From Burnham to PRC, avoiding hard choices is Starmer doctrineWhether at home or abroad, the British prime minister’s pattern of ducking difficult arguments and calling it pragmatism is the sameBy Rafael Behr / The GuardianThere comes a point in a prime minister’s career when foreign travel offers respite from domestic trouble. Next comes the phase where missions overseas feel dangerous because plotters can organize more openly against absent leaders. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in transit between those two zones of decline. Starmer justifiably thinks the first visit by a UK prime minister to China since 2018 is a bigger deal than some story about weaponization of the party rulebook to block a potential challenger. Starmer dismisses the call for “performative” condemnations that would achieve only loss of influence with a superpower.

Cabinet eyes tougher penalties for deepfakesMORE TIME: Under the bills, the statute of limitations for reporting child sexual abuse would not begin until the victim turns 20, providing them more time to report itBy Jonathan Chin and Hollie Younger / Staff writersThe Executive Yuan yesterday proposed amendments to the Criminal Code that would toughen penalties for disseminating deepfakes and other types of defamation online. The draft act would increase the penalty for defamation, or offenses against the reputation of another to NT$100,000, up from NT$15,000. The penalty for public defamation and public defamation with violence, which includes slapping, would increase to as much as NT$60,000 and NT$100,000 respectively, compared with NT$9,000 and NT$15,000. The draft amendments would also delay the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse until the victim turns 20. The statute of limitations is intended to maintain legal stability and urge law enforcement to fulfill their duty to prosecute, the Ministry of Justice said.

Academia Sinica unveils 20-qubit quantum computerBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterAcademia Sinica yesterday unveiled its 20-quantum-bit (qubit) superconducting quantum computer, a milestone in the nation’s quantum research since introducing its 5-qubit computer in 2023. “With the development of the 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer, Taiwan is officially at the starting point of the large-scale quantum chip fabrication process,” Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said in a statement. Taiwan’s domestically developed 20-quantum-bit superconducting quantum computer is pictured in an undated photograph. The 20-qubit quantum computer project was started last year by first creating high-quality superconducting qubits using an 8-inch wafer fabrication platform, it said. Chen Chii-tung (陳啟東), executive director of Academia Sinica’s Thematic Center for Quantum Computer, said that a practical quantum computer requires high-quality, large-scale qubits to realize its full functionality.

Starmer and Xi hail reset, with help from AstraZenecaReuters and AP, BEIJINGBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday hailed a reset of ties, pledging to build an economic partnership with deals including a major investment by AstraZeneca that they said would benefit both countries. Relations have deteriorated over allegations of Chinese spying in the UK, China’s support for Russia in Moscow’s war on Ukraine and the crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. However, he also said the closer ties would enable the UK to engage in “frank dialogue” when there was disagreement. State-run China Central Television said Xi had stressed, without mentioning the US directly, that “major powers” must adhere to international law or the world would regress into a “jungle.”

Philippines touts rule of law at ASEANAP, CEBU, PhilippinesSoutheast Asian countries should steadfastly maintain restraint and adhere to international law as acts of aggression across Asia and “unilateral actions” elsewhere in the world threaten the rules-based global order, Manila’s top diplomat said yesterday. ASEAN also does not recognize the Burmese elections that ended this month, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Theresa Lazaro said. Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Theresa Lazaro speaks at a news conference during an ASEAN meeting in Cebu, Philippines, yesterday. Calling out China and the US, among the largest trading and defense partners of ASEAN members, has been a dilemma and diplomatic tightrope. “These realities underscore the interim importance of ASEAN’s time-honored principles of restraint, dialogue and adherence to international law in seeking to preserve peace and stability to our peoples,” she said.

‘Hai Kun’ starts submerged sea trialSEA DEFENSE: Separately, the military simulated repelling a Chinese assault from the sea, using shore-launched missiles, drones and fast patrol boatsBy Hung Chen-hung and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer and agenciesTaiwan’s first indigenous submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, yesterday departed from Kaohsiung to start its first submerged sea trial, where it was expected to dive to at least 50m. People watch the Hai Kun submarine sail out for submerged sea trials from the Port of Kaohsiung yesterday. Photo: CNAThat would be followed by shallow-water submerged trials at depths of 50m to 100m, it said. Water surges from the sea following a mine explosion during combat-readiness drills at a naval base in Kaohsiung yesterday. A solider releases a drone during a military exercise outside a naval base in Kaohsiung yesterday.

Activists to protest amendments todayCONTROVERSIAL: The opposition plans to once again ram through its amendments, which include retaining ill-gotten assets and shielding corrupt officials, an activist saidBy Chen Cheng-yu and Jason Pan / Staff reportersActivists are to hold a rally today at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei to protest three controversial amendments they said would shield legislators convicted of corruption, protect ill-gotten party assets and reinstate a television network’s operating license. Concerned citizens are invited to join the rally, which would include marathon-style events and five news conferences throughout the day starting at 10am at the south side of the Legislative Yuan building, Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said yesterday, adding that the three “reprehensible” amendments would be explained. Democratic Progressive Party legislators hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Lai said the opposition parties are also colluding to lay the path for CTi TV to regain its operating license, after the National Communications Commission in 2020 refused to renew its license following numerous violations of media broadcasting regulations. Most of the public are aware of CTi TV’s pro-China stance and its biased, negative reporting on the ruling DPP administration, he added.

Lawmakers pass changes to preventive detentionBy Fion Khan / Staff writer, with CNALawmakers yesterday passed a preliminary review of partial amendments that would expand the scope of offenses subject to preventive detention. The Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary and Organic Laws Committee discussed preventive detention amendments proposed by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus. A Hualien District Court bus for transporting suspects to detention is pictured on May 28 last year. It is necessary to expand the scope of offenses subject to preventive detention to protect the public and ensure smooth investigations, Wu’s amendments say. During the committee meeting, the Judicial Yuan expressed support for the amendments and proposed an integrated draft incorporating the legislators’ versions.

Activists yesterday gathered in front of the Executive Yuan in Taipei to call for ensuring the right to clean air by accelerating the retirement of coal power. Massive power consumption by the high-tech sector should not be used as an excuse to delay the retirement, they said. “The best energy is not green energy, but saving energy,” he said. The government should establish a coal retirement timeline that properly reflects a corresponding increase in gas power, she said. Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) in a statement last week also said that the first gas-fired power generation unit has been constructed at Taichung Power Plant and is being tested.

Local milk consumption rises to 210 tonnes yearlyBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterAnnual consumption of domestic milk amounted to 210 tonnes last year, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, as it unveiled a “Taiwan milk” label. The new “Taiwan milk” label for domestically produced milk is displayed at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Up to 85 percent of domestically produced milk is sold as fresh milk for household consumption, he said. Association president Wu Yung-chiang (吳永強) said the association organizes exhibitions and competitions to help increase domestic milk products’ visibility through sales channels and among consumers. Such efforts boosted consumption of domestically produced milk from 30 tonnes to 210 tonnes annually, he said.

China purge could disrupt chain of command: sourceMORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “seriousBy Su Yong-yao, Lo Tien-pin and Esme Yeh

Two prosecutors questioned by Chinese state security in Henan: MACStaff writer, with CNATwo Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. However, in some cases, Chinese authorities have used a Taiwanese’s relatives in China to pressure or threaten them, he said. Chinese authorities are exploiting Taiwanese public servants’ “lack of risk awareness and vigilance” to continuously expand their infiltration networks, he said. Chinese state security personnel also entered their hotel rooms to question them about their duties, supervisors and colleagues, the reports said. Yesterday, he said that the two prosecutors’ cases were separate from the cases he referred to on Jan. 16.

Chunghwa Telecom signs agreement for satellite gatewayBy Jonathan Chin / Staff writerState-run Chunghwa Telecom and the Luxembourg-based satellite constellation operator SES group on Thursday last week signed a memorandum of understanding to build an O3b mPower gateway in Taiwan. Chunghwa Telecom in a statement said the agreement represents a leap for the telecommunications capabilities and service quality of Taiwan’s medium Earth orbit satellites. Chia Chung-yung, general manager of Chunghwa Telecom’s network technology group, left, gestures with an SES representative after signing a cooperation agreement on Thursday last week. Chia Chung-yung (賈仲雍), general manager of Chunghwa Telecom’s network technology group, said SES would share its technological expertise in network operations, satellite integration, cloud linkages, edge computing, the Internet of Things and machine vision. Inking the agreement is part of Chunghwa Telecom’s multipronged strategy to build a diversified next-gen telecommunications infrastructure via securing undersea cables, gateways, communications satellite constellations and microwave-based technology, Chia said.

China care packages a ‘united front’ tactic: OCACBy Huang Ching-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerWhile Beijing has not prepared Lunar New Year care packages for overseas Taiwanese this year, Chinese embassies in Africa and North America have already issued warnings to expat groups not to invite Taiwanese officials to their holiday events, the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) said yesterday. China threatening overseas communities with “united front” rhetoric is a severe blow to the nation’s whole-of-society defense resilience efforts, Lee said. Overseas Community Affairs Council Deputy Director-General Lee Yen-hui speaks during a legislative committee meeting in Taipei yesterday. The OCAC also pledged to subsidize processing fees for the applications for three years and to cover partial interest for up to half a year. Transparency in supply chains and diversifying risks are becoming important considerations for the industrial and commercial sectors, she said.

The Chinese Ministry of National Defense on Saturday announced that Zhang Youxia (張又俠), second-in-command under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), is under investigation. Former Chinese Central Military Commission vice chairman Zhang Youxia, center, swears an oath at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2023. “The harder the people’s military fights against corruption, the stronger, purer and more combat effective it becomes.” Jiang said. Thompson said he believed Zhang Youxia was the one active-duty PLA officer who could give Xi objective advice about China’s military capabilities and shortcomings, as well as the human cost of conflict. Among senior Chinese generals, Zhang Youxia was a known figure to US officials, having joined a week-long military delegation to the US in May 2012 when he was a lower-level general.