2026 in Taiwan
Appearance
| |||||
| Decades: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See also: | Other events of 2026 History of Taiwan • Timeline • Years | ||||
Events from the year 2026 in Taiwan, Republic of China. This year is numbered Minguo 115 according to the official Republic of China calendar.
Incumbents
[edit]Government
[edit]The national government, elected in 2024, continues.
- President: Lai Ching-te
- Vice President: Hsiao Bi-khim
- Premier: Cho Jung-tai
- Vice Premier: Cheng Li-chun
- Lai Ching-te
- Hsiao Bi-khim
- Cho Jung-tai
Events
[edit]January
[edit]- 6 January – The Republic of China Air Force loses contact with the pilot of an F-16V fighter jet flying a routine training mission off Hualien County.[1]
- 16 January – Taiwan and the United States sign a trade agreement for Taiwanese semiconductor and technology companies to invest US$250 billion in the US economy in return for the United States reducing its tariffs on Taiwanese exports from 20 to 15 percent.[2]
- 17 January – A journalist is detained by a court in Ciaotou District on suspicion of bribing military officials to release sensitive information to individuals from mainland China.[3]
- 25 January – Skyscraper Live (2026): American climber Alex Honnold becomes the first person to ascend Taipei 101 without using a rope or other protective equipment.[4]
- 28 January – Control Yuan president, Chen Chu, resigns. She has been on leave since late 2024.[5]
February
[edit]- 10 February – Prosecutors raid legislator Kao Chin Su-mei's office and summon her for questioning on suspicion of misappropriating her aides' salaries.[6]
- 12 February – Taiwan agrees to remove or reduce 99% of its tariffs as part of a trade agreement with the United States.[7]
March
[edit]- 4 March – Taiwanese prosecutors indict 62 people, including Chen Zhi, for their alleged links to the Prince Group, a multinational criminal network that operates scam centers in Cambodia. They also charge 13 companies with offences related to the criminal organization and money laundering.[8]
- 26 March – The Taipei District Court sentences former Taipei mayor and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je to 17 years in prison for bribery charges.[9]
April
[edit]- 23 April – Ocean Affairs Minister Kuan Bi-ling makes a visit to Taiping Island in the disputed Spratly Islands to oversee exercises by the Coast Guard Administration.[10]
- 27 April – The Intellectual Property and Commercial Court sentences five people, including a former Tokyo Electron and TSMC employee, to up to 10 years' imprisonment and imposes a fine of NTD 150 million ($4.8 million) to Tokyo Electron for the transfer of trade secrets from TSMC to Tokyo Electron.[11]
May
[edit]- 2 May – President Lai Ching-te arrives in Eswatini as part of a long-delayed visit marred by multiple African states refusing entry to their airspace for transit purposes.[12]
- 19 May – Taiwan Travelogue, a novel written by Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi and translated by Taiwanese-American Lin King, becomes the first work translated from Mandarin Chinese to win the International Booker Prize.[13]
June
[edit]- 2 June – A T-34 Mentor trainer aircraft of the Republic of China Air Force crashes at Gangshan Air Force Base in Gangshan District, killing its two pilots.[14]
- 9 June – Two people are killed in a gas explosion at a residential building in Hsinchu.[15]
- 28 June – Six people are reported killed in flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Mekkhala.[16][17]
July
[edit]- 1 July — US President Donald Trump deploys the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System and Marine Air Defence Integrated System in the Luzon Strait and southern Japanese islands as part of the US military's regional war plan to defend Taiwan and deter a future Chinese invasion.[18]
- 9 July — A massive fire broke out at a metal factory in the Zhongli District of Taoyuan.[19]
November
[edit]- 28 November – 2026 Taiwanese local elections[20]
Holidays
[edit]Source:[21]
- 1 January – New Year's Day and Republic Day
- 16 – 20 February – Lunar New Year
- 28 February – Peace Memorial Day
- 4 April – Children's Day
- 5 April – Tomb-Sweeping Day
- 1 May – Labour Day
- 19 June – Dragon Boat Festival
- 25 September – Mid-Autumn Festival
- 10 October – National Day
Deaths
[edit]- 9 January – Yao Chiang-lin, 75, politician, MNA (2005).[22]
- 10 January – Lu Hsin-min, 85, politician, MLY (1993–2005).[23]
- 13 January – Hun Yuan, 81, religious leader, founder of Weixinism.[24]
- 2 February – Yuan Wei-jen, 57, singer-songwriter.[25]
- 3 February – Wu Tun, 77, Bamboo Union member.[26]
- 12 February –
- Alfred Chen, 88, business executive and politician, MLY (2004–2005).[27]
- Fan Tsung-pei, 65, cellist and composer.[28]
- 16 February – King Liu, 91, business executive, founder of Giant Bicycles.[29]
- 20 February – Lee Yi-ting, 71, politician, MLY (2008).[30]
- 27 March – Henry Lee, 87, forensic scientist and biochemist.[31]
- 24 May – Timothy Yang, 83, minister of foreign affairs (2009–2012) and secretary-general to the president (2012–2015).[32]
- 26 May – Samuel Yin, 75, conglomerate industry executive, founder of the Tang Prize.[33]
References
[edit]- ↑ Yu, Matt; Shih, Hsiu-chuan; Lee, Hsin-Yin (2026-01-06). "Rescue operations launched after F-16V crashes off Hualien (update)". Central News Agency (Taiwan). Retrieved 2026-01-12.
- ↑ "Taiwan and the US seal deal to lower tariffs, boost chips investment". Al Jazeera English. 2026-01-16. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
- ↑ "Taiwan detains journalist for allegedly bribing military officers to provide information to China". AP News. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ↑ "American rock climber Alex Honnold reaches top of Taipei 101 skyscraper without ropes". AP News. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ↑ Yeh, Su-ping; Wen, Kuei-hsiang; Tsai, Meng-yu; Lin, Chiao-lien; Wu, Kuan-hsien (2026-01-28). "Control Yuan President Chen Chu resigns". Central News Agency (Taiwan). Retrieved 2026-01-30.
- ↑ Lin, Chang-shun; Hsieh, Chun-lin; Lin, Sean (2026-02-10). "Prosecutors raid independent lawmaker May Chin's office". Central News Agency (Taiwan). Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ↑ "Trump administration reaches a trade deal to lower Taiwan's tariff barriers". Associated Press. 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ↑ "Taiwan indicts 62 linked to alleged scam center in Cambodia". DW. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
- ↑ Lin, Chun-shun; Hsieh, Chun-lin; Shih, Hsiu-chuan (2026-03-26). "Ko faces 2028 presidential race ban after receiving 17-year sentence". Central News Agency (Taiwan). Retrieved 2026-03-28.
- ↑ "Taiwan minister makes rare visit to disputed South China Sea island". BBC. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
- ↑ "Taiwan court sentences ex-Tokyo Electron staff to 10 years in TSMC trade secrets case". AP News. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
- ↑ "Taiwan's president lands in Eswatini in a trip delayed by lack of overflight clearance". AP News. May 3, 2026. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Taiwan Travelogue, a love letter to food and adventure, wins International Booker Prize". BBC. May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ Everington, Keoni (2 June 2026). "2 Taiwan Air Force pilots die in T-34 trainer plane crash". Taiwan News. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "Two dead in suspected gas explosion in Hsinchu". Taipei Times. 2026-06-09. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
- ↑ "Autopsies confirm Taichung rockfall killed 4 hikers". Focus Taiwan. June 28, 2026. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Heavy rains flood Taiwan, leaving at least two dead". Taipei Times. June 27, 2026. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
- ↑ "US is already deploying weapons in western Pacific to defend Taiwan". July 1, 2026. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Fire burns Taoyuan warehouse in northern Taiwan | Taiwan News | Jul. 29, 2024 09:42". taiwannews.com.tw. 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
- ↑ Wen, Kuei-hsiang; Wu, Kuan-hsien (27 June 2025). "DPP national congress to discuss 2026 election nomination rules". Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ↑ "Taiwan Public Holidays 2026". Public Holidays Global. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ↑ 屈, 彥辰 (9 January 2026). "曾說「或許骨子裡DNA就是國民黨!」 藍前中常委姚江臨今逝世". United Daily News (in Chinese). Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ↑ 李, 容萍; 鄭, 淑婷 (13 January 2026). "曾助陳水扁連任 前立委呂新民辭世享壽86歲". Liberty Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ "混元禪師圓寂!曾腎臟萎縮病危、長期糖尿病 醫示警6徵兆快就醫". Now News. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
- ↑ Hung, Su-chin; Lee, Hsien-feng; Kao, Evelyn (2026-02-02). "Taiwanese singer-songwriter Yuan Wei-jen dies at 57". Central News Agency (Taiwan). Retrieved 2026-02-03.
- ↑ "竹聯幫鬼見愁吳敦過世享壽77歲 曾涉江南案服刑". Central News Agency (Taiwan). 2026-02-11. Retrieved 2026-02-11.
- ↑ "Taiwan food entrepreneur Alfred Chen passes away at 88". Taiwan News. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ Chao, Ching-yu; Lee, Chieh-yu (12 February 2026). "Taiwanese cellist Fan Tsung-pei dies at 65". Central News Agency. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ↑ Tseng, Chih-yi; Huang, Frances (16 February 2026). "King Liu, founder of Taiwan bicycle brand Giant, dies at 93". Central News Agency. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ↑ 蔡, 政珉 (20 February 2026). "曾在媽祖面前擲筊定輸贏 國民黨前立委李乙廷今早離世". Liberty Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ↑ "Famed forensic scientist Henry Lee dies at 87". Taipei Times. Associated Press. 29 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
- ↑ Yang, Yao-ju; Yeh, Joseph (25 May 2026). "Ex-Taiwan top diplomat Timothy Yang passes away at 83". Central News Agency. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
- ↑ "Ruentex chair and Tang Prize founder Samuel Yin dies at 76". Taiwan News. 26 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
