July 21: The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held its national convention. President Lai Ching-te, who also serves as party chairman, emphasized in his speech the importance of establishing a Taiwan-centric identity and uniting the people against annexation by China. He stated that the 23 million people living in Taiwan share a common destiny.
The focus of the convention was the reorganization of party power. Out of the 10 elected Central Standing Committee seats, Lai's faction secured six, one less than expected. Former President Tsai Ing-wen did not attend the event.
July 22: The Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy released its latest poll with over half of the respondents believing that the goal of achieving 30 percent renewable energy by 2030 is unattainable. More than 60 percent support nuclear power as a strategy for achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, an increase of 5.8 percentage points from last year. Over half of the respondents believe that the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant should be activated, and nearly half support extending the operation of the Third Nuclear Power Plant. Experts analyze that the public lacks confidence in the government's promotion of renewable energy development and is more inclined to focus on nuclear power.
July 23: The Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), announced plans to relax import restrictions on wild game meat, mushrooms, and rapeseed from five Japanese prefectures including Fukushima. These items will be subject to the same "dual certification management" and "batch-by-batch inspection" measures as other foods from the five prefectures, effectively opening up imports completely. Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant accident, 53 countries and regions worldwide imposed restrictions on Japanese food, which have gradually been lifted. Currently, only South Korea, mainland China, Russia, and Taiwan still have restrictions.
July 23: As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic begins to subside, the Center for Disease Control, MOHW, estimates that the epidemic phase could end by mid-August. However, the lagging indicator of "death toll" has reached a new high in nearly a year, with 124 deaths reported last week, the highest number in nearly 11 months.
July 24: In a media interview, Minister of Economic Affairs Kuo Chih-hui announced the promotion and establishment of a "grand trader" jointly organized by four private companies with a capital of NT$4 billion (about US$121 million). The Executive Yuan's National Development Fund will invest 25 percent equity and lead small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises to expand overseas markets, with an annual revenue target of NT$500 billion (about US$15.2 billion).
In 1978, a similar grand trader was formed by 50 small and medium-sized enterprises but ended due to poor results.
July 25: Typhoon Gaemi brough heavy rains to central and southern Taiwan, resulting in eight deaths, one missing person, and 866 injuries. Over 860,000 households experienced power outages. Four counties and cities south of Chiayi were severely affected, with accumulated rainfall in the mountainous areas of Kaohsiung and Pingtung reaching 2,200 millimeters. The typhoon disrupted the Han Kuang military exercises, leading to the cancelation of the Wan An drill in southern Taiwan. Subsequent Han Kuang exercises will focus on sand table and war game simulations, with the military on standby for disaster relief. The cross-strait negotiations in Kinmen regarding the February 14 detention of a Kinmen fishing boat were also postponed due to the typhoon.
July 26: Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an was charged with falsely reporting assistant salaries and embezzling pubic funds during her tenure as legislator. In the first trial, she was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison under the Anti-Corruption Act, disenfranchisement for four years, and NT$116,514 (about US$3,550) in illicit gains confiscated. The case is still appealable. Kao announced her withdrawal from the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and filed an appeal. According to the law, Kao will be immediately suspended from her mayoral position upon the first-instance conviction, with Deputy Mayor Chiu Chen-yuan acting as mayor.
July 26: During the typhoon-induced closure of the Taiwan stock market, American technology stocks continued to fall. On July 26, the Taiwan stock market faced a correction, plunging nearly 1,000 points at the opening. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) shares dropped over 5 percent, reaching a low of NT$915. Foreign investors sold off NT$84.6 billion (about US$2.5 billion) worth of shares, marking the third largest sell-off by foreign investors in history. Despite a slight recovery at the end of the trading day, the market still closed down 752 points, ending at 22,119 points, a 3.29 percent drop, the second largest single-day drop in history.
