Good Morning World: President Lai's Eswatini Trip Blocked, Int'l Politicians Condemn Beijing

President Lai Ching-te originally planned to visit allied nation Eswatini on the 22nd, but some countries along the route temporarily canceled the special flight clearance, pausing the itinerary. US Congress members voiced support for Taiwan, with Representative Mario Diaz-Balart criticizing the weaponization of aviation safety as reckless and dangerous. The US State Department urged China to stop pressuring Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue. The EU and the British Representative to Taiwan pointed out that airspace management should not be used as a political tool; allied nation Paraguay reiterated that interactions between countries should not be subject to undue interference. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China stated that this incident shows Beijing will stop at nothing to isolate Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted the fallacies of Seychelles and Madagascar degrading Taiwan's sovereignty, pointing out that their statements further prove China is the mastermind behind the scenes; the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs Committee also passed a proposal condemning China's coercion. President Lai immediately called the King of Eswatini to explain, and the Eswatini government emphasized that Lai's failure to visit will not weaken diplomatic relations between the two countries. (See full report)

US President Trump announced on the 21st the indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran. He said this was at the request of mediator Pakistan, giving Iran's "divided" leadership time to present a plan, but the US will continue to blockade Iranian ports. These latest developments keep the Middle East situation full of variables. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened that if attacked by Gulf neighbors, it would end oil production in the Middle East. An Iranian gunboat opened fire on a container ship off the coast of Oman on the 22nd, causing hull damage but fortunately no casualties. Iranian state television also reported that the IRGC intercepted and seized two ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. (See full report)

The Russia-Ukraine conflict and US-Iran war show that the nature of warfare is changing, and US lawmakers are concerned whether the development of unmanned warfare affects China's calculations regarding Taiwan. US Indo-Pacific Commander Paparo stated at a congressional hearing on the 21st that China wants to build a drone force as the vanguard of its offensive forces. Regarding the importance of Taiwan passing a special defense budget, Paparo noted that US emphasis on Taiwan's defense cannot exceed Taiwan's own emphasis on it, emphasizing "if you starve the chicken, you get neither the chicken nor the egg," making it crucial for Taiwan to fund its own defense. (See full report)

Taiwan's stock market broke the 38,000 point mark during intraday trading on the 22nd, peaking at 38,096.88 and closing at 37,878.47, up 273.36 points, with a turnover of NT$947.64 billion, setting historic highs for both intraday and closing. High-priced stocks on the exchange flashed "47 thousand-dollar stocks," with the stock king ASPEED hitting a new sky-high price of 16,495 NTD intraday and closing at 16,085 NTD. However, stocks and currency trended differently; due to US-Iran rhetoric, market uncertainty rose, driving safe-haven funds back to the US dollar and weakening Asian currencies. The NTD closed at 31.54 against the USD, depreciating by 5.1 cents, ending a two-day rise. (See full report)

The Middle East war affects energy supply. Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin stated on the 22nd that Taiwan's crude oil procurement and transportation are normal; four tankers will arrive in April, and 4 to 5 are planned for May. Currently, oil sources have largely shifted to the US, accounting for 60%, helping reduce geopolitical risks. However, major global traders pointed out that even if the Middle East war ended tomorrow, the global oil market would still lose at least 1 billion barrels of crude and refined products due to the conflict. Satellite imagery showed that at least two fully loaded Iranian tankers successfully broke through the US naval blockade and sailed out of the Persian Gulf, transporting about 9 million barrels of crude oil to the international market, but sailing out does not mean they can reach their destinations. According to the latest Reuters report, the US military has intercepted at least 3 tankers flying the Iranian flag in Asian waters and guided them away from their original positions near India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. (See full report)

The Central Weather Administration stated that from the afternoon of the 23rd to the evening of the 25th will be the most significant rainfall period of the coming week. Local heavy or torrential rain may occur in the north on the 23rd, with the rain zone expanding from north to south. On the 24th, the rain zone will expand to the entire western half. It is estimated that rainfall will gradually ease everywhere by the night of the 25th, but central and southern regions still need to watch out for heavier rain. Temperatures will drop slightly in the north and Yilan from the 23rd, feel cooler on the 24th and 25th, and return to 28-29 degrees Celsius during the day on the 26th in the north and Yilan, with highs reaching over 30 degrees everywhere from the 27th. (See full report)

Minister of Sports Lee Yang has actively promoted various policies since taking office on September 9 last year. In an exclusive interview with the Central News Agency, he stated that there are many unreasonableness in the budget compilation of individual sports associations and revealed that he has cut about NT$300 million in budgets, hoping to institutionalize it according to guidelines in the future. He also reorganized the "Gold Plan," concentrating the budget on top athletes so that all qualified ones can benefit; as for future potential rookies aged 18 to 24, they will return to the potential excellence tier, capable of receiving national resource training or redesigned relevant plans. (See full report)

Regarding the boy Kai Kai's fatal abuse case, the Taipei District Court recently sentenced Child Welfare League Foundation social worker Chen Shang-jie to 2 years in prison for negligent homicide. The full text of the judgment also discussed Chen's position as a guarantor at length. Several social worker groups protested in front of the Executive Yuan on the 22nd, stating that only the state possesses the guarantor position for children's right to survival and should not push the pressure down onto frontline social workers. They demanded a formal apology from the state and for it to face the fact that the system failed to catch the child. The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Department of Social Assistance and Social Work stated it would continue to strengthen the system and provide stable support for social workers, and will hold a public-private collaboration symposium on the 23rd with various social work sectors to stabilize social work manpower. (See full report)

Taiwan-born active NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren was invited to give a speech at National Central University on the 22nd to share his career experiences and turning points. He advised young people aspiring to enter the aerospace field to follow their own interests and expertise rather than simply catering to external expectations, because only by dedicating oneself to a field they love can they commit long-term and continue to grow. On the same day, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim shared a photo of Taiwan taken from the International Space Station during Lindgren's first mission on social media, emphasizing that Taiwan is continuously strengthening critical social infrastructure such as national security, energy, and medical care, actively promoting sustainable transformation, and striving to become a trusted partner in the world. (See full report)

British "Independent" reported archaeology...