Stories from Taipei · Taiwan

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Li-hsiung has ordered all members of the armed forces to prohibit the downloading and use of the Chinese navigation app Amap. The ban extends to the use of the application on personal mobile phones.

The Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) have jointly announced that Li Sichuan will represent the blue-white coalition in the upcoming New Taipei City mayoral election. Kuomintang candidate Li Sichuan received 36 percent in recent polling for the New Taipei City election. Recent media reports claimed he holds undeveloped land in Xiaoliuqiu, though he clarified that the land is a shared family inheritance and his specific portion remains unbuilt. Reports suggest he owns land in Xiaoliuqiu, though his portion is undeveloped and jointly owned with relatives. Recent media reports questioned her ownership of land in Xiaoliuqiu, which was described as inherited family property and not developed. Reports indicate she has 17 plots of land placed in trust, with most being ancestral inheritances. The candidate's campaign is expected to face further attacks and scrutiny.

Breeze Group Vice President Gao Ming-ding held a press conference today to contest the outcome of a Taiwan Railway ROT tender. The group lost the ROT tender to Starry 3 by a margin of one point.

Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission has announced a relaxation of rules allowing investment trusts to purchase single stocks. The Financial Supervisory Commission has released results from its Fintech 2.0 phase.

Legislator Chiu Yi-ying questioned the Legislative Yuan regarding vegetable imports from Vietnam. A Democratic Progressive Party legislator called for third-party isotope testing for imported agricultural products during a parliamentary inquiry.

Prosecutors claim this action infringed upon the deliberative rights of the absent councilors. The charges allege that Yin Hsi-yueh initiated martial law proceedings and held a state council meeting to pass martial law while certain state councilors were not present.

Fu Kun-chi denied rumors that he would use specific funding amounts as a condition for the position of Legislative Yuan Vice President. Fu stated that Taiwan will provide full support for any US orders ranging from 300 billion to 1 trillion or more. He characterized reports of such exchanges as false issues released by green media. He said that there would be no delay in authorizing contracts once US orders are issued, similar to past military procurement processes. Fu Kun-chi, a legislative caucus convener, has strictly denied rumors regarding the procurement of 380 billion or 500 billion TWD in arms.

A female passenger accidentally deployed pepper spray on a Taipei Metro train around 2:00 PM today. The passenger reportedly carried the spray for self-defense. Three train carriages were urgently evacuated from the Taipei Metro at approximately 2:00 PM today. The evacuation occurred after passengers traveling through Zhubei reported smelling a pungent odor. Three metro carriages were evacuated following a pepper spray incident in Taipei on Wednesday afternoon. Passengers reported a pungent odor during the transit. The individual was taken to a police station and is being investigated for violating the Social Order Maintenance Act. The case was referred to the Shilin District Court for violations of the Social Order Maintenance Act. The incident occurred amid rising public concerns regarding personal safety.

A social worker identified as Chen Xi has been dismissed immediately following the confirmation of criminal facts.

Taiwanese legislator Bing Lin stated during a Legislative Yuan report that the nation will defend its sovereignty and maintain its presence in the Spratly Islands. Kuan noted that rescue missions have been conducted in the area 54 times in recent years.