Publishers

November 28:

Boosted by the surge in demand for artificial intelligence and emerging technology applications, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, sharply revised the annual economic growth rate upward by 2.92 percentage points to 7.37 percent, the highest since 2011. Despite the high base, growth in 2026 is still projected to reach 3.54 percent. CNN noted, however, that most citizens have not shared in the benefits, with income inequality widening and wages stagnating. 

November 29:

Domestically-built submarine Hai Kun completed sea trials and will begin underwater navigation tests. However, reports surfaced that due to an anchor machine malfunction, the vessel went to sea without an anchor, which is illegal and placed the entire ship in danger. CSBC Corporation admitted the anchor machine is currently being calibrated by the original manufacturer. The Ministry of National Defense stated that the anchor machine is not a necessary condition for underwater navigation tests.

November 30:

Diplomatic ally Saint Vincent and the Grenadines may shift its recognition. The opposition New Democratic Party won the parliamentary election, ending Ralph Gonsalves’ 24-year rule. The party had previously advocated severing ties with Taiwan in favor of closer relations with Beijing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies, including the Holy See, remain stable.

December 2:

CPC Corporation’s third liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal project was accused of inflating costs by more than NT$10 billion. Investigations revealed the original budget was only NT$9.4 billion (about US$300 million), but CPC executives instructed contractors to jointly raise project prices, finalizing it at NT$25.3 billion (about US$806 million). Prosecutors launched large-scale searches and interviews as the case continues to escalate.

December 2:

President Lai Ching-te proposed a US$40 billion special military procurement budget. Opposition parties demanded that President Lai first report to the Legislative Yuan for questioning and jointly blocked the proposal to delay its inclusion. Labor groups expressed concern that the defense budget would crowd out funding for education and social welfare. Civic group “Autumn Struggle” also called on the Lai administration to stop unconditional arms purchases.

December 3:

President Donald Trump of the United States signed the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, officially putting it into effect. The law requires the Department of State to regularly review and update regulations governing interactions with Taiwan. Since the United States severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China, the State Department has issued various documents setting redlines for military and diplomatic engagement. The core spirit of the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act is to overcome these restrictions.

December 4:

The Ministry of the Interior announced a one-year ban on mainland Chinese social media and e-commerce platform RedNote, citing the large number of accounts involved in fraud and the National Security Bureau’s determination that its cybersecurity tests failed. Officials stressed the decision was unrelated to cross-strait issues. Online communities erupted, accusing the government of double standards, noting that according to official online fraud reports, Facebook ranked first, while RedNote did not even appear in the statistics.

December 4:

In an interview, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick stated that the United States expects Taiwan to commit to investing over US$300 billion in the country during trade negotiations and train American workers in producing advanced semiconductors so that the entire supply chain remains in the United States. In a New York Times interview, President Lai said he supports the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Taiwan’s semiconductor industry expanding to the United States, Japan, and Europe to promote global prosperity and progress.