Month: November 2025

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

In response to recent public attention on energy transition issues, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) stated that Taiwan launched the Second Energy Transition Policy in 2024. Through strategies such as “replacing coal with natural gas, promoting diversified green energy, introducing energy storage, and strengthening power grid resilience and deep energy saving,” the government aims to ensure a stable power supply while reducing carbon emissions and air pollution. The MOEA will continue to advance energy transition steadily through ongoing public communication.

The MOEA noted that Taiwan’s energy policy is consistent with international trends, continuously reducing dependence on coal and developing renewable energy. In 2024, coal-fired power generation accounted for 39%, lower than natural gas at 42%, while renewable energy reached 12%. Going forward, natural gas will serve as a bridging energy to replace high-carbon coal-fired power generation. The transition will be driven by diverse green energy and deep energy saving, supplemented by technological energy storage and enhanced grid resilience, progressing toward the 2030 power mix target of “50% natural gas, 30% renewable energy, and 20% coal.”

The MOEA emphasized that developing renewable energy is not only an international trend, but also a key factor in enhancing industrial competitiveness worldwide. During COP28, the European Union and the United States launched a joint initiative to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, to which 133 countries have responded, showing that renewable energy has become the mainstream of global net-zero transition. In addition, regarding advanced nuclear technologies such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), the government will continue to monitor international developments. If technologies become safer, nuclear waste issues are resolved, and a broad domestic consensus is reached, the government will not exclude any options that contribute to achieving the net-zero emissions goal.

While promoting the energy transition, the MOEA stressed that stable power supply remains at the core of policy implementation. In 2022, Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) launched a 10-year, NT$564.5 billion “Construction Plan for Enhancing Power Grid Resilience,” focusing on three major pillars: promoting distributed power grid projects, enhancing and fortifying power grid engineering, and enhancing system defense capabilities. The plan promotes the upgrade of the existing grid system and the reinforcement of the extra-high voltage grid to gradually achieve grid decentralization, improve equipment stability, and enhance the national grid’s capability to respond to unexpected incidents. In addition, Taipower is also implementing a Distribution System Upgrade Plan, continuously replacing substation and distribution line equipment and strengthening system resilience. Following these comprehensive improvements, nationwide power outage incidents have significantly decreased in recent years. In 2024, the number of distribution-related outage incidents dropped by more than 13,000 compared with 2012, a 65% reduction, demonstrating substantial progress in power supply stability.

The MOEA noted that, in response to the increasing share of natural gas in the future power mix, the government has established natural gas safety stock requirement, planning to gradually increase the current 11-day reserve to more than 14 days by 2027. Meanwhile, import stability will be ensured through diversified supply sources and medium-and-long-term contracts. Together with the development of renewable energy and energy storage, these measures aim to enhance system resilience and flexibility under extreme weather or unexpected events, thereby reducing energy supply risks.

Developing the green energy industry is a key foundation of Taiwan’s path toward net-zero emissions. In response to recent illegal interference in the industry, the MOEA and the Ministry of Justice has jointly established the “Liaison Platform for Combating Crimes against Green Energy Industry Development.” The platform has been operating effectively, all sectors are encouraged to report any relevant information immediately to facilitate investigation, so to jointly safeguard a healthy development environment for the green energy industry. Looking ahead, the government will continue to promote “stable power supply, carbon and pollution reduction, and energy security,” and work closely with all sectors of society to build a safe, sustainable, and resilient energy future.

Spokesperson for Energy Administration, Ministry of Economic Affairs: Deputy Director General, Chih-Wei Wu
Contact Phone Number: 02-2775-7750, 0922-339-410
Email Address: cwwu@moeaea.gov.tw

Business Contact: Director, Fang-Ling Liao
Contact Phone Number: 02-2775-7710, 0912-089-923
Email Address: flliao@moeaea.gov.tw

Source: Government of Singapore

JOINT NEWS RELEASE BETWEEN NCCS, NEA, MSE AND MTI  

Singapore, 20 November 2025 – Singapore and Bhutan have launched an application call for carbon credit projects under their Implementation Agreement on carbon credits cooperation.  This is Singapore’s third call for project applications after similar agreements with Ghana and Peru.

2               Authorised projects will unlock additional carbon mitigation in Bhutan and advance both countries’ climate ambitions through targeted financing. These projects will promote sustainable development and benefit local communities through job creation, clean water access, improved energy security, and reduced environmental pollution

3               Authorised projects can generate carbon credits aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Under Singapore’s International Carbon Credit (ICC) Framework, these credits will be eligible for use by Singapore-based carbon tax-liable companies to offset up to 5% of their taxable emissions.

4               From 1 December 2025, interested parties may submit applications for their carbon credit projects in Bhutan to be authorised. Applications submitted will be reviewed by the Singapore and Bhutan governments.

Application and Authorisation Process

5               The application and authorisation process comprises three stages, each corresponding to a different stage of implementation for the carbon credit project (See Annex A). The first two stages require applicants to submit details on the design and implementation plan for the carbon credit project in the lead-up to project authorisation. The final stage is for corresponding adjustments to be applied to the carbon credits generated from the authorised project, in accordance with Article 6, Paragraph 2 of the Paris Agreement. Detailed steps on the application process can be found at Singapore’s Carbon Markets Cooperation website, at www.carbonmarkets-cooperation.gov.sg.

6               Singapore and Bhutan will assess applications against each country’s respective requirements. For Singapore, these projects must meet Singapore’s eligibility criteria for ICCs. The eligibility criteria, and the list of eligible carbon crediting programmes and methodologies under the Singapore-Bhutan Implementation Agreement, are at Annex B, and on the Carbon Markets Cooperation website.

 

Annex A: Flowchart of Application and Authorisation Process

Annex B: Singapore’s Eligibility Criteria and the Eligibility List under the Singapore-Bhutan Implementation Agreement

Annex C: Information on the Singapore-Bhutan Implementation Agreement

~~ End ~~

For more information, please submit your enquiries electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, today (November 19) extended her congratulations to fencing athletes of Hong Kong, China, namely Cheung Ka-long, Ryan Choi, Leung Chin-yu, and Lawrence Ng, on winning a gold medal in the Men’s Foil Team in fencing event at the 15th National Games of the People’s Republic of China (NG).

Miss Law said, “The men’s foil team demonstrated exceptional performance in the competition. Cheung, Choi, Leung and Ng showcases the ability, morale and confidence of Hong Kong athletes. Their well-deserved gold medal victory was a testament to their excellence, and they ascended the highest podium tier with the support of the home crowd in Hong Kong. I am extremely proud to have witnessed their ultimate victory on site together with many Hong Kong supporters.”

Meanwhile, Miss Law also congratulated Coleman Wong on winning a bronze medal in the Men’s Singles in tennis event today. She extended her best wishes to all Hong Kong athletes for continued success in the remaining competitions, bringing glory to Hong Kong, and expressed hope that members of the public would continue to cheer for them.

The Hong Kong, China Delegation has so far won 19 medals, namely nine golds, two silvers and eight bronzes, in sailing, cycling, tennis, swimming, rugby, triathlon and fencing at the 15th NG.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission: 

     The 2025 Legislative Council General Election (LCGE) will be held on December 7 (Sunday). The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) has arranged in the past few weeks a number of briefings and training sessions for electoral staff responsible for different duties to enhance their understanding of the polling and counting procedures and various details. The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC), Mr Justice David Lok, inspected three of these briefings and training sessions, which took place on October 27, yesterday (November 18) and today (November 19) respectively, to see for himself the preparatory work by electoral staff.

     Today’s hands-on practice was designed for the electoral staff responsible for counting duties for functional constituencies (FCs) at the Central Counting Station (CCS) on the polling day. The electronic counting system was introduced for the first time for the FCs in the 2025 LCGE, with the aim of ensuring that the election will be conducted openly, honestly and fairly, while at the same time applying technology to enhance the counting efficiency. Today’s practice, arranged by the REO, primarily provided the relevant staff with enhanced training and joint drills, covering hands-on practices on each step of the entire process from the arrival of ballot boxes at the CCS to the completion of counting, as well as the fallback contingency measures, to ensure that the counting process will be conducted in an accurate and efficient manner.

     As for yesterday, the REO conducted a training session for the staff responsible for issuing ballot papers and counting duties for geographical constituencies (GCs) at the normal polling-cum-counting stations, enabling them to familiarise themselves with issuing ballot papers using the Electronic Poll Register System and its fallback mode, as well as the manual counting process for GCs, thereby ensuring that they fully understand the arrangements of the polling-cum-counting stations.

     The staff participating in the briefing on October 27 are mainly responsible for counting duties for the Election Committee constituency (ECC) on the polling day. Representatives from the REO briefed the staff on the counting workflow and the electronic counting system to be adopted for the ECC, followed by a demonstration on the operation of the counting machine and the relevant system to enhance the staff’s knowledge of the counting duties for that constituency.

Mr Justice Lok said after the inspection today that the recent briefings and series of training sessions could effectively enhance the staff’s knowledge of the relevant workflow and system operations. He thanked the staff wholeheartedly for their hard work and encouraged them to continue to exert themselves to enable smooth polling and counting on the polling day.

     EAC members Professor Daniel Shek and Mr Bernard Man, SC, also inspected the briefing on October 27 and the hands-on practice today with Mr Justice Lok.

     After the close of poll of the 2025 LCGE, a majority of the Ordinary Polling Stations will be converted into counting stations immediately for the counting of GC votes, while the ballot boxes of all FCs and the ECC will be delivered to the CCS at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for counting with the electronic counting system. As the polling and counting arrangements involve multiple procedures, the REO will continue to arrange more training sessions and simulation exercises for the electoral staff to enhance their co-ordination and response capabilities for making a detailed and comprehensive preparation for the LCGE.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (November 19) recorded a severe paediatric influenza infection case. The CHP reiterated its appeal to urge schools and parents to arrange for schoolchildren to receive free seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) promptly, as it is one of the most effective ways to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications. Vaccination also reduces the risk of serious illness or death from infection.
 
The case involves a 12-year-old boy with good past health. He attended the United Christian Hospital on November 15 due to his other medical condition and was admitted for treatment. He developed a fever and cough on November 18. His nasopharyngeal swab specimen tested positive for influenza A virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was influenza A infection complicated with shock. He remains hospitalised in the paediatric intensive care unit and is in serious condition.
 
The boy had not yet received the 2025/26 SIV and had no travel history recently. His household contact is currently asymptomatic and no influenza outbreaks have been reported at his school recently.
 
Including the abovementioned case, there have been 20 severe influenza cases involving children so far this summer influenza season, including two fatal cases. The affected children aged 11 months to 17 years. Eleven cases have been recorded since the launch of this year’s SIV Programmes, with only one having received this year’s SIV four days prior to the onset of illness. As it generally takes two weeks for the body to develop sufficient protection after vaccination, in other words, these severe influenza cases are not protected by the vaccine.
 
“According to the latest surveillance data, influenza activity began to decline in the last week of October. However, it remains at a relatively high level. As the weather turns cooler, influenza activity may still fluctuate. Moreover, a winter influenza season may occur early next year. Therefore, I once again urge all persons aged 6 months or above, except those with known contraindications, who have not yet received the SIV to do so promptly. Compared to the winter influenza season earlier this year, there have been more severe paediatric influenza infection cases this season. Currently, among children aged below 18 years, the coverage rate of children aged 6 months to under 2 years is relatively low, at nearly 16 per cent only. Parents should not hesitate and should contact their family doctors as soon as possible to arrange for their children, as well as themselves and other family members, to receive the SIV,” the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui, said.
 
He also reminded members of the public that, especially children, the elderly and those with underlying illnesses, should seek medical advice promptly if they present with fever and respiratory symptoms for early treatment. As children with influenza can deteriorate rapidly, parents must pay close attention to their children’s condition. They should go to an Accident and Emergency Department immediately if the child’s condition deteriorates, for example, if they develop symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, blue lips, chest pain, confusion, a persistent fever or convulsions.
 
Separately, high-risk individuals should wear surgical masks when staying in crowded places. People with respiratory symptoms, even if mild, should wear a surgical mask and seek medical advice promptly. They should also consider whether to attend work or school.

In addition to issuing timely reminders to healthcare professionals and schools based on the latest seasonal influenza development, the CHP also uploads the latest seasonal influenza information on its website weekly. Members of the public can visit the CHP’s seasonal influenza and COVID-19 & Flu Express webpages.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Hong Kong athletes claimed one gold medal and a bronze at the 15th National Games (NG) today, with four athletes being victorious in the Men’s Foil Team in fencing event and the other netting bronze in the Men’s Singles in tennis event.

Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law extended her congratulations to fencing athletes Cheung Ka-long, Ryan Choi, Leung Chin-yu and Lawrence Ng, saying that the foil team demonstrated an exceptional performance in the competition.

Miss Law added that they showcased the ability, morale and confidence of Hong Kong athletes, and that the well-deserved victory was a testament to their excellence, and they ascended the highest podium tier with the support of the home crowd in Hong Kong.

“I am extremely proud to have witnessed their ultimate victory on site together with many Hong Kong supporters.”

She also congratulated Coleman Wong on winning a bronze medal in the Men’s Singles tennis event, and extended her best wishes to all Hong Kong athletes for continued success in the remaining competitions. She expressed hope that the public would continue to cheer for them.

The Hong Kong, China Delegation has so far won 19 medals, including nine golds, two silvers and eight bronzes in sailing, cycling, tennis, swimming, rugby, triathlon and fencing.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) received a 27-year-old man from the Mainland authorities at the Shenzhen Bay Port yesterday (November 18) and arrested him for murder, while two other men, aged 33 and 37, were arrested for conspiracy to murder.

     Investigation revealed that the three arrestees were in suspected connection with a murder case happened in Sha Tin on March 16 afternoon, in which a 52-year-old man died.

     The three men are being detained for enquiries.

     Concerning the aforementioned case, Police had earlier arrested five other men and two women, aged between 25 and 76. Three of the arrestees have been laid holding charges with “assisting offenders”, “misleading police officers”, “conspiracy to wound” and “murder” respectively. The cases were mentioned at Sha Tin Magistrates’ Courts in March and April. The remaining four arrestees have been released on bail.

     Active investigation by the Regional Anti-Triad Unit of New Territories South is under way.
 

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

On a visit to Hong Kong to attend the Economic Transformations in a Multipolar World – International Forum on China’s Economy & Policy 2025, two Nobel laureates shared their views on Hong Kong’s positioning amid trade wars and the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

With the US-China trade war disrupting global trade, 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize laureate in Economic Sciences Joseph E Stiglitz, who has publicly opposed the imposition of tariffs between the two countries, believes the dispute has harmed the US more than China.

“Investment is discouraged because people do not know whether the tariffs will be up or down or where to source their inputs. It has disrupted global supply chains for the US.”

Mr Stiglitz also observed that there has been “no strategy” in the US’ imposition of tariffs.

“The hope for benefits of a return of manufacturing have not come about. There is a little bit in certain limited areas but the overall manufacturing employment, I believe, is actually even down.”

Meanwhile, Hong Kong has continued to act as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” between China and the international community through uncertain economic times, he pointed out, adding that this role has become more important than ever.

“China will continue to export. It may not export as much to the US. It will export more to Africa.

“As a commercial and investment hub, a financial hub, Hong Kong becomes even more important because it gives that flexibility of knowing the global market.”

Separately, 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize laureate in Economic Sciences and member of the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers on Innovation & Entrepreneurship Michael Spence shared his insights on how Hong Kong can benefit from the rapid development of AI.

Mr Spence agrees that the Government can make good use of AI when providing services and suggests it should ensure balanced development across different industries when promoting AI-related policies.

“If we are going to get the full effect of AI in the economy, it has to diffuse through the whole economy.

“Previous rounds of digital adoption suggest that a few sectors and a few firms go way ahead, and other ones lag badly, so you get a big divergence. That pattern is not a good idea.

“The Government and public policy and partnerships between the private and public sector have an important role in making sure that diffusion process works.”

His views are consistent with the Government’s initiative to promote AI application across diverse industries.

The two laureates met Chief Executive John Lee yesterday to exchange views on Hong Kong’s economy, AI and education. They also spoke at the Economic Transformations in a Multipolar World – International Forum on China’s Economy and Policy 2025 organised by the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing today chaired the 10th meeting of the Task Force on District Governance to follow up on the initiatives in accordance with the work assigned by the Steering Committee on District Governance.

The meeting co-ordinated various departments in formulating specific implementation measures on issues of local concern and continuously reviewed the work progress and performance.

Mr Cheuk said: “With the concerted efforts of all departments, various measures have been steadily implemented in accordance with the overall strategies set by the steering committee, effectively improving environmental hygiene, enhancing community development, and strengthening district services.

“The task force will continue to co-ordinate departments in stepping up the speed and efficiency in addressing a range of pressing district concerns, continuously improving people’s livelihood and well-being.”

At the meeting, the task force followed up on the implementation progress and outcomes of the initiatives on strengthening community support.

Among others, 200 primary schools have participated in the School-based After School Care Service Scheme, providing a total of about 10,600 service places.

The Government has also launched the first-phase Carer Support Data Platform, which integrates the data of the Housing and Social Welfare departments to identify high-risk cases with relatively limited community support.

As of end-October, Care Teams have visited or reached out to over 18,000 singleton and doubleton elderly households, carers of the elderly and the disabled, and referred more than 900 cases to social welfare service units.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has taken enforcement actions against shopfront extensions under the Public Health & Municipal Services (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 to safeguard environmental hygiene.

As of September 30, the FEHD has issued over 7,000 Statutory Nuisance Notices in response to environmental nuisances caused by air-conditioner water dripping, with the vast majority of cases already rectified.

Furthermore, various departments continue to improve the waiting environment at public transport interchanges, including the ventilation system and lighting.

Mr Cheuk thanked all departments for their dedicated efforts in advancing the above work and achieving notable results.

He urged all departments to uphold the spirit of unity and pragmatism and continue actively following up on various livelihood-related issues, effectively enhancing people’s quality of life and well-being.

The Government is making full preparations for the Legislative Council General Election to be held on December 7. Mr Cheuk directed department heads to put in place comprehensive arrangements and ensure close co-ordination, carrying out all related tasks in a thorough, detailed and pragmatic manner.

He requested all departments to provide practicable measures to facilitate staff members in voting, and to make good use of government district facilities and networks to widely disseminate messages encouraging voter turnout.