Taiwan Tonight - Taiwan News | Jun. 3, 2026

The drum performance on stage is deafening. The expatriate Taiwanese community in San Francisco warmly welcomes KMT Chair Zheng Liwen, but it seems she's very hungry. She eats bite after bite, seeming to ignore the energetic performance from the overseas Taiwanese community members behind her. Among all the foreign guests we've received and all the chairs we've hosted, this chair is the first who dared to start eating. It's remarkable considering she usually doesn't eat much. As soon as Zheng took the stage, she sang the praises of her meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Without the Zheng-Xi summit in Beijing, frankly speaking, I would just be an ordinary chair. Even if I came to the US, I wouldn't be able to change a thing. I need to obtain the full sincerity and goodwill from General Secretary Xi Jinping, the top leader in Beijing. Only in this way, my visit to the US takes on a different meaning. Zheng's pro-China rhetoric remains unchanged in the US. Vivi Chin, a member of the KMT Central Standing Committee, who has loudly advocated for unification with China, also attended the banquet. Reports say she did not only pay for her attendance on this US trip, but was also one of its financial backers. However, one scholar thinks Zheng will only attract more criticism, as she is simultaneously promoting peace while bringing along a financial backer who advocates for unification with China. I'm afraid it will really have an impact, and there might be complications. People in Washington don't know that among the so-called delegation members, there is a Chinese spouse. The KMT historically never ever did this before. Vivi Chin belongs to a branch of the United Front Work Department, so I think any Taiwanese person with a little sense would probably feel that this arrangement seems a little sus. According to the latest poll by Mike Formosa, Zheng's trust rating has dwindled from 31% just after the Zheng-Xi summit to 23%. Cheng may think that meeting with Xi has brought results, but in the end, public opinion will deliver the verdict. In the middle of a lifting operation, the crane tilted over, leaving several supports in the air. The operator tried to rock the crane back into position, but as soon as it settled, the hook suspended from the end swung back and crashed into the cab, critically injuring the operator. Emergency responders rushed to the scene, but the crane operator showed no signs of life. Medics tried to resuscitate him, but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital. When we arrived at the scene, we saw the crane operator, approximately 60 years old, had sustained a traumatic injury and had suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We provided emergency treatment and rushed him to Chang'an Memorial Hospital. Was the tragic incident caused by a mechanical failure or human error? A crane operator says that trying to resolve an off-balance crane that way is not recommended. The crane was overloaded and he tried to save the situation himself. He retracted the boom, which settled the crane back down, but that made the hook swing back and strike the cab. They should have stabilized the crane with two others first, to reduce the risk. Labor safety inspectors are investigating whether there were any violations of safety protocols or operating procedures. For now, it seems that the response to a moment of panic and trying to solve problems alone ended costing a man his life. Back in February, China expelled New York Times journalist Vivian Wang from the country. The move was apparently retaliation for hosting President Lai Ching-de in a recorded interview for the paper's Dealbook Summit 2025, during which the host referred to Taiwan as a country. Earlier this week, a reporter from Japan's TV Asahi brought up this matter during a Chinese foreign ministry press conference. Observers were surprised to see Lin Jian, the PRC foreign ministry spokesman, speechless for about 20 seconds in apparent fear of saying the wrong words. Let's see how it went down. New York Times provided a platform for the Taiwan authorities to spread the fallacy of Taiwan's separatist independence, and openly referred to Taiwan as a country, which seriously violates the one-China principle. The New York Times should correct its mistakes. The fact that the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman was stumped by a question and paused for 20 seconds is basically an international joke, all because they are terrified of doing something that might displease the Chinese Communist Party. China will stop at nothing to suppress Taiwan and prevent Taiwan's voice from being heard. This is the truth about the authoritarian CCP hegemony. Yaita Akio, a veteran journalist who spent 10 years in Beijing, posted on social media that the real China is a country that expels foreign journalists, frightens interviewees into shutting off their phones, and has made pressure a part of daily life. According to Yaita, this is because the CCP is a regime that lacks a sense of security and confidence, and is afraid of any voices it cannot control. Taiwan is ramping up efforts to keep Ebola out of the country. Last month, the WHO declared the disease a public health emergency. Starting Wednesday, Taiwan's four international airports are offering free testing for asymptomatic travelers with a travel history to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The free tests will be available until June 30th. In addition, travelers will receive notices with instructions on how to monitor their health. The Ebola epidemic in Central Africa is showing no signs of relenting, and concerns abound regarding unreported deaths. Earlier this week, Taiwan enforced an entry ban for residents of the DRC and Uganda. Just three days later, more measures have been put in place to prevent the disease from entering the country. This video featuring the famous fruit lady on Tunghua Street and Taiwanese snacks is a perfect recreation of the real thing. This AI-generated music video full of easter egg was shown by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang as he thanked the audience during his keynote speech at GTC Taipei 2026. Ningxia Night Market features balloon shooting games, claw machines with AI-powered lobsters, blending elements of a night market with Taipei 101. The most outrageous attraction is this one. A group of robots dressed in white t-shirts and jeans, even featuring a dancer with a red star on its white t-shirt, replicate a classic scene from the music video of Lim Kyong's hit, Marching Forward, which has been passed around for 36 years. With lyrics and scenes perfectly replicated, GTC paid tribute to the original Marching Forward with its own music video. As soon as the video was released, many netizens exclaimed, In January 2024, NVIDIA held its year-end party in Taiwan. Jensen Huang danced shoulder-to-shoulder with his employees, singing Marching Forward. This song is now included in this viral music video, giving viewers a big surprise and inspiring them. The CTBC brothers have been having a tough season so far, and their poor performance is angering not just the fans. On Tuesday, the team faced off against the UniPresident 7-Eleven Lions at Taipei Dome, which resulted in a crushing defeat, dashing the team's hopes of winning the season title. The brothers' pitchers handed out a total of eight walks during the game, causing their pitching coach Wang Jianming to boil over in anger. The usually calm and collected sportsman was seen slamming the door of the phone box in the dugout in a display of rage so shocking that even the game's commentators were taken by surprise. Let's hear more. I think that his frustration had been building up over the past month, as the team's pitching performance has been quite far from Wang Jianming's expectations. I actually ran into him recently and asked whether the pressure gets heavy when the team isn't doing well. He said yes, that now, no matter how he stands, how he talks, or how he tries to coach the players, it feels like nothing is working or feels quite right. And the last time he had an outburst in public was during a game some 20 years ago, when he was the ace pitcher for the New York Yankees. After giving up a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, Wang stormed off the field and threw his glove to the ground in frustration. Two decades later, he is once again angry, but in a different role. Watching his young pitchers struggle, he could hardly hide his disappointment, a feeling many fans would understand. Usually, you have to visit a shelter to adopt a cat. But the Kaohsiung Animal Protection Office is thinking outside of the box. It started partnering with a local hotel to select friendly cats to lounge in the lobby, giving people a chance to interact with them. If they fall in love with the animals, they can adopt one on the spot. In just a few days, two cats have already found new homes. A cat stares out with big watery eyes, squinting sleepily in an adorable way. This isn't a pet store. It's a hotel that's made Kaohsiung's first cat adoption space. People walking through the lobby can't resist stopping to say hi. They made it so comfortable for them. Every cat is well fed and super clean. They look just like well-loved house pets. When you see them in an environment like this, it's easier to imagine what they'd be like at home. The Kaohsiung Animal Protection Office joined with a local hotel to keep friendly and affectionate cats in the lobby, giving travelers a chance to interact with them, and maybe even bring home their newest family member. The initiative has been met with an enthusiastic response. We've had a huge number of guests express interest in bringing these cats home. In fact, in just the span of one week, we've already found homes for two cats. They really just need people to love them. It's a really good thing this hotel is doing. Inside this glass enclosure, cozy beds have been made for the cats to sleep alongside a cat tree. They hope to simulate a home environment, allowing for natural interactions to drive up adoption rates. If more hotels or other pet-friendly spaces are willing to give us the opportunity to bring these pop-up adoptions to more places, and let people interact with them and see how they could be at home together, we hope to seize every chance to get them adopted. This clever collaboration between a local hotel and the city government is opening doors for shelter cats to find forever homes. The office has also set up a messaging group to follow up on the adopters, to ensure that the cats are off to a wonderful second start in life. An expert can tap a watermelon to know if it's sweet or not. The drier the weather, the sweeter it'll be. Amid scant rainfall in southern Taiwan, reservoir levels have been plummeting. But that's not all. Academia Sinica researchers have also discovered that the dry season may actually increase the frequency of earthquakes by 30%. Groundwater permeates into the earth at a very slow rate. The depth of many of our earthquakes is at least 10 kilometers, meaning there's no definitive correlation between seismic activity and surface water levels. There's no need to worry that much, and large quakes of magnitude 6 or above aren't that easy to predict. While this seismologist stresses there's no need to worry, Academia Sinica analysis of satellite data between 2002 and 2018 found that quakes are more likely during times of low rainfall. Researchers believe the primary reason is hydrological shifting, with the vertical stress amplitude induced by water fluctuations two to four times higher than horizontal stress. Tectonic pressure aside, the south desperately needs drought relief. A powerful Pacific high pressure system in May kept the seasonal plum rains away, but the southwest monsoon is finally projected to move northward in early June. Starting on the 5th or 6th and continuing until the middle of June, the southwest monsoon will gradually move north. For about 7 to 10 days during this time, there's a good chance of developing a typical plum rain front. As June looks poised to end Taiwan's dry spell, the impending rainfall may do more than just alleviate drought. It could also help relieve the mounting stress built up beneath the earth's crust. The kettle was brought back to life after repairs and can now be used again, all for just 50 NT. This is the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau's home appliance care center. Looking around, you can see small household gadgets, such as electric fans and rice cookers. Taichung residents can bring their small home appliances here for repair. This person wasn't sure whether her items could be repaired, but decided to give it a try and brought in an oven and a fan. I saw someone post about this in a community group and came here quickly to give it a try. If it can't be fixed, ask them to recycle it. If it does work, keep it and continue using it. The home appliance repairman disassembled a faulty appliance to determine the location of the malfunction and the part that needed to be replaced. Basically speaking, we will obtain relevant licenses for home appliance repair and electrical appliances. However, repairs are limited to 11 types of items, including electric fans, hair dryers, ovens, rice cookers, water dispensers and table lamps. High power appliances are not accepted. The repair rate is around 90%. Actually, when you first bring your item in, our technicians will do a simple preliminary inspection. This home appliance care center helps people save money, but this benefit is limited to residents of Taichung. If your small appliance breaks down, don't rush to throw it away. Consider getting it repaired first. You might save yourself the cost of a replacement.