The ruling Democratic Progressive Party has long accused opposition parties of being “pro-China,” yet it has now become a breeding ground for mainland Chinese spies, losing public trust. |
|
|---|
|
Government Harbors Mainland Spies: President Lai Seeks Only to Smooth Things Over
Wu Shang-yu, former staff consultant at the Office of the President, and Ho Jen-chieh, aide to then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, were among those implicated in a mainland Chinese espionage case. In the first trial, they were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to ten years. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has long accused opposition parties of being “pro-China,” yet it has now become a breeding ground for mainland Chinese spies. To date, neither the Office of the President, the Executive Yuan, nor the DPP has offered an official explanation or public apology for the spy case, a double standard that the public finds hard to accept.
|
|
|---|
|
Memoranda of understanding (MOUs) related to the Twin Cities Forum are being stalled by the central government. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an is caught in a dilemma, raising concerns over further setbacks in cross-strait exchanges and cooperation. |
|
|---|
|
DPP Uses Procedural Tactics to Postpone Taipei-Shanghai Twin Cities Forum
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an had been scheduled to lead a delegation to Shanghai on September 25 for the annual Twin-Cities Forum, but the city government has now announced the event will be postponed. According to insiders, while the central government initially promised to provide assistance during the review process, it imposed stricter conditions than in previous years. Authorities demanded a detailed list of all individuals in contact with the Shanghai side and complicated the signing of memoranda of understanding (MOUs), expanding the number of ministries involved. Officials even deliberately left some communications unanswered, which sources described as “nitpicking” in order to obstruct normal cross-strait exchanges.
|
|
|---|
|
Taiwan was omitted from the official readout after President Donald Trump of the United States and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s hotline, defying expectations. Scholars warn that Taiwan may become collateral damage in U.S.-China rivalry. |
|
|---|
|
Taiwan Absent in Trump-Xi Hotline Readout a Hidden Warning
This year marked the third phone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump. Yet, according to the information released by mainland Chinese state media, there was no mention of “Taiwan.” Most analysts believe it is highly unlikely that the two leaders would bypass the Taiwan issue altogether, suggesting there are other underlying considerations.
|
|
|---|
|
President Lai credits peace in the Taiwan Strait to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and Taiwan’s post-war recovery to the United States. The historically-confused narrative has sparked backlash. |
|
|---|
|
September 21:
The United Daily News published its annual survey on cross-strait relations. Dissatisfaction with President Lai Ching-te's handling of cross-strait relations rose from 43 percent to 63 percent, an increase of 20 percentage points from last year. Satisfaction dropped from 44 percent to 26 percent. Some 55 percent support Taiwan permanently maintaining the status quo, while 25 percent support independence, and 14 percent support unification. Support for independence dropped five percentage points from last year, marking the second-lowest level in survey history. |
|
|---|
|
September 21:
President Lai attended the inauguration of the Shinzo Abe Research Center at National Chengchi University. In his remarks, President Lai credited the late Japanese prime minister for facilitating AUKUS and the Five Eyes alliance and stated that the current peace in the Taiwan Strait is attributed to Abe's efforts. His comments drew public criticism for historical confusion, with some sarcastically suggesting that President Lai believes that Taiwan's post-war recovery was led by the United States, and cross-strait peace is owed to Japan. |
|
|---|
|
September 22:
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an was originally scheduled to lead a delegation to Shanghai on September 25 for the Twin Cities Forum, but the trip was abruptly postponed to year-end. The Taipei City Government explained that the review process for two planned MOUs was not progressing as smoothly as expected. The Mainland Affairs Council responded that although many ministries are involved, a preliminary consensus had been reached, and it was surprised by Taipei's decision to delay. The Taipei-Shanghai Twin Cities Forum is currently the highest-level official (local government) exchange between the two sides and has been held annually since 2010 without interruption. |
|
|---|
|
September 22:
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), Executive Yuan, reported that Taiwan's unemployment rate in August was 3.45 percent, up 0.05 percentage points from the previous months, marking the third consecutive monthly increase and the highest in nearly a year. The DGBAS attributed the rise to new graduates entering the workforce, business contraction or closures, and an increase in unpaid leave. The impact of U.S. reciprocal tariffs is also beginning to emerge. |
|
|---|
|
September 23:
Typhoon Ragasa caused the upstream landslide lake at Matai'an Creek in Hualien to overflow and collapse, surging into Guangfu Township like a tsunami. At least 14 people were killed, 86 injured, and more than 10 remain missing. President Lai reversed his previous stance from the storm response in July and authorized the military to enter private homes for disaster rescue operations. |
|
|---|
|
September 25:
In the first trial involving Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) staff allegedly recruited as mainland Chinese spies, Wu Shang-yu, former presidential advisor and aide to then-Vice President Lai, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison. Others denied the charges. Ho Jen-chieh, assistant to then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, received eight years and two months. Huang Chu-jung, aide to DPP New Taipei City Councilor Lee Yu-tien, received 10 years. Chiu Shih-yuan, former deputy director of the DPP Democracy Academy, received six years and two months. The case is appealable. The opposition mocked the lighter sentences for treason compared to fraud and called for Wu's (currently secretary-general of the National Security Council) resignation, saying he had lost the public trust. |
|
|---|
|
September 25:
Since October last year, the South African government has demanded that the Taipei Liaison Office there be relocated out of the capital city of Pretoria, repeatedly applying pressure through unilateral downgrading and renaming tactics. After Taiwan considered countermeasures involving chip export controls, South Africa requested negotiations. Following coordination with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to temporarily suspend retaliatory measures. |
|
|---|
|
September 25:
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent again singled out Taiwan, stating that 99 percent of the world's advanced chips are produced in Taiwan, making it the largest single risk to the global economy. He urged that production capacity be diversified to the United States and other countries. Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin responded that Taiwan's efficiency and strength contribute to the integrity of the global supply chain and should be seen as an asset, not a risk. |
|
|---|
|
|
