Author: kht-root
By Dr. TUNG Chen-Yuan (currently Taiwan’s Representative to Singapore). Chapter 1: Rise – From Impoverished Island to Global Economic Powerhouse This year (2025) marks the 60th anniversary of Singapore’s independence. This tiny island nation, through exceptional internationalization and globalization strategies, has successfully transformed itself from a resource-poor, politically unstable, and economically backward land into a prosperous and powerful global economy—a transformation widely regarded as a modern miracle. On August 9, 1965, Singapore was forced to separate from the Federation of Malaysia and declared its independence. At a televised press conference, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew tearfully and emotionally announced that…
“The next few years will show whether Cheng’s leadership brings renewal or reinforces old divisions. But one thing is clear: my generation will have to decide what kind of democracy we want to protect—and who we trust to lead it.”
A public urban-renewal project within the station-use district is expected to involve roughly NT$95 billion in investment.
Chiu said that if elected mayor, she would construct a levee-top expressway running parallel to the Gaoping River (高屏溪堤岸), forming the backbone of a proposed “30-minute Greater Kaohsiung Living Circle.” The corridor would link Kaohsiung (高雄), Pingtung (屏東), and Tainan (台南) into a unified “Southern Taiwan Metropolitan Region.”
The Wandan Mud Volcano (萬丹泥火山) is among the few active mud-volcano sites in Taiwan.
Stats from China show foreign direct investment (FDI) reached only USD 8.5 billion in the third quarter of 2025 — a sharp drop of more than 50% from USD 17.36 billion in the previous quarter, representing a quarterly contraction of USD 8.86 billion … this dramatic fall suggests that China’s position in the global investment landscape is rapidly deteriorating and that foreign investors’ risk assessments of the Chinese market are undergoing a fundamental reassessment.
Kaohsiung will have a “typhoon holiday” on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, the city government announced around 7:30 p.m.
Children near the Kaohsiung Times office could be heard celebrating the news. Others may welcome the break as well. Forecasters, however, expect heavy rainfall from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, so residents should prepare and monitor conditions.
Experts say a smaller northward turn could send the storm across the Taiwan Strait, but a larger turn could place all areas from Miaoli to Pingtung within the impact zone.
A generational divide around the issue of Taiwanese sovereignty is clear, but is it irreconcilable? Haru Shih (KAS, Grade 9) investigates whether young people believe, as President Donald Trump, recently said, that “Taiwan is Taiwan”.
Mamdani’s election marks a moment of political change. And it raises an interesting question for Taiwan as well: If political dissatisfaction and generational frustration are changing politics abroad, could similar shifts appear here someday?
