Election campaigns are wrapping up in Japan and Thailand, where voters will go to the polls Sunday.

Around 25,000 people are set to compete across 38 sports at the Open Masters Games in Abu Dhabi, and Taiwanese athletes are among those competing.

Taiwan's first domestically-built attack submarine, the Haikun, is closer to entering service after its latest underwater tests. The navy could take delivery of the first of these subs as soon as June.

At a global disarmament conference in Geneva, US Under Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno accused China of conducting secret nuclear detonation tests, alleging the PLA attempted to obfuscate explosions with yields in the hundreds of tons. The accusation comes as the US seeks to replace the expired New START treaty with a trilateral agreement that includes China. Beijing continues to reject these calls, arguing its nuclear stockpile is far smaller than those held by Washington or Moscow.

Nvidia has taken a major step toward establishing its new headquarters in Taiwan, agreeing to pay more than US$385 million for surface rights in Taipei’s Beitou-Shilin Technology Park. The Taipei City government confirmed that the contract with Nvidia’s Taiwan subsidiary is expected to be signed before the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.

Taiwan has sent nine athletes to the newly-opened 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. It's the biggest winter Olympic team Taiwan has fielded since 1988.

Taiwanese NGO Frontline Democracy brought together experts from different sectors to put together a simulation of civil society during wartime. The group says the government needs to work more closely with NGOs and urged businesses to come up with continuity plans in the event of a Chinese invasion.

In today's show: - Taiwan Officially Becomes a Super-Aged Society - Seniors Take On Caregiver Roles as Population Ages Rapidly - Pingxi Dementia Village Promotes Community Care, Safety - Tainan Restaurant Brings Together Old and Young Residents

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said opening a Taiwanese representative office in Lithuania was a strategic mistake. Her comments come as Vilnius tries to repair ties with Beijing.

How did Phoenix land TSMC’s historic chip investment and turn itself into America’s semiconductor hub? Christine Mackay, CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, recounts the pivotal meeting with TSMC officials in Taipei and the years of planning that followed. She explains how Phoenix prepared to host the iconic Taiwanese chipmaker and what the growing influx of Taiwanese residents means for the city’s future.

A new Gallup poll shows Taiwanese people worry about politics more than people in any other country. Some also worry about everyday issues such as housing prices, fraudsters and an economy focused mai...

Premier Cho Jung-tai is in the spotlight again for refusing to countersign a bill that would fund the rebuilding of former homes for veterans' families. Cho says it only benefits certain groups. But opposition lawmakers say he doesn't have the right to block the bill, which was passed by the legislature.

China’s economy appears strong on the surface, with official growth of 5 percent and a record trade surplus in 2025. Yet beneath the headline numbers, domestic demand remains weak, private investment is retreating, and prices are hovering near deflation. As growth becomes increasingly driven by exports while confidence at home erodes, questions are mounting over whether China is facing a temporary slowdown or a deeper structural shift. If GDP no longer captures economic reality, what indicators matter more — and what do they reveal about China’s long-term trajectory? In this episode, we examine China’s domestic economic pressures, rising social strains, and what a “China Shock 2.0” could mean for global markets, political stability and the future of China’s growth model. *Recorded on February 4, 2026 at 3pm Taiwan Standard Time Host: Ethan Liu Producer: Tina Hsu Our guests: Yi-feng Tao - National Taiwan University Political Science Associate Professor Elliott Fan - National Taiwan University Economics Professor

Taiwan’s coast guard forced two Chinese coast guard vessels out of restricted waters near the Taiwan-controlled Dongsha Island in the South China Sea after issuing warnings in Chinese and English. Authorities say this was the third illegal incursion this year.

A clash broke out at a Taipei hospital after the family of a 102-year-old man took him away from his wife, a 68-year-old caregiver he married in secret in January. The man owns about US$25 million in assets and his relatives are challenging the marriage over concerns about his mental capacity at the time of the union.

​Taiwan is planning to acquire more naval vessels, including a submarine rescue vessel, a replenishment ship for fuel and munitions, ten light patrol frigates, two rescue ships and a dock landing transport ship at a time when maritime tensions with China are rising.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Taiwan's sugar railways supported the country's chief export: sugar cane. Accounting for 70-80% of all exports, sugar cane products and the trains that carried them from the country's rural west to the southern ports supported the economy in the way that semiconductors support Taiwan today. However, many of Taiwan Sugar Corporation’s railways and signal stations were closed by the late 1990s as tech advancements and changes outpaced the workhorses of a bygone era. Is there more can we learn about Taiwan's history and path to democracy from this period? In this episode, Dafydd Fell, director of the Centre of Taiwan Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, joins Alec MacDonald to discuss his and co-author Wang Hsiang's new book “The Twilight Years of Taiwan's Sugar Railways.”

Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC plans to make advanced 3-nanometer semiconductors at a plant in Japan. It's a big upgrade to its original plans and a win for Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's goal of boosting domestic chip production.

The interior ministry says it will restrict new opposition lawmaker Li Chen-hsiu's access to classified information and is urging other government agencies to do the same. The ministry says there is a...

A court in southern Taiwan has sentenced a fishing captain to more than two years in prison for hunting and killing dozens of dolphins. The captain and his Indonesian crew members killed 43 dolphins to use as bait for shark fishing, in violation of Taiwan’s conservation laws.

Beijing has announced it may soon allow Shanghai residents to travel to two of Taiwan's outlying islands as the vice chair of Taiwan's main opposition party returns from a visit to Beijing. Taiwan's government suggested the move could be a political stunt.

The site of TSMC's planned advanced packaging base in southern Taiwan has cleared its environmental impact assessment, allowing the project to move forward. Two plants are under construction, with three more planned over the next five years. The hub is set for completion by 2031, and will also support 6G, AI and quantum technology development.

Police have staged a simulated mass attack on the Taipei metro, involving sending alert messages to people in the surrounding area. It's the third safety drill since an assailant with a knife killed three people around the metro in December.

Taiwan's leading recycling and construction firms are showcasing ways of turning construction waste into useful materials.

Taiwan’s economy minister says TSMC’s domestic investment is growing, so fears of the industry being hollowed out are unfounded. He added that US plans to bring home 40% of chip production are unrealistic, noting that TSMC’s two latest Arizona expansions won’t be complete until 2027 and 2028 each.