Premier Cho Jung-tai says Taiwan’s special post-disaster recovery ordinance will now cover damages from the recent heavy rainfall. The Democratic Progressive Party is stepping up its involvement in the second round of recall campaigns, with voting set for August 23. The recall vote will coincide with a referendum on nuclear power.  Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is calling on Western democracies to stand with Taiwan rather than yield to Beijing’s pressure.  Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim thanks diplomatic representatives from Taiwan’s allies stationed at the United Nations in Geneva for continued support.  The 58% tariff that China imposes on American cherries has driven the cherry prices in Taiwan to less than NT$200 (US$7) per box, and to customers’ delight.  Plainclothes immigration officers entered National Taiwan University’s campus without notifying the school to investigate undocumented migrant workers.

All 24 KMT lawmakers who faced recall votes on Saturday will remain in office. The ruling DPP said the result offers a moment for “calm reflection and a fresh start.” Reuters and the Financial Times reported that the Trump administration had rejected Lai’s proposed U.S. stopovers, But the Presidential Office dismissed those claims. Premier Cho Jung-tai visited Tainan’s Baihe District on Tuesday to assess flood conditions and oversee drainage improvements. Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom John Healey recently stated in Australia that Britain is prepared for combat in the Pacific should war break out in the Taiwan Strait. Former U.S. national security advisor Matt Pottinger is visiting Taiwan and has met with the President and Foreign Minister. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed a 20% tariff on Taiwan via executive order, effective early Friday morning.

Taiwan’s Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun is in the United States this week for a new round of high-stakes tariff negotiations.  President Lai Ching-te met with the members of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS).  Chair of EUDS, Nathalie Loiseau, says Europe is eager to exchange knowledge and strategies with Taiwan on countering hybrid threats and gray-zone warfare. Taiwanese athletes have won multiple medals at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Universiade in Germany—but their victories have also triggered a wave of provocations from Chinese nationals. The Legislature has once again blocked all seven nominees for the Constitutional Court, including the proposed President and Vice President of the Judicial Yuan.   Both the DPP and the KMT have mobilized party officials to campaign for the recall vote on Saturday. 

New U.S. tariffs targeting Southeast Asian countries are raising uncertainty for Taiwanese manufacturers that previously relocated from China. Taiwan’s fisheries authorities push back after a CNN report highlights migrant worker abuse in the fishing industry. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung leads a delegation to Paraguay, aiming to deepen ties through expanded cooperation in technology and healthcare. The ruling DPP accuses the KMT of selling empty promises by pushing through a cash handout bill, while the KMT fires back, claiming the DPP is smearing the opposition and using “dirty tricks” as the recall vote draws near. Meanwhile, the Han Kuang military exercise includes drills to simulate a blockade of a key bridge in Taipei. Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim says there has been a dramatic uptick in China’s efforts to infiltrate, sabotage, and divide Taiwanese society.