Taiwan as seasonal northeasterly winds strengthen, with temperatures in the north dropping to about 15°C, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. A cloud system moving east from southern China would combine with the northeasterly winds to bring rain and chilly conditions throughout the day, with temperatures falling further at night, CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said. Temperatures are today expected to fall to about 15°C to 16°C in the north and northeast, and 17°C to 18°C in the south and east, while sporadic snowfall is possible at elevations above 3,000m if conditions are favorable, Lin said. Wet, cooler weather is forecast across Taiwan today. The wet weather could expand to eastern and central mountain areas as northeasterly winds affect the country from Sunday through Tuesday next week, before weakening over the following two days, Lin said.

The adjustment is expected to reverse the impact on industrial output, turning an estimated annual decline of 1.3 to 1.4 percent into a modest increase of between 0.01 and 0.02 percent, he said. The new rate is expected to reverse the impact on industrial employment, turning an estimated loss of 36,000 jobs into a net increase of 206 to 329 positions, he said. Based on the agreement, Taiwanese businesses are to invest up to US$250 billion in the US and the government would provide credit guarantees of up to US$250 billion to support the investments. If the investment is finalized, Taipei would ask Washington to count it as part of the US$250 billion investments under the tariff negotiation framework, he said. The planned US$250 billion investment would not crowd out domestic investment, as the funds would be deployed gradually based on client demand rather than all at once, he said.