Taiwan will be represented at the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting by Stan Shih, the founder and honorary chairman of the Acer Group. The Presidential Office said President Lai Ching-te invited him to attend as the leader's representative, and spokesperson Karen Kuo made the announcement. The meeting is being hosted by China in the city of Shenzhen. Shih held the same role once before, at the leaders' meeting in Sydney, and will again head the delegation. At a press conference before the delegation left, the President said Shih would carry three messages: that Taiwan takes an active part in APEC, that it wants wider technology and artificial intelligence supply chain cooperation, and that it seeks deeper ties with key partners. Taiwan's delegation also includes Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Baushuan Ger, while Acer chairman Jason Chen and Quanta Computer's Ted Chang go as APEC Business Advisory Council representatives. Taiwan says it has asked the host to honour written assurances so that its delegation can take part on an equal footing.
Leader's representative:Stan Shih, Acer Group founderHost city:Shenzhen, ChinaEarlier turn as envoy:Sydney, 2007
Why it matters for exams: Taiwan takes part in APEC as a full member economy and sends a leader's representative instead of its president; the 2026 Economic Leaders' Meeting is hosted at Shenzhen in China.
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven met in Paris and issued a joint statement that stressed maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The statement was put out together with the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. It reaffirmed opposition to any one-sided attempt to change the status quo, especially by force or coercion, and referred to China's increasingly assertive activities in waters east of Taiwan. The ministers also urged a peaceful settlement of cross-strait questions through dialogue and said they support Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations. The statement raised concern about the East and South China Seas and backed freedom of navigation and overflight, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed it, and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung thanked the group. The ministry said the wording repeats the message the same countries gave after their leaders' summit earlier in the year.
Meeting venue:Paris, FranceTaiwan's response:Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung welcomed and thanked the G7Treaty cited:United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
Why it matters for exams: The Group of Seven foreign ministers' joint statement on the Taiwan Strait was issued from Paris along with the European Union High Representative, and cited the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Taiwan has decided to close the Taipei Economic Office in Port Moresby and withdraw all the staff posted there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the host government had repeated its demand that the office shut and that its personnel leave within a fixed period. With the closure, all technical cooperation and aid programmes in the country end, including the work of the Taiwan Technical and Medical Missions and the scholarship and training schemes attached to them. Taiwan has also stopped buying liquefied natural gas from Papua New Guinea on the spot market and will sign no fresh spot contracts; the projected spot volume for the first half of the year was about 500,000 tons. The ministry said Taiwan had taken roughly one-third of Papua New Guinea's total liquefied natural gas exports. It added that domestic gas supply and demand had been reassessed, procurement adjusted and other suppliers identified, so energy supply should stay stable. Diplomatic resources will be redirected to Taiwan's own diplomatic allies and to other regions with room for long-term cooperation.
Office closed:Taipei Economic Office in Port MoresbySpot LNG volume dropped:about 500,000 tons (first half of 2026)Taiwan's share of PNG LNG exports:roughly one-third
Why it matters for exams: Taiwan's unofficial mission in Papua New Guinea was the Taipei Economic Office in Port Moresby; it has been closed, and Taiwan's spot purchases of liquefied natural gas from that country have stopped.
Taiwan and the Philippines have signed an updated memorandum of understanding on the Special Hiring Program in Taiwan, under which Taiwanese employers may hire Filipino workers directly. The signing took place in Taiwan. Signing for Taiwan was Wallace Minn-gan Chow, who heads the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines; for the Philippine side it was Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos, who chairs the Manila Economic and Cultural Office and is its resident representative in Taiwan. Chen Ming-jen, Taiwan's Vice Minister of Labor, and Jainal Rasul Jr., Undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers, witnessed it. Taiwan's foreign ministry said the revised document is meant to promote fair recruitment and to reduce the burden on employers and workers alike. It is also expected to widen the recruitment channels open to Taiwanese firms. The two sides deal with each other through these economic and cultural offices because they have no formal diplomatic relations.
Programme:Special Hiring Program in Taiwan (SHPT)Signed for Taiwan:Wallace Minn-gan ChowSigned for the Philippines:Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos
Why it matters for exams: The Special Hiring Program in Taiwan allows direct hiring of Filipino workers; Taiwan and the Philippines deal through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office.
Taiwan took part in the 25th Berlin Security Conference, one of Europe's main forums on security and defence policy, with a wider presence than in previous years. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs François Chihchung Wu spoke from the stage and was interviewed by the conference chairman, Reinhard Wolski. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung addressed the meeting through a prerecorded video speech in which he described Taiwan as a critical hub for the global semiconductor, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing industries, and proposed closer work with Europe on chips, cybersecurity and energy security. Lin Fei-fan, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council, explained Taiwan's approach to whole-of-society resilience, and Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng of the Ministry of National Defense spoke on self-defence capability. For the first time the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took a Taiwanese drone industry delegation to the conference's defence exhibition. The ministry's Drone Diplomacy Task Force also joined a panel on unmanned and counter-unmanned systems. Taiwan said its presence this year was wider than before, covering diplomacy, defence, industry, think tanks and youth programmes.
Edition:25th Berlin Security ConferenceVenue:Berlin, GermanyFirst time:A Taiwanese drone industry delegation at the defence exhibition
Why it matters for exams: The Berlin Security Conference is a leading European security and defence policy forum; Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister François Chihchung Wu led its on-stage participation at the 25th edition.
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre of Saint Lucia, a diplomatic ally of Taiwan, was received at the Presidential Office in Taipei with military honours and held bilateral talks with President Lai Ching-te, who was accompanied by Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao. Pierre, who took over as chair of the Caribbean Community in July, is making his fourth trip to Taiwan. He spoke of 19 years of continuous friendship between the two sides and recalled that he had supported full United Nations membership for Taiwan at the General Assembly in September. The talks covered water security after a drought linked to El Niño, for which Saint Lucia is building an extensive rainwater harvesting system, as well as cooling classrooms, free early childhood and special education, and smart classrooms. The two sides also discussed modernising and diversifying agriculture for food security, renewable and alternative energy, and continued exchange on smart agriculture. Pierre asked for more places for Saint Lucian doctors, academics and students at Taiwanese institutions. The 19th Taiwan-Saint Lucia Partnership Trade Show, organised with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, is due next month with more than 70 Saint Lucian companies taking part.
Visiting leader:Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre of Saint LuciaRegional bloc chaired:Caribbean CommunityTrade show:19th Taiwan-Saint Lucia Partnership Trade Show
Why it matters for exams: Saint Lucia is one of Taiwan's diplomatic allies, its prime minister is Philip J. Pierre, and he currently chairs the Caribbean Community.
Typhoon Champi swept past the northeast of Taiwan and then moved north towards China's eastern coast. The storm had briefly reached super typhoon strength over the Pacific before weakening as it neared the island. One person was killed and more than 500 people were injured in Taiwan. Trees were brought down, there was brief flooding, and tens of thousands of households lost power before crews restored most supplies. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said Champi could drop up to 900mm of rain, with the northeast hit hardest. The transport ministry put flight cancellations at 259 on the second day, and most shops in northern and central Taiwan stayed shut. As the system moved away it threatened Zhejiang province on the Chinese mainland, where emergency teams were sent out and warnings of strong wind and heavy rain were issued. Taiwan sits on the western Pacific typhoon track, which is why several such storms brush or cross the island every year between summer and late autumn.
Storm:Typhoon ChampiCasualties in Taiwan:one dead, more than 500 injuredNext area threatened:Zhejiang province, ChinaForecaster:Central Weather Administration
Why it matters for exams: Typhoon Champi is the storm that passed Taiwan and then threatened Zhejiang province in China; Taiwan lies on the western Pacific typhoon track.
President Lai Ching-te presided over the ninth meeting of Taiwan's National Climate Change Committee, which took up two reports. The Ministry of Environment reported on the island's heat adaptation strategy for global heatwaves and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications on energy transition and adaptation in transport. In his opening statement the President said more than 10,000 cool spots are now linked up nationwide, and that Taiwan's first full-scale exercise on a scenario of extreme heat at 40 degrees Celsius had been run with 50 organisations taking part. The exercise results are to be built into the fourth phase of the National Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan. The urban forest policy, introduced at the committee's seventh meeting, has gone through more than 30 public briefings attended by over 4,000 people, who offered more than 1,000 comments. A national urban forest promotion plan is expected by the end of the year, and draft urban forest legislation is in deliberation under the direction of Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun. Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming delivered the first report and Lin Kuo-shian, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications, the second.
Meeting:Ninth meeting of the National Climate Change CommitteeCool spots linked:over 10,000Heat results feed into:Fourth phase of the National Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan
Why it matters for exams: The National Climate Change Committee is chaired by Taiwan's President; the Ministry of Environment runs its heat adaptation strategy and the Minister of Environment is Peng Chi-ming.
The board of the Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) decided at its third quarter meeting to leave policy rates where they were. The discount rate stays at 2 percent, the rate on refinancing of secured loans at 2.375 percent and the rate on temporary accommodations at 4.25 percent. The bank lifted its forecast for economic growth this year to 11.48 percent, with growth of 9.09 percent expected in the second half, and put next year's growth at 5.82 percent. Consumer price inflation is forecast at 2.03 percent for the year, with core inflation at 2.16 percent; both are expected to ease next year, to 1.83 percent and 1.89 percent. The board noted that the economy expanded by 14.15 percent in the first half of the year over the same period a year earlier. The discount rate is one of the policy rates the board sets, the rate at which the central bank lends to banks, and changes in it feed through to deposit and lending rates in the economy.
Discount rate:2%Rate on temporary accommodations:4.25%Growth forecast for the year:11.48%CPI inflation forecast:2.03%
Why it matters for exams: The Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sets Taiwan's discount rate, which stands at 2 percent, and its latest forecast puts this year's growth at 11.48 percent.
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung took a delegation to Poland from 10 to 14 October and delivered the keynote speech at the Warsaw Security Forum. Two memorandums of understanding were announced while he was there: one covers a technology park that the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association is to build, and the other a shared push on semiconductor resilience. He also announced the launch of a bilateral gallium nitride chip project with the Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics of Poland's Łukasiewicz Research Network, the first Taiwan-Poland initiative focused on semiconductor resilience. Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute will co-administer the project once the two sides' representative offices sign a memorandum. He met Polish and other European officials and lawmakers, among them Grzegorz Schetyna and Krzysztof Truskolaski. The delegation visited an Acer factory in Wrocław, a facility of 20,000 square metres with 400 staff, and the Polish Center for International Aid Foundation, Taiwan's local partner for aid to Ukraine.
Why it matters for exams: Lin Chia-lung is Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs; the Warsaw Security Forum is Poland's security policy conference, and the new Taiwan-Poland chip project is on gallium nitride, co-administered by the Industrial Technology Research Institute.
President Lai Ching-te delivered the address at the Republic of China's 115th Double Tenth National Day celebration, held at the plaza in front of the Presidential Office Building, under the title 'Taiwan's Future: A City upon a Hill'. He said per capita GDP is projected at US$45,332 this year, and that Taiwan had climbed to fourth in the World Competitiveness Ranking compiled by the Swiss-based Institute for Management Development, its best result so far. On family policy he said the government is on track to launch a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child from birth to the age of 18 from next year, alongside maternity benefits, assisted reproduction subsidies and social housing for young families. For next year he said the government is planning a universal AI dividend payment of NT$10,000 a person, a monthly welfare allowance of NT$10,000 for each elderly farmer, and National Pension annuities of NT$5,000 a person each month. On industry he set out 13 core strategic industries, which include five trusted sectors covering semiconductors, artificial intelligence, military, security and surveillance, and next-generation communications. Long-term Care 3.0, launched this year, was presented as the integration of healthcare, social welfare, community services and technology.
Occasion:115th Double Tenth National DayChild allowance:NT$5,000 a month, birth to age 18Per capita GDP projected:US$45,332World Competitiveness Ranking:fourth globally
Why it matters for exams: Taiwan's National Day is the Double Tenth, this was its 115th celebration, and the address named the NT$5,000 monthly child allowance, the 13 core strategic industries and Taiwan's fourth place in the World Competitiveness Ranking of the Institute for Management Development.
Taiwan's standing in international economic bodies is in the news this month, as its own participation in a leaders' meeting of regional economies has had to be argued for, so the name it carries in the world trade system is worth knowing. In the WTO, Taiwan is listed as the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, with Chinese Taipei given in brackets as the short form. It has been a member since 1 January 2002. The long name is built from the main island together with the Penghu islands and the offshore groups of Kinmen and Matsu, and the words separate customs territory matter: the WTO agreements allow a customs territory, not only a state, to be a member in its own right. Membership gives Taiwan a goods schedule and a services schedule of its own, the right to appear as complainant or respondent in trade disputes, and a seat in bodies such as the committees on technical barriers to trade and on sanitary and phytosanitary measures. The same name is used in the WTO trade profiles that record its exports and imports.
WTO member name:Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei)Member since:1 January 2002Island groups in the name:Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu
Why it matters for exams: Taiwan's WTO member name is the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, shortened to Chinese Taipei, and it has been a member since 1 January 2002.
Taiwan has had to press for equal treatment at this year's APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, hosted by China in Shenzhen, so the terms of its membership are worth setting out. Taiwan became a full member of APEC in 1991. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the memorandum under which it acceded made no mention of a one China principle and instead recorded that Taiwan would take part in APEC meetings and activities on an equal basis with other members. The ministry's Department of International Organizations issued a statement urging the host to respect the equal participation of every member economy. It asked China to take concrete steps so that Taiwan can take part in the leaders' meeting with equal and dignified standing, and to honour the written assurance it gave in 2024 on the safety of participants and on smooth entry and exit. It also said the host must stick to decisions taken by consensus of all the members. APEC works by consensus and calls its participants member economies rather than member states.
Year Taiwan joined APEC:1991Host of this year's leaders' meeting:China, at ShenzhenStatement issued by:Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Why it matters for exams: Taiwan has been a full APEC member economy since 1991, admitted under an accession memorandum that recorded participation on an equal basis; APEC calls its participants member economies.