US, Indo-Pacific fighting cyberthreatsCOLLABORATION: The US Indo-Pacific Command said it maintains contact with regional partners, and operates, trains and conducts joint exercises with allies to deter aggressionStaff writer, with CNAThe US works daily with Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines to counter cyberattacks, US Indo-Pacific Command Deputy Commander Joshua Rudd said yesterday, adding that the command has deployed liaison officers to regional allies and partners to maintain ongoing engagement. The primary threats most closely related to US national security and the NSA include China’s comprehensive threat and rising tensions in multiple regions, Rudd said. Photo: ReutersHe said he has amassed extensive experience in the Indo-Pacific theater and gained a deep understanding of the challenges related to China. Asked by US Senator Ted Budd how the US plans to deepen its collaboration with Indo-Pacific allies such as Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines in building capabilities to counter cyberthreats, Rudd said they are already engaged in cooperation every day. Rudd said the Indo-Pacific Command deploys liaison officers to maintain contact with regional allies and partners.

EDITORIAL: Managing Taiwan’s stray problemMinister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) on Wednesday said that animal welfare groups should be allowed to reach a consensus on the issue of feeding stray animals before regulations are written into law. Wildlife researchers have documented rising conflicts between stray dogs and protected species, particularly in national parks and wetlands. In 2023, residents in Miaoli and Tainan raised alarms over large packs of stray dogs prowling residential areas at night. Thus, the Ministry of Agriculture’s recently launched app to crowdsource sightings of stray dogs is a step in the right direction. Managing the stray animal population calls for a multifaceted approach grounded in enforcement, data, education and a shared sense of responsibility.

Window of opportunity in ChileBy Marcel OppligerChile has elected a new government that has the opportunity to take a fresh look at some key aspects of foreign economic policy, mainly a greater focus on Asia, including Taiwan. The early 2000s “pink wave” included Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, then-Argentine president Nestor Kirchner, then-Bolivian president Evo Morales, then-Ecuadoran president Rafael Correa and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, among others. The next election cycle brought successors from the opposition in most of the region (including Chile), though not in Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua or Cuba. However, this “conservative” counterwave did not last long and it was followed by a “second pink wave” in many of the same nations — until now. What it means for Taiwan is a window of opportunity, because it should be easier to strengthen ties with a new crop of nonsocialist governments.

GDP expanded 12.68 percent in the fourth quarter — the strongest quarterly pace in nearly 38 years — lifting full-year GDP growth to 8.63 percent. That significantly exceeded the government’s 7.37 percent forecast, highlighting the nation’s importance in the global technology supply chain. Government spending grew 1.83 percent, contributing 0.25 percentage points to overall GDP growth, although it was slower than projected. Overall domestic demand rose 0.89 percent, accounting for 0.77 percentage points of the economy’s expansion. The data reflected export-driven growth and resilient domestic consumption, underscoring Taiwan’s integral role in the global AI and semiconductor ecosystem.

DeepSeek gets Nvidia chips nodCHINESE AI: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said his firm had not received information that permission had been granted, adding that China was still finalizing the dealReuters, SINGAPOREChina has given major artificial intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek (深度求索) approval to buy Nvidia’s H200 chips with regulatory conditions that are still being finalized, two sources said. ByteDance (字節跳動), Alibaba (阿里巴巴) and Tencent (騰訊) had been given permission to purchase more than 400,000 H200 chips in total, said the sources, who are familiar with the deal. Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) yesterday said that his company had not received such information. The logos of DeepSeek and Nvidia are displayed on screens in Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday. Any purchases of H200 chips by DeepSeek could draw scrutiny by US lawmakers.

Donovan’s Deep Dives: The era of anxietyFrom geopolitics and climate change to technology and demographics, rising global instability is fueling anxiety — especially in TaiwanBy Courtney Donovan Smith 石東文 / Staff ColumnistWe have reached the point where, on any given day, it has become shocking if nothing shocking is happening in the news. Meanwhile, more and more countries are reaching the “point of no return” demographically, including Taiwan. They did that, and NATO countries have been stepping up, perhaps thinking the pressure would ease. Challenges and risks are rising fast, and the political unity and stability that underpinned the post-war era is unravelling. The problem is the sharp rise in uncertainty on every level, and the insecurity and anxiety that comes with it.

Global server market tipped to grow 12.8%By Meryl Kao / Staff reporterThe global server market is expected to grow 12.8 percent annually this year, with artificial intelligence (AI) servers projected to account for 16.5 percent, driven by continued investment in AI infrastructure by major cloud service providers (CSPs), market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. The growth in the global server market this year would be driven by continued momentum in AI servers, with the rapid expansion of AI inference applications in particular fueling rising demand for storage and edge AI servers, Kung said. Inference-based AI servers are expected to account for 44 percent of total AI server shipments this year, with the share projected to rise above 50 percent by 2029, he said. As CSPs and enterprises expand AI applications across endpoints, the market is expected to develop along two main tracks, Kung said. The first involves broader deployment of GPU-based systems, such as Nvidia’s platforms, as well as in-house ASIC rack solutions to support large language model training and generative AI inference, he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Trump and said he was counting on Washington to secure the pause in attacks. People collect water at a public well in a Kyiv neighborhood without water and heating during sub-zero temperatures on Tuesday last week. Photo: Reuters“Because of the cold, extreme cold ... I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week during this,” Trump said. And I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week.

Campuses to restrict six Chinese apps, including TikTok and WeiboBy Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNACampus networks are to restrict access to six Chinese apps deemed a security risk by the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the Ministry of Education said today. The digital ministry last month announced that Douyin, TikTok (the international version of Douyin), Xiaohongshu (RedNote, 小紅書), Sina Weibo, WeChat and Baidu Cloud are information security risks, urging the public to protect their digital safety. Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, and TikTok icons are pictured in an arranged photograph taken on Jan. 15 last year. Photo: ReutersThe education ministry is to ban these six apps from being downloaded, installed or used on official devices and restrict access to them on TANet and iTaiwan hotspots on campuses and ministry agencies, it said. Schools should not use any high-risk apps in learning activities to ensure all teaching materials are appropriate, the Ministry of Education said.

Fire extinguished after burning hectare in YunlinStaff writer, with CNAA forest fire was extinguished early this morning after burning about 1 hectare of bamboo forest in the Shibi (石壁) area of Yunlin County's Gukeng Township (古坑) overnight, the second such fire in the region this month. A fire burns in the Shibi area of Yunlin County's Caoling Village last night. The incident occurred in a bamboo forest about 10km away from a separate bamboo forest where another fire broke out on Jan. 12 and burned about 8 hectares of forest over four days. Caoling Village chief Chen Ping-tung (陳兵通) said it is currently the winter bamboo shoot harvest season, during which farmers or illegal foragers enter the mountains to collect the local delicacy. He said these people often light fires to keep warm in the cold mountain conditions, leaving behind embers that may have sparked the fires.

US Senate tables ‘Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty Act’By Hollie Younger / Staff writer, with CNAThe US Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday advanced three Taiwan-related bills, although the Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty Act was tabled for later discussion. Photo: ReutersSenators tabled the act over fears of angering China, saying that Taiwan had never requested a change in policy. The three measures passed were the Taiwan Energy Security and Anti-Embargo Act, the Taiwan Undersea Cable Resilience Initiative Act and the Taiwan Allies Fund Act. The Taiwan Undersea Cable Resilience Initiative Act would coordinate navy cooperation with Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration, impose sanctions on those who damage undersea cables and provide intelligence warnings. A date has not yet been set to continue discussions of the Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty Act.

Cold air to arrive tomorrow, with chance of snowfallStaff writer, with CNAA cold air system is expected to begin affecting Taiwan tomorrow afternoon, bringing a chance of scattered snowfall in mountainous areas above 3,000m over the next few days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The CWA said daytime temperatures tomorrow would remain warm, but northern Taiwan and Yilan County in the northeast would turn cooler in the afternoon and evening as the cold front passes. Temperatures are expected to drop to between 13°C and 15°C in central and northern Taiwan, as well as Yilan, tomorrow and on Sunday, and between 16°C and 18°C in the south and east. The CWA added that scattered snowfall is possible in mountain areas above 3,000m from tomorrow night through Tuesday. The cold air is expected to continue affecting Taiwan from Monday to Tuesday, bringing cooler weather to northern Taiwan and Yilan, while other areas would experience cooler temperatures in the mornings and evenings.

TPP defense budget sent to review, Cabinet version blockedBy Chung Li-hua and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe Legislative Yuan sent the Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) defense bill to committee for review today, after continuing to block the Executive Yuan’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.52 billion) special defense budget. Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker hold up signs in the legislature in Taipei today protesting the opposition parties' refusal to discuss the Cabinet's version of a special defense budget. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TimesThe Democratic Progressive Party caucus proposed adding a review of the Executive Yuan’s special defense budget, but the opposition parties blocked it with their majority. Repeatedly blocking the Executive Yuan’s special defense budget ignores the nation’s true needs, delaying national defense development and hindering joint operations, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said. As the TPP’s proposal lacks these elements, the Executive Yuan’s budget must be sent to committee review to truly build Taiwan’s national defense, she said.

US Treasury keeps Taiwan on currency manipulation monitoring listStaff writer, with agenciesThe US Department of the Treasury yesterday kept Taiwan on its watch list of trade partners whose currency practices "merit close attention.”The department said it was strengthening scrutiny of countries' foreign-exchange practices, including their interventions ​to resist both depreciation and appreciation against the US dollar. A teller poses with US dollar and New Taiwan dollar banknotes at a bank in Taipei on Feb. 23, 2017. The addition brings the monitoring list to 10 economies, with Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland remaining on the list. Despite this, the New Taiwan dollar appreciated 11.2 percent against the US dollar during the report period before partially retreating in the following months, it said. The department did not label China a currency manipulator, despite what it called "depreciation ​pressure" facing the yuan.

Police advised against confiscating condoms as evidenceBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAAll police and judicial units would be advised to carefully consider the necessity of confiscating condoms and lubricants as evidence, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, following criticism over a raid on an alleged prostitution operation serving same-sex clients in Taichung. The CDC said it respects the job of law enforcement in maintaining public order, as well as sex workers’ choice to provide condoms and lubricant to their clients to promote health consciousness. As part of the investigation, it said it confiscated cellphones, as well as all condoms and lubricants at the scene. Condoms are tools to prevent STIs and should not be considered “evidence” in crimes, it said. Moreover, the alleged service provider complied with the law by providing clients with condoms and lubricants, the organization said.