Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) urges European countries to expand their collaboration with Taiwan, and to oppose the use of force in the Taiwan strait. 

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced on Saturday that Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) will surpass NT$1 trillion (about US$31 billion) in the 2026 budget, aiming to enhance healthcare services and retain medical professionals.

KMT legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) questioned the slow progress of Taiwan-U.S. tariff negotiations, but Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) responded that both sides are continuing discussions and that talks have entered their final stage.

In response to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s criticism of Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) recent trip to Europe to attend the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), the Foreign Ministry reasserted Taiwan’s status as a sovereign and independent nation and emphasized that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not subordinate to one another.

The U.S. Congress is renewing its push to invite Taiwan to the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), with Representative Adam Smith saying the move would send Beijing a powerful message that regional partners support Taiwan’s self-defense.