February 22:
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) conducted the Table Top Exercise Han Kuang No. 41 for senior officers. In the official news photo released afterward, it was discovered that the person next to Minister of National Defense Koo Li-hsiung was Major General Jay Bargeron, Deputy Director of Strategic Planning and Policy of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. It is quite rare for the U.S. military to send an active-duty general to participate in the Han Kuang exercise and sit next to Taiwan's Minister of National Defense. The MND responded that it had no comment on operational details and immediately replaced the photo.
February 24:
According to the latest national political poll for February released by the e-newsletter Formosa, President Lai Ching-te's approval rating was 48.6 percent, falling below 50 percent for the first time since July last year; the disapproval rating was 41.7 percent, reaching a new high since taking office. For Premier Cho Jung-tai's performance, 36.8 percent were satisfied, and 39.1 were dissatisfied, showing a death cross. Regarding the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) initiative to recall opposition legislators, 56.8 percent believe that it is more harmful than beneficial, while 32.2 percent find it more beneficial than harmful.
February 26:
Despite continued conflict, the Keelung Fourth Natural Gas Receiving Station successfully passed the environmental impact assessment meeting. However, environmental groups accused the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) of concealing excessive soil pollution and filed a lawsuit against Taipower for false reporting. The environmental assessment committee also required Taipower to first address the land pollution issue. Taipower committed to remove the soil pollution before starting construction, which might delay the operation of the fourth receiving station until 2032. The controversy over the fourth receiving station has been significant, taking seven years and six environmental assessments to pass the preliminary review.
February 26:
The MND announced that a large number of People's Liberation Army (PLA) vessels and aircraft went to sea again to conduct a "joint combat readiness patrol" without warning, drawing a 40-nautical-mile exercise area off the coast of Kaohsiung and claiming to conduct live-fire training, which openly violated international conventions. The MND conveyed the utmost condemnation.
The MND reported that during this period, a total of 32 sorties of various main and auxiliary fighter jets and drones, including J-11 fighter jets and KJ-500 early warning aircraft were detected, among which 22 sorties crossed the median line and its extension into Taiwan's northern and southwestern airspace.
February 26:
Mainland China held a Taiwan-related work conference for 2025 in which Chairman Wang Huning of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference delivered a speech with both soft and hard tones. He announced the expansion of cross-strait personnel exchanges while emphasizing the need to resolutely combat Taiwan independence provocations to shape the trend of inevitable reunification. The absence of the word "peace" throughout the speech drew attention.
On the eve of the Two Sessions, the Fujian Provincial Government announced 17 "beneficial measures for Taiwan," including providing a reward of up to 5 million yuan (about US$700,000) for Taiwanese enterprises.
February 27:
Chen Chi-yu, former chairman of Taiyen Biotech Company, was accused of siphoning funds during his tenure. The Tainan District Prosecutors Office concluded its investigation and indicted him, alleging that Chen provided benefits to certain businesses, resulting in high profits for himself and favoring specific land developers, causing a loss of nearly NT$400 million (about US$12 million) to the company and its subsidiary, Taiyen Green Energy Company. He was indicted for violating the Securities and Exchange Act and Company Act, with a specific sentence of 12 years requested.
February 27:
President Donald Trump of the United States held his first cabinet meeting since taking office. When asked whether he would ensure that mainland China would not use force against Taiwan during his term, President Trump refused to make a commitment and reiterated his good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing hope for Chinese investment in the United States.
The same day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in an interview that the United States opposes any actions that forcibly or coercively change Taiwan's status, a stance held for many years and which will not be abandoned. According to Rubio, if intelligence indicates that mainland China is attacking Taiwan, the United States will fulfill its commitment to prevent such a situation, and Beijing understands this.
February 28:
Following the recent announcement that Taiwan universities and colleges are prohibited from exchanges with three schools affiliated with the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party and will not recognize their degrees, the Ministry of Education (MOE) added seven universities closely related to mainland China's national defense and military industry, commonly known as the "seven sons of national defense," to the list. Taiwan universities are also advised not to engage in exchanges with these schools. They include the Beijing Institute of Technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Beihang University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin Engineering University, and Northwestern Polytechnical University.
