Assignment Editor Laurel Stewart is tracking a new move in US-Taiwan ties after US President Donald Trump signed the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act into law. The bill tells the State Department to review its rules for engaging with Taiwan at least every five years. Supporters say it could lead to more US interaction with Taiwan, even as some are watching closely after Trump’s recent talks with China’s leader Xi Jinping.

With US–Taiwan trade talks said to be entering the final stretch, Taipei officials rolled out a bold “Taiwan Model” they hope will clinch the deal—built on private-sector investment, one-stop industrial clusters, and tighter tech cooperation. Assignment Editor Chia Chang explains the decision to send Chris Gorin to the legislature for a live cross, where he broke down the plan for viewers and captured lawmakers’ sharp questions over whether training US workers could chip away at Taiwan’s tech edge.

Prosecutors are widening their probe into former TSMC executive Lo Wei-jen after Taiwan’s leading chipmaker accused him of leaking trade secrets to his current employer, Intel. Authorities have raided multiple residences and seized computers as investigators determine whether national security laws were violated. Taiwan considers advanced semiconductor technologies “national core key technologies,” carrying heightened protections due to their strategic importance.

We had planned to center the afternoon show on Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s Washington Post opinion piece, but a sudden late-morning press conference invitation forced a quick recalibration. Assignment editor Chia Chang breaks down how the team weighed the options before deciding to shift the rundown. Also on our radar today: Panamanian lawmakers proceeding with their Taiwan visit despite pressure from Beijing, and President Trump’s call with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, adding fresh geopolitical angles to our coverage.

Today we speak with Assignment Editor Jeremy Olivier about Taiwan’s plan to distribute 10 million civil defense handbooks in multiple languages. The books offer useful information like how to pack a “go bag” and what to do if you hear a tsunami siren. So why has the move drawn criticism?

Charlie Storrar talks to editor Jeremy Olivier about a planned visit to Taiwan by lawmakers from Panama that’s raising China’s hackles, how Taiwan’s president is urging the public to show its support for Japan in Tokyo’s ongoing row with Beijing, and a special report on the safety issues affecting migrants workers on Taiwanese fishing boats.

Chia Chang walks us through the top stories of the day, including the latest fallout from the ongoing diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo, and how warnings of Chinese espionage and infiltration are now being heard in Britain's Parliament. Plus a look ahead to the G20 summit that gets underway this weekend and how Japan is working to counter an alarming rise in bear attacks.

Chia Chang takes us through the day’s main stories, including the latest on escalating tensions between China and Japan, which began with the Japanese prime minister’s remarks concerning Taiwan. We also look at Beijing’s pressure on the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China and why authorities in Taiwan are advising against using Chinese AI models like DeepSeek.

Editor Jeremy Olivier talks us through the leading stories of the day, including the first US arms sale to Taiwan of the second Trump presidency and a vote of support as the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China opposes any forcible change to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, for the first time laying down a definition of what such a change would look like.

Heavy rain and flooding are disrupting life across Taiwan — resulting in flight disruptions, evacuations, and cancelations across 12 cities and counties. On today’s program, Assignment Editor Stacy Hsu talks about how TaiwanPlus is covering the storm’s impact.