Love when the internet’s favorite gay uncles more on top of Michelle Yeoh being in Taiwan than Taiwanese media

The commentary you need is there on Bluesky

Taiwan's drone ambitions take off in Trump-China haze Taipei hopes to work with U.S. and overcome Beijing's supply chain dominance

Timely article by @thomchau.bsky.social about nascent drone industry in Taiwan. Anything in new defense budget for this?

'In his inaugural speech last May, President Lai Ching-te vowed to make Taiwan "the Asian hub of UAV supply chains for global democracies."

asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Po...

The Indigenous People of North America have decided to go back to calling the Gulf of Mexico, “Chalchiuhtlicueyecatl”. It is what the Nahuatl People originally called it as it is the domain of the goddess Chalchiuhtlicue, who is assoc w/water bodies, including the Gulf of Mexico.

國防預算增千億 F-35、神盾艦「夢幻清單」離實現更進一步 - 自由軍武頻道 相關新聞賴總統宣示國防預算將占GDP3％ 2026年預算達8000億有譜！國防預算將大增千億 國軍薪資、戰力庫存可望上調、增加賴清德總統今日表態，將優先編列特別預算，讓國防預算達到GDP佔比3%以上，明年度特別預算額度可望多編列至少400億、國防部年度預算將至少增加1400億以上。國軍逐步從「有什麼

Some details here on what the Lai administration seeks to purchase if it uses special budgetary measures for defense

def.ltn.com.tw/article/brea...

稅收高於預算創高 賴總統：擴大育兒、學費補助等社會投資 | 產經 | 中央社 CNA 工商團體春節聯誼今天登場，總統賴清德表示，將透過稅收擴大對社會投資，包括育兒、學費補助和健康醫療等面向，也將持續推動投資台灣三大方案和投資抵減政策，他也保證，算入AI發展所需的電力，確保台灣至2032年能穩定供電。

Record-high tax revenues this year, which the Lai administration wants to use on social services. Er, and the KMT is seeking to cut the budget why?

www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/20...

Former KMT Legislator Faces Charges Over Chinese Election Interference | New Bloom Magazine Former KMT legislator Chang Hsien-yao faces charges of violating the Anti-Infiltration Act and Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act, in accepting instructions from the Chinese…

"Former KMT Legislator Faces Charges Over Chinese Election Interference" by @brianhioe.bsky.social

Taiwanese poster for Nausicaa, which is being released in theaters there next month for the first time:

Taiwan Presidential Office press release, Feb 14, 2025: https://english.president.gov.tw/News/6908#new

Noting that the US has replaced China as Taiwan's biggest #investment target, #Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called on the #Trump administration to "understand how Taiwan is an indispensable #partner in the process of rebuilding American manufacturing and consolidating its leadership in high-tech."

陸委會指違反「小兩會」拒絕上海賞燈團 蔣萬安：盼清楚對外說明 - 政治 - 自由時報電子報 台北市政府申請上海官員來台參加台北燈節，第一團及第二團相繼被駁回，北市府再度申請邀上海市文旅局副局長金雷等11人參加燈節閉幕式，又遭陸委會封殺。台北市長蔣萬安今表示，上海團參加燈節已多年，且無踩線行程，陸委會卻以有踩線行程違反「小兩會」協商原則駁回，盼陸委會清楚對外說明。蔣萬安今天上午出席「三十華年，鳳凰涅槃—『一起』慶重生」活動，會前受訪被問起上海團參加燈節受阻一事。他表示上海團參加台北燈節已行...

Taiwan Mainland Affairs Commission denies a third application by the Taipei City government for Shanghai officials to visit Taiwan.
news.ltn.com.tw/news/politic...

Taiwan Government seems determined to make the public aware of each single impact of budget cuts passed by the Legislature.
(And that’s good.)

‘Get off our backs and let us live’: Miss Major is still fighting for trans rights after 50 years of resistance The survivor of the Stonewall riots and mother to countless trans women has built a refuge for her community in the south: ‘I make joy here’

Miss Major Griffin-Gacy, one of the Black trans women who was at Stonewall on the night of the first riot - she fought back, got knocked out and spent the rest of the night in the Tombs - is still fighting for trans rights. She spoke with @samtlevin.bsky.social in 2023.

Were it not so believable, it would be unbelievable.

Europe is agonizing over Trump and is threatening to draw closer to China.

So what does China do? Appoint, by far, the most disliked Chinese diplomat in Europe as a Special Representative.

With US funding freeze, China nonprofits are facing extinction. They need emergency assistance | The Strategist An entire ecosystem of vital China-related work is now in crisis. When the Trump administration froze foreign funding and USAID programs last week, dozens of scrappy nonprofits in Hong Kong, Taiwan, a...

My latest: With the U.S. funding freeze, an entire ecosystem of vital China-related work is now in crisis. Dozens of scrappy nonprofits in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the US are at risk of suspending their operations, firing employees, and even shutting down.

www.aspistrategist.org.au/with-us-fund...

拳擊》川普再次抹黑林郁婷跨性別 體育署發聲反擊：她是女性 - 自由體育 美國總統川普簽屬行政命令，禁止生理男性的跨性別選手參與女性運動賽事，更在致詞時提及去年巴黎奧運奪金的凱莉芙（Imane Khelif）和林郁婷。針對川普的抹黑，今天體育署副署長洪志昌再度重申，林郁婷是女性非跨性別，國際奧會已多次重申立場，已經非常明確。

Trump repeats disinformation claims that Lin Yu-ting is male, Sports Administration defends her. Well, another way Trump has further alienated Taiwan. Worth noting is such claims are originally of Russian origin

Taiwan had 40,751 foreign national permanent residents at the end of 2024. +5,020 for the year, which is a 14% increase. 400 are under 15 while 662 are students. There are even 51 special migrant workers (cooks and translators).
www.immigration.gov.tw/5385/7344/73...

Watching part two of this United Front expose and it's filled with truly incredible footage. Nearly lost it when they got to the part where signs started falling off the wall at the vacant and dust-covered "Taiwanese youth entrepreneurship base" in Xiamen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCyW...

Taiwan's poor information security enables Chinese United Front attacks: "A #Taiwanese NGO worker received a series of unusual phone calls from Chinese individuals claiming to be customer service from #Eslite, questioning her about her purchase of a book by Puma Shen on Chinese invasion scenarios."

Amazing

I don’t like dictatorcore

Drag queens bring joy to Taipei's homeless at year-end banquet - Focus Taiwan An unusual banquet featuring drag queens was held outside Taipei Main Station for the city's homeless community on Friday and Saturday, as part of a year-end celebration hosted by a local NGO.

Great to hear that this can occur in today's Taiwan, it reflects contemporary cultural pluralism

Me: Could. You. NOT.

People: Taipei is an ugly city.

Me: I disagree. If you consider historical, economic, and environmental factors for why the city looks at it does, I think it’s possible to really appreciate…

Taipei:

The History of Religion in Taiwan is the History of Violence, Migration & Coexistence Plus: Happy New Year and a sobering read from Noah Smith

This is a remarkable essay about a Catholic church in northern Hualien that is a nexus for Taiwanese religious, colonial, and indigenous history. Yet another landscape in Taiwan apparently devoid of history but drenched in blood, memory and spirits.
ampleroad.substack.com/p/the-histor...

Exclusive—Chinese patents reveal aim to cut undersea cables Patent applications showed that Chinese scientists had been devising ways for severing undersea cables

👀🇨🇳 "With Chinese ships suspected to have cut key undersea communications cables around the world, a Newsweek review of Chinese-language patent applications shows that engineers in China invented devices to sever such cables quickly and cheaply." By Didi Kirsten Tatlow:

China Suddenly Building Fleet Of Special Barges Suitable For Taiwan Landings - Naval News China is building at least five new special purpose barges which appear tailor made for amphibious assault. The barges may provide the PRC (People's Republic of China) with a unique way to offload lar...

China is building at least five new special purpose barges which appear tailor made for amphibious assault. The barges may provide China with a unique way to offload large numbers of tanks directly onto Taiwanese roads. www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

"China’s top diplomat in Canberra has challenged Australia to ­remedy what he says are “misunderstandings” on Taiwan..."

Sure.

From Ben Packham in The Australian, comments by PRC ambassador Xiao Qian on Taiwan, with, notably, a rebuttal by Taiwan Representative Yu-tien Hsu.

Groups begin new phase of ‘Bluebird movement’ - Taipei Times Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan

The Bluebird Movement held a rally in Taoyuan on Monday night. It is planning events in other cities in Taiwan in coming weeks

www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/202...

#Taiwan #BluebirdMovement #台灣 #青鳥行動 #protest

This is what segregationists said about media depicting blacks as normal or interracial relationships as ok