Money alone cannot fix birthrateBy Y. Tony YangTaiwan has just set an unwanted global record. However, they assume that the constraint is primarily financial — that if families can afford children, they have them. Taiwan’s work culture still rewards long hours and constant availability. Only a small share of births occur outside of marriage in Taiwan compared with many Western countries. Taiwan does not have a “baby bonus” problem; it has a structural mismatch between modern lives and outdated expectations about work, caregiving and family.

Trump and blunt, loud diplomacyBy Paul Lin 林保華Relations between US President Donald Trump and the EU have been tense over the issue of Greenland. Trump’s manner of expression is overly blunt and simplistic, triggering significant backlash. Leaders of countries lacking political experience might believe they can sell their goods in China’s vast market, assuming that they would benefit due to the higher costs of Chinese products. The three targets — the Panama Canal, Canada and Greenland — ultimately all point toward China and Russia, which align with the interests of Panama, Canada and the EU. Intel’s poaching of former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executive vice president Lo Wei-jen (羅唯仁) had nothing to do with Trump nor the company’s genuine American leadership.

NATO outlines Greenland dealReuters, DAVOS, SwitzerlandA framework deal on Greenland agreed with US President Donald Trump would require NATO allies to step up on arctic security and the first results of this would be seen this year, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters in an interview yesterday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump on Wednesday said that Western arctic allies could forge an agreement that satisfies his desire for a “golden dome” missile defense system and access to minerals while blocking Russia’s and China’s ambitions in the region. It was up to NATO commanders to work through the details of extra security requirements, Rutte said, adding that he was sure non-arctic NATO allies would want to contribute to the effort. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, yesterday. Photo: AP“We will come together in NATO with our senior commanders to work out what is necessary,” Rutte said.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) urged opposition parties to review and deliberate the entire NT$3.35 trillion (US$105.98 billion) budget instead of fast-tracking a small group of 38 programs, equaling only 2.4 percent of the full budget. “We do not understand why the opposition parties do not follow the legislative process for the budget,” she said. “The 38 programs are in the general budget, which the Cabinet submitted to the legislature on Aug. 29 last year,” it said. KMT deputy secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said that the government failed in its duty to compile a budget according to the law, making its proposed budget illegal. The smaller budget to fund the 38 programs was compiled according to Article 54 of the Budget Act (預算法), Lin said, adding that the government should quickly compile a new budget for the legislature to deliberate.

Fujian Province is in China, Taiwan does not belong to China and Kinmen belongs to Taiwan, at least in one definition of that name. True vigilance requires being fully informed. Chen’s passport lists her place of birth as Fujian Province. However, Kinmen and Matsu were part of China’s Fujian Province when KMT forces relocated to Taiwan after they were expelled from China in 1949 by the CCP. To understand why Chen’s comments really matter, it is important to be informed about the underlying facts, and how they can be interpreted.

Cabinet advances national pension reformsBy Chung Li-hua and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe Executive Yuan today approved draft amendments to the National Pension Act (國民年金法), with the government expecting to invest about NT$86 billion (US$2.72 billion) annually and an estimated 1.76 million people set to benefit. The proposed amendments would also relax "wealth exclusion" clauses to ensure fewer people are disqualified due to asset valuations. To ensure benefits better reflect price fluctuations and preserve real purchasing power, adjustments to the basic pension amounts would no longer be limited to reviews every four years, they state. In addition, the draft amendments would remove the requirement for spouses to mandatorily pay premiums for the insured. At present, the cumulative contribution rate for the national pension stands at about 60 percent, rising to about 90 percent among those aged 65 or older, he said.

HSBC signs strategic MOU with Taiwan High Prosecutors Office for comprehensive anti-fraud systemStaff writerHSBC Bank Taiwan Ltd (匯豐台灣商銀) and the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance cooperation on the suspicious transaction analysis mechanism. Witnessed by Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙), the MOU was signed by Chen and Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Chang Tou-hui (張斗輝). HSBC Bank Taiwan Ltd CEO and Head of Banking Adam Chen, second right, signs the MOU with Taiwan High Prosecutors Office Chief Prosecutor Chang Tou-hui, second left, in Taipei recently. Photo courtesy of HSBC Bank Taiwan LtdFirstly, Optimization of Early Warning Detection: HSBC will analyze de-identified fraud data provided by the High Prosecutors Office to identify predictive patterns. These de-identified analytical results will be shared back with the High Prosecutors Office to co-develop more accurate early warning mechanisms.

AIT unveils test range, highlights defense cooperationBy Hollie Younger / Staff writerUS defense company Northrop Grumman has installed a medium caliber ammunition test range in Taiwan, enabling the Ministry of National Defense to test ammunition to global industry standards, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said today. American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene speaks at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s “Strengthening Resilience: Defense as the Engine of Development” seminar in Taipei today. That would enhance global supply chain resilience across products such as the Ghost-X UAS, which is sold to the US and international partners, he said. Greene highlighted the US President Donald Trump administration’s contributions to Taiwan’s defense efforts, including the establishment of supply chains for drones and autonomous systems, offers of security assistance and the expansion of domestic defense industrial bases. Greene also noted Taiwan’s most recent contributions to its own defense, including President William Lai’s (賴清德) NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.5 billion) special defense budget and his pledge to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2030.

Sleet, rime ice cover Taiwan’s mountainsStaff writer, with CNAIntermittent sleet today fell on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in central Taiwan, while rime ice formed early in the morning on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山), local authorities said. To ensure safety, sections of Provincial Highway 14A and Provincial Highway No. 8 on Hehuanshan would be closed from 5pm, allowing only outbound traffic, the Highway Bureau's Central Region Branch said. Rime ice forms on Yushan (Jade Mountain) early this morning. A winding stretch of Provincial Highway 14A between the 31.7km and 32.7km marks would remain closed in both directions, it said.

Ties with Honduras could improve, foreign minister saysBy Huang Ching-hsuan and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writerThere could be significant progress in ties between Taiwan and Honduras following the inauguration of Honduran president-elect Nasry Asfura next week, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. Taiwan has not been invited to attend Asfura’s inauguration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung, right, speaks during a radio interview in Taipei today. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2023, ending an 82-year relationship, and later established ties with China. Transiting through the US is a natural arrangement given Taiwan’s many diplomatic allies in Latin America, he said.

Keelung house fire kills 2, including firefighterBy Lin Chia-tung and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAA Keelung firefighter early today died after giving his breathing mask to a woman who was trapped in a burning residential building, although she also eventually died, authorities said. The apartment complex in Keelung caught fire at about 10pm last night, resulting in the two deaths and one injury, while three other people were taken to hospital for precautionary checks, the Keelung City Fire Department said. A firefighter this morning stands in a Keelung apartment complex that caught fire late last night. Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) this morning visited Chang Gung Memorial Hospital to offer his condolences to the families of the deceased and to visit the injured. Hsieh said he was grateful for Chan’s sacrifice and his dedication to protecting the lives and safety of the city’s residents.

Most Taiwanese satisfied with neighborhood security: surveyStaff writer, with CNAMore than 86 percent of Taiwanese said they are satisfied with the security of their homes and neighborhoods, while 78.72 percent expressed satisfaction with the police’s efforts to maintain wider public order, a survey released yesterday by National Chung Cheng University (CCU) found. The mobile phone survey, conducted by the university's Crime Research Center, found that 86.35 percent of respondents felt safe in their neighborhoods, indicating high public confidence in local security. However, only 48.56 percent rated wider public security as good, a discrepancy that Hsu Hua-fu (許華孚), head of the center, said was due to frequent reporting of crimes in the media. Police stand guard at an MRT station in Taipei in an undated photograph. Photo: CNASatisfaction with police work in maintaining public security was 78.72 percent, the highest level recorded in the past five years, Hsu said.

Cold front triggers low-temperature alertsStaff writer, with CNAThe Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued low-temperature alerts for 16 counties and cities across Taiwan, saying that cold conditions are expected to persist into Friday due to a strong continental cold air mass. Central, northern and eastern Taiwan would be more heavily affected by the cold front, while other areas would experience cold mornings and evenings, and cool daytime temperatures, the CWA said. In the low-temperature alerts for Hsinchu City, Keelung, New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan, and Yilan, Kinmen, Hsinchu and Miaoli counties, the CWA warned of sustained temperatures of about 10°C. Other parts of Taiwan and its outlying islands, including Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang counties, would be cloudy, the CWA said. The north would feel particularly cold today because damp conditions are expected to persist throughout the day, independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said.

Trial for HK’s Tiananmen vigil organizers beginsAP, HONG KONGA trial against two pro-democracy activists behind a group that for decades organized a vigil that commemorated people killed in Beijing’s 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre opened today, in another landmark case brought under China-imposed national security legislation that has practically crushed protests in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China holds a vigil commemorating people killed in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square Massacre in Victoria Park, Hong Kong, on June 4, 2019. The prosecution this morning began reading out the case details about Ho, and had not yet started its case. Trial expected to last 75 daysThree government-vetted judges are to preside over the trial, which is expected to last 75 days. The court would not allow the trial to become a tool of political suppression in the name of law, the judges said.

8 Hsieh became the only woman aged 40 in the WTA women’s doubles top 100. 1, who has nine Grand Slam titles, won the women’s and mixed doubles titles at the 2024 Australian Open. Coco Gauff of the US returns to Serbia’s Olga Danilovic during their women’s singles match at the Australian Open in Melbourne yesterday. “Super-happy to close the [first] set; it gives me confidence that my game is there, my focus is there,” said Sabalenka, who is bidding for a third Australian Open title in four years. The two-time major winner took just 78 minutes to race home 6-2, 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena.