December 7:
Chen Mei-hui, the chief blockchain financial crime investigator at Taiwan's XREX cryptocurrency exchange, died in a car accident. Due to her special role, several major fraud cases that she was investigating have been suspended. Civil judicial reform groups and anti-fraud organizations suspect that the accident was not as simple as it seems, leading to various conspiracy theories. Prosecutor-General Hsing Tai-chao of the Supreme Prosecutors Office believes that investigation is needed and established a special task force to look into the matter.
December 7:
Wang Yifu, an important advisor on Taiwan affairs to the Chinese Communist Party and president of mainland China's National Taiwan Research Association, was scheduled to attend a closed-door academic seminar in Taiwan but ultimately did not make the trip. The missed opportunity for face-to-face interaction with Minister Chiu Chui-cheng of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has led to speculation that Taiwan's senior national security officials may have intervened. Wang, a close friend of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has frequently offered advice on Taiwan-related and foreign affairs issues and is generally considered to have a more moderate stance on Taiwan.
December 8:
Wang Jin-pyng, former speaker of the Legislative Yuan, proposed a new narrative on cross-strait relations, advocating that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not subordinate to one another in terms of jurisdiction but share the same undivided sovereignty. According to Wang, "separate governance without separation" is the most pragmatic approach to easing current cross-strait tensions, breaking the deadlock, and creating opportunities for peace. Wang stated that he would not mention the 1992 Consensus and would wait to see reactions from all sides to his proposal and whether mainland China would accept this proposal. This declaration is seen as a new cross-strait narrative backed by the local faction of the Kuomintang (KMT).
December 9:
At 6 AM, mainland China's Civil Aviation Administration issued a flight notice, announcing the establishment of seven reserve areas along the southeast coast from 6 AM on December 9 to 8 PM on December 11, covering areas from the Yangtze River estuary to the eastern offshore waters of Guangdong Province. According to Reuters and other sources, senior Taiwanese national security officials stated that China has deployed nearly 90 ships, about two-thirds of which are warships, in the waters around Taiwan, the East China Sea, and South China Sea, marking the largest deployment in nearly three decades. However, the U.S. military stated that this deployment is consistent with past large-scale exercises and does not believe it is related to President Lai Ching-te's recent overseas visit.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has yet to comment or confirm drills taking place.
December 9:
The Ministry of Finance announced trade statistics for November, with exports reaching $41 billion, a year-on-year growth rate of 9.7 percent. Driven by artificial intelligence (AI) business opportunities, the annual trade surplus is expected to hit a record high.
Exports to the United States and Southeast Asian nations are expected to set new records. However, exports to mainland China and Hong Kong may decline for three consecutive years due to the weak mainland economy, U.S.-China confrontation, and supply chain de-coupling from China.
December 11:
The MAC announced its approval for Taipei to host the Twin Cities Forum, but with a caveat that if the pressure from Communist China on Taiwan worsens, Taipei may be asked to postpone the event at any time. At the same time, the MAC directly rejected the application of some members of the Shanghai Taiwan Affairs Office delegation, including the new director Jin Mei. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an expressed regret and called for confidence in Taiwan’s democratic resilience, as well as open and straightforward communication.
The Twin Cities Forum is one of the few remaining official cross-strait dialogue platforms, held alternately by Taipei and Shanghai since 2010. This time, the delegation from Shanghai will be led by Deputy Mayor Hua Yuan.
December 11:
The Finance Committee of the Legislative Yuan visited Kinmen for an inspection. During a discussion with local financial and banking industry representatives, Legislator and committee chair Chen Yu-jen proposed the initiative of “cross-strait financial pilot zones.” This received a positive response from the Taiwan Affairs Office of mainland China’s State Council, which expressed willingness to explore new paths and models for cross-strait financial integration and development with Kinmen.
December 12:
The Legislative Yuan conducted a review of the nominees for grand justice of the Constitutional Court, Judicial Yuan, with their attitudes towards the death penalty a focal point. Among the seven nominees, four advocate for abolishing the death penalty, one did not express an opinion, and two support the death penalty.
Following the Constitutional Court's ruling which substantively abolished the death penalty in September, the first case of a death sentence commuted to life imprisonment emerged. In a 2022 arson case that resulted in eight deaths, the suspect put on a fire burning his mother, wife, and children to death. However, due to his showing remorse upon surrendering, he was deemed eligible for a reduced sentence. The commutation has sparked public controversy.
