October 27:
On the eve of the presidential election in the United States, the Biden administration announced a new wave of arms sales to Taiwan. The Department of State approved the sale of two-long range air defense radars and an advanced surface-to-air missile system (NASAMS) to Taiwan, with a total value of approximately $1.9 billion. This marks the 17th arms sale to Taiwan by the Biden administration and the largest since President Joe Biden took office.
October 28:
According to reports from Voice of America and Reuters, after Huawei's AI processors were found to use Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) chips, TSMC stopped supplying chips to Chinese chip developer Sophgo. Neither Huawei nor TSMC have responded, while Sophgo denied any business dealings with Huawei.
Nikkei Asia also reported that TSMC has suspended shipments to at least two chip developers suspected of attempting to circumvent American export controls on Huawei.
October 28:
The National Development Council (NDC) released the business climate signal for September, which showed a yellow and red light indicating a turning point. In August, it showed a red light, indicating a brief period of prosperity. The comprehensive score for September was 34 points, a drop of five points from August, hitting a six-month low. The NDC analyzed that the industrial recovery is uneven, with the semiconductor industry benefitting from AI and performing well, while traditional industries are relatively week. However, the economy is undoubtedly on a recovery track.
October 29:
Premier Cho Jung-tai announced in the Legislative Yuan that the energy mix target for 2030 is to increase green energy to 30 percent, coal to 20 percent, and natural gas to 50 percent. In the future, if the three conditions of "new technology must be safe," "no nuclear waste problem," and "sufficient social consensus" are met, the government is willing to discuss new nuclear energy with an open attitude.
October 30:
The Ministry of Environment reviewed and approved the environmental impact assessment for the second phase of the new gas unit project at the Taichung Power Plant amidst protests. The facility will become the world's largest thermal power plant with a scale of 11.4GW.
Environmental groups and the Taichung City Government questioned the environmental assessment, which only required the Taiwan Power Company to evaluate the coal reduction plan before approval. However, the Taichung Power Plant significantly increased natural gas usage, allegedly "expanding the plant under the guise of replacing coal with gas," reversing carbon reduction efforts. The Taichung City Government does not rule out filing an administrative lawsuit.
October 30:
The Central Bank relaxed foreign exchange controls, raising the settlement limit for the first time in 32 years. The Financial Supervisory Commission recently announced plans to make Taiwan an asset management center in Asia. The Central Bank followed suit by announcing the relaxation of the annual cumulative settlement amount limit, increasing the limit for individuals and groups from $5 million to $10 million, and for companies from $50 million to $100 million.
October 30:
During a podcast interview, U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump once again accused Taiwan of "stealing" America's chip business. He stated that if Taiwan wants U.S. protection, it should pay a protection fee. He threatened to impose tariffs on "chips from Taiwan" if elected.
The Taiwan Affairs Office of mainland China's State Council stated that it believes most Taiwanese have made a rational judgment on whether the United States intends to "protect Taiwan" or "harm Taiwan," and that Taiwan could easily go from being a "pawn" to being "abandoned."
November 1:
The terms of President Hsu Tsung-li of the Judicial Yuan and six other grand justices expired on October 31. Due to the stalled nomination of successors by President Lai Ching-te, there is a vacancy for the first time in the positions of Judicial Yuan president, vice president, grand justices, and secretary-general. According to the law, the president shall designate a current grand justice to act as president of the Judicial Yuan until the Legislative Yuan confirms the nomination of a successor. President Lai appointed Grand Justice Hsieh Ming-yang to act as president of the Judicial Yuan.
