Publishers

April 4:

On March 13, the Legislative Yuan approved the appointments of Chairman You Ying-lung and three other commissioners of the Central Election Commission (CEC). However, the Executive Yuan demanded that the opposition parties show sincerity by nominating additional candidates before agreeing to finalize the appointments. With the current shortage of commissioners, election administration for the year-end local elections may be affected. Premier Cho Jung-tai’s policy of “new three no’s,” namely no countersignature, no budget allocation, and no appointments, has once again drawn criticism.

April 5:

Before visiting mainland China, Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun of the Kuomintang (KMT) gave an interview to foreign media, stating that improving cross-strait relations should not come at the expense of ties with the United States. U.S.-Taiwan relations have always been of paramount importance to the Republic of China, she said. She emphasized that the KMT has consistently valued national defense and supports Taiwan’s maintaining necessary defense capabilities and military cooperation with the United States.

April 8:

U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to delay military action against Iran boosted market expectations of a ceasefire, driving the Taiwan stock market by more than 1,400 points, the third-largest intra-day gain ever and for the first time, 40 stocks reached prices above NT$1,000 (about US$31).

April 8: 

Beijing unilaterally announced the establishment of a flight mission notification zone in the East China Sea lasting 40 days, sparking concern. On April 10, it also conducted live-fire drills in the northern Yellow Sea. Director-General Tsai Ming-yen of the National Security Bureau (NSB) told lawmakers that the unusually long duration and wide scope of the zone may be intended to test U.S. aircraft activity ahead of Mr. Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The NSB also noted that a U.S. reconnaissance plane entered the reserved zone on April 6.

April 8:

President Lai Ching-te nominated Chief Prosecutor Hsu His-hsiang of the Supreme Prosecutors Office as prosecutor-general, prompting criticism from the judiciary of political favoritism. Mr. Hsu previously served as Deputy Director-General of the NSB under President Tsai Ing-wen, and in 2024 was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice. Without experience in the appellate courts, he was rapidly promoted to chief prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors Office and now nominated as prosecutor-general, an exceptionally rare career leap.

April 9:

Appointments for the board of directors and supervisors of the Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation have been stalled for six months. The second review meeting next week was disrupted when more than half of the eight review committee members suddenly resigned en masse, issuing a statement condemning Minister of Culture Lee Yuan for submitting board nominations based on personal or party will, rather than in accordance with the spirit of the Public Television Act.

April 10:

Prosecutors investigating former Sanlih TV producer Lee Neng-chien for fraud and cyber army operations uncovered a parallel espionage case. Lee allegedly used online operatives to collect over 3,000 pieces of personal data, including identities of intelligence officers, military personnel, and citizens, which he provided to mainland China in exchange for payment. Prosecutors charged him under the National Security Act and sought a 12-year sentence.

April 10:

KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun met with General Secretary Xi Jinping of the Chinese Communist Party. Mr. Xi stated that their meeting was aimed at promoting peaceful development of cross-strait relations, expressing willingness to pursue peace on the basis of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing Taiwan independence. Ms. Cheng noted that people on both sides live under different systems, and expressed hope that the two parties could jointly institutionalize cross-strait peace.